Comms

[Jimbob292]

Guys,

Looking for a decent communication set up in my Disco, thought about a VHF radio set, any experience with them?

Would use a CB but I'm afraid it will get pulled in customs, as they are a little anal about stuff like this.

Jim

[Marc Lurie]

VHF is a much more reliable and professional method of communications for several resasons:

1) Your output power is higher. Typically 25W as opposed to 5W on a CB radio.

2) VHF uses FM whereas CB uses AM (some use FM). FM is far better at rejecting interference than AM.

3) VHF antennas are much more efficient, for the same given length, than a CB antenna

4) VHF radios are usually far better quality, and better designed than CB radios. They have better sensitivity, better selectivity, and are more durable.

I'm sure you can buy VHF radios in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Brands to look at are Motorola, Kenwood, Icom, and Vertex. Motorola would be my first recommendation without any hesitation.

Cheers,
Marc

[Jimbob292]

Marc,

Thank you very much for the reply.

I'll take a look on line, I've looked at some Chinese brands, but look a bit iffy.

I've only seen them in duty free, but will look again.

I will go with your recommendations, what's the sort of range do you get on 25watt unit.

Thanks,

Jim

[Marc Lurie]

I've looked at some Chinese brands, but look a bit iffy.

Which makes? Most of them are total rubbish. Motorola is definitely in a class of its own though. To my mind, the Motorola CM or GM series are the best bet. The CM series are entry-level radios, and the GM series are the high-tier radios. They will both perform the same, but the GM series has more features (You won't use them though), and they are more rugged.

Range is dependant on terrain. In very flat terrain you should cover 15 - 20km or more. In slightly elevated terrain, you can expect much more than that. In very hilly terrain, or around large buildings, you will be lucky to cover 3 to 5 km.

[streaky]

Jim.
Comms out here are only as good as the guys set on the other end.
In our club every one uses the small UHF hand helds with the US freqs. UK & European bands won't work with the US sets so be sure yours is matching with who ever you want to talk to.
I have a couple of 55watt VHF sets for sale but again.... they arn't much use if all your 4 wheeling mates are chatting away of UHF.

Avoid the sets at Dragon Mart...they look really nice but are a pain to tune and set up. Icon have the Motorola hand sets which most people use here.
A set with 35-55 watts is going to get you noticed by the authorities....and so will the bloody great antenna that you need to push those watts out!
Get a small UHF set and enjoy the best of most worlds...+ they only need a small antenna that you can keep inside the car.

Remember that all forms of airwave comms are banned here...and getting a license for private use is virtually impossible. I've tried getting permission from just about every angle...and failed.