what radio to get?

[tuff lux]

i have a cb in my truck its but time for a upgrade as doesn't work for wood hill etc and krakly... for winch challenges and say wood hill do they use prs? can any one recommend any?

[Crash bandicoot]

most of us use prs. i have a TX3100 80 channel 5w in dash radio mine is the aussie version with the 1200mm whip aerial. couple run unidens etc.

[tuff lux]

so something like this http://www.trademe.co.nz/electronics-ph ... 562605.htm

[Crash bandicoot]

yeah but you should get them cheaper then that, and with the aerial included, normal retail should be around 299.

[callum007]

Give Alan @ Navcom a call and tell him to sharpen his pencil. Id be surprised if he was advertising them at more than retail??

[tuff lux]

one question is uhf the same as prs?? sorry radio networks are not my strong point

[keithal]

one question is uhf the same as prs?? sorry radio networks are not my strong point

yes

Give Alan @ Navcom a call and tell him to sharpen his pencil. Id be surprised if he was advertising them at more than retail??

gotta cover the trade me fees somehow I guess

[tuff lux]

cheers for the info

[stu_71]

one question is uhf the same as prs?? sorry radio networks are not my strong point

Yes. They used to be 40 channel, now the newer radios have 80 channels.

Different to vhf which is the marine radio frequency.

(Just to complicate things further you can now buy radios that are dual band i.e. have both in one unit )

These are common and super small which helps with fitting:

link here

I have seen these on TM with a pair of handhelds to go with it.

[Gyxx]

The last Repco mailer had a pretty good price on an Oricom UHF rig -$129 if I remember correctly. Didn't include an antenna but and I'm not sure if the promo's still on. About the best price I've seen though.

[catalystracing]

one question is uhf the same as prs?? sorry radio networks are not my strong point

Different to vhf which is the marine radio frequency.

VHF is used in marine work, but not exclusively. VHF/UHF and HF are used in a lot of applications, commercial, amateur radio and marine.
The ones most 4wd people use is the old AM (CB), or the PRS. Most these days will use the PRS, then think about a base set or handhelds.
Im lucky enough to have both PRS options. Good for when someone outside the truck can guide you through a tricky bit or give winching info.
A 40 channel unit should be heaps, cant imagine may situations where you want more, tho a lot of radios are 80 these days.

Terminology : HF=High frequency, VHF Very high frequency, UHF=Ultra high frequency, AM=Amplitude modulation, FM=Frequency modulation, PRS=Personal radio service. CB=Citizens band.

The older AM sets will have better distance capabilities, while the PRS is more limited and affected by bush etc, more a line of site comms, but still works well in most circumstances.
Ill be looking at one of the dual band sets mentioned previously, we have some older club members on CB, and us younguns on PRS.
Cheers

[nzlux]

I have had a dual band unit before (CB and PRS) it could only be on one channel at a time, even scanning between the two channels you miss a CB message while on a PRS one. It would be nice to have a unit that did tow channels at once, or two units if you want to monitor / broadcast on CB and PRS at the same time.

[stu_71]

one question is uhf the same as prs?? sorry radio networks are not my strong point

Different to vhf which is the marine radio frequency.

VHF is used in marine work, but not exclusively.

I understand what you are saying but I think for the benefit of the OP in this case that we can assume that VHF is the "marine channel" and not what he is after.

[Gyxx]

Some groups such as the Wellington CCVC use VHF frequencies (not in the marine band) but these frequencies are licenced and not available for use by the general public. In practice this means the VHF radios used by such groups are only of use during club events. Some groups still use good old AM or SSB citizen band radios which can have advantages in terms of range but don't have the clarity of VHF or UHF which use FM modulation (plus a lot of truckies still use AM CB which is handy for traffic updates if you're cruising the highway). For most people and clubs UHF PRS is the best bet as they're clear, reliable and both vehicle and handheld sets can be bought relatively cheaply.