I had to reply to these radio threads since I've been immersed in 2m radio since the DV trip in March. I had just a few random thoughts, and Desertdude was there too and can provide prospective.
First-There is no comparison to CB. 2m is clear, long range, and has minimal interference. We were communicating truck to truck 35 miles. CB poops out at about 2 miles and that's with good line of sight.
Power-It draws 10 amps on high power. That's a lot for an automotive circuit. It must have a dedicated, heavy guage, direct wired power supply. If you buy the Yeasu that Desertdude mentioned, it comes with the correct wire. If you make your own, fuse the + and the - lead. Real radio guys will tell you to shield the wiring, but it works fine without. 10 guage is the minimum, and 8 guage wire is better.
Mount-You really shouldn't mount in the dash. The Yaesu 2800 is a big finned heat sink with no fan. It gets warm when transmitting, especially on high power. It needs good air circulation.
Antenna-Real radio guys will tell you this: get a 5/8 wave antenna. In my brief experience the Wilson 2m magnet mount antenna worked great. It's a cheap way to get started. I am currently in progress to improve my antenna system with a rear hatch lip mount, and real Antenna-a Comet SBB25. There are many choices. You will spend as much on a good mount and antenna as you do on the entry level 2m radio if you want the real deal.
Other bands-As soon as you step away from 2m the price goes up quick. None of the bands are all that useful for calling for distant help until you get into HF around 40 meters. To get that, you need a "General" class license and a very expensive radio. It's really the antennas that kill my interest in HF mobile radio. They are expensive, must be tuned each use, and are unforgiving in terms of picking up extraneous noise. ie, do it right, or don't do it. Very $$$.
Grounding-You can't ground too much. The best grounds are made with tinned copper braid. Ground the antenna to the body, the body to the frame and the frame to the engine. Each step improves your SWR. On 2m you can get away with a wire ground, but the copper braid is better, providing a low impedence path to ground.
I'm a newbie at this but the radio thing is pretty cool. There are some real experts out there in Mobile Ham Radio-seek them out. Most of them answer to "Elmer".:wavey:
I attached a pic of my mount in my 80 series Land Cruiser. I've improved it a bit since the pic, but it sits in the same spot. The radios take lot of fiddling, so mount it in easy reach.
I would be interested in other's perspective.
KI6CXS
