Thread: UHF Newby questions and unit selection

Originally Posted by Tombie

Slunnie. My flag cost more than my antenna.

I need to get a proper flag with a much taller pole.

Originally Posted by Slunnie

I need to get a proper flag with a much taller pole.

Off the rack works well

Thanks Slunnie & Tombie.

Originally Posted by Tombie

I wouldn’t want that antenna hanging on the stainless strap on the side of the bonnet.

Yeah, Tombie, that was my concern too......

I ended up going with the XRS-330COB XRS™ CONNECT OUTBACK PACK

Has a Medium Duty Radome Antenna (AE4707 which, given it's the same spring assembly as the aerial from the Touring Pack, should be no problem on the Lab Electrics mount plate......

That will probably stay on the car full time unless we get into the Wide Wide Open.

Thanks for your help everyone, much appreciated.

I have the 6db version of that randome antenna type. previously a whip type flexi fibreglass unit that pulled apart when I forgot to remove it before a carwash! .. ahhh!
Bullbar mount. I have a Mobile 1 digital radio antenna right next to it on the bar but it survived ... seriously dunno what I was dreaming about before I drive in!

Anyhow, those GME fibreglass unit can take a bit of a hammering. Multistory car parks that fit my D1(with roof rack) but not the height of the GME 6db have pounded it senselessly many times in the past few years, and it's still holds up well at the tip, where it gets hammered.

Dunno why I'm so lazy to simply remove it. I don't use it around town and with lockdowns .. have had much chance to use it.

I reckon you'll be happy with the 330 model .. does everything you will want and more.

Look into the app part of the system, and maybe get some info about programming soem of those additional channels(like emergency services). You don't have to use them, but with this country's propensity to catch fire at a moments notice, sometimes handy to have access BEFORE you find out you could be amongst it.

I do remember the app made it all nice and easy to find stuff and click the button to do it all ..

Also, a reminder of how much nicer it is to use the magnetic mic mount as opposed to the hanger type arrangement. Not a deal breaker, but having had access to it again today, rather than the hook up mic type last week .. one of those little luxuries you'd never usually consider until tried once.
I guess the difference I now find with this magnetic mount is that in the work trucks, I need to use it regularly(maybe 20 times a day .. in 8 or 9 hours) whereas in the car on a recreational outing .. many times never use it, just listen out.

Originally Posted by AK83

I reckon you'll be happy with the 330 model .. does everything you will want and more.

Look into the app part of the system, and maybe get some info about programming soem of those additional channels(like emergency services). You don't have to use them, but with this country's propensity to catch fire at a moments notice, sometimes handy to have access BEFORE you find out you could be amongst it.

I do remember the app made it all nice and easy to find stuff and click the button to do it all ..

Also, a reminder of how much nicer it is to use the magnetic mic mount as opposed to the hanger type arrangement. Not a deal breaker, but having had access to it again today, rather than the hook up mic type last week .. one of those little luxuries you'd never usually consider until tried once.
I guess the difference I now find with this magnetic mount is that in the work trucks, I need to use it regularly(maybe 20 times a day .. in 8 or 9 hours) whereas in the car on a recreational outing .. many times never use it, just listen out.

Hi Arthur,

Thanks mate, much appreciated and yes, I did buy the Magnetic Mount at the same time......

I'll probably leave the 2.2dB unit on 99% of the time, but changeover to the Medium 6.6 when going a little further afield. (I haven't purchased that yet, probably going to see how the 2.2dB unit goes initially and range expectations in terms of real life use, then make a call on that. At $130 for the 6.6 whip, it's no doubt worth having one in the kit.

Thanks also for the tip re the emergency channels. RFS makes a whole lot of sense, as does whoever might be the agency for Flood......might be a silly question, but Does ABC Radio broadcast updates on a UHF channel? They certainly seem to have the "Emergency Channel" all covered on 702.......I'll look into all of that.....

I'll add a pic here when she's all hooked up and ready to rumble Thanks again all!

OH, should have been more specific about the added programmable channels: you can only Rx on those, no transmitting.

That is, you can transmit on the 80 normal channels, and the programmable ones are other frequencies you can listen in on.

so, say you're out bush, and as we're in Aus, most of which is not covered by comms, so your news will be what you saw back in whoopwhoop. But you're on holidays and you don't care for what everyone else is burdened with ... just where you are going too.

In your blissful, tuned out, holiday mode tho, you notice some smoke up ahead .. miles and miles away.
Is it a std burn off or something sinister you may be heading into?

So it's usefulness is really only one of those once in a lifetime thing that may save it for ya.

I guess the geeky radio ham types may enjoy this kind of feature more than us general UHF user types.

So on other UHFs that allow programming additional channels.. basically us general users would go through the process .. it's tedious as hell.
My Oricom had this feature too, but never looked at it once I looked at it initially .. way too tedious to do.
But when you just push a few buttons to a point of interest of your choosing, and a list of stuff comes up as a result of that simple process, and you click upload ... it's kind of feels geeky and that it may be important 'one day'.

I just had a peek at the newer v2 of the phone app, and it looks a bit more 'interesting' in a few ways compared to the drill down menu style ability to set the UHF up to begin with.

Interesting to see what all the channels are that can be uploaded to the unit. ABC/National .. on UHF .. dunno?

And don't underestimate the notion of smoke up in the distance hypothetical too.

Happened to me about 20+ years ago, we came from Purnululu, and headed north, then across to Victoria River. On the NT side there was lots of smoke up ahead.
I'm thinking mid winter? .. smoke? do they even get fires up this way? this time of year? .. no idea. We were driving into it kind of situation and not sure whether to stop somewhere(where?!) or slowly keep going on.
As we got closer it 'looked' like burn off due to the way the fires were small and in sections. But I'm no firey nor fire expert in any way. Just looked like a burn off I'd seen previously in the ACT in a kind of this specific area/line, but not that other area/line.
I doubt that uncontained fires travel in 'straight lines' .. so assumed burn off(ie. no danger).

Does anyone have knowledge of an in-cabin switch for selecting one of two separate db rated antennas to the one unit? Cheers

Originally Posted by Grahame Roberts

Does anyone have knowledge of an in-cabin switch for selecting one of two separate db rated antennas to the one unit? Cheers

Yes they are available, however I’ve always found them to cost in terms of gain through losses in the switch.