UHF Radios – A buyers guide

So, you’ve bought your first 4wd and you want to go four wheel driving with your mates. How am I going to talk to them? How am I going to rag them for the dumb stuff they do? You won’t be able to rely on your mobile phone.

In my view, you should have a UHF radio (a handheld, at the very least) in your vehicle when you tow a heavy trailer or a caravan. Talk to the trucks, let them know what you’re doing, listen out for the traffic or hazards ahead.

You won’t believe how many times I’ve been listening to the trucks and heard the highway ahead could be closed for many hours due to a crash that will take a long time, even overnight, to investigate and open the road. This has led me to pull up for a meal or snack, find an alternate route, or simply pull up driving for the day.

I know the language isn’t for everyone but, with UHF Channel 18 now becoming more & more popular with the caravan set, this is also getting the same information without the swearing. And you can always flick up to UHF Channel 40 & talk to that truck driver who has parked themselves in the back of your caravan.

You also wouldn’t believe how handy a handheld radio is tucked in your wife’s pocket around the campground. It is fantastic to know that you have a “boy look” for something and be able to tell your beloved what it is you’re looking for, with the screaming and telling the campsite you’re an idiot. (Let them just think it!)

But what do I buy? There is so much choice on the market.

Here’s some things to consider when buying you first UHF radio.

But FIRST, BUDGET.

Normally budget comes way down the list, often the very last thing to consider when buying things. Check out my Roof Top Tent (RTT) Buying Guide to see how far down the list Budget is. Dead last.  UHF radios, though, are a different category.  You don’t need an RTT to go on a day trip. Or 99.95% of weekends “with the boys and/or girls”.

So why first in this list? Because they really are something you can do without, at a pinch. Do not get me wrong.  I don’t advocate this, quite the opposite. But you can.

But your mobile has no signal and you haven’t seen a sole for a while. You’re beginning to think that you’ve missed a turn. Then, you find yourself stuck and there’s no one around.

It is important in the places we go to have some contact to those around you, or to send out a broader call for help.

While UHF Radios aren’t meant to be relied on in an emergency, if you do fins yourself alone and stuck, you can flick your UHF onto Scan mode, find someone else talking, and call for help.

What are you wanting it for?

Wait? There’s more than one use for a UHF radio? Don’t you just talk to people with it?

Well, yes, but to whom and how often come into question.

I tow caravans, often with friends, or travel in large groups to four wheel driving destinations. Even when I am travelling solo, I leave my UHF radio on and listen to the trucks talking, and I even talk back sometimes. And then I get in the next day and do it all over again.

And handheld will do for shorter duration trips, like a weekend away, but after that you’re either recharging them or feeding them (expensive) batteries. If you’re looking to purchase rechargeable AA or AAA batteries, you’re then up for an expense of a charger, and maybe even a 12V charger on top of that.

If you’re headed to Cape York from, say, Sydney, you’re looking at 3-4 days to just drive to Cairns, so you’ll be feeding it batteries or looking for a 240V outlet. It may not be worth buying a Handheld and go straight to a cheaper car mounted unit. Someone will hand you a handheld, if you can’t afford both, or you buy a dodgy pack of 4 from your local electronics retailer for AU$50, just for this one trip.

Handheld Radios

For young people in their first four wheel drive, it’s worth getting a handheld to start out with.

You’ll always want a handheld anyway, to help you guide someone through a boghole, or to cheer someone on while you’re standing beside the track, so it’s worth getting the “best” handheld you can buy.

Radio Styles/Power Output

0.5 Watt Handhelds

The 0.5 Watts radios are the cheapest option but you may be disappointed with them.

“Save a penny to spend a pound” immediately when you talk about these radios beyond allowing children to have them. You will see the attraction of not spending much but you will soon get annoyed with their lack of range and talking to or receiving your mates will soon become an exercise in frustration.

However, they are great as kids toys, and I highly encourage parents to buy their kids some radios they can take with them to play. This gives the kids the fun over feeling like the “grown ups” when talking to their friends. In a flat, open campsite, they can reach one or two campsites over adn they can reach our to their little “camp buddies” when they want.

The added advantage is that parents can “let out a little rope”, allowing their children to explore and play independently, but be able to call the kids home for meal times or to go for a drive somewhere. Without yelling the campsite down. This teaches the kids responsibility and that you can trust them.

Parents, keep a handheld tuned to that channel and don’t allow them to change it. A “lock” function can prevent little fingers “accidently” changing away from the pre-determined channel.

It is important to select a channel that no one is using and, if someone starts using that channel, call the kids home and pick another one.

In my view, this teaches kids to not be afraid of the radio, in case the worst happens. And, it has given me a lifelong passion for radio communications. Let’s hope it does in you children as well.

 2/1 Watt Handhelds

I know I said budget matters but here it’s worth spending a little extra and getting at least a 2/1Watt radio. While you can go to electronics stores and buy a $50 pack of 4 radios, these are great for the kiddies or for extremely limited range.

At 2 Watt radio (with a “Low Power” transmit – tx- option of 1 Watt to save power) will allow enough range to leave a enough distance between vehicles that you aren’t choking on the dust of the car in front, but you’re still in touch if you have a blown out or need a Macca’s run on your way home.

Some of these radios still need to be fed AA or AAA batteries, so it pays to shop around for a rechargeable model. Or, at least a model that’s rechargeable and has the option to be backed up by AA (disposable) batteries. Most of the radios in this category will still support Duplex operation but may struggle to broadcast a strong enough signal to benefit from the

If your money can stretch, it is still worth spending some more dollars on a 5/1 Watt (1 watt in power saver mode) handheld. These have impressed me and give about the same range as a car mounted unit. They still aren’t quite the same because of their stubby little antennae, but they are still very, very good.

5/1 Watt Handhelds

The big advantage of the 5/1 Watt radios is that they will last you will own them a long, long time, often are rechargeable, and come with a range of accessories, such as speaker/microphones and car charging capabilities (sometimes via a cigarette lighter or USB adapter).

Performance standards vary from brand to brand, as does the size of their internal batteries, along with the number of included accessories. Shop around and buy what suits you the best.

A thing worth noting: Don’t discount the benefits of both the belt clips and speaker/microphones with the handhelds, and the quality of both. A UHF radio that is clipped to your belt and the speaker/mic clipped to your shirt makes you look goofy, but you can easily adjust the radio to sit nicely while you’re seated in your car, you can feed you seatbelt behind the mic cord.

You will always know where your radio is when you’re getting out of your car (because it never has to move from your belt), and you always have your mic handy. No fumbling (particularly while driving), no hassle, no handheld radio flying around the cabin of your car when things get rough.

And, besides, cup holders are for drinks, not radios.

Fix Mount Radios.

Once you’ve had your handheld for a while you may look to upgrade to an in car unit. You’ve been over that rocky road and it’s bounced out of your cup holder, or you’ve had to fish it out of the centre console and say “Sorry, mate, what did you say again” just one too many times, so it’s time to take the plunge.

For others, you’re just diving straight in top a car-based unit.

You may not do a lot of four wheel driving but want to keep in touch with other road users, like on UHF 40 or 18. You listen while you drive, but you’ve got no need to be in touch while you’re in the cafe (or bakery) getting morning tea on the road.

Or, you’re like me, a power user and want the features that sometimes only come in in-car radio form.

Stepping up to an car mounted radio adds a lot more complexity than just features. Now you’re talking style, mounting options, and features list.

You also have to consider what type of antennae and where to mount it when choosing to use a fixed mount antennae. This is a dark art unto itself and we wont be discussing that in this article. This one will only get you the radio.

Radio Style and Mounting Options

These have become one and the same in modern times because most cars have a moulded, finished dash and a centre console. Gone are the days when you got your mate to weld up a metal bracket so you have somewhere accessible to fit a radio. However, they do have some options that may suit everybody.

Full Din Radio.

Cars are somewhat standard in some respects, believe it or not, where they have a frame for the radio that is a standard size, called DIN. Don’t ask me what it is, but it’s a given measure about the size of an old car radio. Some of the more basic cars, even today, and older four wheel drives (80 series and base-model 100 series Cruisers had single DIN Stereos. Y61 Patrols had ‘double DIN’ – twice the height – stereos, for instance) have a basic stereo and a plastic open tray underneath where you can put things to fall out of.

I’m sure you’ve heard of DIN and Double DIN stereo units. Unless you’re 12.

You can pull the dash apart and unbolt that tray and it would allow you to install a full DIN UHF radio in there.

These radios are generally big, bulky, and take up room that a modern car just doesn’t have. They are still popular with trucks, however.

I chose to spend a lot more money and bought an outstanding quality roof console. I paid a *lot* of money for my roof console, on top of my radio, but I still think it’s worth it. I think my Brutus looks trick and will look better when I’ve relocated all my accessory switches from all over the cabin. I bought my GME TX4500WS DIN sized radio for a trip across the Simpson Desert and was the only radio on the market at that time which had the remote Push-to-Talk (PTT) button that could be (and is, in my case) attached to the steering wheel. We’ll get to that feature again later.

There are now much better options than these radios but I mention them because there will still be a few kicking around on the used market, and will be for sometime.

Slimline Radios

Slimline radios are very similar to the full DIN radios but have a much smaller casing. These are eqasy enough to drop a couple of screws into the centre console alongthe transmission tunnel or find somewhere under the dash, and away you go.

Sometimes you can pull the ashtray out and slot them in there.

Remote Head Units

Remote head units have been popular now for a little while. The main radio is what is called a “tuck away unit” and is approximately DIN width but often slimmer. This part of gets hidden under the dash, under the centre console or behind a kick plate.

All the user gets to see is a small unit with the controls and a display where the microphone plugs into.

All you have the microphone for is the Push-To-Talk button and the microphone itself.

Microphone controlled Radios

‘Plug and Play’ Radios

These are a brilliant idea for people who are in and out of different vehicles they can’t guarantee have installed UHF radios, or for people who have very occasional use of their UHF radio. Or they’re going on a “one off” big trip and it will just be an annoyance in the future.

These radios often come with some form of mount that allows you suction cup teh radio to the windscreen, allowing you to plug the radio into the cigarette lighter socket, and mount the antennae on the roof with the magnetic base.

And that is all the installation that is required. So long as you’ve got power to your cigarette socket, you’re on the air.

More often than not, these are the microphone controlled radios with the “hideaway unit” stuck to your windscreen.