Thread: sub $1k UHF for Disco 2

Originally Posted by steveG

If you're interested I can dig out the brochure and let you know what the product was.

SteveG

That sounds great Steve......if in your travels you come across it, would be great to read about how it communicates.

Cheers
Caine

Originally Posted by catch-22

I am looking at upgrading my GME TX670 hand held unit upgraded as I find it near useless if there is more then one tree round.

I want a good unit. Doesn't have to have all the bells and whistles but has to work in the case that I am stuck somewhere and need help. I have heard that the Icom units are the gun....GME are Aussie which I always like to support assuming it works as well as the others..

Also, I do not have an aerial and would like at least a 6db gain. Any brand or should I buy a specific one?

What range can I expect from your proposed solution?

Cheers
Caine

OTa little but can you please advise what the TX670s were like? I am looking at buying a pair for use on the ski slopes.

Also what about for convoy use?

On our recent ill fated trip we found a max range for UHF was about 20 km, but you had to be on top of a hill so it was virtually "line of sight" as previously stated. And that was with the squelch cranked up to max.

I think it was a 6dB aerial ... maybe 4, as its about 600mm long.

Originally Posted by catch-22

That sounds great Steve......if in your travels you come across it, would be great to read about how it communicates.

Cheers
Caine

The device you are referring to is called the "Spot" messenger. Google it for their website. There's also a thread on AULRO about it. I was looking at these, but I still think a proper EPIRB is a better way to go. Reasons : The Spot Messenger uses a commercial satellite network ( Globalstar) which is old and has reported reliability issues. EPIRBs use a new satellite network specifically built for the purpose. There are ongoing service fees for a Spot, whereas an EPIRB there is not. Spot emergency calls go to an overseas commercially run help desk, whereas the EPIRB ones go directly to the Maritime Rescue centre in Canberra. ( I think it's Canberra ). I just think the EPIRB would get a faster response than a Spot. The Spot does have the ability to send "I'm OK" email message to your family or friends, or a "Help Needed" message for non emergency situation, whereas with an EPIRB you can only activate it in a full on emergency.

Drifting off topic a bit, sorry.

Originally Posted by Forest

SteveG - definatley interested. Anything will do, website, whatever, as what you are describing sounds perfect.

Have a family of youngsters, often out of range, great to have that sort of backup to lessen the potential worries of being out of contact, "in case".

Will see if I can find the brochure tonight. Pretty sure it was Rays Outdoors that I picked it up from if anyone else knows what the product is.

SteveG

Originally Posted by waynep

The device you are referring to is called the "Spot" messenger.

Thats it.
SPOT Satellite Messenger

If there are other 4WDers in the area then there is just about always other vehicles with UHF's that you can contact. There is a scan function, so if anybody talks within range you will find them pretty much straight away. Even mainstream remote touring locations have a lot of 4WD's around, though not some of the more off the beat tracks where HF and Satphone are the only way (IMHO). Intergroup communications is almost exclusively UHF these days.

How I like to setup my 4WD is so that it looks as close to standard and factory as possible. I really hate things cluttering the place up and looking tacked on. Based on this I used the GME remote head UHF, so there is only the small radio face in the dash and I've mounted it under the cup holder. If I was to do it again I would use the GME unit that has all of the controls on the handset and all of the headunit is hidden under the dash. Admittedly its harder to hear the radio when under the dash so I have recently added a remote speaker that hangs off the roof - I'll take some pics today. Anyway, what I like about the new unit with the controls on the handset is that again you dont have to have anything on the dash and it remains clean so to speak.

In terms of unit I use GME personally and Icom handhelds professionally. Both are reliable.

In terms of tx/rx, I saw a test in one of the mags a few years ago where they compared GME and I'm pretty sure it was Icom. The differences in them was absolute minimum, marginally better performance from GME, but really there was *nothing* in it.

For aerials, when I originally setup I used an GME AE409L which could be setup as 6 or 9db. I almost always used it as a 6db because the 9db setup flexed too much on the car. What I find now is that the GME AE4700 series aerials are excellent, with the AE4705 4.5db glass aerial to be an excellent allround aerial for the bush and eastern highway work. I turn it off when I get to Sydney, but it works well there also. It's glass construction also makes it really strong but it is not the most discrete aerial on the planet. I use the GME AE4706 6db glass aerial when in the planes, desert etc and this one booms out - I have not come across an aerial out there that performs better than this one in that situation. All of the aerials that I use are GME (like the headset in the car) and all fit the 4700 series aerial spring base, so interchanging is a literally a 30sec job.

If your wanting to get more than about 50kms then UHF is not what you want.

You also dont want a 6Db gain aerial if there are tree's and hills around as all you will be doing is talking to trees and hills as the higher the gain the narrower the band.

But in saying that the lower the gain the shorter the distance thus your hand helds problem.

If your serious about it and have a grand to spend then put and external aerial on for you hand held and go buy a sat phone on the pay top use system.

Costs about $1k to buy outright and the calls are horribly expensive but your nearly guarenteed you will be able to contact anyone you want.

Either that or go the HF like previously stated or even a good SSB AM unit and learn how to use the skip