RV FEATURE
UHF RADIO
In my experience , hand-held UHF radios are great for communications in a tag-along tour , keeping in touch with the kids around the van park , etc . But never rely on one for emergency communications – a 2W hand-held radio is unlikely to provide more than a couple of kilometres of line-of-sight communications , and your signal is certainly unlikely to be received on the other side of the horizon , the theoretical limit of your broadcast range .
A dash-mounted UHF radio that offers higher output power than a hand-held , and which is connected to a high-gain antenna mounted outside the tow vehicle , will offer increased broadcast range . But does that mean the radio of anyone who receives your signal has the power or a suitable antenna to transmit back to you ? No .
Repeater stations are established at fixed locations to receive UHF radio signals and re-transmit them to another station , and so on . They have the ability to greatly extend your range . But do you know how to use them and are you within range of one in the first place ?
Further , because UHF signals travel in a straight flat line , a bit like a dinner plate , they are affected by obstructions such as mountain ranges , trees , buildings , etc .
Would I use a UHF radio for shortrange communications with friends , family and for communicating with other motorists . Absolutely . Would I bet my life on one ? No . A more technical solution is needed .
CEL-FI GO
One way to keep in touch is to purchase a Cel-Fi mobile booster . This works by boosting any amount of Telstra 3G or 4G signal from a mobile tower ( one frequency band at a time ) to help you get better data and call connections in remote areas .
For example , if your phone can pick up one bar of signal , the unit will boost that into three or four bars .
Now , it won ’ t pick up a signal where none is actually present , but in fringe areas – say , 30km out of Marble Bar – it will pick up the weakest signal and amplify it around your vehicle .
A satphone is the ultimate solution to remote-area comms .
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