Hunting Radios

[petemacsydney]

Hi all, great forum! Some really interesting and useful reads!

I'm looking for a set of hunting radio's (set of 2).

I buy a lot of electronics for my other hobby (FPV/Drone flying) from China.... before you say it... all the elecs for my other hobby are made in china, including motors, gps autopilot, servos, transmitters (control and video), etc etc. its the same quality for far less than half the price... so its worth it... trust me, i'I've spent a bucket load and i can fly long range on my china gear (15km plus) with no issues.

BUT.... i just don't know enough about walkie talkie radio's, so keen for your thoughts on these listed radios..

http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-Walki ... -2575.html

feel free to bag Chinese made, but i'm looking for factual bags, not just the usual.. "don't buy it from china mate, you gotta buy Amex or Euro!..."

Anyone got any knowledge they can share with me? what should i be looking for in terms of frequency band, battery, antenna, etc etc

thanks all and happy shooting & hunting!! (and fpv/drone flying - if u r into that sorta thing!)

[Member-Deleted]

Anything that's up near the 5w mark. I've got a set of gme,s that are half the thickness of a packet of smokes. Light & easy to use.

[petemacsydney]

Anything that's up near the 5w mark. I've got a set of gme,s that are half the thickness of a packet of smokes. Light & easy to use.

thx mate, appreciate the advice. what are the appropriate frequencies to use?

[Member-Deleted]

Stay off 40 at all costs unless traveling & you want to know where certain people are. 10 is normaly the country channel, but try to pick one with no-one on it. There are a few repeater channels but I can't remember what they are. I think 38,6 & a few others. At work we use 29 from the m2 in Sydney right up the coast of nsw/qld. From the m7 south we use 40 right down to Mexico. (Truckie)

[Guliver]

These radios can not be used legally in Australia unless you hold an Amateur radio operates certificate,

UHF CB Requires all radios to be type approved, these are not. Is your radio approved? http://www.fdpradios.com.au/?page_id=1038

Not knocking them, they work fine.

[Member-Deleted]

What a heap of s**t! Isn't the government getting any of cut through the sale? $13000 fine for using a radio, what a joke. That's greatest waste of internet space I've ever seen.

[Guliver]

What a heap of s**t! Isn't the government getting any of cut through the sale? $13000 fine for using a radio, what a joke. That's greatest waste of internet space I've ever seen.

Just making you aware of an existing law. Don't shoot the messenger. The reason CB radios are type approved is to stop people without the necessary knowledge from interfering with existing services, these radios are capable of interfering with emergency services amongst others. There are extremely good reasons why the should not be handled by an unskilled operator. It is definitely not BS.

[petemacsydney]

OK thx for the legal heads up. Although I agree its probably ridiculous, the last thing I want to do is something illegal, so I'll do some more research.

Shame though, the legal ones r probably made in the same factory..

[Guliver]

OK thx for the legal heads up. Although I agree its probably ridiculous, the last thing I want to do is something illegal, so I'll do some more research.

Shame though, the legal ones r probably made in the same factory..

These radios are probably fine when used by a responsible adult, but the rules have to be made to cover all of the population. You can imagine a twelve year old saying to his mate, "I just found a clear frequency" as he dials up the local air ambulance frequency.

[on_one_wheel]

GME TX6200, is a good hand held radio, I wouldn't bother with anything below 5 watts RF output.

As far as antenna selection, that will depend on what terain you are working on, in flat country you want a higher db gain antenna, and a lower db gain in the hills.



Your local CB shop should be able to help out with antenna selection, The TX6200 has a range of antenna options.

[Spooner]

What's the problem with the 'non-approved' radios?

You can transfer on channels you're not suppose to be able to, is that it?

[Guliver]

What's the problem with the 'non-approved' radios?

You can transfer on channels you're not suppose to be able to, is that it?

Yes that is one of the reasons they cannot be type approved.

[Warrigul]

OK thx for the legal heads up. Although I agree its probably ridiculous, the last thing I want to do is something illegal, so I'll do some more research.

Shame though, the legal ones r probably made in the same factory..

Who would ever know?

Would you lose any sleep if you programmed it properly to only be on the UHF channels?

[Guliver]

OK thx for the legal heads up. Although I agree its probably ridiculous, the last thing I want to do is something illegal, so I'll do some more research.

Shame though, the legal ones r probably made in the same factory..

Who would ever know?

Would you lose any sleep if you programmed it properly to only be on the UHF channels?

Used responsibly, no. I hold the necessary qualifications to allow me to use this type of radio on two existing HAM bands but it is just as illegal for me to use them on CB, I'm not recommending you use them but like most things, don't draw attention to your self and stick to the allocated CB channels.

You'll find more posts by people more interest in using these as CBs rather than the legalities here http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/?a ... &q=BAOFENG

[jeebo]

Just out of curiosity (not interested in getting one) but would any of these get captured by customs?

I wonder if the guys there are that up on this stuff that they would know/recognise a radio that's not "approved".

Hmm...

[Guliver]

Just out of curiosity (not interested in getting one) but would any of these get captured by customs?

I wonder if the guys there are that up on this stuff that they would know/recognise a radio that's not "approved".

Hmm...

NO GUARANTEES but I don't think customs is confiscating them at the moment.

http://www.fdpradios.com.au/?page_id=1038
Question:
- How can I tell if my radio is approved for use in Australia?

Answer
– Look at the back of the radio or under the battery compartment to see if it’s got a C tick mark. The user manual &/or box it came with will normally also shows the approval mark & number. This is usually followed by the supplier’s registration number – Example N3215


Question
– My radio hasn’t got a C tick, surely I can use it on the UHF CB frequencies?

Answer
– NO unless it’s got a C tick it can only be used on the amateur radio frequencies with the appropriate license

Question
– I have a non C ticked radio what should I do?

Answer
– First option is to get rid of it ASAP or sell it to a licensed radio amateur. The other option is to obtain an amateur radio license yourself; it’s a great hobby & it is now fairly easy to get what’s called a foundation license. There are local radio clubs in Maryborough & Hervey Bay who would help you obtain a license. Please look at: http://www.wia.org.au for further details & list of local radio clubs.

Question
– My radio is not C ticked, what frequencies can I use it on?

Answer
– You can only transmit on the amateur bands (with a license) that’s between 144 & 148 MHz or 430 & 450 MHz. The radio has to locked to these frequencies & cannot be capable of transmitting outside these frequencies.


Question
– What are my options if I want a fully approved C tick radio to use on frequencies that I, my company or organization (i.e. SES) have

Answer
– There are a wide range of radio’s available from companies such as Motorola & Icom, however these can be expensive (anything up to $600 and more).

However a local Hervey Bay company now sells a SES/Land Mobile compatible, fully type approved, handheld called the FDP EMS for only $174 retail (Good discounts for SES members – appropriate conditions and training apply).

Please see http://www.baycom.com.au for further details.

Therefore please be warned that owning &/or using these non-approved types of radio’s can result in severe penalties by the ACMA.

[Bourt]

$13,000 fine for one

Holy crap...

[Warrigul]

$13,000 fine for one

Holy crap...

I think if you read it properly it reads as it is supplying one(section 160 of the act) that is subject to the, up to, $13,000 fine. There is no mention of the personal use fine for sections 157 or 158.

[Bourt]

Ah, well that's a bit better then.

[Warrigul]

Ah, well that's a bit better then.

I have no idea what the fine is for possession or use, you would have to chase it down.

[Guliver]

Ah, well that's a bit better then.

I have no idea what the fine is for possession or use, you would have to chase it down.

I'm not too sure on the rules now, but in the old days 30years ago or more it was OK to posses but not to maintain and operate, there was a lot of army surplus radios around, some may remember Snowy at HAM Radio Disposals.

[headspace]

Standard UHF radios have only 40 channels. Channels 1 to8 are for repeater use only and should not be used unless the radio is set to duplex for those channels. Most of the cheaper UHF handhelds have a very limited range, and as UHF is line of sight only, then use of a repeater channel could be handy. You need to know what your range requirements will be but should find the 5watt models OK. From memory the cheaper ones only go to 1-2 watts. You would probably be unable to purchase a radio that had prohibited channels on it in any case. In the case of unlicensed radios Channel 5 on Duplex is often monitored by emergency groups.

[on_one_wheel]

Standard UHF radios have only 80 channels now ! I think too many people got tyred of the old cb joke " QSY your vintage..... oh thats right, it only goes up to 40 ! "

[headspace]

Standard UHF radios have only 80 channels now ! I think too many people got tyred of the old cb joke " QSY your vintage..... oh thats right, it only goes up to 40 ! "

80 channels! When did that happen?

[on_one_wheel]

Standard UHF radios have only 80 channels now ! I think too many people got tyred of the old cb joke " QSY your vintage..... oh thats right, it only goes up to 40 ! "

80 channels! When did that happen?

Not that long ago, I'm not sure if they have expanded the number of repeaters yet but the 80 ch is well used now in Australia.