Hi Jim!

I've had my 2005 Prius for almost a year and have used it on VHF and
UHF at 50 watts and works well. I haven't tried HF but have listened
with my 817 while in the car and I didn't hear any computer noise to
speak of.

Yes, that little battery in the back is a small one, but the
computer(s) monitor that and will run the engine if it is in need of
charging, even if you are sitting still. Same goes for the AC or any
of the other things that drag it down.

Having the battery in the back is kinda' sweet. Not a lot of extra
heat to kill it sooner than later (I'm in Arizona) and I put the body
of the yaesu 8800 in the storage area near the spare. Ran the antenna
up behind the seals and onto the roof and simply use a mag mount. Not
easy with an HF antenna of course, but I'm sure there would be a way.

It was a snap hiding the wires and making a first class looking install
with it. No noise at those freqs.

Hope that helps. Have fun. That is a very cool car.

73

Dave
AI7R

JimK6VRY wrote:
I'm picking up my new Prius this week and am curious about running
radios in the car. The techs at the dealer stare at me blankly when I
bring it up. I plan to operate an Icom IC-706 on HF and 2m. My
assumption is that the radio would run off the small 12v battery used
for accessories and engine starting. Since it's impossible to idle the
motor while standing still, the battry would seemingly run down pretty
quickly.

Any suggestion or comments?