Baofeng / Rugged Radios Mount

[Lou]

A lot of the guys I jeep with use those over-priced, potentially illegal Rugged Radios hand held's. No way I would pay what they charge, so I got a Baofeng and programed all the Rugged channels. I wanted a good mount that fit in the TJ so I ended up piecing together some RAM mount 1" hardware and found a nice little radio holder on Ebay.

I ordered the Following:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004O8LF26/?tag=wranglerorg-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0074WMQLS/?tag=wranglerorg-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0059X0YIQ/?tag=wranglerorg-20

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=132298845235

I would say it turned out great. Puts it out of the way of the ignition key, even with the extended battery. Doesn't block the gauges and its easy to grab if I need to hop out of the jeep. I used some 10-24 bolts to attach the RAM base to the knee bolster.

 

[Sancho]

Perfect timing... was just thinking if a mount for my baofeng.

Just to confirm... you did have to drill in the knee dash?

Whats it look like without the radio.. when not in use?

 

[oldjeepman]

Are Rugged Radios and Baofeng the same radio? I thought that Rugged Radio is just a rebranded Beofeng that comes with programed channels. I have a Rugged Radio.
The only reason I bought it was account attended an event where Rugged was a sponsor and they had what seemed like a good discount. But I may have to see about doing a mount like you did.

 

[Lou]

Just to confirm... you did have to drill in the knee dash?

I drilled 4 small holes to mount the RAM AMPs base to the knee bolster.

Are Rugged Radios and Baofeng the same radio? I thought that Rugged Radio is just a rebranded Beofeng that comes with programed channels. I have a Rugged Radio.
The only reason I bought it was account attended an event where Rugged was a sponsor and they had what seemed like a good discount. But I may have to see about doing a mount like you did.

Yeah they are the same Chinese radios. Rugged just comes with their logo on it and pre programmed by rugged. You can purchase a cheap USB cable and use free software to program the channels with your computer.

 

[Lou]

Here are the photos without the radio.

 

[EzPeezy]

Stinkyfab makes a nice bracket for these too

 

[Lou]

I didnt see that one when i did my search. Gives you some different options for mounting these things.

 

[sierradmax]

@Lou which Baofeng radio do you use? Do you like it?

 

[Lou]

I have a bf-f9 v2+ Which is very similar to the uv5r. I wouldnt trip over which one to get. The important thing is you get that usb cable so you can hook it up to your computer. The factory sets the squelch on these things to where basically settings 1-9 are the same amount of squelch(useless). I would get a ton of feedback and chirping from the radio when wheeling even with the squelch maxed out. After fixing the squelch i enjoy using this on the trail. Ive gone out with more than a handful of guys with CB's that didnt have them set up right so they couldnt communicate with the rest of us. That doesnt happen with these handhelds because they are ready to go.


fixing the squelch - https://www.miklor.com/COM/UV_Squelch.php

 

[sierradmax]

thanks for the tip

 

[Mr. Bills]

Another option for mounting a Baofeng HT would be a Panavise mount - no drilling at all and installation takes minutes. It has the standard AMPS mounting pattern so you can attach phones, gps, inReach units, HT's, etc. $32.95. Not the cheapest option, but worth the money to me in comparison to the time/energy involved in DIY.

There are models available for all model year TJ's, although it is my understanding only for the automatic transmission 03-06's due to the proximity of the manual transmission shift lever in 5th gear.

Mine with an inReach:

 

[WSS]

Here are the photos without the radio.

View attachment 189678

View attachment 189679

Looks like I bought the same mount. I have four of them that I added a little side tab and a ram ball too then wrinkle powder coated them. The side tab has a wrap of velcro to hold a speaker mic. the tab can work in three ways, either a magnet, velcro or clipped over the tab. The ram ball and mount combo really hold great.

 

[motomick76]

Help a radio illiterate guy out, what can the Baofeng do? Is it UHF, FM, GMRS, VHF? Is it something I would want to use along with my CB? Can I ask ET when he is coming back?

 

[WSS]

Help a radio illiterate guy out, what can the Baofeng do? Is it UHF, FM, GMRS, VHF? Is it something I would want to use along with my CB? Can I ask ET when he is coming back?

It is all of that, minus the ET function. Literally FM stations, UHF, VHF, along with the UHF band, FRS and GMRS is open. NOAA, marine, I thought we could listen to air traffic, but it is blocked.

The best way to get all the features is to use "CHIRP" for programming. There are many drop on files available with lots of stuff already to use. Buy 6 or 8 of them and program them all the same. Pass em out on outings.

 

[motomick76]

@WSS thank you. I was thinking of having a Midland Micro Mobile and have a couple of Midland Handhelds. Would a better investment be a Baufeng like this one?

 

[WSS]

@WSS thank you. I was thinking of having a Midland Micro Mobile and have a couple of Midland Handhelds. Would a better investment be a Baufeng like this one?

That looks like a good one. Not sure why the price is that high. it is the newest version and has a better antenna and a better housing.

I run a bunch of these. I have a pair in every vehicle. I put them as a kit in a condor admin pack and throw in the GHB's

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075H7ZMNV/?tag=wranglerorg-20

 

[Mr. Bills]

@WSS thank you. I was thinking of having a Midland Micro Mobile and have a couple of Midland Handhelds. Would a better investment be a Baufeng like this one?

Baofengs (pronounced Bo-fung) are dual band ham radios that also tx/rx on the GMRS band. Use of the ham bands requires a ham license which involves a multiple choice test and small fee. Use of the GMRS band also requires a license and fee but there is no test. It should be noted that Baofengs are not FCC compliant for ham use because they are capable of transmitting on both ham and non-ham bands. However, they are cheap.

GMRS is gaining popularity and may someday replace CB as the primary means of offroad communications among jeepers.

If everyone in your group has a ham license and you are willing to fiddle with the CHIRP software to make them work, the Baofengs might be an alternative to consider. However, for non-hams the Midland Micro Mobile GMRS and some GMRS-only handhelds would be a better choice.

 

[motomick76]

@Mr. Bills , thank you. I have no interest in getting a license, but it seems the GMRS are gaining popularity. For a newbie like me, it is a bit confusing on a legal, simple alternative to a CB radio. Do you have a recommendation on a handheld?

 

[Mr. Bills]

@Mr. Bills , thank you. I have no interest in getting a license, but it seems the GMRS are gaining popularity. For a newbie like me, it is a bit confusing on a legal, simple alternative to a CB radio. Do you have a recommendation on a handheld?

I haven't looked at GMRS handhelds, but would think that if you will be using a Midland Micro Mobile that a pair of Midland GMRS HTs would be a logical choice.

Perhaps these:

https://midlandusa.com/product/gxt1000vp4/

 

[WSS]

The reason the bo fungs are a good choice, is you have the other (non-amateur) functions like FRS and NOAA. Plus plain ol FM radio.

An amateur license opens up the doors to lots of bandwidth and will make some of the features more usable and understandable. For instance, you can put a PL tone on your GMRS channel that your group uses. What is a PL tone or CTCSS tone you ask? It is explained when you get your license LOL. Seriously, it is worth the effort in just knowledge alone. Using a PL tone properly will eliminate other groups on your frequency form interfering.