This is amazing.    I wish I had found the GN's site before we started on our vanning adventure.

I can't recall exactly where I have seen some of you but I do remember seeing Ibbo and the skull and cross bones flag flying somewhere or other.

We also saw Doug and Dusty along the Great Ocean Road recently as well.

A few others seem to ring a bell the more I read of your travels.

Maybe on our next adventure we will see more of you and this time be able to say Hi, saw you on GN.

I think the bumper sticker will help heaps with introductions not just in campsite or van parks but along the road.

Maybe we should devise some sort of "special wave" that we can give each other as we pass by, maybe in opposite directions or on dual carriageways.

Do many of you use your UHF?  Been thinking of getting one before we head off into the wide blue yonder and have been reading all the good info about them on here.  Some other vanners, not GN's, have said they never use them and was a waste of money.  Can't see that being the case myself.  Did think to put our "sign" = Guru & Ma, Ulladulla.  UHF Ch. ?? on the back of the van.  Good idea or not?

Hi Ma....I have Dave & Rosie UHF CH18 on the tailgate of our campertrailer.....UHF radio is worth the money....its helped me many times.. Dave

Would'nt be without it, Had one since the early 70s and found it invaluable for chatting to the pilots of long loads ,so I know whats coming Think it would be a bit disconcerting to not notice the pilot and all of a sudden a police car is driving straight at you on the wrong side of the road waving you off it and then a bloody big dozer on a load loader is there staring you in the face Also you will understand why you are waiting so long on the freeway, a damn idiot further up has decided to try to climb a tree in his car, All the rules are simple and you can find them somewhere on this forum, just hit the search button

Thanks for the info guys.  Will make sure we have the correct "protocol" down pat and our monika on the rear of the van.

Maybe we will even hear the dulcet tones of your cheerful voices over the airwaves one day soon.

Ma wrote:

---

Maybe we should devise some sort of "special wave" that we can give each other as we pass by, maybe in opposite directions or on dual carriageways.

---

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yes the special wave.....Or pr'haps a secret handshake for more intimate encounters....

Most wave, if they don't wave you can assume a few things
1) the are not real GN's
2) They had an arguement earlier and are not speaking to each other
3) they are younger Gen x/yers who wonder why everyone is waving to them so stop it, get out of their "space" just endure their kids
4) they were to absorbed in concentrating on what they are doing ie hanging onto the helm with a grimace akin to Captain Smith just before he hit the ice.

 Maybe we adopt the thumbs up rather than the wave, I think thats a good idea and if something is wrong then the thumbs down and the other driver can then render heroic assistance.....

Ma wrote:

---

Thanks for the info guys.  Will make sure we have the correct "protocol" down pat and our monika on the rear of the van.

Maybe we will even hear the dulcet tones of your cheerful voices over the airwaves one day soon.

---

Dulcet cheerful tones? Who do you think I am - Peter Dawson

I'm not allowed to "install" a UHF in this car but I have a handheld which I keep on 18 for close manouvring.... So if you see a Coromal E615S with a GN sticker on the back of it that will be us....You will probably only get a fleeting glimpse as I streak past because I'm told I drive like "Fangio"

I'm with you Basil.  Thumb's up it is.   Been waving to anyone that's on the road and looks like they fit the bill.

Lots don't wave back, probably for the very reasons you have listed.

Do you ever notice that nearly all of the "younger brigade" in their "motor homes" don't acknowledge any of us or even stop to assist. Yeah, they probably are hanging on for grim death and can't take the risk of letting go.......LOL

They have a lot to learn I reckon

Peter Dawson Basil?    I would have thought Pavarotti gone grey at least.  

Yeah lets go with nthe thumbs up!!!!!

Ma wrote:

---

I'm with you Basil.  Thumb's up it is.   Been waving to anyone that's on the road and looks like they fit the bill.

Lots don't wave back, probably for the very reasons you have listed.

Do you ever notice that nearly all of the "younger brigade" in their "motor homes" don't acknowledge any of us or even stop to assist. Yeah, they probably are hanging on for grim death and can't take the risk of letting go.......LOL

They have a lot to learn I reckon

---

Ok lets form a committee and ratify this, as it was your idea you can chair, I'll do the dirty work and email out a thumb for everyone to use as well as place ads in the media....
I'm on to it chief.....

 

I often use a digit as well Basil to express my wishes to another driver, but alas it is not the thumb, but it is close, maybe we could adopt the "I'm old, I'm grey, I crap my pants, bits of me leak and I'm a bloody nomad, so what are you gonna do about it sonny" stance and only use the middle finger with a grimace to go along with it, that way everybody would know one another we have a uhf it is a gme tx3220, it's a great little unit and takes up minimal space, it's connected to a 7db antenny and all works very well, all purchased off ebay for about $250 if memory serves me correct, I also got an external speaker with it which is very good, I mounted that on the right side of the vehicle, I am almost deaf on my left side which is a blessing as that is the side most commonly turned to the dragon we also carry a small handheld for reversing purposes, the dragon jumps out and instead of waving her arms and shouting and calling me all sorts of horrid names and screaming something like "wind the bloody window down, so you can hear me" she calmly and systematically "guides" me in, we sometimes even use it for the vehicle as well,............. oop's lady's dont read that bit!!! we dont use it in the citys only on the open road, we often give a hoy to the people with the numbers on the back stating "pep & pip uhf ch 16, say G'day" but more often than not are greeted with silence, most do not use the thing, and nary a G'day is ushered then there's the drongoes in the puddle jumpers who must travel in convoy and are constantly yakking about this pothole or that pothole and who's cooking lunch, bloody nuisance they are, the only good thing about the constant crap is knowing where they are so as to avoid camping near them the truckies have a very "colorfull" language all their own, if one was to hail one then more times than not it would be greeted with a mouthfull of abuse, well around here it is anyway, up north they are better and take notice of you we have ours on "scan" all the time and just moniter in case someone is in trouble but overall unless someone wants a yak with us then we dont use it unless right up north where the crappy yakker traffic is less and contact far more important there have been some very good posts regarding uhf and it may pay to look them up by going to "search" at the top of the page and poke in "uhf", some very good info in there regarding channels and ettiquette, having said all that I would not be without it!!!

LOL Dave, I've seen other drivers run out of fingers when trapped between a senectuous* driver and a hard place.

Senectuous

 

Thesaurus Entries

a bit previous, a la mode, advanced in life, advanced in years, adventurous, aged, along in years, ameliorated, ancient, avant-garde, beautified, bettered, broad, broad-minded, civilized, contemporary, converted, cultivated, cultured, daring, developed, educated, elderly, embellished, enhanced, enriched, exploratory, far ahead, far out, fashionable, forward, forward-looking, gray, gray with age, gray-haired, gray-headed, grown old, half-baked, half-****ed, hasty, hoar, hoary, ill-considered, improved, impulsive, in, inaugural, mod, modern, modernistic, modernized, modish, newfashioned, not firm, now, old, old as Methuselah, original, overhasty, oversoon, patriarchal, perfected, polished, preceding, precipitate, precocious, preliminary, premature, present-day, present-time, previous, progressive, radical, refined, reformed, rushed, senectuous, streamlined, tolerant, too early, too soon, transfigured, transformed, twentieth-century, ultra-ultra, ultramodern, uncrystallized, unjelled, unmatured, unmeditated, unpremeditated, unprepared, unripe, untimely, up-to-date, up-to-datish, up-to-the-minute, venerable, venturesome, way out, white, white with age, white-bearded, white-crowned, white-haired, wide, wrinkled, wrinkly, years old

thank christ you explained that mongrel, he would have kept me awake for months, cant even pronounce the bludger, just had a range rover pot hole dodger in here getting new brake pads as I was down talking with the boys, seems he replaced the original brake pads with alternative cheapies and now we cant get the warning light off, even after replacing with genuine one's, sounds like money to me, dont you just love technology, well my boss does at $100 per hour but the two way was on and oh my god you should have heard the language, aparently two silver vt or vs holdens are having a drag out on main north road and the truckies are warning each other about them, estimated speed 160 - 180k's, hell's bell's my ears were burning neverlone the people who came in to pick up their little hyundai

Dave, gary put this on a fair while ago and it really is quite good and explains everything about channell selection, I suggest you highlight it and print it out for future reference The UHF Cb comes with 40 FM channels,requires NO licence,and basically has a range varying from 5 to maybe 15 kilometers depending on landscape. The flatter the further you'll talk. Channel 1 to 8 are known as REPEATER channels,you program the radio for repeaters by going to ch1 then press and hold the DUP button on the front of the radio till it beeps and you'll see DUP in the display.continue this programming through to and including ch8. repeaters work very simply, on ch1 DUP you transmit ch31, then,receive ch1...its automatic when you press the press to talk button...ch2 transmits 32 and receives ch2. ETC ETC to ch 8 . repeaters give you VAST improvement in range cause repeaters are usually mounted HIGH on a nearby mountain etc. Range through a repeater can EASILY reach 80+kms... so, if youre travelling with your friend 300 meters in front of you, go to a channel other than 1 to 8 otherwise you'll interfere with long range traffic.. Channel usage::: ch 11 is the CALLING channel if you want to talk to a stranger. CH 5 is the Emergency channel [in cities] and uses the repeater for longer range emergencies. ch18 is the caravan ch ch20 is the motorhome ch ch 40 is the Truckies ch DONT use ch 22 and ch 23 as these are data channels used mostly by farmers to turn on remote water taps to water their stock etc etc, infact the NEW UHF cbs WONT transmit 22 and 23... using the calling channel if you want to talk to a stranger,put a call out in NORMAL voice in NORMAL english,then IF or ONCE youve got someone you both agree to meet of a clear channel, avoiding the nominated ones above. Emergencies, in the cities its a simple matter of going to CH 5 ,MAKE sure the DUP is ON, then in plain english call for help, explain your location, if youve got a gps navigator it will display your EXACT position in lat/long so you pass that onto the operator, operrators are volunteers so treat them nicely. Emergencies in the OUTBACK call ch5 ,if nothing look on ALL 40 chs for someone chatting and break in... most newer sets comes with scanning, thats the radio checking all 40 channels in less than a second, if it finds activity it STOPS on that channel so you can listen, waits a few seconds then starts scanning again. If you want to stay on a scanned channel simply press the press to talk button ONCE that stops the scanning and you can join in the conversation OUTBACK Travellers ARE encouraged to travel, if youre NOT talking to someone, then put your UHF cb on SCAN. Reason is if someone has an emergency and does NOT know the proceedure they might call on any channel. You might be the only one to hear them, if you werent scanning youd completely miss their call. Now, having said that, USE CAUTION if you hear a distress call, you can usually hear the sense of urgency in their voice if its genuine. if in doubt, respond and say you'll notify police at the next town. in the outback truck drivers [ch 40] will ALWAYS respond to you providing you use plain english ,otherwise they might disregard you as a clown. talking to a truck driver on 40 is easy, get his direction of travel even if it opposite yours. and say "southbound transport can you hear me", he will know by your strong signal you mean him and he will respond, sometimes a few will respond. Lastly, in Cities [large cities] i recomend you turn the cb OFF unless you really need it. Theres hundreds of ppl on repeaters all abusing each other, swearing, its NO place for family to listen ...trust me but PLEASE, outback travellers, if youre not already talking then SCAN, someones life might depend on

I love my UHF. Apart from the fact it's a useful travel tool, it provides me with colourful "entertainment". I sometimes call them up to warn about language, and they apologise when they hear a woman's voice. I use it to listen for stop and goes (roadworks), other d/heads like the draggers. When I truck is behind me I call him/her up and advise my average speed, and if it's clear to overtake. They usually call me up for a chat to determine who is "Granny" and who is "Rosy". (my truck). Truckies can be your best friend when you're way out there. ie more than 200kms from the outer burbs. As for the wave, I got into the habit driving outback, and can't kick it. I get some funny looks at times. Just about everyone waves back, well, except the puddle jumpers, and some of the rental mobile campervans and homes. They're usually occupied and operated by foreigners, and they don't know how to wave in English. And I don't wave French, German, Spanish etc. Keep smiling. They'll get it eventually. Chris

I wonder if it was at Northaven,Moonee Beach,The Sunshine Coast,Chichester Dam.I always fly two flags,Our National Flag and the Pirate flag.Just the larikin in me I guess.Our awning is always open to fellow Nomads so let us hope that we can say hello sometime in the future.Cheers.Ibbo.

 obviously wasn't you Ibbo.  Someone else has hijacked your flag old mate.

We have only done the Ulladulla to Adelaide via the Murray and Adelaide to Ulladulla back along the coast, so far anyway. 

Come to think of it, there wasn't any Aussie flag flying on this particular camp site either, just the jolly roger and it just may have been around the Port Campbell area.''

Never mind, one day we will catch up in real time.  Just keep an eye open for a gold Ford Ranger towing a Jayco Discovery with "Guru & Ma, Ulladulla" on the back.

Bugger..........Thought  that at last my statement had been seen.We are now starting to feel a sense of exitement as our first serious meander is only a week away.Funny we have travelled all over the world but I can say that this trip is something special..Cheers.Ibbo....By statement I mean the Skull and Cross Bones..............bit better than A Rampant Rubber Glove.

I'm with you granney I cant help it either, just a gentlle lift of the hand from the wrist forward, , the wrist is on the wheel, ( that will get a comment ) maybe cause we are in the bush more than the city, and we are friendlier

funny how different comments stir up the grey matter.Years ago whilst I drove interstate and intrastate before cb's were all the go truckies had a whole range of signals to each other,for instance if a long distance bus came towards you two blips on your right hand blinker said g,day always answered the same way.If it was safe to overtake a double blinker told the truck wanting to overtake that it was ok.Once overtaken a flash on high beam meant that it was ok to come back to the left lane.Hand wave to an on coming truck was another way of saying Hi.As I mentioned before this was before C.B,s became popular.Was a great thing to pull up for a break with two or three other truckies,fire going ,chuck on a chop or steak,have yarn,check your load and have a decent break.how times change.Cheers.Ibbo.

You bring back good memories for me too Ibbo.  When I drove interstate, Sydney - Brisbane all these signals were used and a few others as well.  Like pointing down to your wheels to indicate that the scalies were around and a patting motion with the hand to indicate police were on the prowl and to slow down.

There was much more commeraderie then and a sense of belonging to a special kind of brotherhood.  Guess you could say that I was an honorary brother and once the male drivers got used to the fact that a female was actually driving the truck they treated me just like one of the boys, but mind you there was still the respect that a woman was afforded back then.

Was it really 35 years ago that I'm thinking about.  Yes how times have changed

Oh and don't forget the double click of the blinkers on both sides to say "Thank you"

all these signals and more continue on our roads!! my left hand has automatically come up for the last 40 years of driving, grew up a long way from snivilisation, came from a place where everybody knew everybody

I've got to ask, whats the obsession with channel 18 on UHF? I thought if you were intending to converse with other road users, eg: truckies and the likes that the more obvious choice of channel would be 40.

Lady Truckies,gee I remember the very first Lady I saw loading a car carrier at Top Transports yard in Sydney.I must say that she was a good operator and not once did I ever hear her swear over the radio.I wish I could remember her name because at the time she was quite unique driving a semi.Strange I still use most of the hand signals to this day,plus the blinkers and a quick flash(of the headlight ,Rolly).9.deg here this am.CheersIbbo.

Thanks davo ""DONT use ch 22 and ch 23 as these are data channels used mostly by farmers to turn on remote water taps to water their stock etc etc, infact the NEW UHF cbs WONT transmit 22 and 23..."" coming home Easter....while on scan.....it kept jamming on 22.....horrid noise it was.. Now I know why.... Thanks Dave

ibbo wrote:

---

funny how different comments stir up the grey matter.Years ago whilst I drove interstate and intrastate before cb's were all the go truckies had a whole range of signals to each other,for instance if a long distance bus came towards you two blips on your right hand blinker said g,day always answered the same way.If it was safe to overtake a double blinker told the truck wanting to overtake that it was ok.Once overtaken a flash on high beam meant that it was ok to come back to the left lane.Hand wave to an on coming truck was another way of saying Hi.As I mentioned before this was before C.B,s became popular.Was a great thing to pull up for a break with two or three other truckies,fire going ,chuck on a chop or steak,have yarn,check your load and have a decent break.how times change.Cheers.Ibbo.

---

I still use the blinker to advise the vehicle behind me it's ok to overtake.  Not everyone has a radio, and cars behind my van have to be given the same courtesy as trucks, to overtake and get on with their trip.  Otherwise they can make some really foolish and dangerous decisions to overtake when it's not safe, putting themselves and every other road user in the vicinity at risk.
Headlight flashing indicates there's radar (hair dryer) or the scalys or bbq plate is hot, (weighbridge open) and all that stuff.
Gee it's fun!  Chris

 

bamphoto wrote:

---

I've got to ask, whats the obsession with channel 18 on UHF? I thought if you were intending to converse with other road users, eg: truckies and the likes that the more obvious choice of channel would be 40.

---

Channel 40 is the truckies call channel.  My radio is either on 40 or scan.
If you want to chat go to 18 or some other agreed channel which is not a repeater or emergecy channel
But it seems there's a class distinction between caravanners and motor homers.  According to protocol 18 is for vanners, and there's another for motor homers.
And van clubs use another channel.  I don't get the "distinction".
Cheers Chris