Switching mobile radios in vehicle--universal mount?

[fremont]

Have any of you had success in finding one-size-fits-all as far as a vehicle mount whereby you can swap your ham for your GMRS and vice versa?

[marcspaz]

I haven't. I have 3 radios in my Jeep right now. 4 on days I need the mobile repeater.

[berkinet]

Have any of you had success in finding one-size-fits-all as far as a vehicle mount whereby you can swap your ham for your GMRS and vice versa?

I think you will find that swapping radios into and out of a vehicle is, in fact, not a common experience.  It is a bit similar to my wife's attitude (since revised) that she only had to take her cell phone when she was going to it.

 

It seems to me that in today's world, most use of personal radio services (I.e. non-business/official), like GMRS, ham, FRS, MURS, & CB, is unessential. With the general ubiquity of mobile phone service, personal radio plays a different role. We use it for fun and to add value to our daily lives. So, if you like contacting people via any given service, you will probably want to have that radio handy at all times.  However, if you are, in fact, in a situation where a given service is essential, then you would certainly want to have it always available. 

 

All of which is to say, I think most people add rather than swap radio installations in their vehicle (or home for that matter). And, besides that, unlike car radios, two-way radio mounting hardware tends to be designed for a specific radio (size, fastener placement, etc.) and swaping is not an option.  

[wayoverthere]

And, besides that, unlike car radios, two-way radio mounting hardware tends to be designed for a specific radio (size, fastener placement, etc.) and swapping is not an option.

That and wiring are the biggest rub. It would come down to finding radios that share hardware, so would use the same wiring and mounting bracket.

 

The main possibility that comes to mind is the btech 50x1 / 50x2, which look to be only a firmware change apart. other l possibilities I'm less sure of are whatever the Midland mxt400 shares hardware with, or if the radio sold as the anytone 578 (among other things) has an equivalent on the gmrs side.

[berkinet]

That and wiring are the biggest rub. It would come down to finding radios that share hardware, so would use the same wiring and mounting bracket.

 

The main possibility that comes to mind is the btech 50x1 / 50x2, ...

 

Good points. Although, the wiring can be resolved by using Anderson Powerpole connectors on everything.  BTW, I would suggest this anyway as you never know what you want to move at some point, put on the test bench, etc.

 

As for radios which fit the same brackets, there is kind of a bizarreness to doing that when one radio is a complete superset of the other. In other words, why swap out a GMRS only radio for a ham rig that can also do GMRS. Well, there is the compliance issue. Though I am pretty sure most people with ham and GMRS licenses would be willing to take the risk in trade for having only one radio.

[wayoverthere]

Good points. Although, the wiring can be resolved by using Anderson Powerpole connectors on everything. BTW, I would suggest this anyway as you never know what you want to move at some point, put on the test bench, etc.

 

As for radios which fit the same brackets, there is kind of a bizarreness to doing that when one radio is a complete superset of the other. In other words, why swap out a GMRS only radio for a ham rig that can also do GMRS. Well, there is the compliance issue. Though I am pretty sure most people with ham and GMRS licenses would be willing to take the risk in trade for having only one radio.

The powerpole interchangeability is a good point, especially since it isn't uncommon to find them on base power supplies anyway; my alinco definitely has a couple, and I made one harness for powerpole to 12v socket. The 50x1 got banana plugs and is using the sockets on the back.

 

I've been looking at the idea not so much to interchange radios but more to be able to Move them between base and car. Was pondering slotting the mounting bracket so instead of 4 screws radio to bracket, it'd be 2 wing nuts to loosen and remove the radio and bracket together. I also have a second wiring harness on the way to go into the car.