so anyway i finally got it working the way i want after about three weekends of messing around and figured id share what tripped me up in case anyone else is doing a similar install

im running a Yaesu FTM-300DR in my pickup and the main thing that was driving me crazy was the squelch was constantly breaking on certain roads, took me forever to figure out it was the alternator whine getting into the audio. ended up being the power leads — i had them running too close to the ignition wiring under the dash. rerouted them straight to the battery with proper fusing at both ends and night and day difference honestly

the other thing is the antenna placement, i was using a mag mount on the roof temporarily while i figured out where to permanently mount and the mag mount was fine but i noticed a real improvement after i drilled and did a proper NMO mount through the cab roof. not like huge but noticeable especially at the edge of the repeater coverage where i drive for work

anyway if anyone else is fighting alternator whine thats the first thing id check, not the radio settings

yeah alternator whine is such a classic gotcha, gets almost everybody at some point. the power lead routing thing is exactly right. i always tell people run your power direct to the battery, keep it away from anything ignition related, and use the thickest wire that makes sense for the run. some guys also have luck with a ferrite choke on the power leads right at the radio but honestly fixing the routing is cleaner

good call on the NMO too. mag mounts are fine for playing around but you really do give up some ground plane consistency especially if the magnet shifts around at all. whats your antenna, just a standard 5/8 wave or something else?

this is really helpful im about to do almost the exact same install in my jeep with an FTM-500 and i was planning to just use a mag mount for now. didnt realize the power routing was such a big deal, i was just gonna tap into a fuse in the fuse box lol. maybe ill do it right from the start and save myself the headache