Alf Posted August 22, 2016 Report Share Posted August 22, 2016 I checked the manual that the GME's come with and the settings are as per their recommendation. What settings are those? The reason i ask is because they mention setting it to "LO" to double the talk time, but effectively this is changing it from 5W to 1W which greatly reduces your transmission distance. List all the things you see on the LCD screen (or take a photo), and when you go to the menu, what setting have you got SQ set to? Try the following (at least for testing, then you can turn them back on if needed): Page 6 of the manual shows the LCD symbols: Ensure (7) HI is on and (9) LO is off. Ensure (13) is off Ensure (2) and (11) are off Ensure (8) and (15) are off Then go to page 14 which describes squelch in the menu, and change SQ to 1 (what's it set to currently?). 1 will pickup the weakest signal hence give you the furthest range, 5 will need the strongest signal to be audible, so lower number is better (but there's a tradeoff, picking up a lot of background noise at long distance vs not hearing the transmission at all). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozrider81 Posted February 15, 2017 Report Share Posted February 15, 2017 putting few dollars aside for my new handheld and cb for the car http://www.prestigecom.net.au/uniden-uh5045-24-12-volt-din-mount-size-uhf-cb-mobile http://www.prestigecom.net.au/uniden-uh950s-80-channel-commercial-quality-handheld am I on the right track, proper handheld is priority Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samburstalker Posted February 15, 2017 Report Share Posted February 15, 2017 18 minutes ago, ozrider81 said: putting few dollars aside for my new handheld and cb for the car http://www.prestigecom.net.au/uniden-uh5045-24-12-volt-din-mount-size-uhf-cb-mobile http://www.prestigecom.net.au/uniden-uh950s-80-channel-commercial-quality-handheld am I on the right track, proper handheld is priority Get a "icom 400" if you can find one for you 4b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman_DJ Posted February 16, 2017 Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 + 1 for the Icom 400 Pro. Again they are up their in the price range, but they are worth the money. It's actually a commercial radio that's dumbed down to be a "CB". So it has 128 channels programable (with programming cable and dealers software, which I have for both the 400Pro and the 41), it's power selectable up to 25w (max legal is 5w for CB use, but in an emergency you won't get into trouble). It's default CB channels won't permit over 5w, but you can program normal channels on the CB freqs with the 25w option (just make sure you don't use it unless in an emergency). It has scan functions, stop scan on mic pick up (as long as you ground the mic holder), has options to connect relays to operate your car horn, dim its lights with your headlights or turn on with ignition (if powered directly from the battery rather then through the ignition circuit) etc. Both the 41 and 400 Pro can have basic and rolling encryption modules installed if you ever feel the need. You can program stun and kill modes into both radios so if someone steals it and is still in range of another radio you can send a selcal tone over the radio and it'll be disabled (I've never bothered). That selcal can also "call" your radio which if connected to your car horn will sound the horn. Could be useful for finding your car in the bush. A lot of radios can transmit selcal tones (selective calling), check with your radios manual. Ultimately, most radios on the market will transmit just as good as one another. The antenna makes a big difference on how it performs. 0db gain antennas transmit equally in all directions and are the "best" if in supper hilly country where you are 500m directly underneath one person and 500m horizontally from another, (distances are just examples). High gain antennas like 7db push the signal further out horizontally, but you lose the signal vertically. Meaning from hill top to hill top your'll have great distance (eg, 100km) but you might not be able to talk to the guy 500m directly down the hill from you unless you park your car on a steep angle (effectively pointing the antenna at him). Those numbers were plucked from my ..... and are extreme values, but it does help you understand the difference. Most people pick a 3.5db antenna for the hilly bush and that works ok, or you could run two antennas through an antenna selector. Just flip the switch to choose which antenna you require. One other thing I just noticed. In theory, if you have a 2w radio and your mate has a 5w, you should always be able to hear him first as the wattage doesn't effect your receiving capability. Antenna size does. Likewise if you have a low gain antenna and your mate has a high gain, you will hear him first as his transmission is being pushed out further then yours. (the gain doesn't really affect its receive capabilities). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niteowl Posted February 17, 2017 Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 7 hours ago, Fireman_DJ said: + 1 for the Icom 400 Pro. Again they are up their in the price range, but they are worth the money. It's actually a commercial radio that's dumbed down to be a "CB". So it has 128 channels programable (with programming cable and dealers software, which I have for both the 400Pro and the 41), it's power selectable up to 25w (max legal is 5w for CB use, but in an emergency you won't get into trouble). It's default CB channels won't permit over 5w, but you can program normal channels on the CB freqs with the 25w option (just make sure you don't use it unless in an emergency). It has scan functions, stop scan on mic pick up (as long as you ground the mic holder), has options to connect relays to operate your car horn, dim its lights with your headlights or turn on with ignition (if powered directly from the battery rather then through the ignition circuit) etc. Both the 41 and 400 Pro can have basic and rolling encryption modules installed if you ever feel the need. You can program stun and kill modes into both radios so if someone steals it and is still in range of another radio you can send a selcal tone over the radio and it'll be disabled (I've never bothered). That selcal can also "call" your radio which if connected to your car horn will sound the horn. Could be useful for finding your car in the bush. A lot of radios can transmit selcal tones (selective calling), check with your radios manual. Ultimately, most radios on the market will transmit just as good as one another. The antenna makes a big difference on how it performs. 0db gain antennas transmit equally in all directions and are the "best" if in supper hilly country where you are 500m directly underneath one person and 500m horizontally from another, (distances are just examples). High gain antennas like 7db push the signal further out horizontally, but you lose the signal vertically. Meaning from hill top to hill top your'll have great distance (eg, 100km) but you might not be able to talk to the guy 500m directly down the hill from you unless you park your car on a steep angle (effectively pointing the antenna at him). Those numbers were plucked from my ..... and are extreme values, but it does help you understand the difference. Most people pick a 3.5db antenna for the hilly bush and that works ok, or you could run two antennas through an antenna selector. Just flip the switch to choose which antenna you require. One other thing I just noticed. In theory, if you have a 2w radio and your mate has a 5w, you should always be able to hear him first as the wattage doesn't effect your receiving capability. Antenna size does. Likewise if you have a low gain antenna and your mate has a high gain, you will hear him first as his transmission is being pushed out further then yours. (the gain doesn't really affect its receive capabilities). Being a communication tech and having a radio comms business for nearly 40 years I can guarantee the antenna gain is reciprocal. ie works both ways. I would not run UHF through an antenna change over switch as you will lose approx 3 db of power (one half) I do agree that ICOM is the flagship of radios though. Primarily with handhelds, mobiles you have a wide choice. PS. Your description on the antenna performance is otherwise spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireman_DJ Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 Personally I've not noticed any receive issues regarding high gain. Not doubting your knowledge or experience, just I have a very undersized antenna spring on a 7.5db which normally sits at a good 45 degree angle when at hwy speeds (but has never been broken in the bush) and I can receive ok with it at that angle, but have trouble transmitting. I'm due to upgrade the radios in my car soon. Want a HF with auto tuner and a remote controlled fold down mechanism so I can drop the antennas flat along my bonnet when needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozrider81 Posted April 6, 2017 Report Share Posted April 6, 2017 These arrived in post today, should do trick just need antenna's which I can pick up in a bit. A proper handheld which was priorityReady for the gatta[emoji3] just gotta learn to use themSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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