The mainstay of 4WD communications for the last couple of decades has been the humble UHF radio, and it still is. For the 200, I kept the UHF I had in my 105, which is an Australian-Made commercial radio, the GME TX3800 (since discontinued). The only change I've made is swapping from a remote head to an integrated remote microphone setup.

Going with a commercial set has several advantages over a standard UHF CB. The unit allows the programming of any frequency between 450 and 520MHz, including the 80 UHF CB channels and duplex repeaters. It also provides a switchable power output of 5 or 25 watts (although it should be noted that the maximum legal power for CB channels is 5 watts). The price is about $200 more than a typical 80-channel CB radio. If you'd rather not spend the additional for a commercial set, I recommend the Australian-made GME radios over the cheap and nasty alternatives. Specifically, the compact XRS-330C or the XRS-370C, both with remote speaker-microphones.

The main UHF unit is installed out of the way, behind the centre of the dash. The unit is completely controlled via the microphone, which is equipped with a series of programmable buttons and an LCD screen. I've secured the mic to the driver's side dash trim using double sided tape to save drilling any holes in the dash.

Antenna(s)

As with the radio itself, I'm reusing my old antenna which is a GME 4700-series. It's a modular system that comprises a heavy spring base with a 1200mm 6.6dB-gain or 2100mm 8.1dB-gain fibreglass whips (4705 or 4706 respectively).

The base also accepts a variety of other antennas with standard connectors, depending on your requirements. In addition to the GME fibreglass whips, I have a small RFI mopole which is very carpark-friendly, and with its 4dB gain is well suited to hilly terrain. The mopole's small size (it fits in the glovebox) also means you can take it with you on trips in case you break one of the large antennas or need to remove it due to tight terrain.

The constant march of technology has seen some incredible advances in mapping systems for 4x4 vehicle use. Mapping technology for me began with a $1200 Garmin GPS45 in the early '90s, which really needed to be used in conjunction with paper topographic maps. This progressed to a laptop running GPSy software, which (although a bit clunky) did at least allow the display of moving maps on a screen when connected to the GPS45. But the total cost of the system including a laptop, GPS and topographic maps went to many thousands of dollars.

Come 2013, and there is a much better (and cheaper) way. Using a (minimum) 64GB iPad mini running Mud Map software takes vehicle mapping to a whole new level. The iPad must be a cellular version (3G/4G) as the WiFi-only version doesn't have a GPS. However, there is no need to have a SIM card in the iPad as no data connection is required for either GPS or MudMap software functionality (except for Google/Apple map access, if desired).

I won't write a full review of MudMap 2 here, but it is impressive software which has so far provided all the functionality I require. There are a wide variety of maps included and/or available at extra cost. The software will track your position on any of the installed maps, and carry that track across if you change the map you're using. Tracks and waypoints are saved to your MudMap account, so you can access them on multiple devices (ie: Tracks saved on your iPad can be accessed on your iPhone).

There are three main alternatives to Mud Map available for the iPhone/iPad:

• Hema 4WD Maps: This includes maps covering all of Australia;
• Hema Explorer: This app is cheaper and doesn't include many maps (they can be bought as extras), but combines numerous additional features such as taking photos and access to weather from within the app;
• Memory-Map: This is almost free, but doesn't include any maps. You buy the ones you want as required.

Update 19/2/15: Mud Map 3 is now available, and I plan to upgrade in the near future.

There are also a variety of turn-by-turn on-road navigation applications available (eg: WAZE, Navmii and Google Maps), so the iPad can easily be used as a primary navigation tool.

I've set up a mounting system for the iPad into the 200-series just next to the gear lever using a Ram Mount Tab-tite attached to the inside face of one of the side wings of the dashboard. It fits nicely and doesn't obstruct any components other than the crawl control system (which I rarely use). The iPad can be quickly removed from the spring-loaded tabtite mount, and the whole mounting system (except for the flange which is well concealed) can be removed with a wingnut-style screw. The iPad is powered from a cigarette lighter adaptor. Because the iPad draws maximum current when the mapping is active, you need a high-power 3.4A USB outlet to power it, or the battery will gradually drain even if it's plugged in to a regular 2.1A USB adaptor. Unfortunately, the USB connection on the Toyota stereo system doesn't provide enough power for an iPad, so it isn't possible to 'kill two birds' by using your iPad as a music source for the stereo, while also providing power.

Update 19/2/15: This article was originally based around a full-size iPad. I've since changed to an iPad Mini which is a much better fit, and the article has been updated accordingly.

Mounting the tablet

These are the components you'll need to mount an iPad or tablet, with links to find them on eBay and Amazon (Affiliate links):