Outlaw Posted February 18, 2020 Member ID: 193 Content Count: 31 Reputation: 0 Joined: 07/31/2019 Status: Offline Last Seen: July 2, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 Anyone dived into GMRS radio for communicating with other riders? Im interested in hearing your experience if you have and how you went about installing it. 2018 Defender HP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossO Posted February 19, 2020 Member ID: 330 Content Count: 123 Reputation: 30 Joined: 01/28/2020 Status: Offline Last Seen: 9 hours ago Share Posted February 19, 2020 I put the "Rugged Radios" 60 watt radio in mine and have had decent experiences with it. We tested it in thick timber with smaller hills(maybe 50') and it worked out to a little over 2 miles, which was as far as we tested it. I just have the sport roof installed without any of the roof interior panels so I installed it in the middle of the square steel tube that runs across the front of the roll cage, ran the wires up the pillar and mounted the magnetic mic mount to the roof. If you do get a radio, make sure you DO NOT coil up the extra antenna cable. If you have extra cable, which I did, they suggested running the cable back and forth on the roll cage with out coiling it, or you could cut it and put a new end on it. Ground the antenna if you do not mount it to a steel roof. I also put the antenna on the back of the roof where the roof is kind of at a 45 degree angle, aiming backwards so branches would bounce off it easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlaw Posted February 19, 2020 Member ID: 193 Content Count: 31 Reputation: 0 Joined: 07/31/2019 Status: Offline Last Seen: July 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 19, 2020 Thanks RossO, Good information to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossO Posted February 20, 2020 Member ID: 330 Content Count: 123 Reputation: 30 Joined: 01/28/2020 Status: Offline Last Seen: 9 hours ago Share Posted February 20, 2020 You bet. ps the 60 watt radio might be a little over kill. If your just wanting to talk to people in a tight trail ride you could just get by with the hand help 5 watt radios. The only reason I installed such a big one is because the cabin where I deer hunt has radios In every machine and one in the cabin good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlaw Posted February 21, 2020 Member ID: 193 Content Count: 31 Reputation: 0 Joined: 07/31/2019 Status: Offline Last Seen: July 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 21, 2020 Im thinking if I have a bigger radio in the Can Am I may have better communication with the hand helds used by some of my family members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlaw Posted March 19, 2020 Member ID: 193 Content Count: 31 Reputation: 0 Joined: 07/31/2019 Status: Offline Last Seen: July 2, 2020 Author Share Posted March 19, 2020 On 2/19/2020 at 3:48 PM, RossO said: I put the "Rugged Radios" 60 watt radio in mine and have had decent experiences with it. We tested it in thick timber with smaller hills(maybe 50') and it worked out to a little over 2 miles, which was as far as we tested it. I just have the sport roof installed without any of the roof interior panels so I installed it in the middle of the square steel tube that runs across the front of the roll cage, ran the wires up the pillar and mounted the magnetic mic mount to the roof. If you do get a radio, make sure you DO NOT coil up the extra antenna cable. If you have extra cable, which I did, they suggested running the cable back and forth on the roll cage with out coiling it, or you could cut it and put a new end on it. Ground the antenna if you do not mount it to a steel roof. I also put the antenna on the back of the roof where the roof is kind of at a 45 degree angle, aiming backwards so branches would bounce off it easier. When Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlaw Posted March 19, 2020 Member ID: 193 Content Count: 31 Reputation: 0 Joined: 07/31/2019 Status: Offline Last Seen: July 2, 2020 Author Share Posted March 19, 2020 With regards to grounding the antenna. The antennas I have seen are all designed to be insulated from the base mount. In other words, the antenna does not get grounded to the frame, the base does. I am assuming in cases where an antenna is mounted to a non metallic surface, the base the holds the antenna is what needs to be grounded to the frame, not the antenna itself. Correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossO Posted March 19, 2020 Member ID: 330 Content Count: 123 Reputation: 30 Joined: 01/28/2020 Status: Offline Last Seen: 9 hours ago Share Posted March 19, 2020 Correct. You can buy a grounding harness from Rugged Radios, but I just used regular #12 THHN wire and two crimps and ran it to the bolt that threads into the roll cage for the factory nets. Hope that answers your question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlaw Posted March 21, 2020 Member ID: 193 Content Count: 31 Reputation: 0 Joined: 07/31/2019 Status: Offline Last Seen: July 2, 2020 Author Share Posted March 21, 2020 Thankyou! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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