Handheld UHF CB's - Help

Presitge Communications (www.prestigecom.net.au) is right on the money for new units and if you email them they may have some second hand units also. Ebay is a good place to look for second hand units, i have a kenwood tk-370 handheld that i picked up on ebay for about $250 and while it was on the commercial uhf band many radios can be converted to citizen uhf band at a radio communications shop for around $40 depending on model. It runs at 5 watts. Also checkout GME's website (www.gme.net.au). Good luck.
Will

Adam,

If you want quality, and 5W power buy either of the best, GME or Icom. The higher power doesn't come cheap!!

Hooroo...

GME, Icom and Kenwood all make good quality handhelds, Uniden make cheap handhelds.

Personally I'd go for a secondhand quality brand, rather than a new cheap brand radio.

Prestige Comms are the the cheapest for new stuff - check with you local communications shop for secondhand stuff.

Also worth checking out what accessories are available before you decide which model you want.

Hello Adam

Been through a few different handhelds (usually borrowed) with variable results and finally bought our own from Time Plus in Sydney Road Brunswick (Melb). The guys there are into 4 x 4 so understand your needs.

We got Icom ic-40 jr units which we use when running rally controls to relay the timing messages, so we needed reliability and battery life. Paid twice the going rate for cheap units at the time but we are very happy with them.
Dustproof, waterproof and bright yellow so you can find them.
We are consistently getting over 10 hrs on rechargeable batteries and twice that out of nicads.

Critical range for us is 5-800 metres through scrub and we have had zero problems. open country seems to be around 8-10 k nad we hit repeaters without any problems.

Worth paying for quality.

regards

A

Okay thanks a lot for your replies. I will try to look around the websites you all have given me and see if I can pick out one that seems right for me. :)

Adam

You can reasonably get 1-2 km out of a 1/2 watt handheld
(yes, I know you can get more on a tower or thru a repeater).
A 2 watt handheld might get you 3 km.
Handhelds (even the higher quality ones like Icom) are restricted by the height of the aerial.

Save your money and continue using your current handheld.

Look at a GME TX3200 and aerial for the car if you really want better range.

Adam,
You didn't say why you were looking for a more powerful HH instead of getting a mobile unit. Personally I only use a HH as a second radio or for lending to those without anything. Currently I use an Icom 40jr, which is 1/2 watt, but indestructable (unless they get stolen like my 1st one!). Get about 1.5km range to a mobile unit around town. Not bad considering topography and buildings!! They retail about the $200 mark, if you can get your hands on one, because they're phasing them out. Also used a GMW 6110 which you can get for a shade over $100. They're full 1watt, and the increase in range is certainly noticeable, however the maximum volume seems to be little more than a whisper, and when using CTCSS my GME4400 doesn't always seem to open the squelch. (No idea why, but if anyone has any suggestions, let me know.)

Hello again,

Hacksaw, I want a handheld because I am only 16 years old, and it's not like I will be driving anywhere in the near future. I know handhelds are weaker than mobile units such as in cars, etc..but there is really no point in me having one in the car if I don't have my license yet. Also, I have just one more question: Will a 2 Watt handheld be okay if I just want to talk to people on simplex in the same city as me? I am almost in the centre of Maryborough, but the area of the city would probably be about 9-10km. We have a repeater at the Tinana Water Tower, I can reach that fine with my 500 milliwatt handheld but I would just like to talk simplex with a handheld around the city. What output power is reccommended for this? By the way, I'm in a high blocked house, so that should help a bit.
Thanks

Adam

Adam,
There's lots of factors that are going to influence the range you are going to get no matter what radio you use. Since you're set on getting a hand held, I'd be saving my money for a 5watt unit from GME or Icom, but even then the extra power isn't going to guarantee that you'll get consistent comms over 9-10Kms, especially in town. A bonus of a better hand held though, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, but you ought to be able to rig up an external antenna and power up via a 240V adapter, plug in a speaker mic and you have yourself a temporary base station radio. The only other thing I can suggest is to ask what others in your area are using, or if you can, visit a specialist radio dealer, who will be able to help you out.