Yes, they are very handy item of safety equipment.
Highway communication is essential particularly with trucks and oversize loads.
GME is a quality brand that many use.
I would avoid those cheap units from some retailers.
With all uhf equipment the quality, length and position of the aerial is important for quality transmission so seek the advice of a reputable installer.
GME have many various configurations with their model range that suit varying installations.
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"Seek the truth or bury you head in the sand, both require some digging"
I had a GME in my last vehicle, but chose a cheaper antenna. The antenna crapped itself when I went on corrugated roads up in the Vic High Country. Changed to a GME antenna & that was the bees knees.
New car came with a decent Uniden unit in it & it is very clear. Also came with a good quality antenna.
Both of these brands are good, but make sure you shelve out a bit more for a decent GME antenna.
And especially so if you intend to travel off the regularly used bitumen roads.
Truck drivers, invariably, use channel 40 - the language can be colourful. "Repeaters" occupy channels 1 to 8 (and 31 to 38) inclusive and your radio needs to be configured to use them - read the manual. Do not use these channels for simplex comms.
In cities, and some country towns, UHF CB is the medium of entertainment for many with an IQ below 90 and it's usually best to switch it off when in town.
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"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
We have a Fitted Oricom UHF 300 and Carry Two Uniden Handhelds used for backing and when we separate when in towns (Child bride can look at shoes while I'm in another part of town doing Men Stuff), also used when we go on walks at interesting places away from vehicle.
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Possum; AKA:- Ali El-Aziz Mohamed Gundawiathan
Sent from my imperial66 typewriter using carrier pigeon, message sticks and smoke signals.
Yes . Also have another mobile one to use for backing, parking or communicating away , you do t always have mobile service .
Yes I should have added that I bought a cheap set of two handhelds from the Supa dear Auto and they work fine for reversing directions and the grandkids found them fun when out in the bush.
I cant remember the brand without going out to the car but the set of two were about $50.00 and as I said, they are ok. but each time they are switched on you have to re select the channel you want as they dont hold the last setting.
My car set is usually on ch 40 but I use ch 39 for reversing etc.
As Mike Harding mentioned you should not use the repeater channels or any of the allocated and emergency channels.
Here is a list of channels and their allocations. If on the highway stay on ch 40 and for any private communication use only the Simplex channels.
Ch 18 is the channel that caravanners sometimes use but it is useless unless you absolutely need to hear what they did yesterday or what they are having for tea tonight. You will soon work it out when you have one.
-- Edited by Dickodownunder on Friday 30th of November 2018 10:16:28 AM
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"Seek the truth or bury you head in the sand, both require some digging"
Communication through a repeater is often referred to as "duplex" communication (although technically it's not!). "Simplex" is when station 'A' and station 'B' communicate directly without using a repeater.
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"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
Hi guys I am looking at the GME radio's the more expensive one has a 2.1 dbi radome antenna and the slightly less expensive one has a 6.6 dbi antenna the price differance isn't an issue but I don't understand the dbi is higher better or is lower better? or what is the differance.
We would NOT be without ours! So useful to talk to transports in an effort to make their passing safer for all. We ask them where the safest place for us to pull off is to give them the road. Usually the reply with "stay as you are mate and maintain your speed and we will handle it".
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Cheers - Ian
I slowly realise as I get older that I am definitely NOT the fastest rat in the race.
Also the older I get the more I realise I do not know.
>for the long plains of outback WA, QLD etc I would certainly be using a 6.6dBi antenna.
I understand why you say that and there is some merit to it but:
Most UHF CB comms is car-to-car (truck) over a kilometre or two and just about any external antenna/transmitter will handle that OK in flat country. I suspect most people do not put out CQ calls on simplex CB hoping to make a 50km distant contact. Of course they may do so if trying to hit a repeater but again I suspect this is rare - how many CBers when driving on the plains seek a repeater chat? And if they can hit a CB repeater they can almost certainly hit a mobile phone cell too.
Additionally, as discussed in my linked post, the concept of useful antenna "gain" from a mobile antenna at 477MHz is a very random affair involving totally unpredictable RF lobes. Indeed a higher gain antenna *may* give you lots of gain but all in the wrong direction - you have no way of knowing what it's doing.
For mobile CB use a lower gain antenna is generally better. It's not great in any direction but it puts a bit of RF out in all directions and that's normally what the user wants.
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"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
