The radio used in the mobile is a YAESU FT-8900 which is set up in this installation to provide 50 watts FM on 6 meters and 2 meters and 35 watts on the 440 mhz band. The antenna used is a Maldol EX-510 6/2/440 mobile tri-bander. The FT-8900 is bolted to a slide mount that is screwed into the side of the transmission console. When the vehicle is parked, I throw a dark blanket over the rig to make it less attractive to those who browse parking lots looking for such things. So far so good... There is nothing really unique about this installation, except for the speaker setup. I found that with the motorola 4 inch speaker mounted under the dash the audio was a bit difficult to hear clearly whenever a passenger was seated up front. My solution was to mount an upward firing speaker next to the rig on the center console. The second speaker is simply wired in parallel to the Motorola speaker. The articulation of voice reproduction went from somewhat muddy to very crisp, clean, and clear. The smaller speaker produces the mid-range and upper frequencies and the non-directional low range frequencies come booming out from under the dashboard. It sounds very loud and very natural in daily use.

I use the mobile mostly on 6 meter FM and can hit six different repeaters solidly during my daily commute on the roads of north central Connecticut. It works quite well at the 50 watt level out to roughly 50 miles on the 6 meter band, assuming fairly optimum repeater locations. Coverage on 2 meters is excellent as well. I also use the radio frequently on the 440 mhz band and find that it works very well with the local repeaters and even down into machines located in the center of the state at the 35 watt power level. Currently, I do not use the radio on the 10 meter FM band, but when it starts to open up on a regular basis I will add a 10 meter antenna.

The FT-8900 is quite a remarkable radio and can provide plenty of entertainment on a long ride. In addition to offering excellent performance as a dual-band receiver with over 700 memory slots and covering four ham bands, it is capable of being set up to scan the aviation band, the marine band, and the VHF/UHF public service frequencies. It does a great job when pressed into such use. Living in close proximity to Bradley International Airport it is possible for me to hear all sorts of interesting things around the airport, as well as flights departing and arriving on the tower frequencies. Note that it does not cover the VHF low band below the six meter band.