HF Radio Queries

Dopey3 · Member

HF Radio Queries

pomme · Senior Member

Depends on what you call a HF Radio, a CB radio, Ham Radio, or F/D radio.
A CB radio would be next to useless in an emergency , unless you had the right conditions
Ham radio you need a licence, and a F/D radio you can hire.

Pomme.

baysidetas · Veteran Member

Unless you are intending going into really remote places then you will not have much need for an HF radio. The above reference to a F/D radio is really only stating that the Flying Doctor network operates on the HF range (and so do many other networks).

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

HF is last year's technology.
A sat phone will be cheaper and more useful. Family and friends will struggle to call you on an HF radio.
And if the worst happens, the HF antennae will be the first thing wrecked and then it will be useless.

Cheers,
Peter

PeterD · Guru

pomme wrote:
Depends on what you call a HF Radio, , snip , , or F/D radio.

I think you mean an outpost radio. An outpost radio licence is needed to contact the RFDS. There are other commercial and volunteer radio services you can join for emergency communications. If you join one of these you will be issued permission to operate under their licence. All MF/HF radios must only be operated under an outpost radio licence or be authorised to be operated under someone elses licence.

Baz421 · Guru

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
HF is last year's technology.
A sat phone will be cheaper and more useful. Family and friends will struggle to call you on an HF radio.
And if the worst happens, the HF antennae will be the first thing wrecked and then it will be useless.

Cheers,
Peter

Agree with Peter.

Many HF networks have been dismantled OR not monitored H24 (24 hours per day).

This means that any HF you use is restricted to limited frequencies and IMPORTANTLY where the base stations are ie close by or affected by atmospherics can limit the success or otherwise of the contact.

Cheers baz

Bruce and Bev · Guru

you can hire sat phones for relatively reasonable prices and they work anywhere (other than perhaps down the bottom of a mine shaft. HF, as others have pointed out, do not give you 100% coverage and many users of HF are on closed frequencies that you cannot access anyway.

If you receive any sort of benefit from the Federal Govt, it is possible you will get a subsidized phone and also cheaper rates. The suppliers of these phones are right onto it and can tell you about nay entitlement, what you will pay and even submit your claim the the Govt

Brooksy48 · Veteran Member

You can purchase a satellite phone from around $800 which is cheap compared to purchasing and installing an HF radio. It is much cheaper if you are entitled to any subsidy. You can then purchase some prepaid credit before you leave on your trip.
I was looking at a similar scenario to you some years ago and went in the satellite phone direction. I have not regretted my decision.

Brooksy

pomme · Senior Member

One thing to remember in an emergency, any frequencie is legal to use, it does not matter what is licenced.

Pomme.

The Phantom · Guru

Dopey3, the first thing to consider is your itinerary. Where are you going for starters. Will you be off the beaten track and totally by yourself?

If your intended trip is only to places frequented by every other nomad doing a tour, an ordinary mobile is more than adequate, if you intend to camp at a remote billabong last visited by the Arafura people in 1763, then a sat phone might be useful.

Don't get sucked into to buying every piece of technology just because it is available. Think through your plan first.

Get on the Forum and ask the questions.

The Phantom

TheHeaths · Guru

Dopey3,

we bought a refurbished Sat Phone through one of the advertisers on this forum Sat Phone Sales, advert at the top of this page.

Phone was $425, and we are on a $20 per month plan via Pivotel. Calls are $1 per minute outbound only, and because it has an Australian mobile number, calls in from others are at their normal mobile cost. You will need to check what plans are available now through them. The only drawback is the phone is a little larger than others, but at half the price, and better costs for calls and access, what the heck. Be careful, as some sat phone services charge both the caller and yourself for calls. Pivotel on this plan do not, a distinct advantage.

Coverage is reasonable, although the further north you get, availability drops to about 75% of the time as satellites go overhead. Fine for an emergency call out, which is all we have it for.

I suggest looking at their advert and web site, as I think a sat phone is a better option for your travel.

Baz421 · Guru

pomme wrote:
One thing to remember in an emergency, any frequencie is legal to use, it does not matter what is licenced.

Pomme.

BUT that doesn't help if it's affected by atmospherics or too close to you.

Example - in the bush in 90's with a good HF radio and a whole RAAF network with multiple frequencies across the country - day and night - 90% of the time we could only contact Perth station due to localised atmospherics in the NT for about 5 days. We needed the comms as were placing targets in the bush for practice airstrikes.