Business Radio

Hi Dane

What distance are we talking here? a good UHF with a good aerial will only get you around 30km in a straight line if you are in a hilly area then it will be around 5-10km if that. BUT if you have a repeater in the area you could get up to 300km range but can be a pain because of high traffic. Have a look here for a full list of repeaters Site Link

Have you considered PTT (Push To Talk) on the CDMA or GSM network
We recently had a similar situation and PTT on CDMA was the satisfactory answer for reliability, portability, safety and cheapest solution if there is good coverage in the area.

To my way of thinking, the only sure way is a Satelite Phone.

Looks like pretty hilly country and about 30km as the crow flies (or the radio waves travel).

From my experience with our VHF in the vic high country most of the time its almost pointless and our guys when mobile are trying to get out to VHF repeaters not base to base. For example a crew going in through Sheepyard to Bluff Hut for a retrieval will struggle much of the way, once they leave the the Mansfield Buller Rd to get back to us even though there are repeaters on Mt Buller, Mt Glenrowan & Mt Terrible.

The SMR network is of more use but you won't have acess to gov't equipment from the sound of it.

Try a couple of secondhand Codans with SelCall (8528 or 9323) and look into a frequency license around the 3.5 to 4 Mhz range. This would do what you want, with the added bonus that you then have a radio that you can use on the VKS737 4wd Radio Network when you are travelling.

It may sound a little out of left field but the distance definately won't be a problem and the setup cost should be cheaper than shelling out for commercial gear and repeaters, and the running costs are less than satphones which are $2.00 per minute for calls.

I wouldn't go down the VHF track until I knew someone who was successfully doing what you want to do and you knew what frequencies they were using.

Dave

It's a business requirement - so it's writable-offable. Satellite Phone using a GSM SIM will do the job and fulfill the contract - I can't remember the details but Telstra or others on this forum will tell you.

Then again... one could have all sorts of fun playing with the term "effective communication" - carrier pigeon? Smoke signals? Australia Post? I just love messing with pompous authority on these issues - as if you didn't know :)

Mike Harding

The pic is an elevation profile from Yerranderie to Thirlmere. It's pretty obvious it will not be possible to cover this path without the help of repeaters. If communciations are required on a very casual basis perhaps the satphone option will be ok without being too expensive for call charges otherwise a local radio business may be able to set you up with radios and repeater access.

click pic for large image

Thanks to everyone who has replied. It has helped me heaps and i really appreciate it. The communication between the base and the vehicle will have to be made at 2 hour incriments if not more frequently. I think this would mean that satellite would be far to expensive. Does anyone know any sydney based companies that run repeaters and hire out frequecies to business's? or what companies would you suggest for purchasing equipment?

Thanks Again
Dane Coulter

If he is contracted to the SCA and NPWS why can he not use the SCA (VHF) service and/or the NPWS vhf or uhf system. I know the SCA VHF in that area goes all the way to Katoomba, incl. the Fire towers near Tahmoor, Appin etc. and all of the Burragorang Valley to Yerranderie. If he is in fact contracted, the relevant authorities have a duty of care to him.
If you have any probs.- I could set up a VHF repeater for him at Nattai and that would get coverage he's after.