SatPhone vs. HF vs. EPIRB ... or the whole lot?

my 2cents worth

In your situation I would probably go with the SatPhone and an epirb.
HF radio's are a good option for regular 4wdrivers, however:

1. they're expensive ($1000+ for a 2nd hand one)
2. they're fiddly to fit - display console and transmitter separate plus aerial ...
3. you need to register and nominally belong to an HF club or affiliate (VKS737 for example)
4. bit of a learning curve on how to use one properly...

I wouldn't rely on a SatPhone for extreme emergency as they can be unreliable (batteries / signal etc.). An epirb (406mhz) is simple and easy to use.

However, others here will probably suggest HF's - horses for courses....

Lukas,

Agree totally with the UHF radio. An absolute must. A sat phone sounds to be the best option for you. Id look at your options for purchase of one locally (Switzerland/Europe) in preference to getting one here. Just be mindful of anything using "Globalstar" as a service provider while in the pacific region. Very poor service (a disappointed globalstar customer).

Cheers. Mick

An EPIRB is ESSENTIAL.

HF radios and Satphones are complex and can fail or be destroyed in a rollover or accident.

An EPIRB fits in your pocket - keep it there.

Many people have died needlessly in the outback because no-one knew they were in distress. Once someone realised they were overdue, it was impossible to find them.

With an EPIRB it's just a Rescue, not a Search and then hopefully a Rescue.

The only way to keep in touch with travellers in your vicinity is by HF radio.

Whether to get immediate road reports or to get help for non-urgent problems (breakdowns, bogged).

You don't have to install anything in the vehicle if you use a portable kit. Throw an aerial wire over a tree or bush and clip onto the battery.

There are the old Codan "lunchbox" radios or QMAC HF90 with full Selcal and Telcall facilities.

Hi Lukas
Regardless of price, how do you put a price on Safety? Like others
have said above, a UHF radio is a very cheap and MUST for any Outback traveller.

For me there is only one choice for reliable long distance and safety logging, an that is a HF Radio.
They are not hard to use, just like talking on any kind of
mobile radio. Have been in the bush many times with members
of my group, when they are not able to use their Satphone at all.

If using a Satphone, you will not know how close or far away help
can be, while using a HF Radio and Contacting the VKS 737 Radio
network, you will be in contact with members Australia Wide, and make many new friends while travelling. I have heard of countless times over the radio (HF) base operators asking for any members who are in a certain area, that can either take parts or help out a stranded traveller. You will not find that help on a satphone.

Look into any serious 4X4 that travels around our great nation and you will find a HF Radio fitted to their vehicle.

Buy a HF radio and you will have peace of mind knowing that you can make contact anywhere in Australia, and know that you will be offered free advise from professional people.

All the best and enjoy our Great Nation.

Cheers

Stephen
VKS 737 Sierra 4113

I used a Satphone (9505A $2k) and 1W handheld uhf ($80)

The satphone was used multiple times (for other people - ie vehicle turnovers, stranded etc)

I believe satphone, small uhf are required. I recommend personnel (small pocket type) EPIRB if your on roads which are not being used as much (eg an off road to an outback road). Remember have the satphone in a place that is easy to reach and tied down (ie velcro) in case of turnover.

Most roads you will see someone a couple of times a day.

I'm a volunteer base operator with one HF network (vks-737) and we have had quite a few visiting overseas members on the airwaves over the years. The HF radios are expensive but operation is relatively easy, after a short demonstration. If you wanted to save $, the satphone, UHF, epirb combo should cover your safety requirements. The thing about HF is that the volunteers in the network can provide extra info on the many daily skeds such as weather reports and road conditions too at times .... with the Satphone, any decent communication sessions where you might be trying to solve an outback problem will rack up a lot of $. The volunteers in the HF networks can chase it up for you at no extra cost, and then get back to you on channel.
You can hire HF radios and staphones here too, instead of buying. I chose HF, but a lot of happy travellers choose Satphone ......... decisions decisions !!! Hope you have a great time here Lukas !

Be aware that there are 'old type' and 'new type' epirb's. If you get one then do not get an old 121 MHz model.

Personally I would get a satphone and uhf and not bother with the HF.

Hi Lukas

You've already had some good sensible advice but it would be worth taking time to read the Communications pages under the Topics heading.

Are you shipping your landcruiser over or getting it here? You can easily have the UHF radio fitted when you get here. There are many places in all capital cities to get this done. You can buy them on Ebay for A$350+ and a model like the GME3220 with 5watt capacity will give you up to 30km range in the desert areas.

If you can tell us your starting point then we can suggest companies to talk to when you get here.

In summary then EPIRB and UHF are essential. See if you can get a Motorola satphone that you can connect to Telstra when you get here. It will probably be cheaper to buy in Europe. You may also be able to pick up a good second hand HF radio to install if you check with dealers when you get here.

Cheers

Peter

If you're considering purchasing an EPIRB, then you may wish to check here

Regards, Ed C

Agree with all comments, but don't forget that you can also hire a HF e.g. http://home.iprimus.com.au/jimshire/
A hand held sat phone on the irridium network is a great asset should you have a vehicle fire and have to exist on your "pat malone" for a while.
An epirb is essential. It's the last resort, but it will take time to find and get to you. Much quicker if you can phone and tell them where you are :))

Hi Lucas,
Agree with all said, HF is not 100% reliable due to changes in the ionisphere, normally ok but...
If you were thinking of going that way I would look at the hire option

The UHF is more for preventing problems, ie crashing into someone comming the other way, if your listening. also for local general chat up to 30K

Get the maps out, work out your itinery, ask lots of questions and you will have a great time.

Rgds
ian

You need to look at things based on what you are planning to do. If you are staying on sealed roads the requirement for HF or satphone is somewhat reduced. If you are going off the main roads HF/satphone and a UHF radio is a must.

UHF sounds unlikely as a requirement but they are not just for talking to others. If a group is coming the other way and you are scanning you will hear their chatter. You then know someone is heading your way (or you are catching them). Many collisions are avoided this way. Some tracks even tell you what chanel you should be on. For example the Canning Stock Route (CSR) uses channel 40. Not having a UHF radio on that track just makes you another hazard. Even single vehicles tend to transmit every 10km on the CSR. We ourselfs do this on tracks with sandhills. Several times we have been contacted by an oncoming vehicle less than 500m away that could not be seen because of sanhills or dense brush. A mishap avoided is the best type. If your vehicle needs recovering because of damage in an out of the way place it will cost a damn site more than $300 for the radio.

A HF radio or satphone is a good idea if you are going bush at all. In reality in many areas you will be a long way from help. In other places help is just around the corner. In some very remote areas it may take days to get to help. Be advised that station owners are not under any legal obligation to help you though most will.HF radio requires some training to use it effectively. You also need to be part of a network or who will call (other than RFDS). It is very important with HF that you know where you are and where the base you are trying to contact is. You must know the correct frequency to use.

If you have a satPhone you need to have the numbers of people and organisations ie RFDS. Not all satphone networks are equal. You can get global coverage with the Iridium network so this could be organised while still at home. There are advantages and disadvantages to both satphone and HF. If you do a search there was a very good unbiased discussion possibly by Mike Harding.

The EPIRB is a back up. If you really get into trouble and all else has failed it may save your life. Be aware that help may not reach you for days. There is no point using it in the case of a snake bite. If the snake delivered a full load of venom you have 9 -15 hours for an adult IF you have used the correct first aid. In this case you really need your HF radio or satphone.

On that point please get a decent first aid kit and know how to use it. In a medical emergency you will get someone to help via RFDS but they will be talking you through the things you need to do. It is not like in the movies where a plane turns up in half an hour. Those planes are 5-6 million dollars so they are not going to try and land them in a patch of scrub somewhere. We travel alone and both of us are qualified senior first aiders. It always amazes me how many people have three bandaids and an expired box of panadol as a first aid kit or have a huge kit and no idea how to use the things in it.

It is nice travelling the outback but it is a very harsh environment if something goes wrong.

Enjoy your trip.

Steve

My initial response when I saw your post first thing this morning was to suggest a Sat phone and no HF radio but I’ve been thinking…. (no gratuitous comments please! :)

There are lots of good suggestions above and it’s certainly worth while getting a UHF CB, ensure you buy one with “all channel scan” – I suspect all modern ones will do that, and unless the track you’re on has an accepted UHF channel put the radio on scan.

I’m assuming money is not a major issue for you?

Sat phone – Mike DID mentions using a Telstra SIM card to make a Sat phone work, this is a good technique for we Aussies but I doubt Telstra will give you an account because you’re not Oz Residents. Will Telstra pre-paid cards work the same way?

A Sat phone is good for you because the learning curve is small and you can instantly (hopefully) get through to emergency services / breakdown people etc. It doesn’t suffer from the vagaries of HF propagation and you don’t need it to be installed in the vehicle.

HF radio. As mentioned, if trouble arises there may be someone who can help just a few km away. You can listen to the VKS737 skeds. and if you’re not too shy (and being Swiss I doubt that :) you can join in the skeds. and make new friends, discover secrets about nearby places and, maybe, hook up with other travellers for a day or two

Ideally: you want both and if you are prepared to spend $4-5k you could do that. Otherwise…? For me; HF radio no doubt but I have an Amateur Radio licence too, for you… my advice… probably HF radio but it’s a 49/51% call :)

Whatever: have a great time and enjoy our country.

Mike Harding

Lucas,

Like many others, I would recommend a UHF Transceiver for general purpose use within a 20 km range or so and a 406mHz EPIRB for that last resort.

One thing that has not been mentioned though, is that a fixed in-car UHF transceiver is not the only viable solution.
You can also purchase a 5 watt handheld transceiver and connect it to an external antenna. This gives you the option of taking it out of the vehicle if on a bush walk somewhere and is the same power rating as a built-in unit, with the same scan functions over the 40 UHF channels.

Okay, I'm disappointed.
I thought you people had some sort of special Army knife thingies that would you get you out of any harm.
Cheers and have a safe trip.

g'day folks,

first of all a BIG THANK YOU for all your advice! it is absolutely fantastic the way you share your thoughts here in this forum! it is a great pleasure to read all your comments!
well, may be we'll have the chance to meet one or the other of you all later on this year somewhere out there on a track......

thanks - lukas

There is no such thing as an Australia only epirb. All epirbs can be used world wide. Also, there are no hassles involved with registering them or changing an address to or within any country. All the rescue co-ordination centres world wide are in instant communication with each other to check out who is the registered owner of an epirb when they have a beacon activation .

Oppikofer L Hi

It all depends on what price you put on your life...

we have a HF radio, latest EPIRB on old EPIRB

depending where you travel (in WA) two to three day just to get someone out to fined the body's.

I did like the idea of this becon

or this spot

but most trips HF is the better bet

Cheers

Richard

I much prefer the HF to a Satphone. Always able to contact someone on the HF but the Satphone does have areas where there is no reception at all.
Very important to carry some type of SatNav, bit pointless calling for help if you don't know your exact location. Epirb is a last resort!
Don't be too put off about using the HF, very simple, basically if you can use a 2 way you can use these.
Can't work out how to contact you, Lukas but I have one in WA you can use for your trip if you want it.
Cheers,