New KF4LMT Mobile - Going Low Profile With Less Radios and Antennas

In the last few months, I had to buy a new car because the maintenance costs on the old car had reached the point of diminishing returns. I wasn't looking forward to car payments, but the money was coming out of my pockets either way... Previous iterations of KF4LMT mobile have been packed with radios and covered with antennas, but this time I decided to go lower profile with only two radios - one scanner and one amateur radio handheld and only two antennas - one scanner antenna and one amateur radio antenna. After looking at a number of choices, I decided on a Hyundai Venue. It's a bit smaller than my 2012 Kia Sportage, but it gets better gas mileage (around 37 mpg on one leg of a road trip) and has turned out to be a terrific city car. It fits into small parking spaces and its tight turning radius makes it easy to get in and out of tight spots. This time, I even went with an automatic transmission instead of a manual, so it would be easier to talk on the radio between traffic lights!

The new KF4LMT Mobile - a Hyundai Venue

I chose white with tinted windows to keep the interior temperature down during southeast Georgia Summers. Sharp eyed readers may note a sticker from one of my favorite national battlefields - Cowpens

Amateur Radio and GMRS callsigns decals were added to the back hatch along with a sticker for my favorite BBQ restaurant in Savannah - Sandfly BBQ

For the last twenty-plus years, may vehicles have always featured numerous radios because of my varied listening interests. That meant a lot of antennas on the exterior which in turn led to a lot of attention because of the way it looks. That experience led me to wanting to go lower profile this time, so I decided to go with one scanner and one piece of amateur radio gear. The capabilities of Uniden's new SDS100s and SDS200s made the choice easy: the SDS100 is a very capable small scanner and I could take in and out of the car with me. To be honest, the amateur radio decision wasn't very difficult either; I went with an Anytone AT-D878UVII, which is 2 Meter/70cm Amateur Radio (analog and DMR) as well as GMRS and MURS capable.  I decided to replace the AT-D878UVII with a Radioddity DB-25D Pro shortly after I wrote this post. It's a small 5W/20W mobile that comes with a cigarette lighter power cord. It offers a little bit more power than the HT and still gives me GMRS capability along with amateur radio. In the few days I've been using it, I've received good signal reports during DMR and analog QSOs. The SDS100 is mounted to the center console using a RAM RAM-A-CAN II cup holder mount and Finger-Grip universal GPS and Radio Holder. The Anytone 878 is attached to the center console just above the phone charger using Scotch super-lock tape (there's still room underneath for my phone - in an Otter Box case - to fit). Choosing an amateur radio handheld over a mobile radio will of course give me less transmit range, but I usually listen more than I talk, so I don't think it's going to be problem. So far, it hasn't. A nice feature the Venue has is USB ports on the back of the center console; I have a USB-C to USB-mini cable powering the SDS100 from one of those ports.

Original radio layout - Uniden SDS100 scanner in RAM-A-CAN II mount in the foreground, Anytone AT-D878UVII under the A/C controls in the background

Current layout - Uniden SDS100 scanner in RAM-A-CAN II mount in the foreground, Radioddity DB-25D Pro mounted to the side of the center console

I initially was going to use mag-mount antennas and switch to trunk-lip mount antennas, but when I put on the first trunk lip mount (the same type I used with the Kia Sportage), I found that antennas connected to them didn't hear as well as when using the mag-mounts. I'm not sure why, because I didn't do anything any different than I did with the Kia and the trunk-lip mounts performed better with it. Anyway, I'm sticking with the mag-mount antennas. For the scanner, I'm using a Laird ABSCANC that I've owned for ages on an NMO magnet mount. For the Anytone 878 Radioddity DB-25D Pro, I'm using a Diamond MR77SMAJ, which is a magnet/antenna combination - no additional mount needed. Both have worked quite well and blend in with the car's black roof.

Laird ABSCANC scanner antenna on the left, Diamond MR77SMAJ dual band amateur radio antenna on the right

So far, the only road trip I've been on with the new mobile station was a weekend trip to the Jacksonville area, but on that trip I was pleased with how well both the SDS100 and AT-D878UVII worked with their respective mag-mount antennas. The only concern I had with using the SDS100 was what I consider its weak point - Aviation and UHF MilAir AM reception. I never have liked the AM audio on the SDS100 and SDS200, but I adjusted the volume offset up a bit to bring the audio level up and on both that road trip to Jacksonville and my Savannah-Brunswick commutes, it's improved my ability to hear aviation and MilCom signals.

The RAM-A-CAM II mount and the Finger-Grip GPS and Radio Holder were recommended by a friend, and I'm glad he recommended both. The RAM-A-CAN fits more tightly and securely in the cup holder than the Lido mount I used at first and the Finger-Grip holder keeps a tight grip on the SDS100, there's no worry about it slipping out of the mount.