MOUNTED THE RADIO

[pkveazey]

I ordered a QYT KT8900 dual band radio for the new used car. WOW! That thing arrived in about 3 or 4 days. I programmed it this afternoon and went out and mounted it in the car. I checked it out with a dummy load and it seems to do about 27 watts on 2 meters and about 20 watts on 440. Hmmm.... That was a surprise. They usually do about 1/2 as much wattage on 440 as they do on 2 meters. Everything works and I can see the radio from the drivers seat and I didn't have to bugger up the dash to install it. Hey, guess what? I ordered the RED one instead of the BLACK one because it was $2 cheaper. The car interior is BLACK. Yea, I'm an idiot, but I saved $2.

[JohnyMac]

AWESOME!

I have a sister to the one you purchased just under a different name. I have it installed in my truck. Along with a 5/8th antenna it does really well.

I do have one small issue with mine...It draws juice from the battery even when off. Maybe half an amp a day BUT it is enough to drain my battery down in the truck over 20 or so days of none use. Keep an eye on it.

Congratulations 

[pkveazey]

I had the same issue in my Ford SUV because I have it connected to a live Cigarette lighter plug and I have to unplug it when I get out of the SUV for the night. The new car Cigarette lighter plug goes dead when the key is turned off.

[JohnyMac]

Same with MrsMac's car. It is a Japanese company car also - A Subaru. I use the cigarette lighter in her car for the power source too. 

[pkveazey]

Hmmmm...... The radio's little speaker seemed a bit bright and edgy. I went down to the Truck Stop to see if they had an external speaker since they also sell CB radio stuff for truckers. I found a nice small external speaker for $14.01 that matches the car's interior. I mounted it right behind the Console pointed straight up and it calmed that edgy sound down really nice. Then I looked on Amazon and found the same speaker for $14.99. That was good because I only paid 98 cents more for it and I didn't have to wait for it to be shipped. What??? You don't have any external speakers lying around the house? Actually I have at least a half dozen but I'm using them all with my other Ham radios and they all were a bit large for the new car.

[JohnyMac]

I installed a older IC 208 in MrsMac Subaru. The radio is one of those that the face plate comes off. I mounted the faceplate on the console where the gear shifter is and the unit with the internal speaker under the passenger seat. Even at full volumne with road noise involved I could not clearly hear RX.

So, I went to a truck stop like you PKv and purchased a small speaker. I think the price was $14.95. I plugged her in and placed the small speaker in a little alcove in the dash in front of the gear shifter. Problem solved.

As a side note, I was surprised at how many radio accessories was at the truck stop. From coax and connectors to full blown SSB CB radios.