Such a headache! so many different ones. The GME TX3100 plug and play. reasonably cheap and wont put holes in my dash, or should I buy a more powerful fixed machine. Anyone got suggestions on their experience with CB Radios?( possibly recommendations)
I have a GME tx3345 super compact 5watt, great radio strong signal good distance range good clarity, and best of all it is fitted behind the kick plate next to the accelerator all controls are located in the hand set. Hope this helps.
Orocom is another good radio - we have a unit inside our tow vehicle and 2 handhelds.
The "black box" goes behind your dashboard somewhere and then you just need to screw (one small screw) the chrome clip to hold the handpiece onto.
The experts will tell you the best place for the aerial is on your roof - looks silly, makes a hole in your roof and likely to get hooked in low hanging trees.
Most people put them on a roo or nudge bar or you can fit them to your bumper bar if it will fit on it. Roo and nudge bars have pre-drilled holes on them for spot lights and or radio aerials.
Aerials can in a great range depending on range. You may have noticed on other vehicles (usually 4WD's) white aerials up to 4 metres high. We have a black aerial about 2.5m long - doesn't get hooked up on low hanging tree branches
Suggest you go talk to a dealer who specializes in UHF (CB) and other mobile radios. I wouldn't suggest you buy one online or from a caravan or camping shop - they know little to nothing about radios.
The specialist will try to sell you the brands he stocks (GME is also very popular), but most importantly he will find out what places in Australia you intend to travel in and recommend a suitably sized aerial. Unless your hubbie is handy with this sort of work - get it installed professionally. Cost about $100-$200 usually
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
Patty, I have the very same as you have looked at , I find it really good , plenty of reception relatively no squelch and as you say very compact . I changed it from a Unident 40 channel and is a far better unit .
Thankyou for all that information, we appreciated it. My husband and I now will consider all this, we are planning our 4 month trip which will start on April 6th, we shall keep in touch along the way.
Thankyou for your information, we shall consider your comment, My husband are planning to leave South Australia on April the 6th for our first adventure ... I guess that is what you would call it.
We also use an Oricom with all the controls in the handset. The "guts" of the unit has velco hook tape on it and it is stuck to the felt/carpet behind the ute seats. Could use both types of velcro and attach it out of the way,anywhere. No holes to drill. Last tug had the unit between the drivers seat and center console.Fluffy velcro on the console side.
That's the self adhesive backed velcro,by the way.
-- Edited by chopit on Sunday 1st of March 2015 01:13:14 PM
in-car CBs as sold are 5watt and you can get 5W handhelds too, but the range will be much shorter because the handheld will have a tiny antenna. Also if the battery isn't fully charged then the range will be affected. Handhelds are probably best as a backup and for bush walking.
The antenna design and location on the vehicle is also very important. Reputable makers will often state the "gain" of the antenna, but be aware that a high gain antenna may perform very well in open flat country but have worse performance than a low gain antenna in steep undulating country. For good 360 deg performance the top of your antenna should be higher than any metallic gear you have on the roof. Having decided on a good spot ( we always recommended the RHS of the vehicle because there are fewer overhanging trees on that side), try to ensure that the cable will reach the radio without getting crimped.
Happy travels.
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BJC
"A year from now you'll wish you had started today."
It has given me a smile, We now have a little more research to do, all the information I have received and read is definately worth while, thanks to all of you Pally and Griff. ...may even connect with you on the road.
nice that you said you appreciated all the info we fired at you - useful or otherwise. Too often, people here will ask for info or help and never get back, so we have no idea whether our input was a waste of time or what lol
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
Hi again, well thankyou to for thanking me. I or we have not quite decided which way to go with a CB Radio, I was so very surprised receiving such alot of mail regarding this topic. It certainly has given us food for thought, but information we hadnt thought about if you know my meaning. This is great though. Our trip starts on April 6th so we have a couple of weeks to make up our minds. Regards Pally and Griff
In my opinion only, you're better off getting a known brand like GME, Uniden, Icom etc so that if you do have any problems with it you will be able to get it repaired. If you buy one of the cheapies and it fails, it's basically a throw away job. A handy function to have is scanning, especially group scan or priority scan. Then you can monitor the channels you want without scanning the whole band.
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Yes I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.
