So I've set up my Yaesu FT-8900r in the JK and when the sun is out I enjoy putting down the soft top. Now if you have a HAM radio then you probably see thee issue I am having with hearing the radio and being heard while I drive. I still need to get an external speaker to mount in there so that should help with hearing the radio, but transmissions are still my trouble area. I am curious if anyone has hit this same problem and found a solution or am I stuck picking between HAM communication and top down?

 

I never had much problem with the mic end or complaints so long as I keep the side windows up. My problem is always hearing the radio. I have thought perhaps a headset with a noise canceling mic would be a good deal here, but have never tried one. A lot of states will allow headsets as long as it doesn't cover both ears, but legal considerations are always to be considered. Best bet is to find a willing subject to help you and try some options on a simplex channel. You may be O.K. with the stock mic.

 

Close-talk the mic. That's the key to being understood when transmitting. You may need to tweak (lower) the mic gain setting, but close-talking will increase intelligibility regardless of ambient noise. Most amateur operators hold the handset too far away from their mouths when talking. Bring it right up to your gob! If that distorts the signal, lower the mic gain.

A noise-canceling mic element also helps immensely. You can easily replace the stock mic element in your Yaesu's handset with a noise-canceling unit, if there isn't one in there already (I suspect there is).

Cheers,

Bob