joltman

Thanks for all the replies! So I guess I didn't express my intents well enough. I will be putting in a dedicated amateur radio (most likely the Kenwood TM-D710G). I will want a dedicated GMRS radio as well (again, the Wouxun most likely). However, if in the future I want to get rid of the Wouxun, I don't want to rerun coax or put in a new mount. This to me means I'd need the correct external mount that would accommodate a screw on antenna (is this NMO mount?). Then I could use a dedicated GMRS UHF antenna (or trim an appropriate antenna to give me the best SNR in the 465MHz range, half way-ish between 462 and 467). It sounds like maybe I should go to the local HRO store and see what they have too. Is this a good plan? Thanks!

I've had my GMRS license for nearly a year now. I've used the Midland GMRS handheld radios for a few wheeling trips with my local 4x4 club. My wife has complained (rightly so) that the handhelds are really difficult to use while driving, not to mention the limited range sitting inside the truck. I want to cleanly mount a GMRS mobile radio in my vehicle, but the Midlands don't have a detachable head. I then discovered the Wouxun KG-1000G. This looks like it's the ticket! Before I get this radio, I want to have a plan in place for mounting the antenna. My goal is to have a nice coax run to the outside of my vehicle (using a rubber grommet on the rear quarter panel of the truck). From there, I want to run the cable up to my OEM roof rack. I'd like to use one of the Gamiviti MultiBrackets and attach a swivel antenna mount. This should allow me to leave the antenna down for when I'm not using it. When I hit the trail, I can flip it up and go. When I hit a car wash, I can take it off. My philosophy has been "buy once, cry once" and that's what I'm going for with this radio project. I was hoping to get some solid recommendations on: Proper Antenna Mount (screw on, I'm assuming which means I'll need a weatherproof screw on cap for when I need to take the antenna off the mount) GMRS Only Screw On Antenna Coax Cable Recommendation (something I can use for both amateur bands as well as GMRS) Connector Type that would be compatible with this radio, and maybe an amateur radio in the future (I'm not afraid of soldering) My thoughts are I would use the GMRS mobile radio for years to come. I am studying for my Technicians license. If I decide down the road that I want to move to an amateur radio instead of the GMRS, I'd like to not have to re-run coax or resolder connectors and use the same antenna mount. If this means I have to manually tune the GMRS antenna, then I'll need a proper SWR meter for GMRS. Any recommendations on that would be helpful as well. I guess lastly, am I over-thinking this? I like the idea of re-using a cable and mount, but if it's a bad idea, I'd like to know that up front. Thanks for your advice!