Radio, Satellite, and Adventure Communications

FrankieJ said:

I have been using the HEMA app on an iPad mounted to the windscreen for off-road navigation with offline maps in Oz since 2015.
I like that 5min vector that’s shown when you’re moving and the fact it keeps the tracks.

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DaveB said:

My car has 11 airbags, I have so far not used any of them. What a stupid waste of money and resources.
Until I need them.
Not so stupid now huh!
Hope for the best but prepare for the worst

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• Mobile phone, presently an iPhone SE2 with a Telstra SIM. For international readers, Telstra, for better or worse, has the best mobile coverage in Australia away from the major population centres. $300/year prepaid plan.
• Convoy and local comms. A UHF CB in the vehicle and a 2w handset for local wandering.
• A PLB for real life threatening emergencies.
• Satellite phone. A basic Thuraya XT-Lite sat phone on a $16.50/month casual plan through Pivotel, an Australian provider.
  • Thuraya have Australia wide coverage and the phone can be purchased online for $900-$1000.
  • Pivotel offer you the huge advantage of a standard Australia mobile number so anyone can call you at little or no charge.
  • They don’t charge for incoming calls and outgoing call/SMS costs are reasonable ($1/min and 50 cents/SMS). You can also suspend the service between trips at a reduced rate of $7.50 per month, without losing your number.
  • The disadvantage of Thuraya system is you need to have a clear view of the sky to the NW and point the antenna in that direction. In SE Australia the satellite will be lower to the horizon, which may make reception difficult in hilly areas. Also, if you are an international traveler, they don’t cover the Americas or southern Africa.
  • The XT-Lite handset is very basic, much like the mobiles of old, so back to pecking texts on a keypad and no apps! It does have a GPS though and you can text your location in an emergency.
  • I recommend, if your budget permits, buying:
    • An external vehicle antenna. This will improve your reception, particularly if you aren’t facing in the right direction.
    • A standard wired mic/earphone headset with a 3.5mm 4 pole plug, which will allow more comfortable usage.

Rok_Dr said:

This thread has been an enjoyable read , particularly hearing how radios are used in other countries and the differing legislative requirements and regulations that people operate them under.

I’ve spent over 40 years working in the remote areas of Australia, Africa and Asia Pacific. How one has communicated, particularly in an emergency, has changed markedly with the advent of mobile phones and satellites. Thankfully it's no longer HF radios and poor atmospherics with Morse code pushing of the emergency RFDS button to relay that all was OK.

Currently I use the following devices when I travel, which these days is within Australia.

• Mobile phone, presently an iPhone SE2 with a Telstra SIM. For international readers, Telstra, for better or worse, has the best mobile coverage in Australia away from the major population centres. $300/year prepaid plan.
• Convoy and local comms. A UHF CB in the vehicle and a 2w handset for local wandering.
• A PLB for real life threatening emergencies.
• Satellite phone. A basic Thuraya XT-Lite sat phone on a $16.50/month casual plan through Pivotel, an Australian provider.
  • Thuraya have Australia wide coverage and the phone can be purchased online for $900-$1000.
  • Pivotel offer you the huge advantage of a standard Australia mobile number so anyone can call you at little or no charge.
  • They don’t charge for incoming calls and outgoing call/SMS costs are reasonable ($1/min and 50 cents/SMS). You can also suspend the service between trips at a reduced rate of $7.50 per month, without losing your number.
  • The disadvantage of Thuraya system is you need to have a clear view of the sky to the NW and point the antenna in that direction. In SE Australia the satellite will be lower to the horizon, which may make reception difficult in hilly areas. Also, if you are an international traveler, they don’t cover the Americas or southern Africa.
  • The XT-Lite handset is very basic, much like the mobiles of old, so back to pecking texts on a keypad and no apps! It does have a GPS though and you can text your location in an emergency.
  • I recommend, if your budget permits, buying:
    • An external vehicle antenna. This will improve your reception, particularly if you aren’t facing in the right direction.
    • A standard wired mic/earphone headset with a 3.5mm 4 pole plug, which will allow more comfortable usage.

I did look at the Spot, Zoleo and Garmin inReach emergency SMS systems, but given the hardware and ongoing subscription plan costs, I decided that the Satphone and PLB together offered a better overall functionality.

I haven’t considered internet away from the mobile network yet, but am watching Starlink with interest as they recently extended coverage to the whole of Australia. Need to see it in action first.

Cheers
Steve

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Rok_Dr said:

This thread has been an enjoyable read , particularly hearing how radios are used in other countries and the differing legislative requirements and regulations that people operate them under.

I’ve spent over 40 years working in the remote areas of Australia, Africa and Asia Pacific. How one has communicated, particularly in an emergency, has changed markedly with the advent of mobile phones and satellites. Thankfully it's no longer HF radios and poor atmospherics with Morse code pushing of the emergency RFDS button to relay that all was OK.

Currently I use the following devices when I travel, which these days is within Australia.

• Mobile phone, presently an iPhone SE2 with a Telstra SIM. For international readers, Telstra, for better or worse, has the best mobile coverage in Australia away from the major population centres. $300/year prepaid plan.
• Convoy and local comms. A UHF CB in the vehicle and a 2w handset for local wandering.
• A PLB for real life threatening emergencies.
• Satellite phone. A basic Thuraya XT-Lite sat phone on a $16.50/month casual plan through Pivotel, an Australian provider.
  • Thuraya have Australia wide coverage and the phone can be purchased online for $900-$1000.
  • Pivotel offer you the huge advantage of a standard Australia mobile number so anyone can call you at little or no charge.
  • They don’t charge for incoming calls and outgoing call/SMS costs are reasonable ($1/min and 50 cents/SMS). You can also suspend the service between trips at a reduced rate of $7.50 per month, without losing your number.
  • The disadvantage of Thuraya system is you need to have a clear view of the sky to the NW and point the antenna in that direction. In SE Australia the satellite will be lower to the horizon, which may make reception difficult in hilly areas. Also, if you are an international traveler, they don’t cover the Americas or southern Africa.
  • The XT-Lite handset is very basic, much like the mobiles of old, so back to pecking texts on a keypad and no apps! It does have a GPS though and you can text your location in an emergency.
  • I recommend, if your budget permits, buying:
    • An external vehicle antenna. This will improve your reception, particularly if you aren’t facing in the right direction.
    • A standard wired mic/earphone headset with a 3.5mm 4 pole plug, which will allow more comfortable usage.

I did look at the Spot, Zoleo and Garmin inReach emergency SMS systems, but given the hardware and ongoing subscription plan costs, I decided that the Satphone and PLB together offered a better overall functionality.

I haven’t considered internet away from the mobile network yet, but am watching Starlink with interest as they recently extended coverage to the whole of Australia. Need to see it in action first.

Cheers
Steve

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ChasingOurTrunks said:

In the USA, it used to be that you needed a license for GMRS but it wasn't a test, just a "pay the FCC and go", and I'm not sure if they still enforce that. I don't think we've ever needed licensing for GMRS in Canada, but I also think we are limited to 2 watts on GMRS…

Still, a 50 watt GMRS handheld unit would solve my vehicle to spotter and vehicle to vehicle comms challenges.

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Burki said:

My emergency concept (e.g. for North Africa) in my Trialmaster looks like this:
1) Dual SIM cards for different networks (e.g. for Morocco: Maroc Telecom and Orange Maroc)
2) SW transceiver for international amateur radio emergency frequencies 14.3, 18.16 and 21.36 mc -> KENWOOD TS-480 connected directly to the Aux battery and matched to a mobile 7m vertical antenna
3) Handheld air band transceiver, powered independently from the Trialmaster 12 Volt battery by 10x AA Mignon batteries -> ICOM IC-A22E, set on 121.5 mc
4) Satellite phone IRIDIUM 9575 Extreme

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Tomdoc said:

Today I began the much anticipated installation of my radio gear. I am currently installing:

HF - Icom IC7000
U/VHF - Yaesu FTM400
Antennas - Tarheel II with Target tuner automatic tuning for 80 - 6m and a Diamond SG7900 for 2/70

Mounting up front on a Lido L-max mount which holds all the control heads.

Both radios have detachable front control heads which allows me to install the bodies of the radios behind the seats on the front face of the battery box. I have the 2-seater version. Having removed the cargo barrier I will use the existing bolt holes to hold a custom metal plate onto which I will attach the brackets for the radios (thus avoid drilling the new car and annoying my wife!).

I have installed a Rig Runner 12V distribution box from the auxiliary battery using Anderson plugs for all power cables.

I have already run one coax cable through the existing DTP grommet alongside the wiring, into the roof then behind the B pillar to exit just behind the driver's seat - very neat!

Will get some pictures soon (it just started chucking down with rain and has gone dark).

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Burki said:

I also mounted the TS480 frame behind the front seats in the center console on the bracket supplied by Kenwood without having to drill holes (my wife is also happy).
I originally wanted to install a 400 watt power amp for the TS480, I put that on hold for now.
Therefore, an RG58 coaxial cable is sufficient for the antenna (mounted on the front cross bar on the roof), which I wanted to run through the upper front (or rear) left power outlet with the Deutsch connector. I hope that works. At the moment I am leading the coax cable through the rear window into the interior of the car for testing the Diamond antenna. Btw, where do you connect the antenna ground to the car chassis as radial?
Tomdoc, maybe you can send me a photo of how you put the coax cable inside?

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