I agree on the cockpit! I've always had my radios mounted there. It would probably work better for the DW there also freeing up the Dinette! Good luck with the radio thing I got out of it and sold all my gear long ago. My Dad was really into the HAM radio thing his call letters were K7AFL from the late 40's until he died.
I mounted my Yaesu 7800 up front within the drivers reach using industrial strength Velcro. It does have a demountable head, but I chose this arrangement for simplicity.
Mine are all in the cockpit. DW and the dogs would have a real problem with it being in the dinette as that's where the dogs travel. The Kenwood DM700 dual bander in on the floor by the driver's far left, the remote front is on the left dash and the ICOM 706 is in an overhead cupboard along with the TV satellite receiver and its front panel is on the top of the front edge of the dash to the right of the instrument panel. There is also a CB mike around there somewhere on the right which I use infrequently.
The 2 dualband whips are mounted as near the front and as high on the side as possible, where the roof meets the sides. The one on the right is for the 706 and keeps getting knocked off by trees on some of the Mexican roads so I haven't replaced it since the last one went!
I'm on APRS as VA7RV-12 though while in Mexico it doesn't connect too often.
Note for mobile users: Many jurisdictions including Canada have prohibitions against non hands-free devices such as cell phones while driving. In Canada there is an exception for Ham Radio transmission mobile transceivers BUT NOT FOR HANDHELDS. For some strange reason the hand held part (ie microphone) cannot contain a transmitter!
I haven't tried CW mobile while driving for at least 30 years so that's not a problem. .... ..
I have a Yeasu 8900 quad band. I mounted the body under the dash and use a remote cable to mount the head unit on the center of the dash. I can use it from the cockpit or the recliner. I have enough slack in the cable that I can move the head unit closer when wanted.
In the United States 2-way radio communications is controlled by the FCC, and they usually don't want anybody else messing with it. They often defend their territory quite vigorously!
Billings recently passed a law forbidding cell phone use/texting while driving. A hands-free device (Bluetooth, etc.) must be used. Of course, it only applies within the City Limits.
CB, Amateur radio, business radio, law enforcement, and other government agency radios are exempt.
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2002 Fleetwood Southwind 32V, Ford V10
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Toy: 1977 Dodge W100 CC SWB, 3/4 ton axles & springs
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You might consider mounting a multi purpose transceiver such as an Icom 706MK2 in the cockpit. This way, assuming your license class is high enough, one radio will perform on VHF, UHF as well as short wave bands. A screwdriver HF antenna on the rear ladder and a glass mount VHF/UHF antenna on the front windshield will cover the needs of most hams. Double pane glass has not been a problem for me with my glass mount antennas.
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