For most of the time just a toy but to some they need it to get out the driveway.

I am probaly an odd ball retired transport driver, I drive carefully with patience, throw manners into the pot you will do ok.

Last month I did about 6000 ks west of the coast over the great dividing range of NSW spoke with 1 driver, listen to 3 or 4 decided my music or peace and quiet was better.

Hedge your bets put a cb in, you may meet a friendly caravaner who you want to talk to and travel with. They are handy when 4wheel driving.

I really do like having one when I am about to cross narrow bridges and like to let on coming big ones know that I am entering the skinny bridge but be cautious not everybody has one or listens, cb can be very unreliable.

Just my thoughts.

-- Edited by Radar on Tuesday 16th of May 2017 04:20:50 PM

Agree with all the above, with a bit more added, from my point of view

If we are towing/touring, at less than the legal speed limit, (which most of us do)

Then in my opinion, which could therefore be wrong

The truckies have a job to do, and most of us who are towing/touring have time on our hands

A UHF Radio is very handy to let the truckies know, that you can see them, and that you will assist to allow them to pass

It does not have to be an expensive UHF Radio, as a cheap hand held one, has sufficient range to talk to the truckies coming up behind you

G'day Barcoo

I posted this recently on another forum - it might be of interest, and answer your question

Phil

Got mixed up with a highway smash today - came over the brow of a hill and there in front were a mixture of vehicles spread around the roadside and people running across the road. In the 1-and-a-bit seconds where I took note of this I was through the vehicles - there was no warnings or safety up as the collision had obviously just happened. Did a U-ey and came back to speak with a bloke starting to take control - he asked me to go to the top of the hill and flag down oncoming traffic and warn them to slow down thru the collision site - which I did for the next 45 minutes, while wearing one of my fluoro vests and hand-held 2-way radio in my fingers

The collision was at the entry to a rest area 61km west of Cobar on the Barrier Hwy. After a very long [about 40km] straight stretch of road, it rose and bent its way across some small hills, with double-lines for a km or more

It turns out that a low-loader with a tractor on the rear was turning into the rest area, the caravan behind had slowed down to allow it to do so, but someone going full chat came up behind them, pulled out over the double lines to overtake them all and side-swiped the semi as it was making its turn. The semi went off into the mulga, all battered and bent, while the crash vehicle rolled 3 or 4 times until it came to a halt. Somehow the campertrailer behind it was still attached and on its wheels

The ch-40 chattered with the truckies asking for first-aid assistance, others were asking for levers to try to open the passenger door - which took about 5 minutes

I positioned myself on the hilltop about 250m from the collision site, and during the next 45 minutes my job was to wave down cars and to radio to oncoming vehicles to warn them of the collision, especially those westwards travelling vehicles that like me, would come over the top of the hill and get no advance warning of the problem

The ambos arrived and sometime later the council workers [who owned the semi in the collision] took over traffic control duties and we hit the road, slowly but surely going westwards again

It just goes to show how quickly something can go belly-upwards, but also how soon help can arrive

If you choose to get a UHF then learn how to use it and keep it on when travelling.

I too, am an ex road train driver and I have a UHF fitted to my vehicle.

About three weeks ago I was travelling south from Townsville on the Bruce and 18 kls out of town I came up behind a convoy of three wide loads @4.3 wide from memory.

The lead escort driver was on the UHF advising north bound oncoming traffic of the 3 trucks presence and their width.

I noted that he was putting a call out to every north bound caravan with a UHF aerial or front sign and between Townsville and the Burdekin River one only caravan replied. That is pretty poor really,
The escort driver certainly stated his frustration with this situation as did the drivers of the three trucks.

Several times oncoming vehicles had little to no verge to pull off while the wide loads passed.
Many pulled off for the first wide load and then set off again with no knowledge of the other two floats then found that they had nowhere to pull over.
Anyone who has travelled this road will know of the many narrow bridges that are along this section and to have a UHF and not have it on is, to me, very silly.

I would recommend having a UHF in any vehicle when travelling on any road away from major cities and towns.

I have a handheld bluetooth 5w UHF and at this point haven't found it of much use. Going around Ballarat recently and an accident was called out. Those calling it didn't make it clear as to which off ramp it was (4 off ramps) and said the off ramp was a road that doesn't cross the Western Freeway. Other conversations about pending issues have been too vague to figure out until were we right on the problem.

Is 25km coverage a bit of a dream?
Is that line of sight?
If it was 25kms, would it be possible to seperate all the conversations?

I do carry my UHF when I'm travelling. Just in case. It's like insurance. If you don't have it, you will need it.

G'day all

Like others ^^ we have multiple 2-way radios ... the vehicle one + 2x 2watt portables [his & hers] which we use for all sorts of things
We both like pottering around the bush - so one can call the other for a photo; we also use 'em in shopping centres ... "hey KMart has a special / meet you for coffee..." etc.

As to coverage distance - yes it varies a lot depending on obstructions from hills / trees / buildings etc. The longest distance I have talked to using the 2watt hand held was 22km ... over open flat country

Phil