Portable HF

OK, the related links led me to Barretts and they have the 940HF which is portable. I'm too scared to want to know but what do these cost and do they have the same range as a normal HF radio?

Still looking forward to any other replies.

SK

There are lots of possibilities

If you want new then Qmac make one to suit http://www.qmac.com/Portable.htm

Otherwise get any older hf 6 or 7 series set with right FREQ and put in case with anderson plug and have anderson socket wired in convenient spot in car. Buy an aerial such as http://www.bushcomm.com.au/REFD-P.htm and away you go.

desert access http://www.desertaccess.com.au/html/for_sale.html have a setup that is close to what you want.

Hope this helps
Peter

Cheaper and easier to hire a Sat Phone.
Or buy a second hand unit and use your GSM SIM card in it for emergency use.
No additional monyhly cost, you only pay a higher rate per minute when you use it and if it's an emergency whats the cost matter.

HF requires a degree of skill to master and if you are not properly trained and practiced with it, It may well be useless to you.

Sat Phone Dial the number and your there, your wife and kids can use a sat phone, not so with a HF.

I second the motion for a Sat Phone. Much more convenient and anyone can use it. Stow it under your seat when not in use. No antenna instalation to worry about and you can hire them for short periods, no problems.
John

Hi ,
Whats wrong with a Codan 6924 with VKS 737 crystals fitted . Commonally called a
lunchbox set I have 2 of these sets & have travelled quite extensivly throughout Australia.They have been great just string a piece of covered elctical wire about 40 ft long across acouple of trees or the ground & away you go .They are available
second hand from Outback Communications 63 Sandpiper Loop Yangebup .W.A
6164 or ring on (08) 94173507 .The guys name is John N
ethercott .His price recently was $600 ready to go .

SK,

I recently purchased an old Traeger HF Radio and Whip ($200.00) from a mate here in Alice. Took it down to the local electronic store, and had 5 channels installed ( VKS(3), RFDS and BBC Radio) and got them to give it the once over, for a total of $300.00. Now, this isn't one of those remote-head, digital display, match-box sized numbers, in fact this could be similar to the one they had on the Ark!! But, I have been a tour guide for a few years now in Central OZ and have been in a few places where my old radio would work and the newer fandangled ones will not. My whip is attached to my bull bar, and I just pull the radio out from a box, attach battery and whip, Hey Presto. If you want to know more about HF radios go to the VKS - 737 Network Homepage, these guys really know their stuff and love to help.

Say No to the bloody mobile phone, HF Radio in much more in keeping with the outback.

Cheers Timbo.

Skip.......plenty of radios fit the "basic and easy to use bill". As one of the team said, VKS737 have a few pages that provide info on that. I had an old Tracker Scout (pictured on the bonnet at VKS737 - Airwaves page - then the Radio Systems - Mobiles page / link is in the text section). They are very sturdy and if you only want to 'talk' to people (no selcall / radphone/ fax/ email etc) then they are a winner. Other brands do just as well - this group are in fact often superior for voice compared to the new jobs (not always, but quite often) - they should be teamed with a good antenna of course (which is the weakpoint in the modern radios - they try to have one antenna to suit 400 odd frequencies). As well as the fixed antenna on the bull bar, you can string the aforementioned wire up in a tree - now we are talking ! (and a long way too, usually).....most of the early radios do in fact have a terminal at the back for the very purpose of stringing up a temporary straight wite antenna. The VKS site has an article re choosing wire of a certain length to enhance the effect (varies with the frequency in use).....link on the same Airwaves page. If you look to get one of these earlier generation units, just ensure you know the frequencies it has (they are fixed via installed crystals) and what the cost will be to upgrade it for the frequencies you may need. The obvious question ? Why doesn't everyone still us them ? If you want to make radphone calls, do selcalling and beacons test etc, you need more technology...as opposed to add-ons, better to upgrade and wear the (sometime) relative loss in performance. BOL.

We have got both HF and Sat Phone, we find the Sat Phone more reliable and easier to use compared to the HF. Sat phone is a Westinghouse 3000, with Optus and no contract we get it turned on and off when we need to, so we only have the monthly bill for the couple of months when we are on the road. I have heard you can buy the same Sat phone for around $500 now, but it is not prtable so restricted to one car. It has only ever failed once, we were up north parked under a Boab tree all we had to do was move the car and it worked no static or interuptions.

Hi,

you can make any radio portable - just install it in a sturdy case like those used for cameras and have connections for power and an antenna. Last year we hired one and used a Bushcomm wire antenna which was fine. This year we have gone the whole hog and bought a new Barrett. I've used Sat phones with work and had good and bad experiences but the main selling point of using HF over a sat phone for me is in an emergency you may need to be talking to more than one person (eg the rescue co-ordinator such as VKS737 plus RFDS plus anyone close by coming to help) and it's a lot easier and more reassuring if this can be done directly rather than being relayed by one person.

Good luck in your deliberations

Andy

PS I should have said I would never suggest my wife and kids are unable to use a radio :-)
It's really not that hard and by following some simple rules and understanding a few basics you can make contact with anyone anywhere

Push the button and say "HELP!"
Even a toddler can be told how to do that.
Just show the wife and kids where the numbers are on the GPS and get them to read them out while holding the button down if you are ever in trouble. It's not real hard guys.

Dial a nuber and hit send, ok not real hard but more steps to it. Even my garmin GPS has lost coverage once, it has an external arial and I couldn't even get 1 sat on it. (it was very think cloud cover). I can only imagine that the sat phone would have the same problems if not worse as it has to send as well as receive.

Both good options, I guess HF is the way for me as I like playing with radios anyway, and listening into what other people are up to etc is always good fun.