uhf comunication help

[worraps]

hi guys,
i have been put in charge of getting information for my bro inlaw what we are wanting to do is set up radio comunication from our property in tara (base station type set up) and have enough coverage to be able to reach town centre about 22kms away in case of emergency ie fire accident ect cdma phone is just working now but is set to be fased out very soon
so are looking for ideas and equipment to do the above
and also find out about licencing (if needed) to be able to set things up right money is not a problem so if anybody could help out with what equipment would be needed or websites ect to check or companies to talk with would be a great help as i am not sure where to start.


thanks
Worraps

[langy]

Whilst other may be able to shed some light on other solutions, here are a couple of ideas:

First, get Bro-in-law to borrow somebodys Next G phone. According to Telstra information (I know, Telstra information is a contradiction in terms) it says Tara has Next G phone and wireless broadband coverage.

If the Bro's place outside town isn't in too hilly an area, the next g just might work. You never know until you try - the Next G antenna might be located somwhere slightly different to the CDMA antenna.

On the same topic - hills, UHF likes line-of-sight and wide open spaces.

Check out your local CREST (Citizens Radio Emergency Service Teams) they monitor duplex UHF CB channel 5 in a lot of places - and ( I believe) so do the regular emergency services in country areas. If bro's place can see town, then a standard CB could be all you need. If the local Cops,Ambos RFS etc monitor ch 5, then you're all set for just the cost of a good UHF CB.

The next step up might be VKS 737 - HF and CODAN- the radio service used way out in the bush - all those vehicles with the big aerials communicate that way. The registration fee sounds fair but I haven't got a CODAN set, plenty others on AULRO have, they would have more information than I .

Then you start messing with commercial set ups - and telephone links etc etc. There'd be some professionals listed under Communications in the Yellow pages - depending on terrain brother could have his own version of CDMA. Plently of companies rent time on various commerical UHF networks and use somthing like a commercial walkie talkie like a mobile phone.

Barring that, have bro in law talk to the local emergency services - they'll know who to talk to.

[waynep]

I agree with Langy check out to see if Next G covers ( or is planned to cover ) your area. Telstra have sort of "promised" it will cover everywhere the old CDMA did, eventually.

You can apply for a commercial UHF frequency and even put in your own hilltop repeater, but commercial gear is costly and probably outside what he wants to pay. The advantages are that you can run higher transmit powers on the commercial channels. ( 25Watts as opposed to 5Watts on CB )

The Govt. does give subsidies for telephone /broadband links to remote areas so mybe see what they can do

Couple of suggestions :

1. If the farmhouse is fairly well located to cover the property, ( on a highish point ) consider UHF CBs in Simplex mode with a fairly high gain base station antenna on a 60 ft mast or so to connected to the base radio in the farmhouse. Farm Vehicles etc can be fitted with UHF CBs. This is a cheaper alternative because it requires no licencing. Always the risk of ******* coming on to the channel, but in a remote area less so. If you get kit with features like SelCall ( Selective Calling ) you can use it more or less like a telephone, where they punch inot a keypad the unit they want to call, and the radio at the other end will beep people when someone is trying to contact them. On some, external bells and buzzers can even be fitted. You'd need to see if he can borrow a couple of UHF CB sets and a base antenna and do a bit of a coverage test over the farm before committing.

For contact from the farmhouse into town, if Next G doesn't work, look at maybe a SatPhone or VOIP ( Voice over IP ) over broadband satellite internet. The Country Wide division at Telstra should be able to advise you on the options and what Govt. subsidies are available. The problem with relying on CB or commercial UHF radio to contact town is that you need to be sure someone is always monitoring at the other end.

[worraps]

hey guys thnks for the info bro has a hatered for telstra and although next g is aparently available in the area he would be happier to go with other option we will give the local emergency services a call and have a chat (one problem with next g also is we are only there half a dozen times a year) if anybody else has suggestions please feel free to shoot some more info this way cheers guys