UHF radios - They come in handy !

Not sure about the brand. Was concentrating on passing towing the camper trailer.
The truckies didn't hesitate. I had slowed down to have a think about how I was going to get passed towing. The trucks therefore passed me and then started talking to the pilot. The aborted attempt by the first truck , Lynfox, wasn't captured on video. That was a close call , as another truck was coming the other way!

Great to hear from so many truckies giving theirviews on the value of UHF radios.
Hats off to you blokes doing the long hauls and no doubt seeing some pretty ordinary driving from impatient commuters !

With handheld units, you don’t even have to connect it to anything. Particularly useful if hiring a vehicle.

Macca.

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I agree Macca. A half-decent handheld is quite adequate for close-vehicle contact. That is all I will be using in the new Sprinter.

I got a quality Icom IC -41Pro as a spare radio to use when not in the car.

Extremely good quality and at this price, the only UHF radio on the market not made in China, but made in Japan.

It’s nearest competitor not made in China, but Australia made is the GME TX6600S but over $100 dearer.

We have a hand held for backing the camper trailer into position as well as the one in the 4 wd ??Really handy once you get the instructions left down and right down learnt ??

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Funny about that "left down" and "right down" call.
Blokes seem to intuitively understand it but..........I'll say no more other than "lol".

Blokes seem to intuitively understand it but..........I'll say no more other than "lol".

Hahahaha

What I find similarly odd is how many women are happy to spend hours in front of a mirror at home but put them in a car and all of a sudden it's - no way am I looking into them things ! :) :)

Cheers
Gazz

It is not only the UHF radio of sufficient performance which is needed but an aerial which actually works.
The owner of Electric Bug in Torrens Rd Adelaide sold me an aerial which he said, "forget about the long white ones" they don't work well. That GME and aerial combo was used to contact Linny at Pink Roadhouse to get help for a crashed motor cyclist 70km sth of Oodna. Her husband (late) Adam came to pick up the bike and asked if I had a HF or Sat phone. No, I said, just UHF. Adam then said," but UHF don't work here, I have been here before for rescues and no contact possible". He heard his wifes voice at the spot where his did not work and I talked back to her. He was very surprised.
If in outback, you can also carry a beam antennae and with a GPS you can pinpoint your position and then aim the antennae at the closest Station repeater, which are usually on hills or towers, (Repeater location map is also needed to work out degree of aim) and ask for emergency help to be sent to your position if needed. Not absolute but useful.
Although higher up, on QLD Newcastle range I used same unit to contact the Undarra Lava Tube office to get emergency help for a truck crash, About 130km distance from memory. Police who promptly arrived from Mt Surprise, asked the source of how he got the message.
The UHF saved two lives.

There is a well known fact in the radio operators world.
Three things that make a good station.
Antenna, antenna and antenna.

Those fancy broomstick UHF antennas have only a thin piece of wire in them and rarely full length, just an elevated feed inside a fibreglass tube and only 1/4wave .
Poor construction usually leaves the coax pulled from its fixing points inside so normally after a few km on corrugations they ary just a couple of inches of bare coax inside the tube doing a very poor job of radiating any power. Fixed dozens of them.

I run an elivated feed GME with just a 6 inch whip without the spring for round town but carry a longer 5/8 stainless whip if I need better gain, havent needed it in 10 years so far.

Which particular GME antenna, RMD?