Tony replied:

Peter, I can only comment on the aerial location. You will get better performance from your aerial if you mount it on the bull bar. This way its away from the vehicle cabin. The reason why this is important is due to radiation signal the aerial gives out. In other words, if you mount the aerial on the rear bumper, the signal of the aerial will be affected greatly. The signal will not be able to transmit properly in front of your vehicle, rendering maxamim performance, but the signal behind the vehicle will be exaggerated to one direction. So all in all, mount the aerial on the bullbar in order to get an omni-directional signal. If you would like to ask futher questions, email me - breedoa@syntegra.com.au

The ExplorOz Team replied:

Peter, ExplorOz is commencing a special feature on accessories and products in the next few days and we have secured the latest Barrett HF radio to demonstrate installation, performance, operation etc. The Barrett will be featured in early January and will answer all your questions with photos etc. David & Michelle

peter white replied:

thanks a lot Tony - am very new at this and need all the help i can get regards and compliaments of the festival season peter

Joseph Baz replied:

Hello Peter,I lived in the Kimberleys for many years,We allways use Codan with the 5300 frequency for the Royal Flying Doctor,I allways carried one in my cruiser,mind u this was few years ago but I think since is not a cheap item check all of them, I also have a couple of geologist friends and they also use CODAN
Cheers Joe.

Rob Hardy replied:

Peter,
I am the owner of Barrett 550 with the Auto Tune Antennae and can honestly say i have had no problems at all.
I have the Arial fitted to the Bullbar on GQ. I have been told that it is illegal to have it mounted there however i think you would have to be unlucky to be asked to remove it.
When i was looking around at HF the choice was between Codan and Barrett except the Barrett was $1000.00 cheaper.
I fitted the radio myself and had no problems. I checked all my earths with a multimeter to be sure.
Hope this helps.
Rob.

Greg replied:

Peter - If you are after some info on installing and operating your HF Radio try the following links to downloadable pdf documents - do not be concerned - despite being written by Codan and SGC - A HF Radio is a HF Radio. I checked out the Barrett site quickly and didnt see any info on installation.

http://www.codan.com.au/radcom/publications/radcom_other_pubs.htm

http://www.sgcworld.com/publications/SGChug.html

(If theses links dont work try shortening the address and then find your own way)

A point of interest - A survey by the Australian National 4WD Radio Network Inc found the following
..a survey of members equipment earlier in the year showed that the types of equipment owned by members follows closely on the above figures:
* 48% own Codan radios,
* 36% own Barrett radios,
* 7.5% own Traeger / Scout radios,
* 5% own Q-Mac radios,
* 3.5% run other various makes and models of older basic radios.

Catch you on air.

Greg

martin replied:

Peter,
The Barrett autotune antenna can be mounted either on your bullbar or on the rear of your vehicle and still perform suitably. If you are mounting it on the rear you should use a bracket attached to your spare wheel. These are manufactured in South Australia and are made to suit most 4WD models. Mounted on this bracket the whip component of the antenna would be above the roof of the vehicle to give you omnidirectional coverage. When mounting an antenna on the rear of a Discovery ensure it is adequately earthed, Anthony from Barrett Communications can give you more information.

Trev replied:

Peter,
Following on from Martins reply, aerial brackets which attach to a spare wheel mount are made by Australian 4WD Storage Systems, 11 Nylex Ave Salisbury Sth, 5106. Phone (08) 8250 2365
When you install the radio, dont rely on crimped or screwed connections, solder all of your joints to prevent moisture and dust from causing corrosion. If possible, insulate the joints using heat-shrink insulating sleeving instead of tape. It will last forever. Also, if you can avoid it, dont run the aerial coax next to the fridge cable. This will defeat a major source of interference.

Good luck
Trev

Mick replied:

Gday Peter, A Barrett or Codan and you wont go wrong, I own a Codan 9323 with auto tune, performs great, in most states if not all its illegal to have HF aerials on the bullbar, and with the recent discussions on bullbars, it would be wise to mount it on the rear, I made my own bracket up out of an old reece hitch shortened so that the aerial bolted through the towball hole, onto the hitch was welded a plate to fit on the spare wheel nuts. heres a link to my pictures. http://www.southwest.com.au/~ickbar/80&KKextras.html cheers Mick