UHF aerials

[Wilko76]

Hi All

Silly question. why do 4x4's have more than 1 aerial on them? I see them driving along with two or three on the bullbar. Are they all UHF?

[blkmav]

Typically UHF, AM and GSM/CDMA Mobile

AM is dead though

[Chucky]

I have UHF and AM.

AM is only good thou when I am with someone else who has it.
As bugger all other people us it now we pretty much have the channels to ourselves.
Handy when up in LCMP and places where you keep getting other people dropping in on the channel swearing and stuff. Not good when you have kids in the car.

On AM the only idiots we have to listen to are ourselves.

[Ezookiel]

UHF, HF, AM, and CDMA, and in my case, I also have a rubber aerial for the standard music style am/fm radio because the telescopic metal ones that come standard with the vehicle usually gets ripped off on the bushes and shrubbery out bush. Mine did on just my second trip bush.
Now I have a flexible rubber one mounted on the left corner of the bullbar.

And the reason we have so many aerials?

When you are a long way from civilisation, you want every means of communication you can get, added to your vehicle, to maximise the chances of finding help if you need it.

Well that's why I have them anyway..

[gqroo]

What about the friggas utes, I see them with up to 7 aerials on them cant tell me half them are'nt for wank value......no offense jack n jills

[blkmav]

When you are a long way from civilisation, you want every means of communication you can get, added to your vehicle, to maximise the chances of finding help if you need it.

Well that's why I have them anyway..

HF is dead for 4wding, Sat phones are the go, try teaching the missus how to use a HF radio.

[Ezookiel]

What about the friggas utes, I see them with up to 7 aerials on them cant tell me half them are'nt for wank value......no offense jack n jills

All of them are for wank value.
My female boss was B&S ute mad and would spend massive amounts just getting airbrushings onto the bonnet etc. but all her aerials (and her spotlights as well for that matter) were all wank value. Not one of them was actually connected to anything.

[evil_hitman]

same as most others. I have 2 UHF antennas, one high-gain and one low gain (suitable for different terrain connected to different radios) an AM CB with SSB, GSM Car phone, Magellan GPS antenna (which i just got) will most likely go up on the bar. HF antenna will be on the rear wheel carrier. Should have this in the next few months, and finally i will have another antenna for amatuer radio 2mt band (when i get of a ar$e and get my license)

By same token i know ppl who put masses of lights and aerials on their 4x4's and utes for pure wank value. not even wired up.

Cheers
Matt

[Ezookiel]

When you are a long way from civilisation, you want every means of communication you can get..

HF is dead for 4wding, Sat phones are the go, try teaching the missus how to use a HF radio.

Try knowing the phone number of every homestead, emergency service, local police station, or whatever, in the area you're travelling in. Next to impossible.
Yes I'd have a sat phone, but I'd try the HF radio first, much more likely to get someone within helpful range on your HF than by ringing someone whose number you just happened to have on your mobile.
I can really see ringing the mother in law or your boss getting you rapid response. Even calling the ubiquitous 000 or 012 would mean your needs would be forwarded back and forth to various places trying to get you your help, when the nearest homestead might be the quickest help by a huge margin.

[V8 Middy]

On the bull bar I have 1 that looks like AM CB but is actually hi gain AM/FM, 1 for UHF CB then 1 dual band VHF/UHF amateur. As soon as funds allow, I'll have a self tuning HF on the back as well (Amateur, not CB)

Yeah, 3 on the bullbar looks excessive but they work well there and if I mount them any higher, I couldn't park in the garage at home

[Mark2]

When you are a long way from civilisation, you want every means of communication you can get..

HF is dead for 4wding, Sat phones are the go, try teaching the missus how to use a HF radio.

Try knowing the phone number of every homestead, emergency service, local police station, or whatever, in the area you're travelling in. Next to impossible.
Yes I'd have a sat phone, but I'd try the HF radio first, much more likely to get someone within helpful range on your HF than by ringing someone whose number you just happened to have on your mobile.
I can really see ringing the mother in law or your boss getting you rapid response. Even calling the ubiquitous 000 or 012 would mean your needs would be forwarded back and forth to various places trying to get you your help, when the nearest homestead might be the quickest help by a huge margin.

Not knocking HF but up this way, not many 'homesteads' use HF. Most have a UHF basestation in the house and mobile UHF in the vehicles and machinery. Even more further out west, most people I know use UHF/satphone. Helps to know which repeater channel is in local use, also can be easily found by keying the Mic on Ch's 1-8 and listening for a TX from the repeater if one's around. In any case, a GPS and a satphone will get help to you if you really need it. Our Dept dropped its HF network years ago and went to satphone.

[Ezookiel]

OK fair enough. I stand corrected. I'm not out that way very often.

I'd still carry both the satphone and the HF (and an EPIRB) for the same reason I carry paper map and compass along with my GPS. If something goes wrong with one, way out there I'd sure want some alternative as a backup.