UHF radios

[timbo2410]

In the market for a radio to install in the 2013 Y61 trol. Comments and opinions most welcome on the issue of the more up to date radios. Was thinking Oricom dtx4200 ... Now the antenna I was looking at was the Oricom ANU1200 giving 3dbi and 6dbi with the folding mount. I can mount this on the middle of the roof rack on the plate reserved for the spare wheel (which I never use) and the antenna can be laid flat when needed. Again .. comments about my choices along with the mounting are most welcome ... i want to do this right the first time .....
I was also toying with the idea of the new GME XRS-370C but I have read so many conflicting reviews/comments .. so have at it :-)

[the evil twin]

GME over Oricom any day of the week IMHO

[timbo2410]

Thanks for the reply ... what reasons ..

[Winnie]

I can comment on the Oricom radios but I've got the GME XRS330 and I reckon it's an absolute ripper.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

[pollenface]

GME TX3100 here

I've never needed anything fancier than a simple 6dba antenna. But if you wanted to get fancy you could mount 2 antennas into a coaxial switch like this and switch between them on the fly.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Axis-2-Way-Coaxial-Antenna-Switch-CX201U-/153747389263?_trksid=p2349526.m4383.l4275.c10#viTa bs_0

[timbo2410]

The GME is tempting .. but the reviews are usually done by the 4x4 tv presenters and of course they advertise EVERY brand of UHF out there to keep sponsorship. There have been some terrible reports about GME's new radio but not a lot about Uniden or Oricom ... again, if you own one then why are they good/better?
I did see the antenna switches. The thing that turns me off buying 2 antennas is the price (especially GME). I could buy am Oricom ANU 1100 or ANU 1200 (3dbi and 6 dbi all in one) cheaper and without the hassle of mounting and running 2 lines of coax.

[Hodge]

I own a Uniden. 9080S right now. Its a good unit, does the job when it comes to talking back and forth with people. Has other functions I will never need or touch...

Previous 4x4's I used GME's. Various models. When I bought this Patrol, I bought a Oricom pack with a small UHF unit and a handheld from 4x4 show...
From my observation. You just have to physically handle GME or Uniden and then handle the Oricom, and you will realise where the price difference is.
I'd be going for GME any day of the week. Aussie owned and made I believe, and Uniden or oricom are not even in the same league.
Just my 2C.

[timbo2410]

Thats the info i need ... users giving the reasons behind GME oricom or uniden ... thanks for that .. so any thoughts on antenna? We do a lot of beach and hilly bush driving with the occassional long highway haul ... if i went GME im thinking the twin pack 2.1 dbi and 6.6dbi

[the evil twin]

Thanks for the reply ... what reasons ..

As Hodge said... quality and 100% aussie owned and backed altho some of their stuff is made overseas now.
Having said that, a manuf of any product makes a lemon of a model every so often but I have no experience with the 370C one way or the other.
I can say my 330C is an excellent bit of kit in my Y62 and all my vessel radios (27, VHF and FM) are GME as are the fleet vehicles and vessels radios other than HF at work and haven't had a dud yet

For recreational users I rate the manuf as follows
Icom
GME
Uniden
Oricom

Another thing is that probably 90% of the actual in use performance of any radio isn't the radio but the install and antenna quality.
For reccy use IMHO an elevated feed dual whip antenna such as the RFI CD951 (or equiv from GME, ZCG) is absolutely the way to go https://www.prestigecom.net.au/rfi-cd900-explorist-3-amp-6-5dbi-uhf-cb-antenna-package
IMHO easily the best antennas are made by ZCG Scalar, GME or RFI

[timbo2410]

Thats interesting .. so stay away from the heavy broomstick antennas that seem so popular. As I was intending on mounting it centrally on the roof rack, the ones you indicated would be a lot better.

[timbo2410]

and it's the 477mhz antennas that I'm needing to look at isnt it?

[timbo2410]

there is a dual antenna package for sale here:
https://www.gadgetcity.com.au/gme-xrs370-uhf-radio-platinum-ae4704b-2.1bi+aw4705b-6.6dbi-pack-p-4244.html?zenid=b8eb3e1420c7fc893c6fc5c33e2a1ad7

Thoughts??

[the evil twin]

Thats interesting .. so stay away from the heavy broomstick antennas that seem so popular. As I was intending on mounting it centrally on the roof rack, the ones you indicated would be a lot better.

IMHO, Broomsticks are only better than elevated feed whips for really high gain stuff (9dB or more) or Commodore Utes with Jet Pilot logos and Bundy Rum Stickers (sarcasm intended).

I have run Broomsticks in the past when I was into remote touring but they are a bit of a PIA anywhere else so I reckon unless you are operating outback or plains country or broad acre farming I would go with a whip

[the evil twin]

If was buying today and wanted a 370 I would buy this https://www.prestigecom.net.au/gme-xrs-370c-xrs-connect-bluetooth-compact-hideaway-uhf-cb-at880-antenna

IMHO that antenna or the RFI I put up prev are the bees knees for general 4x4 use

If I was wary of the 370 Units due to poor reviews then Prestige have 330 for about $75 cheaper

[Cuppa]

For recreational users I rate the manuf as follows
Icom
GME
Uniden
Oricom



Had an old GME 40 channel unit in our bus - solid unit, never a problem.

Put a Uniden (can't recall the model) unit in the Patrol but it didn't last. The display failed making it useless after a couple of years & *very* little, mainly on-road use. 99% of the time it was never switched on. When I did use it it was horrible. Having the gain knob mounted concentrically on the same shaft as the volume control was crap. I wont buy Uniden again

When I was replacing it I posted here & ET said the same then as he has now (quoted above). He has the experience & I trusted his judgement & bought an Icom. It is head & shoulders above the previous Uniden unit & have used it a fair bit during our travels over the past year couple of years. It's a good 'built to last' unit which I trust & am happy to recommend it. An Icom IC-450. A small unit easy to fit in the dash or elsewhere as the display is in the handpiece.

FWIW I still have the Uniden 6.5 db whip antenna, spring mounted, on the bullbar, & have never felt the need to change it. It does all I want of it. Bloke at the CB shop, when I told him where I was planning to take it, told me that outback corrugated roads & tracks would not take long to destroy it. I reckoned I'd have to buy another antenna when that happened. Well we have now done 1000's of corrugated kms, some of the worst I reckon, & the antenna is still as good as the day we left home. It's actually a great 'corrugation meter'. A quick look at the antenna confirms whether we are on mild, medium bad or horrendous corrugations - not that we cant feel them of course , but sometimes it helps in a "These are worse than on XYZ track" "No they're not" conversations. :)

[TPC]

I have the Icom IC440, model before Cuppa’s and is great. Is 8yo now.

[timbo2410]

There is quite a price difference between icom and GME ... ??

[pearcey]

G`day guys.
I run a GME electriphone 40 channel set which I bought a little while ago 1993 , never had a problem and those who know me know its been in some pretty bad country. I also have an old ,(yes every thing I`ve got is old ) ex Trelstra, Philips set as it runs all 80 channels. Reason for the two was one could be used by the passenger for chit chat (club stuff ) and the other was more driver road stuff. Both units still going strong.

[the evil twin]

There is quite a price difference between icom and GME ... ??

That is because Icom is sort of a "crossover" between reccy and amatuer/commercial equipment so Icom is a next step up in quality again and is essentially a derated commercial set.
Icom sell a gazillion more commercial comms and amatuer band units than reccy.

Most commercial brands (Motorola etc) don't market UHF CB for a variety of reasons.
Commercial or licenced bands if you prefer have a higher allowable power output for example (25 watts usually).
Because of that a lot of manuf make programming dongles for commercial sets harder to obtain so CB dudes have trouble hacking their freq's/power.
That is also the reason why so many of the Chinee sets are illegal in Oz, they can all typically be reprog'd by the owner to transmit on higher than allowable power so don't pass our regs for CB use.

[timbo2410]

Right i get it ... so its basically a choice between a heavy duty build quality .. the icom .. and something a with a few more features like to gme .. i dont think i would use the gme features but the extra speaker would be good .. hmmm decisions

[Cuppa]

Right i get it ... so its basically a choice between a heavy duty build quality .. the icom .. and something a with a few more features like to gme .. i dont think i would use the gme features but the extra speaker would be good .. hmmm decisions

More features on the GME! The Icom has way more features than I'll ever use!

Another thought fwiw. Not a plug for any particular brand - but a 'style'. As I said before when my Uniden died prematurely it was the LCD screen which karked it. If you get a CB with the display in the handset & the screen fails or is damaged a replacement handset would save the day for a lot less than a new cb, & with no refitting required.

The speaker in mine is in the handset but I also have an extension speaker up near my right ear, which I'd fitted with the Uniden , but works just as well with the Icom.

[0-TJ-0]

Right i get it ... so its basically a choice between a heavy duty build quality .. the icom .. and something a with a few more features like to gme .. i dont think i would use the gme features but the extra speaker would be good .. hmmm decisions

Excuse the sideways picture but I've got a 80 channel Gme tx3500. The only issue I've noticed is that the rubber plug in the bottom of the mic has broken some time over the years but is still working and is plug and play if I need a new one. Like others, the only features I use are the channel and volume select knobs.. Oh and scan from time to time. I'll never gid rid of it unless it dies.

I've got a 6.5db antenna that came with the smaller 3db? Twin pack. I've purchased a similar kit a few times but in all the years I've ran them the 3db has remained in the glovebox until my last clean out when I threw it in the bin. No idea on the brand of it. What I have done is replace the whole ant unit once or twice as they seem to degrade over the years.

Lastly, the extra speaker is a relatively new addition for me but I don't know how I got along without it. Mounted it up high above my right ear. Best thing I ever did. Don't need to have the thing blaring and/or have to turn the music off to have a convo. I'd call it essential rather than "nice" but just my opinion.

80905

80906

[timbo2410]

I should clarify "more features" .. I was referring to the oled screen, the speaker in the base unit, bluetooth connectivity .. sharing data blah blah blah .... I wasnt saying the icom didnt have any .. and there would certainly be features on both that I would never use. The Icom on the other hand has (from what I gather) a heavier build quality, longevity and the ability to receive an extra 30 channels .. although I dont know what benefit that would be to me in SW W.A. ... again explanations and comments welcome

[0-TJ-0]

Afaik the extra channels are primarily for extra free air space. More choice. Again I normally use 21 in a group or monitor 40 when I'm on the highway.

I wasnt picking on having extra features, I just meant to make the point that I don't think you need to get too caught up with them. Unless you're going to get into amature radio as a hobby, 99% of the time you'll just get in, flick it on and chat to your mates. Oled screen would look nice though, and I guess Bluetooth might have its uses..

[timbo2410]

yeah no problemo .. didnt think that at all :-) was just trying to explain my thought process (which isnt the best) .. it basically boils down to choosing between the Icom 450 and the GME XRS 370 ... the antenna is sorted .. the mounting point sorted ... There is a $100 price difference roughly between the 2

The extra channels listed for the Icom state they are receive only .. so I assume it would be fire, ambulance etc .... the GME seems to have something similar in the bluetooth options as in the videos it lists fire stations and ambulance (with the warning "if they are still using UHF frequencies)
I wonder if we can have comments from people that are currently using that?

[0-TJ-0]

I know police and ambulance use an encrypted network in SA. I assume fireies use the same. No idea on other states though.

[timbo2410]

Neither give a breakdown of what they are exactly or IF it's actually possible to receive them at any given point ...

[PeeBee]

Vicpol, and MFB run on encrypted digital services. The regional units run on VHF, including the CFA.

I have had Philips 620 40 ch, Uniden, GME ICOM and Vertex. The ICOM and VERTEX are both commercial/military build quality and give excellent reception, however they need to be matched to a good quality antenna that is correctly installed. I run ZCG and RFI antennas on my units with great effect. I found the GME unit of high quality as well. I have the ICOM IC400 PRO - few version old but bulletproof in all regards. I run the Vertex as a back up rig

[timbo2410]

Another question ... I will be fitting a flush mount passthrough .. are the handsets a standard ethernet plug? Or do different brands have different plugs/sockets?

[Mickhead]

Or for something totally different....I have used one of these for a couple of years with great results.. BUT.. they are not quite legal due to 25 watt output and also if you transmit off channel you may be noticed.... I programmed mine ( via the handset ) to the standard 80 channel frequencies. So the channel up/ down buttons read 1 to 80 on the display, just like a normal one. 80917

[timbo2410]

haha i have enough problems working this out with just the legal gear :-)

[0-TJ-0]

Another question ... I will be fitting a flush mount passthrough .. are the handsets a standard ethernet plug? Or do different brands have different plugs/sockets?

My gme has a standard Ethernet type plug for the handset from memory.

[timbo2410]

Thanks for that, I will order a flush mount socket when I buy the radio and antenna :-)

[Cuppa]

Or for something totally different....I have used one of these for a couple of years with great results.. BUT.. they are not quite legal due to 25 watt output and also if you transmit off channel you may be noticed....

When you transmit at 25w does it have any impact on nearby users of legal wattage units? Also what is the advantage, - can you transmit for longer distances? What does 'transmit off channel' mean? can you set your own frequencies? Just an enquiring mind - no plans to change what I have.

[PeeBee]

You need to be transmitting at 10 times the legal power to get twice the distance on UHF frequencies. The advantage is greater clarity ie higher volume received, however nothing that would blow a standard speaker up, might be very loud and simply require turning down.

Transmit off channel - unsure if that refers to not using a gazetted frequency or using a freq that is licenced to someone else. I don't think it means transmitting on a slightly different frequency, but it could be I suppose - such as say you buy a radio and program it yourself - although I would have thought that would be off freq rather than off channel as the channel is clearly designated with the assigned frequency. You cannot set your own frequencies as the ACMA regulates the 'spectrum to ensure it can segregate the airwaves and basically get revenue from its use.

[the evil twin]

When you transmit at 25w does it have any impact on nearby users of legal wattage units? Also what is the advantage, - can you transmit for longer distances? What does 'transmit off channel' mean? can you set your own frequencies? Just an enquiring mind - no plans to change what I have.

25 watt - for radios the wattage is a measure of the carrier wave power at the set and you lose power from that point on thru the coax and antenna then obviously the atmosphere.
Propogation is determined by inverse square IE to double the range of a signal you need four times the transmitter power
There is no effect on the nearby users, same as driving past a radio station doesn't change the volume or blow up your FM radio BUT what does happen is now that you are Txing lets assume twice as far you blot out other distant users who could have been using the same freq otherwise because prev they were out of range.
That can be a real PIA on repeater freq's

Transmit off channel - In Oz we now have 80 channels in what was once the same spread or frequency band as 40 channels.
Each assigned channel has a carrier frequency on which the "voice" is carried and has to have a "gap" from the next to prevent cross talk or co channel interference or other techo guff (the adjacent channel interfering). This gap previously required in old gear and 40 channel days has been effectively halved due to the quality and technology improvements today but elcheapo sets may not be good enough to meet spec.
Someone on, say 20, with an elcheapo Chinee set can potentially blot out users up to twice as far away and also on the channels either side of 20.
The sets come "blank" IE you name each channel and program the bandwidth, carrier etc etc so same issue arises if you program a typo or whatever into the set

Full disclosure - I have non-compliant sets (Wouxun brand) capable of tx'ing on higher power than allowed on Oz CB freqs and you take the chance of having them seized at time of import by customs when purchasing. I used to use them on licenced freqs that legally allow higher power but to the letter of the law the sets are illegal in Oz due to the manuf not locking out our CB bands from the sets programming chip

[Mickhead]

When you transmit at 25w does it have any impact on nearby users of legal wattage units? Also what is the advantage, - can you transmit for longer distances? What does 'transmit off channel' mean? can you set your own frequencies? Just an enquiring mind - no plans to change what I have.
All of the above Cuppa. The unit pictured is of remarkably high quality, but you need to be careful to stick to the proper 80 channel narrow band frequencies, if you start messing around off channel eg 450 Mhz where this unit is capable of transmitting, you may get a talking to via the ACMA. If it is set up properly you will have a capable UHF at a fraction of the price, and if you were up ship creek you have extra frequencies to find help.