UHF Radio recommendations

[reeeen4]

Hi Everyone I'm a complete noob so go easy, I am not tech savy at all, I live on a farm and have been going hunting increasingly often with our kangaroo problem, was hopeing to get a radio so I can keep in contact with my partner when they are up the other end of our farm. We need it to go a potential distance of about 2.5km with lots of tree's and a few hills round. Is something like this? any recommendations?

[Stix]

G'day reeeen4 & welcome...

Im so envious of you living on a farm, that unless you agree to give me a well paid job & let me move onto the property im not going to answer your question...!!!...(ill build my own house... ...i dont want to live with you... ...)...



Ok...seriously...welcome...but, as much as id like to, i cant help you im afraid--i bought portable UHF's a few years back & hardly ever use them, because i cant find anyone i can trust to even wait until they press the bloody button in before talking, let alone trust them with a bloody gun...!!!

I did once read read something on an aussie 4x4 site about what is good bad & indifferent, & how the differences in antenna's make a difference...ill see if i can find it for you--however, unfortunately im like you & not at all tech savvy, so even if ive bookmarked it somewhere, ill have buckleys of finding it...

I rekon there is a bloke on hee that can & hopefully will help you out with some great info...just need him to see the post & have time to reply...

So, what are you shooting with--rifle/cartridge etc...?
Tell us a bit...

Cheers...

[bladeracer]

Hi Everyone I'm a complete noob so go easy, I am not tech savy at all, I live on a farm and have been going hunting increasingly often with our kangaroo problem, was hopeing to get a radio so I can keep in contact with my partner when they are up the other end of our farm. We need it to go a potential distance of about 2.5km with lots of tree's and a few hills round. Is something like this? any recommendations?

I'm a total radio noob as well, but I did some research a few years ago and went with a pair of AusCB units.
https://www.auscb.net/
I got long-range antennas and throat mic/ear pieces and have no complaints at all.
https://www.auscb.net/apps/webstore/products/show/5626448
https://www.auscb.net/apps/webstore/products/show/6086725

Batteries are still strong more than four years on - living on the chargers full-time doesn't seem to do them any harm at all.

I really can't comment on range as it's very hilly and foresty around here. I'll try to remember to see if I can test their range tomorrow but the longest we need them to operate on the farm is 2000m max, 1500m would be long for us. We have a unit in the ute as well which would have longer range.

We have got a few roo packs but they're not enough trouble to be shooting them yet.

[on_one_wheel]

Just make sure you don't get anything under 5 watts if you want distance.

I'm running 5 watt GME handhelds.

[TassieTiger]

Does it have to be hand held or can it be vehicle installed?
The vehicle install with correct antenna will see you good for about 8klms.
5w power is legal max you can use/buy in oz - so many hand held manufacturers limit their output to 3 or 4w to give better run time - where you will be guaranteed max power on a vehicle radio.

The correct antenna is imperative - a low gain antenna works best in hilly areas and high gain in open flat country - or you can get a full wave, medium gain to try and get best of both worlds. Again - a vehicle can utilise a full wave antenna where a hand held can only be quarter wave - further limiting transmit/receive range.

Icom, GME, TAIT, Uniden, Motorola are all decent brands.

[Am88]

I use an Icom IC-41PRO, it's 5 watt and fully waterproof, I mainly bought this one for 4wding as it's waterproof in case it gets dropped during water crossing like it did in the Pascoe River earlier this year, haven't done a long range test but I'm going to suggest that for that sought of distance you're going to need a vehicle mount, and in that case I run a GME TX3520.

[8x57]

Does it have to be hand held or can it be vehicle installed?
The vehicle install with correct antenna will see you good for about 8klms.
5w power is legal max you can use/buy in oz - so many hand held manufacturers limit their output to 3 or 4w to give better run time - where you will be guaranteed max power on a vehicle radio.

The correct antenna is imperative - a low gain antenna works best in hilly areas and high gain in open flat country - or you can get a full wave, medium gain to try and get best of both worlds. Again - a vehicle can utilise a full wave antenna where a hand held can only be quarter wave - further limiting transmit/receive range.

Icom, GME, TAIT, Uniden, Motorola are all decent brands.

Some very good advice above, If I was you I would get a vehicle mounted and a hand held that way all situations are covered.

[bladeracer]

I use an Icom IC-41PRO, it's 5 watt and fully waterproof, I mainly bought this one for 4wding as it's waterproof in case it gets dropped during water crossing like it did in the Pascoe River earlier this year, haven't done a long range test but I'm going to suggest that for that sought of distance you're going to need a vehicle mount, and in that case I run a GME TX3520.

Vehicle radios don't work for us as we avoid driving in the paddocks.
https://youtu.be/JidpLyHL9yQ

[Tiger650]

Baofeng UV5R are cheap but work just fine, batteries, antennae etc are also cheap but work well.
They are VHF/UHF but be careful what frequencies you select CB frequencies are fine but these radios can transmit / receive on licenced amateur and restricted commercial channels.
That said, if you are out the back of Nyngan or wherever I doubt you would annoy anyone.

[reeeen4]

Thanks for the replies, yeah it does need to be hand held, we are mostly on foot or on dirtbikes. Most of our farm is too wet in winter so we're incapable of driving the ute to most parts of it unless we want to make a mess or our machinery and paddocks, most of the kangaroo's are afraid of the car too so they just run away and we don't have the time to sit around and wait for them to come back. Also we try to not drive heavy vehicles in the paddocks because of compaction.

At last head count we had 480 kangas on our 270acre property so they are a huge problem for us, our heard of cattle use to be close to 100 now we're down to 40 because of the competition for feed.

The correct antenna is imperative - a low gain antenna works best in hilly areas and high gain in open flat country - or you can get a full wave, medium gain to try and get best of both worlds. Again - a vehicle can utilise a full wave antenna where a hand held can only be quarter wave - further limiting transmit/receive range.

Icom, GME, TAIT, Uniden, Motorola are all decent brands.

How can I tell if a antenna is a low gain or high gain by looking at the specs?

G'day reeeen4 & welcome...

Im so envious of you living on a farm, that unless you agree to give me a well paid job & let me move onto the property im not going to answer your question...!!!...(ill build my own house... ...i dont want to live with you... ...)...

....

So, what are you shooting with--rifle/cartridge etc...?
Tell us a bit...

Thanks Stix, we are very fortuante, we use to be from the city and have moved to the country and loving it.
We have both rifles and shotguns, we mostly use the 243 for the kangas but we have a 303 too if there are 2 of us out but otherwise we use that for deer mostly and a few other smaller ones for foxes and rabbits.