Really, what would be nice would be a small CB. The size of the detachable face of some dual band ham radios - maybe 2" tall x 4" wide, but only about 2" deep. There's no reason a 5W radio has to be any bigger than that. 6" x 4" x 1.5" is the size the radio needed to be 20+ years ago...nowadays that is the size a 50W radio should be. In a full sized pickup, or a class-A truck, or an old crown vic, mounting a couple of big radios isn't a big deal. But Robert's right, there's just no good place to mount one where it's visible in many new trucks, Xterra included.
I'm completely with you... It's unfortunate no one has a unit with a simple remote-mountable head, yet still uses a normal-everyday type hand mic that's not all cluttered up with controls on it. All the "cram-everything-into-the-handset" crap is for the birds.
If someone was ambitious (and good with a soldering iron), I'm sure the head of a Uniden Pro-510XL could be "remoted" relatively easily using a multiconductor shielded cable (I actually saw a guy do this to a 148GTL (!) about 20 years ago and had some level of success with it). The radio's On/Off function would have to be done via a small relay afterward, but everything else should function fine with the longer wire length.
The 510XL at 4-1/2" x 1-3/8" x 6-1/2" however still is not exactly huge... Finding spots for that in a newer vehicle is probably easier than some of you may think... Possibilities could include: above the rearview mirror, atop the center of the dash, against the side of the center console (or transmission hump), below & right of the steering column (barring your knee doesn't hit it there), or possibly under the HVAC / 4WD control pod part of the dash that I see in some online pics of Xterras. There are likely still more spots as well.
For those averse to drilling holes for brackets, Scotch (3M) makes an "Outdoor Mounting Tape" which can be used to mount the unit directly (it's similar to double-sided foam tape, but MUCH stronger, and is gray in color). It's immune to heat, cold, & moisture, doesn't dry out or harden, yet it can still be removed by inserting a putty knife or similar object in between where it's attached and working it through the tape to lift it off. Home Depot and others have it in the tape & glue section.
I think it's really worth making a valiant effort to find a spot for a 510XL in ANY vehicle given how much clearer it's audio is over that of the 75 (both on TX and RX). Though I'm not familiar with the Midland Vegas Nick mentions, I'd still wager a bet the little Uniden's audio is better (it's on par with radios costing 3× its price).
How many of you listen to CH9? I tuned in on my way home yesterday, and I was immediately assaulted with gruff sounding Spanish.
Was probably atmospheric band conditions (
"skip") coming in from Mexico. I don't think ch9 was ever officially designated for emergency use in Mexico, and even here in the states I occasionally hear people having normal conversations on it, since it's hardly ever used or monitored for emergencies anymore due to it falling out of favor for cell phones.
Back when I got into radios maybe 30 years ago there usually were
REACT teams that monitored the channel throughout the day. It was interesting to listen to the reports of accidents, stalled cars and/or drunks on the road being relayed to highway patrol (or other agency as appropriate) over the channel.
SSB rigs can actually be a lot of fun when the band opens up to DX like that, as it's possible to talk to Europe and even Australia from pretty much anywhere the US if you have a good directional antenna.