CB Radio

Col Rennie · Veteran Member

CB Radio

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

I think most on here would recommend the use of a UHF CB radio for keeping in touch with at least truckies (on Channel 40).

The topic has been covered many times. You will find if you put UHF CB Radio in the Search box you will get some of the previous threads on this topic.

Cheers - John

Phil C · Guru

We have a uniden hand held UHF (80 Ch). Works a treat as the trucks etc are close by most times.

Cheers

Peter Bne · Member

Phil. I believe the units are a line of site device. We have found a car mounted one with aerial has allowed us to pick up conversations further afield than a hand held. So hearing about events further along a highway for example, or if travelling with others and a bit of distance gets in between you. Just for thought.

Peter

-- Edited by Peter Bne on Thursday 1st of December 2016 05:48:33 PM

Bruce and Bev · Guru

we have a ute mounted one with an external aerial and depending on the number of repeaters around the area and the type of aerial fitted (there are 3 difference range ones I understand) we can talk and listen to other nomads and truckers many kms away before they are in line of site.
We bought a pack from a Caravan show and got the base set and two handhelds which are useful when the wife is carefully and skillfully backing you in without lots of shouting (but still plenty of pithy language) and small enough that you can each carry one when walking in the bush and may get separated

Phil C · Guru

Peter Bne wrote:
Phil. I believe the units are a line of site device. We have found a car mounted one with aerial has allowed us to pick up conversations further afield than a hand held. So hearing about events further along a highway for example, or if travelling with others and a bit of distance gets in between you. Just for thought.

Peter

-- Edited by Peter Bne on Thursday 1st of December 2016 05:48:33 PM

Cheers Peter, and welcome to our forum

I agree that's important to hear that information etc, as you say. I have had a good unit with a 9db omni attached and all I picked up was truckies swearing at each other. I promptly removed it and got the hand helds.

I guess this is like a lot of things discussed here, "horses for courses" as a means of communications you cant go past the UHF for on highway comms. smile smile

Cheers

Tony Bev · Guru

In my opinion, so I could be wrong.

It is a courtesy to allow the truckie to pass you ASAP, they have a job to do, and we are mainly travelling for enjoyment
I get the feeling that the truckie appreciate that you have let them know, that you will pull over, as soon as it is safe to do so

I have a pair of half (0.5) watt hand held radios, from Repco I think, they were on special at less than $40 for two of them

They are supposed to have a line of sight range of about 3 kilometres

I can confirm that the truckie can hear me, before he can see my name on the rear of the motorhome

Hope that this info is useful

macka17 · Guru

SOME.... Hand helds have external antenna connections.
Give more range when driving

landy · Guru

I recently bought a Uniden uh820s and it works very well it has duel transmiting power .5 watt or 2 watt to save power. A very clear speaker, and a three year warranty. I think it cost me $110 new on ebay.
Landy

Sarco Harris · Senior Member

Hi All,
I have been running a 40 channel UHF CB in my rig for the best part of 15 years, recently I was told that with effect of next year (one version was as of 1 Jan 17, the other 30 Jun 17) the 40 channel sets will become illegal to use as their "class license?" will lapse. Further it was indicated that to continue using the 40 channel radios may incur quite large fines.

Is this true?

If so I suppose that I will have to fork out for one of the new 80 channel sets.

Sarco

Hewy54 · Senior Member

Last year I got an Oricom UHF 300 which is a micro unit with controls on the handset. On ebay at autoelec for $179 including the antenna.
Great little unit and I would not travel without it on ch 40.

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

This seems to informed information, Sarco -

As part of the transition to 80 channels, the ACMA announced in 2011 that the use of older 40 channel equipment would only be supported until 30 June 2017. The Class licence was amended to reflect this transition date.

.......the ACMA is now preparing to consult about changes to the CBRS Class Licence that would allow the continued use of 40 channel equipment after 30 June 2017. The public consultation process is expected to commence early in 2017.

That is from this site -

http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/400-mhz-changes-benefit-uhf-cb-radio-users

Cheers - John

Sarco Harris · Senior Member

Thanks John,

I think I will hold off upgrading until the "public Consultation" period is done.

Sarco

Sarco Harris · Senior Member

Hi all,

It appears that the ACMA has advised that:

"The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has reversed its decision to make 40 channel UHF radios illegal from June 2017.

It is estimated there are thousands of UHF, or citizens band (CB) radios on farms and in trucks, caravans and businesses throughout Australia.

Upgrading to 80 channel radios was going to cost some businesses tens of thousands of dollars.

The manager of spectrum licencing policy at ACMA, Dominic Byrne, said the two systems are working well alongside each other so the authority had decided to remove the requirement to upgrade to 80 channel UHF sets."

"The bottom 40 of an 80 channel radio is exactly the same," he said."

Timbo · Newbie

Yes the decision has been made and the 40 channel radios will remain legal to use for the foreseeable future. They are going to let them disappear through natural attrition now.

This is typical of the ACMA make a decision and then at the 11th hour reverse it because there is a bit of "noise" mostly from some business operators who should have been fully aware of this since 2011.

Timbo · Newbie

By the way that statement - "the bottom 40 channels of the 80 channel radio is exactly the same" is a bit incorrect.
While the frequencies for the 40 channel UHF CB radio has a 25Khz channel bandwidth, the 80 channel UHF CB radio has a 12.5Khz narrow bandwidth.

So what does that mean?

If you are listening on an older 40ch CB to someone transmitting on the same channel on an 80ch radio they will sound much quieter than another person transmitting on a 40ch radio.

In the opposite case a transmission from a 40ch radio to an 80ch radio will sound much louder or possibly distorted than a 40ch radio. You can tend to be turning the volume up and down in a mixed group of radios.

Can be a bit annoying at times depending on who is on the microphone!

-- Edited by Timbo on Friday 24th of February 2017 03:37:19 PM

-- Edited by Timbo on Friday 24th of February 2017 03:38:08 PM