g'day you pair and welcome to you. ah! the big adventure begins, well you've done the right thing and purchased good reliable equipment right from the start with a lot of the shortfalls and problems already solved for you, well done

channel 18 on the UHF is the "call channel" so start with that for initial contact, if you see a van or motorhome with their name and channel on the back you can switch to that, stay away from the truckies channel they are a grumpy lot and pretty foul mouthed and really aren't interested in anything you may have to say even advice on when to pass or whatever remember they are at work and you are in their way, chances are you will only get a mouthful of profanities if you tell them when and where to pass and probably told to get the f####k off this channel and stay off it!!!

yes its a good idea to have your names and UHF number on the back simply so people can say g'day on their way through, also beside your door, no not because like me you forget who you are but so folks walking past can know you easier, it's a welcome mat thing and a conversation starter

reversing cameras are sometimes a good thing and other times a right pain, they show you how close the drivers get to your rear end which becomes a distraction to you but can help you get in to some tight spots, but they don't give true "depth of Field" and as such cannot be 100% trusted for reversing, so a bit of a toss up, put it in the "toy department",

however a small handheld UHF tuned to the vehicles UHF frequency for you when hubby is reversing can save a lot of shouting and swearing and body blows

don't be trapped by all the "must have" junk on the market, keep it simple and enjoyable, leave the bells and whistles to the whackers who brag about their travels but don't actually travel much and enjoy the simplicity not be frustrated by the complexity

 yes Mike of course you are right, uhf is something I dont muck about with too much I find it rather tedious, however I do listen to knowledgeble people who know about such things and I am always open to being corrected, with the medication I am on now it is happening more and more

but I will post this little titbit that was placed by a very knowledgeble person on this subject not all that long ago and is now away with the pixies travelling this vast and beautifull land and I am hoping that gary and Kerry are enjoying their well earned break
 

-- Edited by dave06 at 11:52, 2009-02-14

I thought this might be useful and suggest you copy and paste into a 'caravan' folder or print it out, I have done both......to be sure to be sure!

The info below was supplied by our good friends Gary & Kerry


The UHF Cb comes with 40 FM channels,requires NO licence,and basically has a range varying from 5 to maybe 15 kilometers depending on landscape. The flatter the further you'll talk.

Channel 1 to 8 are known as REPEATER channels,you program the radio for repeaters by going to ch1 then press and hold the DUP button on the front of the radio till it beeps and you'll see DUP in the display.continue this programming through to and including ch8.

repeaters work very simply,on ch1 DUP you transmit ch31,then,receive ch1...its automatic when you press the press to talk button...ch2 transmits 32 and receives ch2.ETC ETC to ch 8 .

repeaters give you VAST improvement in range cause repeaters are usually mounted HIGH on a nearby mountain etc. Range through a repeater can EASILY reach 80+kms...

so,if youre travelling with your friend 300 meters in front of you,go to a channel other than 1 to 8 otherwise you'll interfere with long range traffic..

Channel usage::: ch 11 is the CALLING channel if you want to talk to a stranger.
CH 5 is the Emergency channel [in cities] and uses the repeater for longer range emergencies.
ch18 is the caravan ch
ch20 is the motorhome ch
ch 40 is the Truckies ch

DONT use ch 22 and ch 23 as these are data channels used mostly by farmers to turn on remote water taps to water their stock etc etc,infact the NEW UHF cbs WONT transmit 22 and 23...

using the calling channel if you want to talk to a stranger,put a call out in NORMAL voice in NORMAL english,then IF or ONCE youve got someone you both agree to meet of aclear channel,avoiding the nominated ones above.

Emergencies,in the cities its a simple matter of going to CH 5 ,MAKE sure the DUP is ON,then in plain english call for help,explain your location,if youve got a gps navigator it will display your EXACT position in lat/long so you pass that onto the operator,operrators are volunteers so treat them nicely.
Emergencies in the OUTBACK call ch5 ,if nothing look on ALL 40 chs for someone chatting and break in...

most newer sets comes with scanning,thats the radio checking all 40 channels in less than a second,if it finds activity it STOPS on that channel so you can listen,waits a few seconds then starts scanning again.If you want to stay on a scanned channel simply press the press to talk button ONCE that stops the scanning and you can join in the conversation

OUTBACK Travellers ARE encouraged to travel,if youre NOT talking to someone,then put your UHF cb on SCAN. Reason is if someone has an emergency and does NOT know the proceedure they might call on any channel.You might be the only one to hear them,if you werent scanning youd completely miss their call.

Now,having said that,USE CAUTION if you hear a distress call,you can usually hear the sense of urgency in their voice if its genuine.if in doubt,respond and say you'll notify police at the next town.

in the outback truck drivers [ch 40] will ALWAYS respond to you providing you use plain english ,otherwise they might disregard you as a clown.

talking to a truck driver on 40 is easy,get his direction of travel even if it opposite yours. and say "southbound transport can you hear me",he will know by your strong signal you mean him and he will respond,sometimes a few will respond.

Lastly,in Cities [large cities] i recomend you turn the cb OFF unless you really need it. Theres hundreds of ppl on repeaters all abusing each other,swearing,its NO place for family to listen ...trust me

but PLEASE,outback travellers,if youre not already talking then SCAN,someones life might depend on

Thanks everyone for the info. I'll print off the CB info and put it in the car to take with us.

Thanks again