3 watt versus 5 watt handheld UHF for emergencies

A 3 watt radio is ok for help from a few caravans away, but the nature of an emergency, to me, means you have a 5 watt unit and not a 3 watt.
A similar concept is signalling for help with a small torch or a spotlight. I know which one I would choose for effectiveness.

I recently purchased a GME TX6150 80ch, and that with an adapter from Jaycar, it can also be used to feed the coax of a car aerial system. BEST on Roof and not on Bullbar. Then you will have far better performance, comparable to an in dash unit.
The TX6150 only comes with a short antennae, possibly longer, higher gain models available later for purely hand held use. There are other radios but are dearer, maybe better too.

I have 2 old TX6000 40ch units and they can trigger an outback repeater at 70km.
In flat country they have, with a higher gain antennae, talked through a repeater 100km away. So, I would leave the 3 watt.

If space provides, a beam antennae will concentrate your signal if help is needed. Just aim at a station repeater, maps of all repeaters are available and handy to have with you.
GPS will give the direction/bearing and aim and shoot.

It is radio and sometimes effectiveness is far less and other times greater. Who knows which applies where?

Best ever was a call from Kingscote KI to Ardrossan up the Spencer Gulf 140km, but over water.

I've got a 5 watt handheld that I use in 2 cars. It works heaps better if you screw an external aerial onto it. To be honest I wouldn't be relying on uhf for much to do with emergencies. It's a bit hit and miss whether you can make contact with anyone in a position to be helpful. They are great for inter car communication in things like a convoy situation and not much else....in my opinion of course. :-). Others may disagree entirely.

I fail to understand how people can use words such as "affordable" when considering their personal safety. To me its a no brainer, if I cannot afford the equipment to keep me safe then I do not go. A PLB if fine but should you use one you are potentially asking someone else to their life at risk to save you. People travelling remote areas by themselves is asking for trouble. As for running out of fuel, if you cannot plan a trip that ensures you do not run out of fuel then do not go as you do not have enough experience. Suggest you join a 4WD Club.

First up - 5 watt. Safety necessity? Maybe not but they're so versatile I'd recommend them to anyone who travels extensively. While they're useful devices for communicating with others on every day matters (traffic etc) on top of that you can use them to ask other travellers for advice on pretty much anything - cheap fuel, good eating, that sort of thing. No guarantee you'll get an answer of course. And if you're travelling with friends then they're both fun and extremely useful - eg lead truck advises on wildlife, good views, oncoming traffic, etc etc.

In-car is fairly straightforward to install yourself depending on your vehicle and willingness but get what suits your wallet best. A good portable will do almost as well in most situations.

Peter there are some GME car kits that plug into your cigarette lighter for power and have a rooftop magnetic ariel, I have seen them on the site you are looking at.
I suspect you will get a better result with one of those and there are not installation costs

Pete

UHF is for short range car to car or car to walker comms and not much use in an emergency. The range is line of sight and 3 or 5 watts makes little difference.

If you are off the beaten track and need to communicate an emergent need for assistance there are a number of options. The cheapest is probably the Spot system. Next would be an Epirb, which is of limited use but very reliable (of most use to sailors rather than terrestrial adventurers) and will call out the troops who will not be impressed if you have just run out of fuel. Next would be the satphone, and lastly, HF radio. Each of these connects you by satellite or HF (long range but a bit variable), to a central coordinator who can rescue you.

If I were you I'd go HF or satphone. Personally I have UHF, VHF, satphone, Spot and HF. I sold my Epirb as I couldn't even test it. There is a chapter in DSM V about me and my gadgetry.

Bob

I agree with the stance taken by others that UHF shouldn't be relied on for solving emergencies. Its far better to be able discuss your predicament with an appropriate authority, via long distance HF or with a satphone. It seems the epirb comes into play when all other tactics have been exhausted (or neglected)....and you can't tell anyone what your problem is. BTW...you can get a satphone at present for $500 and $15 / month service. You'll probably never need it so call costs wont be an issue :-).

5 watt would be the better option for range between you and the others in the convoy. If it is just a one of trip don't spend too much but if it's for the long term buy a reputable brand GME, Uniden etc Batteries usually don't last a long time so look for one with a rechargeable battery make sure you can charge it in car and a low power option is a good feature as well. I don't know if it's available but it would be handy to be able to use it while it is charging in the car.

Hi Peter

While having a UHF, even a hand held, is advisable for road travel and essential in some areas, if you have an emergency in an area a UHF would be helpful, you could probably walk out and flag down the next car going past.

If you are going remote, a satellite phone is the best choice. When we had a breakdown, nothing but a satellite phone could have helped. We had to phone for parts and arrange a pick up point, and check when they had arrived. Due to some poor business by the courier, we were making phone calls daily for two weeks, eventually having to get a replace consignment sent. We were also able to advise family that we were OK and that they would not be able to reach us by mobile phone or internet for some time.

Motherhen

Any communications you may have is better than none.

If you want your CB for emergency use though, then a hand held, 3 or 5 watt will generally be of little use unless you are very lucky. Also you need to know how to use repeaters. If you can find a repeater then you can increase your range to 40 - 50 km, again if you have an emergency in the right spot with help within line of sight.

The range of a CB is all about the antenna. You will need a good roof mounted medium to high gain antenna antenna with a 3 - 5 watt hand held or car unit and even then a CB will only help you in the right circumstances. That would be a minimum spec for emergency use. But it should be considered a secondary last resort system.

Your EPIRB is enough at a push.

Thanks. This discussion has helped enormously. Cheere

Thanks everyone for your help with this. I think by talking, and now feel a lot clearer about this issue - much more helpful than ideas spinning around in my head.

It seems like UHF might be an option in an emergency, but I'd have to be lucky. However it also sounds like UHF would have other benefits in terms of advice from other travellers, which might help avoid some problems.

The best option if I'm really stuck sounds like the one that allows two way communication with the right person (mechanic, spare parts supplier etc), and a sat phone sounds like my best option there.

The next best option would be to get a more detailed message than my PLB will deliver to a specific person. The Spot system might be the best option in that case (more research needed).

Thanks again. Nice to have a community to talk this through with.

Cheers

Peter

Hi Peter

It looks like this is well covered with the responses received to date.

If your prime aim is to have a device for emergency communications, and by that I mean two-way communications of some kind, then the Sat-phone is most likely your best option as you can call someone, outline your situation and work from there.

Whilst the UHF radio is useful for general vehicle-to-vehicle communications, it is unlikely to reliably provide the level of cover you are looking for in an emergency, or at a time when assistance is required. In the very least, if you decide to go this way ensure you become conversant with UHF operations in conjunction with repeater stations.

Of course, other options are available, such as HF Radio, a very useful piece of communication equipment, however entry price is higher than Sat-phone, and if you are budget conscious I’d be going down the Sat-phone route first.

Spot is also good, and it can send a “need help at current location” message to pre-populated SMS and email addresses. However, the limitation is you can’t elaborate on the problem you have.

By all means, have UHF for general communications, but do not rely on it for emergency communications.

And a general comment on PLB’s. I think they are an important addition for remote travellers, and remote could be anywhere, possibly within 50 kilometres of a major city.

And whilst they are a “last line of defence” device do not hesitate to use it if you feel a situation is developing into something that might become life threatening at some stage. There is often a lot of commentary about the risks to others if used (rescuers etc.) but the worst thing that can ever happen is someone perishes with a PLB device in the vehicle that was never activated, simply because the user was concerned about the repercussions of activating it…don’t die wondering whether it should have been used!

Good luck and enjoy your travels!

A UHF radio is essential if you are going to cross the the Simpson, Canning Stock Route etc. as you need to call before crossing the dunes to avoid a potential head-on collision.

There are also narrow roads in Queensland which have numbered markers and you are requested to call your position as you pass the markers to warn the large trucks coming toward you.

Hi Peter,
When people post questions on this forum they usually do not give all the information necessary to give a really informed response. Instead the respondent is left to make assumptions about your circumstances and hence you get a variety of answers, some of which may not be relevant to your circumstances. It is not your fault that you do not know what the relevant information is, after all you were quiet open in saying "I really have no idea". In this case the relevant information was that you did not intend to travel to remote locations. As a remote traveller I have seen far too many people in trouble because they would not spend the money on the right gear, and your question did not preclude the fact of remote travel. In am sorry if my reply was a bit terse but it makes my blood boil to see people put their own and other peoples lives at risk so they can save a few dollars.
Now to answer your question. a 3 or a 5 watt radio, portable or in car, totally depends on longer term use. If you intend to do more travelling in the future the a good 5 watt in car is a good long term investment, join any 4WD club and they are usually mandatory. The advice that others have given seems to have educated enough to make this decision. In relation to Spot devices I believe there is a Spot device that you can pair with a smart phone to send sms's from remote locations, you might like to check this out.
Lastly you appear to have got the answers to the question you asked which is great. I think everyone who posts on this site is trying to be helpful, however, unfortunately some people find it necessary to criticise the posts of others with which they do not agree.

Another good feature of the uhf is you can leave it on scan mode and if you can hear someone then generally they will be fairly close by (say within 20km) unless on a repeater channel

wizzer

Peter,
For what its worth, I just purchased this on E-bay for under $130 delivered.
DIGITECH 80 CH 5WATT UHF CB HANDHELD RADIO + CAR CHARGER DC1065
can't say they are good or bad.

A PLB in my opinion should only be activated in a life threatening emergency...... using it because of a breakdown, running out of fuel or getting bogged is a hard call and you may be meet with a hostile search party....... plus be considerate about the associated costs in activating a PLB.

A UHF is a must have for any travelling and not just the so called "remote" areas or for "emergency's".

And as said above "it is not an emergency device"

We can across a family stuck in their Toyota Camry and on road caravan stuck in thick mud in a washout in Mutawintji National Park out of Broken Hill...... no comms including UHF, we found them the next day after they were stuck for 16 hours...... if they had a UHF radio they would of been able to call a property owner for help..... we had constant UHF chatter from property works doing boundary runs and stock checking in the area.

A satellite phone is fantastic to have and well worth it's weight and cost.

And when you start talking about "affordable and emergencies" what price do you put on a life of a loved one?

The difference between a cheap and expensive UHF is not that much....... break the difference down over 5 years and it's insignificant........ try a dollar a week more.

In my opinion safety, recovery and emergency gear should not be compromised.

And by the way you don't have to 900 kilometers or 5 days from civilization to be remote...... it can be as little as 20 kilometers and an hour from civilization.