Would one good quality hand held UHF radio be suitable to converse with other relatively close by road users eg truckies coming up behind or ahead, 4X4 drivers and other Grey Nomads instead of going the full monty and getting a UHF CB radio installed in the Pajero?
Blair
rockylizard said
11:04 AM Aug 11, 2015
Gday...
I have a GME TX6100 handheld. I also got the 12v charging cord so I can charge from the 12v socket in vehicle and/or van
I have had it for about three years and find it is excellent on the highway for talking to trucks and other road users - with line of sight I can talk to vehicles upto 1km away which is more than adequate for what I need.
Interestingly, the cost of the GME handheld is in the same 'ball park' as one that you can install into the vehicle.
I preferred the handheld for the 'versatility'.
Cheers - John
banjo said
11:38 AM Aug 11, 2015
Will work fine so long as it is a full 5watt output model, friends tried the "mickey mouse" cheapy 1 or 2watt ones and no good, or very poor reception.
We have an Icom h/held and an Icom fixed in the truck, superb units, my wife followed me with her car last year (long story) and she was easily able to talk to me with the hand held from a klm or so behind.
Fit an external aerial and the coverage would be the same as a fixed unit.
Dougwe said
12:46 PM Aug 11, 2015
I have a GME fixed and wouldn't be without it. It has followed me in 3 different tugs now.
I saw one of the Auto shops had a deal going a while back, you got a fixed and hand held in the deal, maybe look for a deal. I THINK for memory it was Autobarn. I have been known to have a bad memory though. It's all Uncle Al's fault.
hako said
01:03 PM Aug 11, 2015
We use a pair of Oricom PMR780 radios which came with our sandmat - seen them in the auto shops for about $59.95 the pair but you can get them even cheaper. They allow us to talk to truckies behind us or listen in to what's going on - good for about 1 to 3km line of sight. Also handy when I go looking for firewood etc as Joy can call me if something crops up. They do everything the dearer ones do, take AAA batteries, 80 channels, 3 year warranty, reliable and not toys.
Good Luck.
EDIT...just got the latest Repco catalogue - $39.95 on special.
-- Edited by hako on Tuesday 11th of August 2015 01:07:39 PM
Wombat 280 said
01:33 PM Aug 11, 2015
I have fixed Icom in the tug and 40 S older unit hand held Use the hand held when doing a walk in and Mrs Wombat stays in the vehicle , also a marriage saver when backing into tight spots. Suggest you get a two unit pack for that reason alone. They only have a short range line of sight type of thing but worth the low cost
Cupie said
03:04 PM Aug 11, 2015
I have an old 40 ch installed in the tug. Got it from a mate who was going to bin it because of the broken pressel switch. Fitted a $2 non locking toggle switch & all OK .... with a very cheap aerial.
I also have a pair of Oricom cheapies. I use them when traveling in close company with others ... give one to them. Works well for line of sight. OK for talking to SWMBO when backing but she's not too good on technical stuff & often forgets to press or release the talk button!!!! I almost said 'nothing's fool proof' but thought that I had best not.
If I was starting out I'd install a fixed 80ch one with a good aerial & pick up a set of cheapies for playing or reversing.
Bruce and Bev said
03:11 PM Aug 11, 2015
We bought an Oricom 5 watt fixed radio, 2 x water proof hand helds and 2m fiberglass external aerial at a Caravan Show for $150 !
The only problem with a handheld in your vehicle is finding where its disappeared to as it slides round the place/dropping it on the floor and so on...........
Spydermann said
06:04 PM Aug 11, 2015
Bought a GTR bluetooth hand held cb for the motorbike. Not cheap but works well thru my bluetooth helmet headset, along with mudic from my phone. Also has a remote button for voice.
terrola said
10:56 PM Aug 11, 2015
i bought a 5 watt hand held (not cheap a one) and my mate had one (twin pair) for a trip from nsw to darwin and back
following my mate towing his van. a lot of the way it was useless even in the middle of no where and my mate was only a few car lengths a head other times it worked
you never knew when it was going to work
would not buy again
Dreamweaver said
11:04 AM Aug 12, 2015
Thanks everyone for your responses. It seems that you get what you pay for. Times on my side so I'll do some more research. I like the idea of a 5 watt hand held with an external antenna. This should give me good coms with other road users and I'll get a cheaper one for reversing the van etc. (Maybe!!!)
PeterD said
03:43 PM Aug 12, 2015
You don't need a 5 W model. We had friends following us with a 0.2 W model some years back. On long straight stretches if we could manage to see them in the rear view mirror we could communicate.
Just make sure that you have the set up on the dash if it only has a short aerial (this applies for sets of any transmitter power.) If the radio is down low you will not hear calls. Our friends hung theirs off the handle above the passengers door on a lanyard. This kept the antenna in a good signal area and the set was handy for use by the navigator. Using portables is a matter of technique as it is the transmitter power. A 5 W set down in the console area or worse still on the floor is behind the 8 ball when someone is trying to call it. A flea power set on the dash will out perform it every time.
aussie_paul said
07:29 PM Aug 12, 2015
I like to have the auxiliary microphone/speaker combo when using hand helds. Much clearer transmit and receive.
Aussie Paul.
jonathan said
06:30 AM Aug 13, 2015
Wombat 280 wrote:
I have fixed Icom in the tug and 40 S older unit hand held Use the hand held when doing a walk in and Mrs Wombat stays in the vehicle , also a marriage saver when backing into tight spots. Suggest you get a two unit pack for that reason alone. They only have a short range line of sight type of thing but worth the low cost
.. like Wombat 280 .. I also have an Icom fitted in the vehicle connected to a 6.5 antenna .. also 2 x IC41S hand-helds for local purposes as well.
These 41S were initially 40 ch, but a simple software upgrade brought them into 80 ch .. not cheapest to buy, but worth it .. 6 years on and still on original batteries too !
Wizardofoz said
07:07 AM Aug 13, 2015
I have a GME TX 6100 5watt hand held and I find it pretty ordinary because of all the static, where do you guys position youts? Mine sits in the drink holder of the Cruiser and is so annoying that I have to turn it down to low, should be at windscreen level or do I require an external antenna?
jonathan said
10:15 AM Aug 13, 2015
Wizardofoz wrote:
I have a GME TX 6100 5watt hand held and I find it pretty ordinary because of all the static, where do you guys position youts? Mine sits in the drink holder of the Cruiser and is so annoying that I have to turn it down to low, should be at windscreen level or do I require an external antenna?
.. the best way to explain .. is to have your antenna in a vertical position and in the best-line-of-sight to the other intended operator.
The more items/obstacles you have between you which impedes the line-of-sight, then the worse your transmission/reception to that location will be.
My suggestion would be an external antenna in a fairly clear position .. maybe a portable or fixed antenna.
also ..
when your hand-held is sitting in close proximity to electrical discharges (like from your dashboard area) then because of the poor reception due to bad line-of-sight signal, then
your h/h radio is susceptible to increased electrical interference audio ..
03_Troopy said
10:20 AM Aug 13, 2015
You might need to turn the squelch setting up a bit too. Back it off till you get the annoying static/ hash reception, then take it up just a tad higher so it cuts out the the hashy receptions.
rockylizard said
10:37 AM Aug 13, 2015
Gday...
I am fortunate to have a nice flat area on my dashboard so I have my handheld GME TX6100 mounted like this -
Easy to reach and return to cradle - gets good reception ... but I do have to take it down when I go offroad
Cheers - John
Cupie said
10:46 AM Aug 13, 2015
03_Troopy wrote:
You might need to turn the squelch setting up a bit too. Back it off till you get the annoying static/ hash reception, then take it up just a tad higher so it cuts out the the hashy receptions.
This procedure takes me back to my CMF days.
Once I became the BC's Survey Sergeant I was a stand alone unit and to give me something to do on Parade nights when others were playing with their Gun drill etc. I was required to train/lecture the Sigs (& the Driver /Cooks). Of course being a PMG Technician at the time It was assumed (incorrectly) that I knew all about radio transmission.
I can clearly remember the Squelch procedure ... along with correct voice procedure & the phonetic alphabet.
ps. Off topic of course..... The BC Survey Sergeant position was a plum one in the CMF. Your main role was to go with the BC (Battery Captain) and wander about the scrub (up at the sharp end) with the arm that the battery was supporting .. scary. But in the CMF it meant driving up close to the OP (Observation Point), sitting under a tree & plotting the target & fall of shot while the BC called out adjustments to the Guns. Sweet job.
03_Troopy said
10:55 AM Aug 13, 2015
Cupie wrote:
03_Troopy wrote:
You might need to turn the squelch setting up a bit too. Back it off till you get the annoying static/ hash reception, then take it up just a tad higher so it cuts out the the hashy receptions.
This procedure takes me back to my CMF days.
Once I became the BC's Survey Sergeant I was a stand alone unit and to give me something to do on Parade nights when others were playing with their Gun drill etc. I was required to train/lecture the Sigs (& the Driver /Cooks). Of course being a PMG Technician at the time It was assumed (incorrectly) that I knew all about radio transmission.
I can clearly remember the Squelch procedure ... along with correct voice procedure & the phonetic alphabet.
ps. Off topic of course..... The BC Survey Sergeant position was a plum one in the CMF. Your main role was to go with the BC (Battery Captain) and wander about the scrub (up at the sharp end) with the arm that the battery was supporting .. scary. But in the CMF it meant driving up close to the OP (Observation Point), sitting under a tree & plotting the target & fall of shot while the BC called out adjustments to the Guns. Sweet job.
What used to annoy me was the incorrect terminology that lots use when talking about "Squelch" Most people seem to think the noise you hear is squelch, and consequently talk about squelch being too high. The term Squelch refers to squelching the reception by limiting the minimum receive signal level, so that weaker signals don't get heard, as they don't break through the squelch level. The term "wobulator" is one not many know about either , but that refers to a particular type of radar.
Edit: Being a RADTECHA in the RAAF, for some reason everyone used to think that only we could understand what pilots were saying when they called in, so we always got the job of monitoring the radio during sorties. That was a pain in the bum, because you couldn't get anyone to take over when you needed to go for a pee or go for a smoke.
-- Edited by 03_Troopy on Thursday 13th of August 2015 10:57:55 AM
Cupie said
11:19 AM Aug 13, 2015
03_Troopy wrote:
Cupie wrote:
03_Troopy wrote:
You might need to turn the squelch setting up a bit too. Back it off till you get the annoying static/ hash reception, then take it up just a tad higher so it cuts out the the hashy receptions.
This procedure takes me back to my CMF days.
Once I became the BC's Survey Sergeant I was a stand alone unit and to give me something to do on Parade nights when others were playing with their Gun drill etc. I was required to train/lecture the Sigs (& the Driver /Cooks). Of course being a PMG Technician at the time It was assumed (incorrectly) that I knew all about radio transmission.
I can clearly remember the Squelch procedure ... along with correct voice procedure & the phonetic alphabet.
ps. Off topic of course..... The BC Survey Sergeant position was a plum one in the CMF. Your main role was to go with the BC (Battery Captain) and wander about the scrub (up at the sharp end) with the arm that the battery was supporting .. scary. But in the CMF it meant driving up close to the OP (Observation Point), sitting under a tree & plotting the target & fall of shot while the BC called out adjustments to the Guns. Sweet job.
What used to annoy me was the incorrect terminology that lots use when talking about "Squelch" Most people seem to think the noise you hear is squelch, and consequently talk about squelch being too high. The term Squelch refers to squelching the reception by limiting the minimum receive signal level, so that weaker signals don't get heard, as they don't break through the squelch level. The term "wobulator" is one not many know about either , but that refers to a particular type of radar.
Edit: Being a RADTECHA in the RAAF, for some reason everyone used to think that only we could understand what pilots were saying when they called in, so we always got the job of monitoring the radio during sorties. That was a pain in the bum, because you couldn't get anyone to take over when you needed to go for a pee or go for a smoke.
-- Edited by 03_Troopy on Thursday 13th of August 2015 10:57:55 AM
See I was right ... I knew (& still do) nothing about radio stuff. Especially Wobbulators, but am full bottle on that too now ... ha ha,
From Mr Google ...
A wobbulator is an electronic device primarily used for the alignment of receiver or transmitter intermediate frequency strips. It is usually used in conjunction with an oscilloscope, to enable a visual representation of a receiver's passband to be seen, hence simplifying alignment; it was used to tune early consumer AM radios. The term "wobbulator" is a portmanteau of wobble and oscillator. A "wobbulator" (without capitalization) is a generic term for the swept-output RF oscillator described above, a frequency-modulated oscillator, also called a "sweep generator" by most professional electronics engineers and technicians.[1] A wobbulator was used in some old microwave signal generators to create what amounted to frequency modulation. It physically altered the size of the klystron cavity, therefore changing the frequency.
When capitalized, "Wobbulator" refers to the trade name of a specific brand of RF/IF alignment generator. The Wobbulator was made by a company known as "TIC"[2] (Tel-Instrument Company) although some units branded "Allen B. Du Mont Laboratories" and "Stromberg-Carlson" are rumored to exist. These were apparently made under some form of license and branded with the name of the licensee, much as Radio Corporation of America through subsidiary Hazeltine Corp., licensed its KCS-20A television chassis design (used in models 630TS, 8TS30, etc.) to other television manufacturers (Air King, Crosley, Fada, et al.) for production under their brand names. The Wobbulator generator, designated model 1200A, combined sweep and marker functions into a single self-contained pushbutton-controlled device which, when connected to an oscilloscope and television receiver under test, would display a representation of the receiver's RF/IF response curves with "markers" defining critical frequency reference points as a response curve on the oscilloscope screen. Such an amplitude-versus-frequency graph is also often referred to as a Bode (pronounced "bodee") plot or Bode graph
See now we all know!
However I do now recall that if we were receiving a weak or fading in & out signal we would wind the 'squelch' dial back a bit to listen to the signal among all the crackle/hissing. So this seems to confirm your explanation. We just knew that it worked.
Dreamweaver said
09:20 AM Aug 14, 2015
Gee it's amazing what you learn when you ask a question here. I was also a sig sergeant in 11 Field Regiment RAA CMF in the 60's and 70's and used to call in fire missions at Tin Can Bay, Camp Kerr. Brings back a lot of good memories.
Cupie said
09:45 AM Aug 14, 2015
Dreamweaver wrote:
Gee it's amazing what you learn when you ask a question here. I was also a sig sergeant in 11 Field Regiment RAA CMF in the 60's and 70's and used to call in fire missions at Tin Can Bay, Camp Kerr. Brings back a lot of good memories.
Your message prompted me to look at my discharge certificate ...
Enlisted 14 Sept 1965 , Discharged 22 Aug 1968 at own request .... 2 years & 344 days .. Rank Sergeant.
Was 11 Field Regt based on the Gold Coast?
Several of my mates went on in rank to Lt.Col & at least one to Full Colonel. Some did short tours in Vietnam. I was nowhere near as committed (or perhaps as capable) declining an invitation to attend OCTU (Officer Cadet Training Unit) in a fit of peak after missing selection in the first intake. Discharged myself instead. So maybe they were right after all.
I must say that I learnt a lot in the CMF that stood me in good stead in future life, and I enjoyed it all as well (or most of it).
Dreamweaver said
12:28 PM Aug 14, 2015
Hi Cupie, I sent a PM. Blair
03_Troopy said
01:12 PM Aug 14, 2015
Dreamweaver wrote:
Gee it's amazing what you learn when you ask a question here. I was also a sig sergeant in 11 Field Regiment RAA CMF in the 60's and 70's and used to call in fire missions at Tin Can Bay, Camp Kerr. Brings back a lot of good memories.
You may have traded ratpacs for muddies with my Bro-in-law too lol
PeterD said
01:52 PM Aug 14, 2015
03_Troopy wrote: What used to annoy me was the incorrect terminology that lots use when talking about "Squelch" Most people seem to think the noise you hear is squelch, and consequently talk about squelch being too high. The term Squelch refers to squelching the reception by limiting the minimum receive signal level, so that weaker signals don't get heard, as they don't break through the squelch level.
I think the thread has run long enouth to answer the OP's question so we can go off topic.
To clear this up, the derivation for the term squelch seems to have been lost in the annals of time. If we go to Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squelch - they don't mention it, the just say how it operates.
In telecommunications, squelch is a circuit function that acts to suppress the audio (or video) output of a receiver in the absence of a sufficiently strong desired input signal. Squelch is widely used in two-way radios to suppress the annoying sound of channel noise when the radio is not receiving a transmission.
The term comes from the squelching noise that you hear between the cessation of signal and the start of the silence period.
You get this squelch whether you have a carrier operated squelch circuit of a simple CTCSS. Motorola developed a CTCSS that eliminated the squelch, they called it Quiet Line. They used resonant reed to generate the sub-carrier tone and also detect it in the receiver. When the transmitter PTT was released there was a circuit in the CTCSS circuit that reversed the phase of the tone. They transmitted just enough cycles of tone to stop the vibration or the receiver reed and this would silence the receiver before the carrier ceased.
Whilst we are on the subject of radio maybe you can tell me something about CODAN.
ps, you will note I gave a link for the text I quoted, it p155es me off when forum members do not acknowledge where their quotes came from.
03_Troopy said
04:59 PM Aug 14, 2015
Yeah, i agree that's why it's called squelch, but if the squelch is too high you don't hear any hash or transmission. If your squelch is set too low, you hear too much hash, which breaks through the squelch level.
An circuit that is important to proper receiver behavior is called "squelch" or muting. The function of this circuit is to mute or silence the audio output of the receiver in the absence of the desired radio signal. When the desired signal is lost (due to multi-path dropout, excessive distance, loss of power to the transmitter, etc.) the "open" receiver may pick up another signal or background radio "noise." Typically, this is heard as "white" noise and is often much louder than the audio signal from the desired source.
The traditional squelch circuit is an audio switch controlled by the radio signal level using a fixed or manually adjustable threshold (level). When the received signal strength falls below this level the output of the receiver is muted. Ideally, the squelch level should be set just above the background radio noise level or at the point where the desired signal is becoming too noisy to be acceptable. Higher settings of squelch level require higher received signal strength to unmute the receiver. Since received signal strength decreases as transmission distance increases, higher squelch settings will decrease the operating range of the system.
One refinement of the standard squelch circuit is referred to as "noise squelch." This technique relies on the fact that the audio from undesirable radio noise has a great deal of high frequency energy compared to a typical audio signal. The noise squelch circuit compares the high frequency energy of the received signal to a reference voltage set by the squelch adjustment. In this system the squelch control essentially determines the "quality" of signal (signal-to-noise ratio) required to unmute the receiver. This allows operation at lower squelch settings with no likelihood of noise if the desired signal is lost.
A further refinement is known as "tone-key" or "tonecode" squelch. It enables the receiver to identify the desired radio signal by means of a supra- or sub-audible tone that is generated in the transmitter and sent along with the normal audio signal. The receiver will unmute only when it picks up a radio signal of adequate strength and also detects the presence of the tone-key. This effectively prevents the possibility of noise from the receiver when the desired transmitter signal is lost, even in the presence of a (non-tone-key) interfering signal at the same frequency.
Turn-on and turn-off delays are incorporated in the transmitter tone-key circuits so that the transmitter power switch operates silently. When the transmitter is switched on, the radio signal is activated immediately but the tonekey is briefly delayed, keeping the receiver muted until the signal is stable. This masks any turn-on noise. When the transmitter is switched off, the tone-key is deactivated instantly, muting the receiver, but actual turn-off of the transmitted signal is delayed slightly. This masks any turnoff noise. As a result, the need for a separate mute switch is eliminated. Finally, the tone-key signal is often used to transmit additional information to the receiver. This may include battery voltage, transmitter audio gain settings, transmitter type, and transmitter power level.
Cupie said
05:18 PM Aug 14, 2015
PeterD wrote:
03_Troopy wrote: What used to annoy me was the incorrect terminology that lots use when talking about "Squelch" Most people seem to think the noise you hear is squelch, and consequently talk about squelch being too high. The term Squelch refers to squelching the reception by limiting the minimum receive signal level, so that weaker signals don't get heard, as they don't break through the squelch level.
I think the thread has run long enouth to answer the OP's question so we can go off topic.
To clear this up, the derivation for the term squelch seems to have been lost in the annals of time. If we go to Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squelch - they don't mention it, the just say how it operates.
In telecommunications, squelch is a circuit function that acts to suppress the audio (or video) output of a receiver in the absence of a sufficiently strong desired input signal. Squelch is widely used in two-way radios to suppress the annoying sound of channel noise when the radio is not receiving a transmission.
The term comes from the squelching noise that you hear between the cessation of signal and the start of the silence period.
You get this squelch whether you have a carrier operated squelch circuit of a simple CTCSS. Motorola developed a CTCSS that eliminated the squelch, they called it Quiet Line. They used resonant reed to generate the sub-carrier tone and also detect it in the receiver. When the transmitter PTT was released there was a circuit in the CTCSS circuit that reversed the phase of the tone. They transmitted just enough cycles of tone to stop the vibration or the receiver reed and this would silence the receiver before the carrier ceased.
Whilst we are on the subject of radio maybe you can tell me something about CODAN.
ps, you will note I gave a link for the text I quoted, it p155es me off when forum members do not acknowledge where their quotes came from.
I recall the term CODEC from my Tech Instructor days circa 1969. It was rather topical in Telstra around that time ...
From Webopedia http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/codec.html (so not to p155 off PeterD - even though I didn't go to the trouble of turning it into a link!) ha ha.
(1) Short for compressor/decompressor, a codec is any technology for compressing and decompressing data. Codecs can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. Some popular codecs for computervideo include MPEG, Indeoand Cinepak.
(2) In telecommunications, (short for coder/decoder) a device that encodes or decodes a signal. For example, telephone companies use codecs to convert binary signals transmitted on their digitalnetworks to analog signals converted on their analog networks.
(3) The translation of a binary value into a voltage that can be transmitted over a wire.
Then Mr Google http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/CODAN (there I go again) told me just like he did the last time, that CODAN means Carrier Operated Device Anti-Noise & that's all I want/need to know about it.
Would one good quality hand held UHF radio be suitable to converse with other relatively close by road users eg truckies coming up behind or ahead, 4X4 drivers and other Grey Nomads instead of going the full monty and getting a UHF CB radio installed in the Pajero?
Blair
Gday...
I have a GME TX6100 handheld. I also got the 12v charging cord so I can charge from the 12v socket in vehicle and/or van
https://www.gme.net.au/catalogue/discontinued/land/tx6100.aspx
I have had it for about three years and find it is excellent on the highway for talking to trucks and other road users - with line of sight I can talk to vehicles upto 1km away which is more than adequate for what I need.
Interestingly, the cost of the GME handheld is in the same 'ball park' as one that you can install into the vehicle.
I preferred the handheld for the 'versatility'.
Cheers - John
We have an Icom h/held and an Icom fixed in the truck, superb units, my wife followed me with her car last year (long story) and she was easily able to talk to me with the hand held from a klm or so behind.
Fit an external aerial and the coverage would be the same as a fixed unit.
I saw one of the Auto shops had a deal going a while back, you got a fixed and hand held in the deal, maybe look for a deal. I THINK for memory it was Autobarn. I have been known to have a bad memory though. It's all Uncle Al's fault.
We use a pair of Oricom PMR780 radios which came with our sandmat - seen them in the auto shops for about $59.95 the pair but you can get them even cheaper. They allow us to talk to truckies behind us or listen in to what's going on - good for about 1 to 3km line of sight. Also handy when I go looking for firewood etc as Joy can call me if something crops up. They do everything the dearer ones do, take AAA batteries, 80 channels, 3 year warranty, reliable and not toys.
Good Luck.
EDIT...just got the latest Repco catalogue - $39.95 on special.
-- Edited by hako on Tuesday 11th of August 2015 01:07:39 PM
I have an old 40 ch installed in the tug. Got it from a mate who was going to bin it because of the broken pressel switch. Fitted a $2 non locking toggle switch & all OK .... with a very cheap aerial.
I also have a pair of Oricom cheapies. I use them when traveling in close company with others ... give one to them. Works well for line of sight. OK for talking to SWMBO when backing but she's not too good on technical stuff & often forgets to press or release the talk button!!!! I almost said 'nothing's fool proof' but thought that I had best not.
If I was starting out I'd install a fixed 80ch one with a good aerial & pick up a set of cheapies for playing or reversing.
The only problem with a handheld in your vehicle is finding where its disappeared to as it slides round the place/dropping it on the floor and so on...........
i bought a 5 watt hand held (not cheap a one) and my mate had one (twin pair) for a trip from nsw to darwin and back
following my mate towing his van. a lot of the way it was useless even in the middle of no where and my mate was only a few car lengths a head other times it worked
you never knew when it was going to work
would not buy again
Just make sure that you have the set up on the dash if it only has a short aerial (this applies for sets of any transmitter power.) If the radio is down low you will not hear calls. Our friends hung theirs off the handle above the passengers door on a lanyard. This kept the antenna in a good signal area and the set was handy for use by the navigator. Using portables is a matter of technique as it is the transmitter power. A 5 W set down in the console area or worse still on the floor is behind the 8 ball when someone is trying to call it. A flea power set on the dash will out perform it every time.
I like to have the auxiliary microphone/speaker combo when using hand helds. Much clearer transmit and receive.
Aussie Paul.
.. like Wombat 280 .. I also have an Icom fitted in the vehicle connected to a 6.5 antenna .. also 2 x IC41S hand-helds for local purposes as well.
These 41S were initially 40 ch, but a simple software upgrade brought them into 80 ch .. not cheapest to buy, but worth it .. 6 years on and still on original batteries too !
I have a GME TX 6100 5watt hand held and I find it pretty ordinary because of all the static, where do you guys position youts? Mine sits in the drink holder of the Cruiser and is so annoying that I have to turn it down to low, should be at windscreen level or do I require an external antenna?
.. the best way to explain .. is to have your antenna in a vertical position and in the best-line-of-sight to the other intended operator.
The more items/obstacles you have between you which impedes the line-of-sight, then the worse your transmission/reception to that location will be.
My suggestion would be an external antenna in a fairly clear position .. maybe a portable or fixed antenna.
also ..
when your hand-held is sitting in close proximity to electrical discharges (like from your dashboard area) then because of the poor reception due to bad line-of-sight signal, then
your h/h radio is susceptible to increased electrical interference audio ..
Gday...
I am fortunate to have a nice flat area on my dashboard so I have my handheld GME TX6100 mounted like this -
Easy to reach and return to cradle - gets good reception ... but I do have to take it down when I go offroad
Cheers - John
This procedure takes me back to my CMF days.
Once I became the BC's Survey Sergeant I was a stand alone unit and to give me something to do on Parade nights when others were playing with their Gun drill etc. I was required to train/lecture the Sigs (& the Driver /Cooks). Of course being a PMG Technician at the time It was assumed (incorrectly) that I knew all about radio transmission.
I can clearly remember the Squelch procedure ... along with correct voice procedure & the phonetic alphabet.
ps. Off topic of course..... The BC Survey Sergeant position was a plum one in the CMF. Your main role was to go with the BC (Battery Captain) and wander about the scrub (up at the sharp end) with the arm that the battery was supporting .. scary. But in the CMF it meant driving up close to the OP (Observation Point), sitting under a tree & plotting the target & fall of shot while the BC called out adjustments to the Guns. Sweet job.
What used to annoy me was the incorrect terminology that lots use when talking about "Squelch" Most people seem to think the noise you hear is squelch, and consequently talk about squelch being too high. The term Squelch refers to squelching the reception by limiting the minimum receive signal level, so that weaker signals don't get heard, as they don't break through the squelch level. The term "wobulator" is one not many know about either
, but that refers to a particular type of radar.
Edit: Being a RADTECHA in the RAAF, for some reason everyone used to think that only we could understand what pilots were saying when they called in, so we always got the job of monitoring the radio during sorties. That was a pain in the bum, because you couldn't get anyone to take over when you needed to go for a pee or go for a smoke.
-- Edited by 03_Troopy on Thursday 13th of August 2015 10:57:55 AM
See I was right ... I knew (& still do) nothing about radio stuff. Especially Wobbulators, but am full bottle on that too now ... ha ha,
From Mr Google ...
A wobbulator is an electronic device primarily used for the alignment of receiver or transmitter intermediate frequency strips. It is usually used in conjunction with an oscilloscope, to enable a visual representation of a receiver's passband to be seen, hence simplifying alignment; it was used to tune early consumer AM radios. The term "wobbulator" is a portmanteau of wobble and oscillator. A "wobbulator" (without capitalization) is a generic term for the swept-output RF oscillator described above, a frequency-modulated oscillator, also called a "sweep generator" by most professional electronics engineers and technicians.[1] A wobbulator was used in some old microwave signal generators to create what amounted to frequency modulation. It physically altered the size of the klystron cavity, therefore changing the frequency.
When capitalized, "Wobbulator" refers to the trade name of a specific brand of RF/IF alignment generator. The Wobbulator was made by a company known as "TIC"[2] (Tel-Instrument Company) although some units branded "Allen B. Du Mont Laboratories" and "Stromberg-Carlson" are rumored to exist. These were apparently made under some form of license and branded with the name of the licensee, much as Radio Corporation of America through subsidiary Hazeltine Corp., licensed its KCS-20A television chassis design (used in models 630TS, 8TS30, etc.) to other television manufacturers (Air King, Crosley, Fada, et al.) for production under their brand names. The Wobbulator generator, designated model 1200A, combined sweep and marker functions into a single self-contained pushbutton-controlled device which, when connected to an oscilloscope and television receiver under test, would display a representation of the receiver's RF/IF response curves with "markers" defining critical frequency reference points as a response curve on the oscilloscope screen. Such an amplitude-versus-frequency graph is also often referred to as a Bode (pronounced "bodee") plot or Bode graph
See now we all know!
However I do now recall that if we were receiving a weak or fading in & out signal we would wind the 'squelch' dial back a bit to listen to the signal among all the crackle/hissing. So this seems to confirm your explanation. We just knew that it worked.
Your message prompted me to look at my discharge certificate ...
Enlisted 14 Sept 1965 , Discharged 22 Aug 1968 at own request .... 2 years & 344 days .. Rank Sergeant.
Was 11 Field Regt based on the Gold Coast?
Several of my mates went on in rank to Lt.Col & at least one to Full Colonel. Some did short tours in Vietnam. I was nowhere near as committed (or perhaps as capable) declining an invitation to attend OCTU (Officer Cadet Training Unit) in a fit of peak after missing selection in the first intake. Discharged myself instead. So maybe they were right after all.
I must say that I learnt a lot in the CMF that stood me in good stead in future life, and I enjoyed it all as well (or most of it).
You may have traded ratpacs for muddies with my Bro-in-law too lol
I think the thread has run long enouth to answer the OP's question so we can go off topic.
To clear this up, the derivation for the term squelch seems to have been lost in the annals of time. If we go to Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squelch - they don't mention it, the just say how it operates.
The term comes from the squelching noise that you hear between the cessation of signal and the start of the silence period.
You get this squelch whether you have a carrier operated squelch circuit of a simple CTCSS. Motorola developed a CTCSS that eliminated the squelch, they called it Quiet Line. They used resonant reed to generate the sub-carrier tone and also detect it in the receiver. When the transmitter PTT was released there was a circuit in the CTCSS circuit that reversed the phase of the tone. They transmitted just enough cycles of tone to stop the vibration or the receiver reed and this would silence the receiver before the carrier ceased.
Whilst we are on the subject of radio maybe you can tell me something about CODAN.
ps, you will note I gave a link for the text I quoted, it p155es me off when forum members do not acknowledge where their quotes came from.
Actually here's a pretty simple explanation of it
from:
What is Squelch
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What is "Squelch" on a wireless receiver?
An circuit that is important to proper receiver behavior is called "squelch" or muting. The function of this circuit is to mute or silence the audio output of the receiver in the absence of the desired radio signal. When the desired signal is lost (due to multi-path dropout, excessive distance, loss of power to the transmitter, etc.) the "open" receiver may pick up another signal or background radio "noise." Typically, this is heard as "white" noise and is often much louder than the audio signal from the desired source.
The traditional squelch circuit is an audio switch controlled by the radio signal level using a fixed or manually adjustable threshold (level). When the received signal strength falls below this level the output of the receiver is muted. Ideally, the squelch level should be set just above the background radio noise level or at the point where the desired signal is becoming too noisy to be acceptable. Higher settings of squelch level require higher received signal strength to unmute the receiver. Since received signal strength decreases as transmission distance increases, higher squelch settings will decrease the operating range of the system.
One refinement of the standard squelch circuit is referred to as "noise squelch." This technique relies on the fact that the audio from undesirable radio noise has a great deal of high frequency energy compared to a typical audio signal. The noise squelch circuit compares the high frequency energy of the received signal to a reference voltage set by the squelch adjustment. In this system the squelch control essentially determines the "quality" of signal (signal-to-noise ratio) required to unmute the receiver. This allows operation at lower squelch settings with no likelihood of noise if the desired signal is lost.
A further refinement is known as "tone-key" or "tonecode" squelch. It enables the receiver to identify the desired radio signal by means of a supra- or sub-audible tone that is generated in the transmitter and sent along with the normal audio signal. The receiver will unmute only when it picks up a radio signal of adequate strength and also detects the presence of the tone-key. This effectively
prevents the possibility of noise from the receiver when the desired transmitter signal is lost, even in the presence of a (non-tone-key) interfering signal at the same frequency.
Turn-on and turn-off delays are incorporated in the transmitter tone-key circuits so that the transmitter power switch operates silently. When the transmitter is switched on, the radio signal is activated immediately but the tonekey is briefly delayed, keeping the receiver muted until the signal is stable. This masks any turn-on noise. When the transmitter is switched off, the tone-key is deactivated instantly, muting the receiver, but actual turn-off of the transmitted signal is delayed slightly. This masks any turnoff
noise. As a result, the need for a separate mute switch is eliminated. Finally, the tone-key signal is often used to transmit additional information to the receiver. This may include battery voltage, transmitter audio gain settings, transmitter type, and transmitter power level.
I recall the term CODEC from my Tech Instructor days circa 1969. It was rather topical in Telstra around that time ...
From Webopedia http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/codec.html (so not to p155 off PeterD - even though I didn't go to the trouble of turning it into a link!) ha ha.
(1) Short for compressor/decompressor, a codec is any technology for compressing and decompressing data. Codecs can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of both. Some popular codecs for computer video include MPEG, Indeoand Cinepak.
(2) In telecommunications, (short for coder/decoder) a device that encodes or decodes a signal. For example, telephone companies use codecs to convert binary signals transmitted on their digitalnetworks to analog signals converted on their analog networks.
(3) The translation of a binary value into a voltage that can be transmitted over a wire.
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Then Mr Google http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/CODAN (there I go again) told me just like he did the last time, that CODAN means Carrier Operated Device Anti-Noise & that's all I want/need to know about it.