Slate dash panel is perfect for ham/GMRS rigs!

[R1an Fox]

Anyone here a radio geek? I just had a light bulb moment that the open dash panel design on the Slate is an ideal spot for mounting a mini Amateur Radio or GMRS mobile rig.
Think about it, guys! Visible when open, neatly hidden when closed, and way better than a cupholder mount!
There looks to be plenty of room for a radio and a small speaker. I’m sure the Slate team is already planning some kind of factory antenna option.

Since the panel is plastic, maybe we need to put a small metal plate inside for heat dissipation, or are these small GMRS rigs low power enough not to worry about it?
What do you think guys? Super excited to see this happen!

 

[Ronn13]

That’s a clever idea man! and most GMRS or small amateur rigs don’t put out enough heat to fry the plastic, so a metal plate isn’t strictly necessary unless you’re running high duty cycles. Biggest thing is routing a decent antenna cable and keeping the speaker clear so it doesn’t rattle when the panel close

 

[jambalay444]

Anyone here a radio geek? I just had a light bulb moment that the open dash panel design on the Slate is an ideal spot for mounting a mini Amateur Radio or GMRS mobile rig.
Think about it, guys! Visible when open, neatly hidden when closed, and way better than a cupholder mount!
There looks to be plenty of room for a radio and a small speaker. I’m sure the Slate team is already planning some kind of factory antenna option.

Since the panel is plastic, maybe we need to put a small metal plate inside for heat dissipation, or are these small GMRS rigs low power enough not to worry about it?
What do you think guys? Super excited to see this happen!

that's actually a good idea! I probably worry about heat dissipation, especially if you're running the maximum 50 watts on an amateur rig, or even a continuous duty GMRS repeater capable unit.
anyway, you definitely need that small metal plate (aluminum, not steel) inside the plastic panel. It doesn't even need to be huge, but it'll draw heat away from the radio's heatsink and prevent the plastic from getting stressed or warping. For a GMRS unit (5-15W), it might be overkill, but for longevity, metal is better