where are all the 2 meter operators?

[chrismol1]

I hear a lot of them on DMR doing the hotspot thing or on regional DMR networks, I'll hear them talk about setting up DMR on 2M, I suppose more people to talk to and more interesting stuff than medical issues. A lot of 2M stuff is local cliques, certain times of the day and they won't always carry on long if it isn't their buddies. Also GMRS I often hear the same voices on there, I guess they got bored of 2M and it's something new they can play with

 

[W8UU]

Commuters now stay distracted by their "electronic fentanyl" (quoting our new FCC chair), and many hams even active ones don't bother installing mobile radios in modern cars.

This triggered a thought: Most new vehicles are very unfriendly to hams (or anyone else) wanting to install mobile radio equipment. You enter your vehicle and slide your feet into the safety cylinder under the steering wheel. The dashboard is a molded plastic and vinyl command center of digital displays, buttons, knobs, and other instrumentation. Most cars have center consoles that require the driver to reach around and/or over to change frequency or adjust the volume.

I purchased a remote mount Kenwood TK-790 mobile for my 2014 Ford Taurus and had to install the control head under the steering wheel and the speaker in the passenger side floor area below the A-post. It was the only available under-dash space that allowed me to push any button or read the display while driving. My replacement vehicle (a 2023 Dodge Challenger) is even worse. I may have to buy a new radio, mount it on a plywood square or a 2 x 6 piece of lumber, and lay it on the passenger seat when I'm driving alone. Not very many options. Meanwhile, the whole world casually tosses their iPhone or Android in the cup holder and jets down the road.

The whole ham mobile experience may have been upended in part by the interior design of today's vehicles.