I keep mine on the roof rack for optimum range. As for the radio, I HIGHLY recommend the cobra 75WXST. The guts fit just fine inside the ebrake console, and then you can remove the mic for theft prevention. Its also pretty cheap, and you can add the guts to other vehicles for like 35 bucks, and share a mic. I have two mics that rotate between the 3 trucks. (VX, RS and F250)