Time to Roam Magazine Issue 13 - February/March 2015 | Page 26

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feature UHF radio
Compact units such as this allow for
fitting under the dashboard

ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO UHF RADIO:

COMMUNICATION
ON THE GO

BY BRETT KEMPSTER

When you talk of two-way radio
most people remember the
1970s trucking movie “Smokey
and the Bandit” and the popular
CB radio of the time.
While operating on a different frequency,
today’s UHF owes much to its CB
(“Citizens Band”) radio forefather in
allowing excellent and affordable
communicational capabilities for travellers,
truckers and emergency services.
Couple the UHF of today with the sophisticated
dash mounted GPS, the modern traveller has
technology at their finger tips like never before.
Australia’s mobile phone networks claim to
cover more than 90 per cent of the population,
but in actual fact even the biggest network only
covers about 20 per cent of our landmass.
If you are thinking of hitting the road
soon, consider installing UHF to allow
friendly communication with fellow travellers
who will be only too happy in sharing
travel tips or fuel pricing up ahead.
Although UHF radio has its limitations distance
wise, repeater towers located in strategic

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elevated positions provide much wider coverage
- sometimes up to 100km. A UHF repeater
allows users to re-transmit their signal on another
channel. For example, channels 1 to 8 or 41
to 48 will transmit to channels 31 through 38
and 71 to 78 respectively. This can be achieved
when you press your microphone button along
with the radio’s “Duplex or Repeater” button.
Compare this extended range capability to
the line of sight transmission with most standard
5 watt UHF radios and suddenly things don’t
appear so remote. There is no doubting the
alternative HF radios suitability for extreme remote
locations and the far reaching communicational
capabilities it possesses. However, for everyday
use in a vehicle-to-vehicle situation you can’t
beat the bang for your buck you get with a
quality UHF unit. Once bought and fitted, the
UHF radio has no further running costs.
Wisely and Some UHF users tend to ‘set
and forget’ their radio on scan as compared to
sticking to one dedicated channel, allowing them
to pick up any activity across the 80 channel
spectrum. Having said that, many situations
still have preferred frequencies. Caravanners
like using channel 18, some 4WD clubs prefer
channel 10 while truckers never waver from 40.
Be aware there are channels strictly for
emergency use only, channel 5 being one.

Communication from a handheld radio
assists the driver negotiate tricky conditions.

Others like 22 and 23 are for non-voice (data)
use only. The relatively recent expansion in
May 2011 from 40 to 80 channels has allowed
for a far less congested airwave space
compared to the old 40 channel system.
Basic radio etiquette is always a good thing and
the unwritten rules are simple. No one channel
is reserved for individual use, but always be
considerate of others needs. If your conversation
is going to be a lengthy one, try switching to a
low traffic channel. Hijacking a station to play
your personal musical selection to the world is
another no-no. While foul language is never good,
I think we can forgive the trucking world if they
leave it to their preferred channel. If you have
little ones tagging along on the back seat you
might want to turn down the volume when tuned
to channel 40 due to the at times ‘flavoursome’
yet sometimes entertaining truckie language.
If you choose to use a repeater channel
please respect the private owner or business
who usually provides and maintains the tower.
Therefore, keep usage to a minimum.
Handheld UHF radios can also come
in handy. If a passenger walks ahead of
the vehicle to check track conditions they
can report back what they encounter.
Functionality of handheld radios is
very much the same as a vehicle unit
and prices can vary from $40 – 400