So ive had my FT-7900R sitting in a cup holder tray for about six months now and honestly its fine but every time i reach for a drink i knock the mic off and it just slides around and i hate it. Was thinking about doing a proper mount under the dash or maybe one of those RAM mount setups but i drive a 2019 Tacoma and the under-dash space is basically nonexistent with all the airbag warning stickers everywhere.

The remote head option looks clean but i'm nervous about running the separation cable and then having the main unit crammed under the seat. Anyone done this in a pickup? How bad is the heat situation under the seat in the summer? I'm in Arizona so it gets genuinely hot in here.

Also not sure if i should just ditch the 7900 and get something newer with built in bluetooth or whatever but that feels like overkill for what i do which is mostly just local repeaters and some simplex when i'm driving around the valley.

Yeah the Tacoma under-dash situation is rough, i have a 2020 and ended up going the remote head route with mine (different radio, IC-2730 but same idea). The separation cable is honestly not that bad to run, took me maybe two hours including fishing it through the firewall. Main unit lives behind the rear seat actually, not under the front — way less heat back there and i just ran the power cables back to the battery with an inline fuse. Been two summers now and no issues at all.

The RAM mount for the head unit ended up on the A-pillar and it works great, stays out of the airbag zone and i can see the display without looking away from the road too much. Only thing i'd say is get the actual Yaesu separation cable, dont cheap out on a third party one, heard people have issues with the connector not seating right.

honestly if it works dont fix it lol but i get the annoyance. i just ziptied mine to the side of the center console which looks terrible but its been there for two years and hasnt moved. arizona heat is no joke though id probably do what the other guy said and keep the main unit out of direct sun at least