I spend over an hour a day commuting to and from work, so I have tried to equip my 2001 Saturn with good gear to enjoy my radio hobby.  I can enjoy a good QSO on my to or from work as well as listen to both public safety or military activity that is going on.  The 2-meter radio and the mobile scanner on the center console both have alpha numeric tags programmed to improve channel recognition while on the move.  I have managed to monitor everything from police pursuits and multi-alarm structure fires to joint military exercises from these rigs.  I've even managed to keep the car from looking like a small car on the end of a large antenna!

THE RADIOS
Many amateurs will note the lack of an HF radio in my mobile station; well, I just don't have much interest in what lies below 30mhz.  Most of my interest in the radio hobby lies above 30mhz so that's what the mobile station is organized around.  There is a lack of UHF activity in the Savannah area and a definite RF Pollution problem in many areas; the FT-2600 is used for the 2-meter radio for these reasons.  It is a single band radio with a tight front end that is excellent at intermod rejection.  Mounted below the AM/FM/CD is a BC-245XLT for use on area trunked repeater systems including Savannah/Chatham, SMRs, Statesboro, SCANA, and others.  A BC-780XLT is mounted on the passenger side of the console to cover VHF/UHF public safety and military communications.  It is programmed to cover most of the area military airfields and operating areas and conventional public safety covering the Coastal Georgia and Effingham, North Bryan, and Bulloch County areas.

THE ANTENNAS
All the amateur/scanning antennas for the mobile station are mounted on the back deck of the car.  For 2-meters there is an ANLI EX-2V using a trunk lip NMO mount.  This antenna has offered the best combination of reception and practicality (it doesn't smack the carport and parking garages). The BC-780 is fed by a Comtel All Band Low Profile Scanner Antenna using a trunk lip NMO mount.  The Comtel Low Profile Antenna has been a pleasant surprise, offering excellent reception on VHF/UHF, 800 as well as surprisingly good reception in the military aviation band.  The BC-245 is fed by a magnet mount cell phone antenna.