Those fortunate enough to make it to Dayton Hamvention® 2025 were treated to an eyeful of overlanding epicness at the DX Engineering booth in Building One at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio.
Summit Racing Equipment (DX Engineering’s parent company) drove its “Roamin’ Gladiator” project vehicle down for the show May 16-18. Over the course of several months, Summit Racing tech experts transformed the stock Jeep Gladiator Rubicon into a do-it-all overlanding rig, complete with a rooftop tent and enough off-road upgrades to tackle any terrain.
Resting on the flat concrete floor of Building One was a nice break for the trail-carving Jeep, which served as a centerpiece among the amateur radio antennas, masts, and drive-on mast mount car stand (in red above) on display in the DX Engineering portable operating area.
Once Summit Racing had installed everything from a Jeep dynamic lift kit system to a snorkel intake, DX Engineering was called upon to add HF, UHF/VHF, and GMRS communication capabilities to the Gladiator. Led by company founder Jim Cessna, the team at Airwaves GPS performed a well-designed, neat, and clean installation of three quality mobile transceivers along with antennas and mounts. Over the course of two days, they turned this off-roading beast into a mobile communications monster as well, capable of handling both local and long-distance contacts on the road and off.
Our video crew was on hand to chronicle the installation. If you’re planning your own mobile radio DIY project, be sure to watch this in-depth look at the process. It’s filled with insights on how to get the job done efficiently, whether you’re equipping your rig with one or multiple transceivers.
Click on these links to read more about radios, antennas, and other items that were part of the mobile installation:
- Yaesu FT-891 HF/50 MHz All Mode Mobile Transceiver
- Icom ID-5100A-D VHF/UHF Digital Transceiver
- Rugged Radios 2-Way GMRS Mobile Radio Kit
- Yaesu ATAS-120A Auto Active Tuning Antenna
- Comet Mobile VHF/UHF Vertical Antenna
- Consolidated Wire Microphone and Control Head Extension Cables
- Ram Mounts Tough-Track Mobile Device Mounting Bracket
- Ram Mounts Adjustable Track Ball Mounts
- DX Engineering Communication Speakers
Want more tips on completing a successful mobile radio installation in your ride? DX Engineering customer/technical support specialist and OnAllBands blogger Troy, AC80W, shares his experiences in a post later this month.
Everybody’s Getting into the Mobile Communication Spirit
Need proof? These photos were sent to us by DX Engineering customer Tom D., who gifted his grandson a DX Engineering T-shirt. He promptly ran out to his Jeep and made good use of the included DX Engineering stickers.
