Which HF Radio?

[tcgooge]

Hi Everybody!
We are planning a trip through the outback mid-year.
As we will be going through some remote areas, we are in a position to get an HF Radio to be in touch with VKS737 and RFDS.
My problem is knowing which unit will suit our needs.
As with most things, the budget is tight, looking at spending about $1000 for the radio and about $500 for aerial.
Interested in what experience others have had with various brands and setups.
Unit will be going into a '94 Disco 300TDi.
Thanks
Glenn

[Lotz-A-Landies]

As with most things, the budget is tight, looking at spending about $1000 for the radio and about $500 for aerial.With that budget your best option would be to hire one. Try Jim Shire on the Gold Coast. Jims 4wd radio sales and hire Gold Coast Australia (http://www.jimshire.aussiewide.com/)

[bblaze]

I picked up a coden second hand in qid for about that money
Heres some links that may help
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/communications-car-audio-electronics/67857-secondhand-hf-tips-traps.html
cheers
blaze

[numpty]

Mates and I (three of us) purchased second hand Wagner sets from a bloke at the 60th in Cooma for $400 each. They are only two channel but complete with multi tap aerial and worked a treat on our Madigan trip.

[Barefoot Dave]

G'Day, tccooge.
After posting the Querie in the link that blaze has provided above, I purchased one of these : BARRETT 250 HF RADIO-CODAN SELCALL-VKS737 4WD/MARINE - eBay 2-Way Radios, 2-Way Radios, Walkie Talkies, Radio Equipment, Electronics. (end time 19-Feb-09 07:46:56 AEDST) (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BARRETT-250-HF-RADIO-CODAN-SELCALL-VKS737-4WD-MARINE_W0QQitemZ290295079269QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_ Electronics_Radio_Equipment?hash=item290295079269&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318) from dave, the seller above.

Radio worked fine ( but for a poor earth(this installers error) Dave even programmed my selcall info in! He supplied a Bushmaster multitap (12 frequency) for ~$300. Have seen them for a little less since though (275). Add around $100 for power cabling and heavy duty fuse and you are on fire : ))

We toured for around 1.5 months, so the cost of hiring a Sat phone or HF compared with going halves with my mate in the Barrett. Except I get to keep it !!
You can get very cheap, 2 channel sets for a few hundred, but for a few hundred more I would strongly advise getting a multi channel model. We raced the low that cut off the gulf just after new years, and kept tabs using the weather reports when there was no other sound coming from the ether (am/ fm radio). nice to know whats happening!
If you are new to the scene (HF radios) and can't hook up with anyone local, I'm up near redcliffe. PM me and we can rv for a sked (scheduled contact with the network)
I hope this helps.
Cheers, Dave.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Barrett 250 .... :(
Wagner 2 channel ... :(
selcal maybe .... :(
Multi-tap :(

I guess I was thinking at the platinum end of the spectrum - Codan NGT or 9323 and a 9360. (I have 9323/9360 in the RRc and 8525/Moonraker ATU's for the SIIB )

Yes you can get older sets for around and less than $1,500. I wouldn't be going older than the Barret 250 or the Codan 8525 (preferably "b" model) and be sure you have selcall and the "emergency button" if it's the only HF set in the group. 20 years is pretty old for electronic equipment that is there as a lifeline.

What ever you get ensure it is checked over thoroughly before you leave.

Diana

[numpty]

Diana, we had 4 vehicles with 4 HF's. We were able to contact VKS every night without fail. I agree, if I had the money I too would be looking at a more modern job.

In saying that, plenty of people are happy with their 20 plus year old vehicles:angel:

[paul09]

hi all i going to get a hf radio fo touring aus soon but i was wondering what type of licence is needed where to get it if they have a web site and any rules reg for hf that are online and if a foundation licence covers it as i am getting one soon

[jik22]

I guess I was thinking at the platinum end of the spectrum - Codan NGT or 9323 and a 9360. (I have 9323/9360 in the RRc and 8525/Moonraker ATU's for the SIIB )



My 9323 and 9350 cost $1300 s/h. However, they were bought seperately, and I passed up a great many that were going for a lot more money. NGT's are still silly money, as are any 9323's purchased from a dealer IME, but you can get bargains if you bide your time and buy privately.

[jik22]

hi all i going to get a hf radio fo touring aus soon but i was wondering what type of licence is needed where to get it if they have a web site and any rules reg for hf that are online and if a foundation licence covers it as i am getting one soon

Your foundation license will only cover you for small parts of the HF spectrum, which won't include the frequencies allocated to the various 4WD networks. You'll also only have 10w, whereas the "licenses" from VKS737, HF Radio Club and Reids Radio Data that you get through membership will allow 100w as well as their other benefits.

There's been quite a few threads on this, so have a search, as the pros and cons of each have been done to death! ;)

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Diana, we had 4 vehicles with 4 HF's. We were able to contact VKS every night without fail. I agree, if I had the money I too would be looking at a more modern job.

In saying that, plenty of people are happy with their 20 plus year old vehicles:angel:No doubt that you did and plenty of people do even going back to using the old Ralph Treager sets and the 69 series Codans (1969 design/build). You don't need selcall to report in for VKS737 schedules, but it is handy to be able to contact remote friends also on VKS737.

My comment about 20 year old radios is a bit different to 20 year old vehicles. A breakdown in a 20 year old vehicle you can usually fix in the desert or one the side of the road, in a 20 year old radio you need an electronics workshop, test equipment and components to do the repair and most people don't travel with an army census "6040D Electronic Equipment Repair Shop, Truck Mounted, 3/4 Ton, GS, With Winch, Telecommunication".

The important thing is that people don't make a single 20 year old piece of electronic equipment the only emergency lifeline. I would be reluctant to travel to remote areas without at least 2 of any combination of the following: HF radios with emergency call button (and emergency long wire antenna); EPIRB; or Sat phone, in the group.

Your little group did exactly the right thing, they had 4 HF radios in the group, even though they were possibly 20 years old. It would have been very unlikely that all 4 would fail at the same time.

Diana

[paul09]

so im guessing id need an advanced licence

[Lotz-A-Landies]

so im guessing id need an advanced licenceNo Paul you need to be a member of VKS737 (http://www.vks737.on.net/), that membership entitles you to use the VKS737 channels at 100 W PEP.

In fact the "user agreement (http://www.vks737.on.net/pdfs/DOC%2021.pdf)" with VKS737 states "(HF equipment – Land Mobile Services) Standard 2003 (as amended) made under subsection 162 (1) of the Radiocommunications Act No. 174 of 1992 and Australian / New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 4770:2000 (The use of Amateur Radio Equipment is prohibited)"

Diana

[jik22]

so im guessing id need an advanced licence

That will give you access to more amateur bands and allow you to use higher power, but it won't give you access to the 4WD networks - these are licensed seperately and can only be used (Except in emergencies) by their members.

As I said, have a search using terms like "VKS" and "VMS" in this section - there have been several threads on amateur vs. 4WD HF, and others on network choice within the 4WD networks.

[paul09]

so all i need is a vks 737 licence and i can get a hf

then what is the use of a outpost licence

[jik22]

so all i need is a vks 737 licence and i can get a hf

If VKS is the chosen club/organisation you go with, yes. You need annual membership to them, and an approved HF radio (Codan, Barrett, etc.) setup. This will give you access and rights to use their frequencies when mobile, to talk to their bases and (I think) other VKS users at certain times. As they own the license to the frequencies, they set the rules about how and when they are to be used - I'm not with VKS, so can't help further with them specifically. However, with most HF 4WD clubs, membership grants you the rights to use frequencies they have licensed, subject to their usage conditions.

This is different to amateur where you are personally licensed and can then use any allowable frequencies within the bands determined by your license class and the operating procedures.

The big difference is amateur HF has no scheduled transmissions, no guarantee there is someone listening on any given frequency (Like you get with the VKS or VMS base operators, for example) and it's not a network for 4WD operators in remote areas, and hence is not setup to help them out specifically when the need arises.


then what is the use of a outpost licence

I think this is what's needed to run a base station, and costs are significantly higher.

[Bushie]

so all i need is a vks 737 licence and i can get a hf

then what is the use of a outpost licence


An outpost mobile license is what allows you to operate on the RFDS frequencies, a VKS license doesn't give you (legal) access to RFDS and vice versa.



Martyn

[Lotz-A-Landies]

so all i need is a vks 737 licence and i can get a hf

then what is the use of a outpost licencePaul
Many years ago there were no HF/4WD Clubs that provided base station access. There were organisations like the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) and the School of the Air, Australian Inland Mission etc. The RFDS monitored their HF base stations for operational purposes on a 24hr schedule which was expensive.

If you wanted to travel in remote locations and have HF as a lifeline, you had to apply for a Land Mobile Outpost licence from the Department of Telecommunications. That entitled you to access the the common chat 2.020 MHz chat channel and also the base stations like RFDS.

The HF services of people like RFDS have been extensively reduced and are basically automatic, activated by the emergency call button on most Australian commercial HF equipment like Codan and Barrett.

The HF/4wd Clubs now provide essentially what RFDS used to do. They have done this through a commercial licence for specific frequencies across the entire continent and Tasmania, the same as a mining company like BHP may do. The members of the HF/4WD Club are considered the same as employees of a mining company and can communicate between the base station and mobile to mobile with other financial members of the HF/4WD club.

If you want to contact a RDFS base station or use the chat channel you still need a Land Mobile Outpost Station Licence, this or course is not required in the case of an emergency to life, limb or property.

Hope this helps.
Diana
VKS737 - Mobile 2540
formerly: Land Mobile Outpost Station 9NLA

[paul09]

ok thanks every one for your answers