The Icom IC-208H VHF/UHF FM Transceiver will afford continued communication even from the middle of nowhere. The radio's compact detachable faceplate offers multiple mounting possibilities and keeps it within easy reach of the operator.
As you and your 4x4 take your adventures into more remote regions, the ability to maintain contact with a basecamp or reach help in an emergency situation should rank highly on your vehicle-preparation checklist. Beyond cell phones and CB radios, which are limited in range for those middle-of-nowhere excursions, FM transceivers can provide nearly infallible long-distance communication from almost anywhere.
What's A Ham?Aside from the usual chunk of cured pork you may be thinking of, ham is slang for an amateur radio user. It originated from early radio days when both commercial and amateur users shared the same wavelength. Commercial radio operators would often refer to amateur operators as "hams" when they'd jam the frequencies and create radio interference. The amateurs affectionately adopted the title, and it is still in use today.
FM transceivers are also widely used in off-road racing for short- and long-distance communications. Most teams will have a dedicated frequency for communicating between the race vehicle and support teams and will also monitor a shared frequency that broadcasts race and emergency information. Even off-road clubs make good use of FM transceivers for trail runs and events to help maintain the flow of vehicles through the obstacles and enable rapid response in emergency situations. Once the proper license is obtained (see sidebar), a ham radio user can transmit and make two-way communications on a frequency licensed to that user, as well as on other frequencies that are shared by many users.
For our latest project rig, we required a powerful enough radio to transmit from the deserts and mountains throughout the north and southwest U.S. as well as throughout Baja California where we attend many off-road races each year. Based on experiences with some bulky CB radios, we also wanted something that wouldn't be a knee-scraper or a head-cracker in its mounting configuration. Our search for a unit that fulfilled these requirements led us to Icom America, a huge player in the worldwide amateur radio industry and a manufacturer of many styles of FM transceivers. Icom's IC-208H is a high-power, dual-band VHF/UHF FM transceiver designed for monitoring and broadcasting on amateur radio bands (standard frequencies of the IC-208H cover 118-173, 230-549, and 810-999 MHz) as well as aviation, marine, and weather frequencies. It is the company's most powerful dual-band mobile radio, offering 55W/50W (VHF/UHF) output for stable long-distance communications, as well as reduced power settings (15/5W) for local communications.
In addition to the transceiver head unit, the IC-208H includes a detachable faceplate and separation cable, a radio mounting bracket and hardware, a remote-control microphone, and a fused power-supply cable. | 
Included with the IC-208H is the HM-133 remote-control microphone, which allows control of most radio functions. It features keypad backlighting and has a coiled Cat 5 network cable for connection to the head unit. | 
The IC-208H head unit features a large cooling fan and cooling fins to maintain continued operation in temperatures ranging from 14 degrees F to 140 degrees F. |