I'm thinking about putting HF back in the pickup. I have a 706mk2g but it has seen some miles. VHF/UHF is kinda dead in my area (central west Texas) so I any not ready to put a dual band in yet. 
Show me your mobile setups and tell me what works or doesn't. What is the best radio for mobile now?

Not to hijack your thread, but while you're at it, how about any tips for running power and coax and control lines from the engine compartment, into the vehicle interior, then back towards the rear, finally out to a rear-mounted antenna? Anyone use an auxiliary battery in the passenger compartment, kept charged by the main vehicle battery, perhaps with an isolation switch?

I see that you have a pickup, while I have a CR-V, so there will be some differences.  I have a 706mkIIg, and was thinking of splitting the front panel from the rest of the rig.

I'd like to be able to operate HF from the car. I have an Icom AH-4 tuner. And I'm thinking of putting an antenna mount at the rear, perhaps with a base spring mounted to a metal plate bolted in to where one end of a towing bar would normally be attached, or perhaps just install a whole towing bar and then affix the antenna mount to the bar. But with a crossover like the CR-V or with a pickup truck, you need to be able to open the rear door or the pickup truck's tailgate without the antenna interfering, so it would have to be offset to the side somehow.

Did I scare everyone away?

I don't have a pic handy, but I have an old Kenwood TS-140 in my pickup.  It's 30 years old and has lived it's entire life in pickup trucks.  It's now in its third, a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500.

Still works fine without a tuner into a hustler mast in a stake pocket mount and the appropriate resonator.  It's big and bulky but has lived in heat and cold for 30 years.  I think I'll keep it.

I'm running a TS-480SAT, though if I had it to do over again, I'd probably look for the HX instead.  Still, I've worked a lot of DX mobile with just mono band ham sticks.

What type of mount is holding the radio?

It's a flexible mount found here:

Lidomounts

Brb with pics

Keep them coming. I am looking for the parts to put the 706 in the new pickup. I pulled it out 3 vehicles ago and it got scattered. 

been running HF mobile since 1993

I really like the Kenwood TS480HX

before that I ran an 857, capable rig, but HATED the menu while driving

before that it was an IC706mkiig,  liked it

before that it was a TS-50

before that it was an FT-890

before that it was an FT-747

before that it was an RCI 2950

good bonding/grounding can help a lot.  some vehicles need it more than others.

you can work real DX while mobile

The TS480HX is a joy to use, because of it's excellent ergonomics.
It's so easy to adjust power, modes, filters, ect, because of the well-lit easy to use display

200 watts is nice also.

Contemplating all the same issues. Want to be able to move my 857D between the 4Runners and Honda Element. My installation is further hampered by the fact that I live down a 2 mile dirt road with lots of low trees. 

I do have a Shark FM mini for 20M and 40M, and while they don't perform quite as well as the longer sticks, it does help with your problem.

Shark Sticks

I've got a selection of Ham Sticks I've never used. I have a Tarheel II that I had on my truck. I'm thinking about using something like a Reese hitch extender and fabbing up an off-set mount to either side to get door clearance then I could just move the hitch around as needed. Just have to come up with a good method of bonding to the vehicle and a way to tighten the hitch to keep it from rattling around. 

I run an 857. Have done so for 10+ years. It works well, and I don't mind the menus. My vehicle (Chevy Traverse) has the battery mounted in the floor behind the passenger seat. Ran leads from the battery to the rear cargo area, where the radio is mounted. Head unit and mic are run under the floor trim up to the driver's seat. Antenna(s) are Hustler whips, mounted on a VP-1 splitter (3 whips). Mast is mounted to the vehicle via a Comet HD5 mount. Without an antenna guy (550/para cord) the mount would be a bit on the weak side. With the guy, it's up to the task. Coax is routed through the tailgate jam (HD5 uses a short length of RG-174, before connecting to 8X).

I tried Hamsticks, but they were a pain. At least the Hustler route allows multiple bands without having to change whips. It looks goofy as hell, but is cheaper than a screwdriver. And if they break, they're cheap to replace.

Did you drill the radio bezel for the mic hangers? I have a Frontier and tried 3M tape with one of the little stick on mic hangers but it still falls off in the heat of summer.

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