After a fair bit of web research I've settled on either a new Kenwood TM-281A or a new Yaesu FT2900 to put in the RX7 rally car. They are effectively the same price and spec out similarly so if you had to pick from those two which would you vote for?
I did not have a preference going in to it last year. I auditioned several radios at Amateur Electronic Supply (advantage to living in Milwaukee) and the Yaesu was the clear winner. Easier to use, rock solid, clean signal.
I chose the FT-2900 for my rally car as well (FT8800 in the service/worker vehicle).
I have to say, in the rather noisy electronics environment of the rally car, the FT-2900 picks up a lot of crap, and it's backfeed into the electrical system crashes my wideband O2 controller. Cleaning up the install may help some in my case.
But the "The FT-2900R packs 3W BIG watts of Loud Audio with its own Internal Speaker for those noisy environments." DOES NOT apply to rally car levels of noise (and in an RX-7? Not a chance).
But the "The FT-2900R packs 3W BIG watts of Loud Audio with its own Internal Speaker for those noisy environments." DOES NOT apply to rally car levels of noise (and in an RX-7? Not a chance).
I would definatley look at one of the boxes from brian at ZeroDegC that easilly allows you to wire the radio to the intercom. (provided the intercom can handle it) or mount a remote speaker for sure.
I own an Icom 2100, Icom 2200, and Kenwood TM-V71A and I've used a borrowed FT-2800 before I bought my first radio. Out of all 4 I like the Kenwood the best for sound and build quality. Icom and Yaesu seemed to be about the same.
I would, and did, buy Yaesu for two reasons over the Kenwood and Icom radios. They're cheaper than the Kenwoods (typically), and more common in rally than both the Kenwoods and Icoms. You can't throw a stone (or gravel) at an MN rally without hitting someone with Yaesu knowledge.
I do really like the Kenwood radios I've used. Their interface is nicer and displays less cryptic.
Both will work fine, and as far as the interface, each has it's easy and confusing points, IMO. I have both brands and kinda prefer the Yaesu's but it is probably becasue I have used them for so long. They do seem to be a bit more common in our small rally world in the US so getting help if you forget how to program it may be easier with the Yaesu. Have fun with it, Mike!
Another vote for the 2900. 2 of my 3 drivers have them installed in their rally cars, the other using an ICOM. I use the 2900 for course car work as well. The only downside to the Yaesu's is the need for the voltage dividing resistor when you're hooking up a ptt between the Peltor Amp and the radio.
Bruce Weinman alerted me to a Yaesu FT-2800M that appeared on Craigslist in MN and he checked it out, bought it, sent it to me and I sent him a PayPal "gift." The radio looks barely used so I'm stoked. Now I need an antennae ...
My vote is for a Larsen NMO 2/70B (~ $70), which is a half-wave dual band VHF/UHF antenna, though since your current rig is a Yaesu FT-2800M, you could get away with a Larsen NMO 150B HW half-wave monoband for VHF (~ $50).
You'll also need an NMO mount (permanent roof, bracket or mag base) & some coax. I have thus far resisted the optimum solution of drilling a permanent hole in the roof (to make use of the roof as a nice ground plane) of my service rig, since I have a roof rack that I'd like to extend the full length of the roof, so I opted for half wave no ground plane antennas & semi-permanent NMO mount brackets bolted to the roof rack. I have also used mag mounts on occasion on ad hoc installs, but usually tie a loose knot in the coax to the roof rack, so in the event it does get knocked off, the mag mount stays attached to the vehicle.
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