Hi all. Am looking at purchasing a 5w handheld radio for doing traffic management work. Am after a good brand and don’t mind paying for a good one but obviously rather pay less. Does anyone know of any good deals? Appreciate your advice too. Tia.
UHF 5w Handheld Radio
Kanari on 10/08/2021 - 09:56
Comments
You need an Amateur Radio licence for the Baofeng.
Does the OP mean a UHF CB?
GME and Uniden are both good brands, easy found on-line or at Repco, SCA, etc.Not UHF cb but handheld unit.
I was talking about a hand-held UHF CB.
Commercial units need licensing (not cheap) and amateur radios (like the Baofeng) require an amateur radio licence which involves exams.
They are not allowed to be used for commercial purposes, anyway.
CB's cans still be handheld, they're just low powered radio's with a very limited number of frequencies that don't require a licence.
I don't know enough about the laws, but I think you may need something that operates on commercial frequencies and your employer needs to have a commercial licence.
Icom by miles.
This joint has a fantastic reputation for quick delivery and awesome service - > https://www.prestigecom.net.au/uhf-cb-handhelds/icom-uhf-cb-…
I've used them 4 times for handhelds and car fitted UHF's
We use the GME TX6160 series at work and considering the way they get treated, they hold up very well.
I have a few different Baofeng as well (again, as said above, "questionable legality") and there is no way I would give those out as site radios. Sure, they are about 1/2 the price of the GME, but the quality of them is very questionable.
Added to that, the GME works out of the box, the Baofengs (and other similar Chinese brands) will all need to be programmed as their bands are not legal for open CB type use in Australia.
And depending on how far away from each other the controllers are standing, if it's regularly only 50 ~ 500m, to save a few extra dollars, you could go the TX677. It's only a 2 watt radio, but are about 1/2 the price of the TX6160. If the controllers are regularly 500m to 2km away, you will need the 5w radios.
As for deals, Rolan on eBay is part of the 15~17% off sale and they stock GME gear. Or MB Radio has them for 10% off using the TECH10OFF code if you dont mind them in orange or yellow for black for a few coins more.
I second the GME TX6160. Excellent quality and waterproof and dustproof. Best prices are to be found at Ryda.
these seem to pup up every so often when mentioning a handheld https://www.auscb.net/apps/webstore/
I've been tempted to buy a pair but as yet haven't been able to find a good enough reason!also comes with all approvals for use in Australia.
Thanks everyone. I’ll talk to my co workers today about these options. I’ll let you know what I end up with. Appreciate the help 🙏
Beofeng is not legal for Australia in most configuration as can get on emergency channel, as you are using this for work maybe buy Uniden instead if you can afford it.
Why isn't your employer supplying a radio?
Probably standard across the industry I guess. High turnover of people?
Correct. Most Traffic management places require you to have your own radio.
I thought was cheap out at first by local mob, but seems normal practice everywhere.
Uniden are putting out a new handheld with bluetooth soon.
The GME mentioned earlier is a solid radio though.
Have a Uniden UH755 which is nice - splashproof, not waterproof though. Sign up to Autobarn and get 20% off - around $140 for a 5w radio is a good price.
Stear clear of anything non Uniden/GME/Oricom.
I ended up getting GME tx6160 5w with pro kit from Ryda on eBay with after pay 15% discount for $230. Thanks for help everyone.
Baofeng, but requires a bit of setup.
Edit: legality questionable …