Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hi all,

Want to buy an HF radio setup for our outback trip.. Pretty pricy for new gear.. Got a few questions:

1) Barrett / Codan or other brand?? Pros/cons??
2) Brand new or second hand??
3) Are manual tune antennas hard to use or should you really pay for auto??

ANy advice on this would be great, I really have no idea about this topic!!

Thanks,

Paul

pauluow wrote:Hi all,

Want to buy an HF radio setup for our outback trip.. Pretty pricy for new gear.. Got a few questions:

1) Barrett / Codan or other brand?? Pros/cons??
2) Brand new or second hand??
3) Are manual tune antennas hard to use or should you really pay for auto??

ANy advice on this would be great, I really have no idea about this topic!!

Thanks,

Paul

1) NFI. Australia are amongst world leaders in this market. I don't know that either has a specific advantage over the other.

2) New offers warranty, older has occasional benefits - for instance, Codan used to make a remote head unit similar to the GME TX3400 UHF - the bulk of the electronics can be mounted remote from the control unit. Codan no longer offer this in a new unit. I don't know if Barret do, or ever have.
3) State of the art in HF radios uses a technology called ALE (Auto Link Establishment - I was devastated to learn it had nothing to do with Coopers Ale. ) This allows the radio to test a number of different frequencies to find the best frequency to use for the desired call. If you have a manual tune antenna, it's difficult to use use this facility. If you understand the limitations of a manual tune ("multi tap")antenna this is a convenience issue, and not a huge limitation.

If you're serious about purchasing an HF radio for outback travel there are better forums than OL to ask your questions. I don't know which forums are best, but I'd start with Exploroz and go from there.

Cheers,

Scott

can anyone say icom, kenwood or yaesu?

Icom IC-706 MkII


TX from the AM Broadcast band through to UHF CB, with a couple of gaps in between...

I have used a couple of Codans in the past. a 7727 with multi tap antenna, the taps were to suit the frequency I wanted to transmit on. All I had to do was plug the wander cable in the hole that matched the channel. I also had a long wire tuner, but that is a bit more technical. I still have a 8525 remote head with an auto tune in the shed. Once you have used an auto tune you wont want a manual again. I keep a long wire tuner for back up. The auto tune antennas can stuff up at times especially if an emu head buts it at a 100k.
I also have an old Tracker Scout with manual antenna. They were made by Max Rose. The last I knew of Max He was in Brisbane, The Tracker Scouts were built like a brick outhouse, as were the 7727 Codan.
A mate had a Barrett 250 and then a 500 with auto tune and he reckoned they were great. The 250 was a pain when the internal battery died about every 2 years as the data was lost and had to be reentered again with the new battery.

I have a Kenwood TS50s with an auto antenna tuner under the front seat. Illegal to use on commercial frequencies but I hate general chat on the radio and it is there for emergencies only. Ham radios are more difficult to use than commercial radios though, especially in an emergency. If I was you I would look at a late Codan/Barret with auto tune antenna (as these have much better resale afterwards). The auto tune antenna is easy to use. I have tapped antennas and they are fine but to change frequencies you need to get out and change taps. In an emergency it is much easier for a novice radio user just to be able to transmit without any mucking around with taps etc.

Ahhhh for the days when i got to play with the Raven/Racal HF/VHF units with 100w linear amps and auto tune antennas. had some fun with those. shame Siemens don't offer a civilian equivalent.