JeepUniq

Gorgeous pictures!

Please add me to the list.

Really nice looking Jeep! Congrats!

From an offroading, on the trail use perspective: Advantages over HAM: - no exam - cheaper radios (compared against the Japanese, not the Chinese radios) Advantages over CB: - better range (although a properly tuned CB should also suffice on the trail) - better reception clarity (again, a good CB is competitive as well)

That tent, like many soft tops are way to complicated to setup. I’ve learned my lesson with my ARB tent. It also looks very heavy.

Having a rooftop tent is never an overdone. Each to its own, but some things need to be experienced first hand to be truly appreciated. I recall for example few trips, like the Mohave one, where I was sleeping like a baby, while others left home sick in the morning due to cold and wind. TrailRecon, the guy in the video, practically lives in his Jeep, and definitely uses his stuff. He does lots of reviews, which might explain some of the stuff he carries.

Please sign me up for this. See you tomorrow @ 9.

Good news: the delay is almost imperceptible, almost impossible to detect. Also, receiving simultaneously CB and HAM works as configured: HAM in the front driver speaker, CB in the front passenger's. Lastly, I can't stop singing praises for the President Johnny CB. Whomever is complaining about lousy CB sound quality, like I was when I had the Cobra 75, doesn't know how good the President sounds. HAM quality.

A quick update on this: I've did it and I love it!!! Here's the set-up I've ended up with: HARDWARE: - 2 x External Speaker Wizard (WIZ) by Audiointerrupt.com PRODUCT QUALITY - Made in the USA by an artisan electronics guru. All electronics are encased in a small plastic box (about 2" x 3" x 1") filled with clear epoxy. Totally water/dust proof! Plus it looks cool. - A small dink for the thin gauge wires used to split the amp <-> speaker wire. SET-UP Super easy in my case since I use an aftermarket amp: - power for both WIZs is shared with the AMP. If the amp is on, the WIZ is on. - the wires for the WIZ are clearly labeled. Although small gauge, the run is quite short, so sound quality is not impacted. One WIZ intercepts the CH1, the other CH2 (front L & R channels): AMP CH1 -> WIZ -> Speaker FL, AMP CH2 -> WIZ -> Speaker FR - the input sound from the HAM and CB/GMRS radios is made via a regular 3.5mm jack, same with how an external speaker would connect. The wires are long enough to route them wherever your radio is. - my AMP is under the front passenger seat, and the WIZs are secured there as well. My HAM is under the driver seat, while the CB and GMRS radios are hidden behind the glove box. - lastly, there is a wire on each WIZ, which makes them mute each other (more in the How it Works section) - one WIZ was factory outfitted (for free) with a selector switch for me to pick between the source input as either the CB or the GMRS radio. HOW_IT_WORKS My HAM's sound goes into the front-driver speaker, while the CB/GMRS radios route into the front passenger speaker. Due to the mute wire between the two devices, both front speakers get muted when either the HAM WIZ or the CB/GMRS WIZ are triggered. I've noticed no degradation whatsoever in the sound quality. Also no noise/buzz/etc. Cristal clear! My AMP is 75W per channel (not that I can ever drive it that hard), and the WIZs handle that w/o issue. The CB and the HAM output gets out quite loud as well. Their sound level is set by the volume on the radios themselves - set it and forget it. STILL_TO_DO To test the set-up in real world. Two things that I'll pay attention to: - the delay (if any) when the WIZs will kick in. In other words, if someone talks, will I miss their first words for a sec? TBD. - will there be a cacophony when both the HAM and the CB/GMRS are active in the same time? Or will one mute the other? I'll update this if I discover any unexpected flaws, but as of now, I'm really happy with this set-up!!!

We'll be there. Pinky Promise

I’m coming down with a cold too. I don’t think I’ll make this trip either.

Could we camp the first night and if we find it's too cold we can get a hotel afterwards?

Nice write-up Diane, as well as cool pictures!

PS: this should not be a JK specific solution. It should work for any vehicle.

I had 3 antennas on my Jeep: one for the radio, one for the HAM, and one for the CB. Soon I’ll need yet another one for the GMRS. This is a personal opinion, but all I needed was one of those propeller hats... So while looking for a solution I stumbled over a wranglerforum thred that discussed how to leverage the CB antenna for radio as well. All you need is a simple $24 muliplexer: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HPH23LA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I’ve installed it several months ago, and not only I didn’t experience any issues with it, but it actually increased my radio reception, both for analog and digital (HD radio). Installation is straightforward, the biggest issue is to remove the cable that connects the original factory radio antenna. I had to cut mine. The hole left on the fender can be covered by one of this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FXIFBLC/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Now, if I could find a (reasonably priced) diplexer and antenna for the HAM and GMRS ...