Mobile & base stations
A vehicle or home installation buys you a better antenna, more power, and a more comfortable place to operate. It also adds wiring, mounting, and safety work that a handheld never needed.
Power limits & license tiers
More available power is not permission to use it.
Standard 2 m / 70 cm VHF/UHF mobile transceivers typically deliver 25 W to 50 W—an order of magnitude more than a handheld—and are 100% accessible to Technician class licensees. For all-band HF mobile setups running 100 W PEP, operating privileges depend strictly on your license class: Technicians are limited to 10 m SSB voice (28.300–28.500 MHz capped at 200 W PEP under § 97.313(c)) and CW on 80/40/15 m. Upgrading to General or Amateur Extra is required to legally transmit phone or digital modes across 80 m, 40 m, and 20 m while mobile.
| Scope / Band Segment | Statutory Power Limit | FCC Rule | Operational Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal operating rule (all amateur stations) | Minimum power necessary | 47 CFR § 97.313(a) | An amateur station must use the minimum transmitter power necessary to carry out the desired communication. |
| General ceiling (all bands unless restricted) | 1,500 W PEP | 47 CFR § 97.313(b) | Absolute statutory ceiling on transmitter peak envelope power output for Technician, General, and Extra on VHF/UHF (including 1.25m) and for General/Extra on HF. |
| Technician / Novice HF segments (80m, 40m, 15m, 10m) | 200 W PEP | 47 CFR § 97.313(c)(2) | Restricts Novice and Technician power on all HF allocations—including 28.0–28.5 MHz on 10 meters—regardless of transceiver rating. (General and Extra may run 1,500 W PEP on 10m). |
| 30 Meter band (10.100–10.150 MHz) | 200 W PEP | 47 CFR § 97.313(c)(1) | Applies to all license classes (including Amateur Extra) to protect primary government and fixed services. |
| 1.25 Meter band (222–225 MHz) | 1,500 W PEP (25 W Novice) | 47 CFR § 97.313(b),(d) | Technician, General, and Extra have the full 1,500 W PEP legal limit on 1.25m (222–225 MHz). Only grandfathered Novice licensees are limited to 25 W PEP. |
| 60 Meter band (4 channels + 5351.5–5366.5 kHz segment) | 100 W ERP on the channels; 9.15 W ERP in the segment | 47 CFR § 97.313(i) | Channels centered on 5332, 5348, 5373, and 5405 kHz; the 5358.5 kHz channel was eliminated on 13 Feb 2026. ERP is relative to a half-wave dipole (100 W ERP ≈ 164 W EIRP), so antenna gain counts against the limit. |
| 630 Meter band (472–479 kHz) | 500 W PEP / 5 W EIRP | 47 CFR § 97.313(l) | 1 W EIRP for stations within 800 km of the Russian Federation (Alaska). Antennas limited to 60 m above ground (§ 97.15(c)); UTC notification required before operating (§ 97.303(g)). |
| 2,200 Meter band (135.7–137.8 kHz) | 1.5 kW PEP / 1 W EIRP | 47 CFR § 97.313(k) | Antennas limited to 60 m above ground (§ 97.15(c)); UTC notification required before operating (§ 97.303(g)). |
PEP is peak envelope power measured at the transmitter output. ERP/EIRP limits on 60m/630m/2200m include antenna gain and feedline loss. All stations must observe RF exposure compliance evaluations under §97.13(c) before transmitting.
Plan vehicle power from the manual
Current draw, cable size, fuse placement, and grounding path depend on the exact radio and vehicle.
Before routing cable
- Read the radio manufacturer's installation and fuse instructions.
- Confirm the vehicle voltage, ground system, available circuit capacity, cable length, and expected transmit current. A 50 W VHF mobile can draw well over 10 A on transmit.
- Size conductors and overcurrent protection for the equipment and route; protect the positive feed close to the battery or other source.
- Keep wiring away from heat, sharp edges, pedals, airbags, and moving parts. Use a grommet or other protected pass-through at sheet metal.
- Choose the antenna location only after checking cable routing, clearance, weather sealing, and the antenna's ground-plane, counterpoise, or bonding requirements.
Home power and feed line
Choose components from measured or specified requirements.
A radio intended for nominal 13.8 V DC needs a regulated supply, or a suitably fused battery, with the voltage range, continuous current, and transmit-duty capacity its manual requires (a 100 W HF transceiver is commonly around 20–25 A on transmit). Leave sensible headroom, but take the figure from the manual rather than a rule of thumb.
Linear vs. switching supplies: transformer-based linear supplies (such as classic Astron units) produce no RF switching hash across sensitive HF receivers. Compact switching supplies (such as Samlex or Powerwerx) save bench space and weight; choose models with robust internal filtering or a noise-offset control that moves switching spurs off the operating frequency.
Anderson Powerpoles: the 30 A and 45 A Anderson Powerpole connectors are the common standard in amateur radio for 12 V DC connections, emergency go-kits, and ARES/RACES deployments.
Feed-line loss rises with frequency and length and varies by cable type and connectors. Compare the manufacturer's attenuation at the operating frequency, then account for the actual run; see antennas and feed lines. Thicker cable can reduce loss but adds cost, stiffness, weight, and connector strain.
RF exposure is part of the install
Required before transmitting, not after.
The licensee must make sure the station meets the FCC RF exposure rules before it transmits (§97.13(c)). Power, duty cycle, frequency, antenna gain, and distance from people all count — a roof-mounted mobile antenna and a dipole over the patio are different evaluations. The ARRL RF exposure resources are a practical starting point.