High Watt mobile designed so the main unit can be hidden

[Tiercel]

I would like to see a dozen or so mobile setups because my Avalon has no obvious place to mount a full mobile mount that I can envision.  I was very close to buying what I thought was the perfect setup: a Midland MXT575 50-watt mobile with all the controls on the mic.  Then I realized it could only monitor 1 station at a time and could not scan programmable receive-only frequencies.  I don't need fancy, but it was a little too basic.  I might still be forced to go that route.

I have seen a couple of others that look like the face is detachable, and the main unit can be mounted out of the way.  I think that would be workable even if, at worst, I used a cupholder mount.  I think I can find room for a detachable face plate.

Does anyone have suggestions on 40 or 50-watt mobile units with all controls on the mic or with a detachable face.  

Do you have recommendations or ideas on how you found room to mount a mobile in today's cars? 

I think my Tacoma might have room for a standard mobile in a front open-cubby of the console.   

I would like to be able to remove my mobile fairly easy to use as a base at times.

 

[OffRoaderX]

The KG-1000G is a 50W GMRS mobile radio that has a remote-mount face that can also be snapped-off for theft-prevention.  It is a very good all-around GMRS radio.

[WRYZ926]

The only 50 watt mobile GMRS radio with a removable face is the Wouxun KG-1000G. And the only 50 watt radio with all controls and screen in the mic is the Midland MXT575, all others are either 15 or 20 watts.

The Wouxun KG-100G is currently out of stock.

[WRPL700]

8 hours ago, WRYZ926 said:

The only 50 watt mobile GMRS radio with a removable face is the Wouxun KG-1000G. And the only 50 watt radio with all controls and screen in the mic is the Midland MXT575, all others are either 15 or 20 watts.

The Wouxun KG-100G is currently out of stock.

This vendor is shipping on 11/03:  Wouxun KG-1000G Plus GMRS Base/Mobile Two Way Radio (buytwowayradios.com)

 

[WRWE456]

I will also recommend the KG-1000Gplus. It is likely the best mobile/base on the market as well. It is my base radio and I love it!

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-1000g-plus.html?___SID=U

[WRYZ926]

3 hours ago, WRPL700 said:

This vendor is shipping on 11/03:  Wouxun KG-1000G Plus GMRS Base/Mobile Two Way Radio (buytwowayradios.com)

 

I saw the yesterday and will be watching closely. 

[WRWE456]

If that is the one you want just order it now rather than waiting for it to come back in stock. You will be that much further ahead in line.

[Tiercel]

I am strongly considering this radio with the hope that I will be able to find a practical mount solution.  It is a little pricy, but it is my birthday, so I will likely go for it.

Is it practical to move this unit in and out of a vehicle, or is it a little more of a chore than you would want to do on any kind of a regular basis?

[SteveShannon]

23 minutes ago, Tiercel said:

I am strongly considering this radio with the hope that I will be able to find a practical mount solution.  It is a little pricy, but it is my birthday, so I will likely go for it.

Is it practical to move this unit in and out of a vehicle, or is it a little more of a chore than you would want to do on any kind of a regular basis?

Happy birthday, Barry!

[Tiercel]

Thanks Sshannon!

I ordered the  Wouxun KG-1000G Plus and a programming cable.  I will also order 30A a power supply which should give me room to expand if needed.

[jas]

On 10/30/2023 at 10:23 PM, Tiercel said:

I would like to see a dozen or so mobile setups because my Avalon has no obvious place to mount a full mobile mount that I can envision.  I was very close to buying what I thought was the perfect setup: a Midland MXT575 50-watt mobile with all the controls on the mic.....
 

I'm in the same boat as you at the moment.  I drive a vehicle that is maybe far and away from the norm expected of most GMRS users. It's a 2019 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label - the top of the line trim for the model with all the options. I'll post pictures below.  I'm using a Midland MXT275 and it's good on the road but not locally on repeaters.

When I'm driving I like simple that's what Midlands are. Too simple, but I've found shortcuts to make it work.  Now I want an MXT575 because although I can touch my local repeater from my house I come in scratchy - it's 30-miiles or so away.

My problem is that this is an expensive vehicle and I'm not drilling a single hole in it - period. That's why the MXT275 ergonomics are perfect. It lives under my seat and I can take everything radio out a leave no trace. It plugs into one of the three cigarette lighter power sources. Now Midland wants me to connect directly to the battery for the MXT575. Not gonna happen.

My vehicle came with every electronic gizmo known to man. It uses a TON of electricity. In the cabin, in addition to USB plugs and wireless charger, I have 3 cigarette lighters power sources, each with it's own 20 amp fuse and a 150watt 110 inverter, all built in - to say nothing of the 750 watt built in stereo. The battery is 800 amps. I use a Victron charger to keep it topped up when not driving for more than three days...

I am going to get the MXT575 in the next few days. And I am not going to the battery.  I'm going to use one of the three DC power sources. If it doesn't work then so be it.

Here's pics of the front of the cabin and the vehicle - I took these:

 

 

[WRYZ926]

I am going to use a seat bolt mount for the remote heads for both dual band and GMRS radios in my 2023 Ford Escape. I ordered the Wouxun KG1000G today from Buy Two Way Radios. They say it will start shipping tomorrow. 3 November.

[wayoverthere]

7 hours ago, jas said:

I'm in the same boat as you at the moment.  I drive a vehicle that is maybe far and away from the norm expected of most GMRS users. It's a 2019 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label - the top of the line trim for the model with all the options. I'll post pictures below.  I'm using a Midland MXT275 and it's good on the road but not locally on repeaters.

When I'm driving I like simple that's what Midlands are. Too simple, but I've found shortcuts to make it work.  Now I want an MXT575 because although I can touch my local repeater from my house I come in scratchy - it's 30-miiles or so away.

My problem is that this is an expensive vehicle and I'm not drilling a single hole in it - period. That's why the MXT275 ergonomics are perfect. It lives under my seat and I can take everything radio out a leave no trace. It plugs into one of the three cigarette lighter power sources. Now Midland wants me to connect directly to the battery for the MXT575. Not gonna happen.

My vehicle came with every electronic gizmo known to man. It uses a TON of electricity. In the cabin, in addition to USB plugs and wireless charger, I have 3 cigarette lighters power sources, each with it's own 20 amp fuse and a 150watt 110 inverter, all built in - to say nothing of the 750 watt built in stereo.

If they're indeed each fused for 20 amps, the receptacles should be able to handle the 575 no problem (50 watts is usually around 10-11amps draw on full power). From there, the weak point is likely a 12v plug. I would want to 'improve' inside the plug so that little spring inside isn't the sole current path.  Alternately, if the back side of any of the three receptacles are easily accessed, perhaps tapping the wires behind the scenes would be an easy minimal impact option, depending on the connectors. My older truck is also a ford product, and used basic spades on the back of the 12v sockets, which made for easy modifications; I'm thinking in terms of a short bit of a Y harness between the existing wiring and the receptacle, to give the radio somewhere to plug in but keep the socket usable when it isn't radio time. if you can match connectors, it could easily be removed without a trace, too.

in terms of mounting, ProClips has a couple options that could work well for the mic/display; the high center mount might work well for the KG1000G remote head, though this side mount may be better suited for the midland.

just throwing out some ideas...hope it helps, but feel free to disregard if not.

Edited November 3, 2023 by wayoverthere
adding link and some extra thoughts.

[gortex2]

There are a few LMR part 90 radios that fit the bill. In both my JT and my Challenger Scat Pac I run an 8500 with O3 control head. If you looked at the Scat Pac you would not know there is a radio in it. 

[tcp2525]

13 hours ago, wayoverthere said:

If they're indeed each fused for 20 amps, the receptacles should be able to handle the 575 no problem (50 watts is usually around 10-11amps draw on full power). From there, the weak point is likely a 12v plug. I would want to 'improve' inside the plug so that little spring inside isn't the sole current path.  Alternately, if the back side of any of the three receptacles are easily accessed, perhaps tapping the wires behind the scenes would be an easy minimal impact option, depending on the connectors. My older truck is also a ford product, and used basic spades on the back of the 12v sockets, which made for easy modifications; I'm thinking in terms of a short bit of a Y harness between the existing wiring and the receptacle, to give the radio somewhere to plug in but keep the socket usable when it isn't radio time. if you can match connectors, it could easily be removed without a trace, too.

in terms of mounting, ProClips has a couple options that could work well for the mic/display; the high center mount might work well for the KG1000G remote head, though this side mount may be better suited for the midland.

just throwing out some ideas...hope it helps, but feel free to disregard if not.

You might want to consider mounting the control head in the sunglass holder. I have my head mounted there and close it when the radio is not in use for concealment. This is in both my Lincoln and F150.

[jas]

13 hours ago, wayoverthere said:

If they're indeed each fused for 20 amps, the receptacles should be able to handle the 575 no problem (50 watts is usually around 10-11amps draw on full power). From there, the weak point is likely a 12v plug. I would want to 'improve' inside the plug so that little spring inside isn't the sole current path.  Alternately, if the back side of any of the three receptacles are easily accessed, perhaps tapping the wires behind the scenes would be an easy minimal impact option, depending on the connectors. My older truck is also a ford product, and used basic spades on the back of the 12v sockets, which made for easy modifications; I'm thinking in terms of a short bit of a Y harness between the existing wiring and the receptacle, to give the radio somewhere to plug in but keep the socket usable when it isn't radio time. if you can match connectors, it could easily be removed without a trace, too.

in terms of mounting, ProClips has a couple options that could work well for the mic/display; the high center mount might work well for the KG1000G remote head, though this side mount may be better suited for the midland.

just throwing out some ideas...hope it helps, but feel free to disregard if not.

Thanks! I had not thought of accessing the wires behind the plug. That's a great idea.

And I misstated - the car has 5-power points, not 3. One is the inverter (40A) and 4 are cigarette plugs. All 4 have independent 20 amp fuses.  As for 20 amps fuse rating for each plug I looked at the fuses in the manual - The vehicle has 3 fuse boxes - 2 in the engine compartment and one in the cabin.  My MXT275 is connected to #16 (back of the console). I use that one because it's in easy reach from the driver's seat so I can reach down and plug/unplug it.

And that's only because there might be the catch - Lincoln recommends that whatever is plugged in those power points should be disconnected when not in use.  I think that's only because the connection is automatically turned off only by opening a door after the engine is turned off. I do it anyways though just in case. The battery costs like $800!!

The plug fuses are in the engine compartment. Here's a page with the description of two of the  power point fuses (16 & 17):

 

[tcp2525]

17 minutes ago, jas said:

Thanks! I had not thought of accessing the wires behind the plug. That's a great idea.

And I misstated - the car has 5-power points, not 3. One is the inverter (40A) and 4 are cigarette plugs. All 4 have independent 20 amp fuses.  As for 20 amps fuse rating for each plug I looked at the fuses in the manual - The vehicle has 3 fuse boxes - 2 in the engine compartment and one in the cabin.  My MXT275 is connected to #16 (back of the console). I use that one because it's in easy reach from the driver's seat so I can reach down and plug/unplug it.

And that's only because there might be the catch - Lincoln recommends that whatever is plugged in those power points should be disconnected when not in use.  I think that's only because the connection is automatically turned off only by opening a door after the engine is turned off. I do it anyways though just in case. The battery costs like $800!!

The plug fuses are in the engine compartment. Here's a page with the description of two of the  power point fuses (16 & 17):

 

Just a thought. Are you going to be transmitting on both radios at the very same time all the time? It's good practice to have each radio on it's own rated circuit, but for the temporary install in your Lincoln. But... the best way to handle this situation if you want to do it 100% right is to get a fused power distribution box and run your heavy duty cable directly to the battery. You can run as many radios as you want on each of their own fused circuit.

 

[KBSherwood]

17 hours ago, jas said:

I'm in the same boat as you at the moment.  I drive a vehicle that is maybe far and away from the norm expected of most GMRS users. It's a 2019 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label - the top of the line trim for the model with all the options. I'll post pictures below.  I'm using a Midland MXT275 and it's good on the road but not locally on repeaters.

When I'm driving I like simple that's what Midlands are. Too simple, but I've found shortcuts to make it work.  Now I want an MXT575 because although I can touch my local repeater from my house I come in scratchy - it's 30-miiles or so away.

My problem is that this is an expensive vehicle and I'm not drilling a single hole in it - period. That's why the MXT275 ergonomics are perfect. It lives under my seat and I can take everything radio out a leave no trace. It plugs into one of the three cigarette lighter power sources. Now Midland wants me to connect directly to the battery for the MXT575. Not gonna happen.

My vehicle came with every electronic gizmo known to man. It uses a TON of electricity. In the cabin, in addition to USB plugs and wireless charger, I have 3 cigarette lighters power sources, each with it's own 20 amp fuse and a 150watt 110 inverter, all built in - to say nothing of the 750 watt built in stereo. The battery is 800 amps. I use a Victron charger to keep it topped up when not driving for more than three days...

I am going to get the MXT575 in the next few days. And I am not going to the battery.  I'm going to use one of the three DC power sources. If it doesn't work then so be it.

Here's pics of the front of the cabin and the vehicle - I took these:

I've got a question for you, I'm in a similar boat but with the antenna mounting. Drilling for an NMO mount is unacceptable, not only for myself but if I intend to stay married and in possession of all my body parts, there will be no holes. 90% of the body panels are alu, roof is all glass which is coated, and there isn't an acceptable spot for a lip mount so right now I'm stuck with a mag mount on the rear trunk lid. 

I've considered the idea of getting a carbon fiber trunk lid and drilling that but there are better ways I could light a few grand on fire. 

[tcp2525]

3 minutes ago, KBSherwood said:

I've got a question for you, I'm in a similar boat but with the antenna mounting. Drilling for an NMO mount is unacceptable, not only for myself but if I intend to stay married and in possession of all my body parts, there will be no holes. 90% of the body panels are alu, roof is all glass which is coated, and there isn't an acceptable spot for a lip mount so right now I'm stuck with a mag mount on the rear trunk lid. 

I've considered the idea of getting a carbon fiber trunk lid and drilling that but there are better ways I could light a few grand on fire. 

Same situation as you. But I bit the bullet and used an NMO lip mount on the passenger side front hood. Didn't affect signal in any noticeable way.

[wayoverthere]

23 minutes ago, jas said:

And that's only because there might be the catch - Lincoln recommends that whatever is plugged in those power points should be disconnected when not in use.  I think that's only because the connection is automatically turned off only by opening a door after the engine is turned off. I do it anyways though just in case. The battery costs like $800!!

I think you're probably in the ballpark on their reasoning. The console is a good way to hide wires, too, especially if the radio body is going to hide under a front seat.

For my truck, my modifications were dropping a relay in the path to one of the receptacles so it would shut off with the key (normally, both are hot at all times).

Given your Lincoln shuts off power after the delay, I'm thinking  going as far as relay is unnecessary, but you could put a switch in line with hot side of the radio wiring to effectively "disconnect" it when you want to. The difficulty is where to put a switch, and insulating the back side of it, depending where you decide to hide it...still looking for ideas on that.

[jas]

40 minutes ago, KBSherwood said:

I've got a question for you, I'm in a similar boat but with the antenna mounting. Drilling for an NMO mount is unacceptable, not only for myself but if I intend to stay married and in possession of all my body parts, there will be no holes. 90% of the body panels are alu, roof is all glass which is coated, and there isn't an acceptable spot for a lip mount so right now I'm stuck with a mag mount on the rear trunk lid. 

I've considered the idea of getting a carbon fiber trunk lid and drilling that but there are better ways I could light a few grand on fire. 

I lucked out because my Nautilus SUV is all glass on top too but, there is a 16x48-inch or so wide steel section between the back of the sunroof glass and where all vehicle's  built in antennas are hidden under a plastic painted area all the way at the end of the roof. SO, I put my mag mount in the center of that steel area. Need a short step ladder to get to the center spot so it's mounted on a safe place and works great.

[jas]

46 minutes ago, tcp2525 said:

Just a thought. Are you going to be transmitting on both radios at the very same time all the time? It's good practice to have each radio on it's own rated circuit, but for the temporary install in your Lincoln. But... the best way to handle this situation if you want to do it 100% right is to get a fused power distribution box and run your heavy duty cable directly to the battery. You can run as many radios as you want on each of their own fused circuit.

 

Thanks, but I wont be using both, just the MXT575. The MXT275 is moving to my wife's Acura SUV. 

[Tiercel]

The Wouxun 1000 PLus was projected to start shipping today from BuyTwowayRadios.  i hope I am not waiting for weeks.  

[WRYZ926]

1 hour ago, Tiercel said:

The Wouxun 1000 PLus was projected to start shipping today from BuyTwowayRadios.  i hope I am not waiting for weeks.  

I am hoping that I am not waiting very long either. 

 

Needless to say I will not be buying anymore SOC mobile/base stations after some testing I did yesterday. I have a Comet CA-712EFC on top of my house for GMRS and I was hearing some guys on channel 18 on my Midland MXT500 so I thought I would swap it out with my Wouxun KG-XS20G. There was a very noticeable difference in the sound quality that I was receiving between the two radios. The Wouxun KG-XS20G was better.

[Tiercel]

They just updated the ship date to 11/10/23 so here we go.  I will wait a week to see if it just gets updated again.

[OffRoaderX]

13 minutes ago, Tiercel said:

They just updated the ship date to 11/10/23 so here we go.  I will wait a week to see if it just gets updated again.

All the people that pre-ordered got theirs shipped and now everyone that didnt pre-order gets to wait again... Pre order one (when the website allows) if you ever want to touch one.