ALDI UHF Radio

Shogun · Senior Member

ALDI UHF Radio

Newgale · Member

Hello folks

We are getting close to setting out on our great trip. We will have a 4x4 rig and intend doing some adventurous outback tracks. Aldi have a 80 channel UHF radio for about a $100 at the moment. My feeling is that our radio is too important to risk a radio that I know little about. What do people think, and what would people recommend as a good option at a fair price.

Sally

Shogun · Senior Member

Hi Sally

Im no radio tech guru but I have had a look at the Aldi one and it seems pretty good. It complies with Australian standards and for $100 I am going to buy one myself to go in the new MH.

Repco also have a an Oricom for $150 at the moment too so will look at that if I miss out on the Aldi one.

Cheers

Brett

Cupie · Guru

Saw that & was interested.

However not in the market because a mate gave me his old one with a faulty pressel switch. Fixed that with a non locking toggle switch that was lying about. Looks ugly but works well.

Don't forget your aerial & lead ... another $100 or so.

I have a couple of hand helds as well ... about $50 the pair.

All mine are the old 40 ch though. Does me. I rarely use any of them.

Radar · Guru

Aldi has become my best friend, it all started with a warm jacket that we don't wear in sunny Qld. $50 I borrow one the last time I went over seas valued at $250 plus.

Next was 8 pairs of socks, I have been wearing a pair most days they are fantastic, cheaper then the explorer type that I been buying at 3 times the price and the grey colour looks better then the work blue I had.

Now we move into the dearer items a cloths dryer $179, never owned one before but the Cheese and Kisses said it would be nice to have, why not.

Along comes a Tablet computer at a bit over $200 (can not find the price) with a leather cover for $20 bargain, My lap top starting to feel it's age coming up to 10 years old. I will not go into the details but it's made by Bauhn, it just what I wanted for my up and coming trip over seas and it works a treat. Son leaving in UK said great work, nice job don't forget to load your maps. beat him to it did it myself.

Wait there is more pure Merino mid layer jumpers, they are great to wear in the colder climates under your heavier coats, cost $40, paid a $99 on sale for the other one I have reduced from $150. Plus they dry fairly quickly when you wash them.

I thinking I need a new radio as mine dates back to the mid 90's, getting old and one of these 80 channel might not be to bad, Hope they come with out the need to swear and carry on,my older version did have that, it is a new thing that they do. Coming from a retired truck driver who can go all week without the need to swear and then most times it was only at forklift drivers.

I would take the chance, seems like quality bargains. Aldi have one me over.

03_troopy · Guru

rosco532 wrote:
Shogun.....If you are looking at an Oricom from Repco beware...They are off loading specials that are a ''Receive only'' 80 channel model....Make sure you read the box that they come in....The Writer is one of the idiots that didn't......And yes...thats me & I'm stuck with the dam thing and they won't replace it as I got it installed (and still....hadn't read the box...lol)...if it hadn't been installed they said that they would have replaced it ......
The model I bought is the 200RX.....has all the controls on the handpiece and the unit itself is installed up in behind the dash.....pretty sure that I paid around the $150ish price on special.
Cheers

Rosco

Hi Rosco, just wondering about your radio, what is the full model number of the unit? It seems strange that it has a handpiece if it doesn't transmit. Some of their radios have 80 Channel Transmit/Receive (TX/RX) and a further 200 receive only channels (200RX). like the UHF280 on this page under key features Oricom UHF280

-- Edited by 03_troopy on Wednesday 21st of August 2013 09:42:01 PM

rosco532 · Senior Member

Shogun.....If you are looking at an Oricom from Repco beware...They are off loading specials that are a ''Receive only'' 80 channel model....Make sure you read the box that they come in....The Writer is one of the idiots that didn't......And yes...thats me & I'm stuck with the dam thing and they won't replace it as I got it installed (and still....hadn't read the box...lol)...if it hadn't been installed they said that they would have replaced it ......

The model I bought is the 200RX.....has all the controls on the handpiece and the unit itself is installed up in behind the dash.....pretty sure that I paid around the $150ish price on special.

Cheers

Rosco

Two Strays · Senior Member

Hello Newgale

You get what you pay for. Those cheaper UHF Radios are will do the job. However, you throw it away if it goes kaput. Good radios like Icom and GME are dearer but are reliable and repairable. GME is Australian Designed and Manufactured and parts are available to repair it.

A good radio for caravanning would be:

a. 5 Watt power at the aerial, Dont get anything less than 5 watt.

b. Fit a 6db aerial. This is a good allround aerial.

c. Wire it directly to the battery with fuses fitted to both Positive and Negative (Red and Black wires) DON'T go through the vehicles ignition.

d. Position it so it can be removed.

Happy Caravanning

VKPORTABLE · Senior Member

They are distributed by Vivid, and from what I can make out made by Onix.

Onix make a large range of electronic goods, TV, White Goods and everything else in between.

One thing to remember, regardless of brand there are a small number of factories where all these radios emanate from.
They (Aldi) offer a reasonable return policy on them.

Although, the Oricoms seem (in my view) to be the better choice in this price range.