Portable HF
Submitted: Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 11:52
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member-skippyking
Trying to fit a
UHF radio into the modern 4wd these days is getting harder especially if you don't want to drill holes in the placcy bits or roof linings etc. So when we go bush, ie remote, and have need for emergency comms and want to use an
HF radio, it's even more difficult to find somewhere to mount it.
Is there, or can you, have a 'portable' HF unit? Can it be stowed in a case and pulled out IF needed? Is the aerial stowable? It doesn't matter if it takes an hour to set up as long as it can be set up and work properly. Of course theres Sat phones, but these have monthly costs and we'd have no need for it apart from the couple of weeks a year if you are going remote. And hiring a Sat phone isn't cheap (
well, it is down here) if you don't use it. (Of course, it's cheap if you do but I'd like to think that I was
well prepared enough that only one of those unforeseeable breakdowns would be a problem)
I'm not an HF enthusiast, wanting to listen in throughout the year. So having it set up anywhere in the 4by is not an option.
I really don't want to buy one if hire is cheap but I can see the 4x4 market catering more and more for the car-like qualities and less for the 4wd ability and usability, so I may have to.
Anyway I look forward to any solutions or suggestions, apart from 'get a real 4wd' ;~)
SK
Reply By: Member - John (Vic) - Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 12:37
Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 12:37
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.
AnswerID:
69862
Follow Up By: member-skippyking - Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 19:23
Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 19:23
Thanks
John. I don't know much about HF so as suggested down the page a bit I'll go
check out VKS and see how hard it is to learn/master.
A good point about wife and kids.
I'll also have to look into the swapping of my SIM card. We are CDMA only out here so don't know if that makes a diff? Plus I wouldn't know where to look for my SIM card except it will be somewhere in my phone. ;~))
SK
FollowupID:
330148
Reply By: N.T. Home - Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 18:30
Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 18:30
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.
AnswerID:
69927
Follow Up By: member-skippyking - Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 19:41
Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 19:41
Thanks for the lead to VKS, NT
Home.
SK
FollowupID:
330156
Reply By: Banjo - Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 21:27
Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 21:27
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.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: member-skippyking - Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 23:45
Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004 at 23:45
Banjo, thanks for that. It's good to know the old stuff is still 'up there' with the latest as far as the basics go. I've still got to learn how to use HF.
SK
FollowupID:
330207
Reply By: Member - Jeff M (WA) - Wednesday, Jul 28, 2004 at 14:21
Wednesday, Jul 28, 2004 at 14:21
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.
AnswerID:
70057