UHF radio for caravanners

By: Brendan Batty

Getting your caravan ready for its maiden voyage will require lots of incidental finishing touches and equipment to suit your travels. One such accessory well worth considering is a vehicle-mounted UHF radio.

For caravaners, the addition of a UHF two-way radio makes a lot of sense. In fact, many would consider them to be an essential piece of kit. They serve not just as a communications accessory but also as a valuable safety tool and an extra set of eyes when you have a big caravan in tow.

The benefits of having UHF when caravanning

Caravanners have to contend with a large, wind-resistant towing object that makes handling and overtaking other vehicles more challenging and potentially more dangerous, especially in strong winds. At the same time, visibility behind the van is more obscured by their shape and profile. Having the capacity to communicate with a large vehicle or truck that is in front or with a vehicle that is coming up from behind, can be very reassuring.

In severe weather conditions such as heavy rain, bushfire, smoke or where there are hazards on the road itself, the ability to be alerted by other radio users further ahead of you, can help keep you safe. It may even be to warn of an emergency that enables greater stopping time or avoiding a dangerous stretch of the road altogether.

Drivers can also use it to warn someone ahead of them of a roof rack load coming loose, a flapping tarpaulin or a wheel bearing that’s failing and starting to smoke, which may otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Choosing a UHF radio

These days UHF radio units for road users are pretty simple. Traditional 40 channel units are now being phased out in favour of new expanded 80 channel radios. Much more compact and straight forward than ever before, present day UHFs can be unobtrusive and virtually unseen, especially if you purchase a model where most of the functions are contained on the actual handset.

It allows for the compact electronic base unit to be mounted under the dash, in the glove compartment or somewhere out of the way. The long serving, simpler base with controls on the fascia and with basic microphone-only handsets are still an option if that’s preferred.

Generally, there is not a wide selection of brands, particularly if looking for reliability and quality. GME, Uniden, iCom and Omicrom in various models are the most familiar and readily available, through a range of vehicle accessory and outdoors and camping outlets. GME are the only Australian-made unit and they remain popular due their robust design and quality componentry.

Comparing the different types and their relative cost will show that there are cheaper alternatives retailing for less than three hundred dollars (without aerial and installation) but predictably, the cheapest units are far from the best.

The best all round option or value comes in the form of UHF combination packs that include the unit, handset, antenna and all fittings, in the one package. GME’s XRS 370 for example, (a high standard, 5 watt, UHF unit) can be sourced for around $650 to $700 as a combination pack. Included is an excellent five-year warranty.

Many caravanners also consider the benefits of a pair of handheld UHF units which have added versatility when hiking or away from camp. As a substitute for in-car fixed mount UHF they have drawbacks however in terms of range and the need for battery recharging. A better option is to go with an effective direct mount UHF and buy a cheap set of handhelds as a compliment, to serve a specific need.

Choosing your antenna

As any serious radio installer will tell you, a UHF radio is only as good as its antenna. The type and location of antenna therefore deserves consideration for your intended use. The choice is certainly less critical for simple blacktop caravan touring.

Ultimately, the final decision should focus on what will provide good range with effective, practical, placement on the vehicle exterior. The best choice would suit your highway caravan touring well but also provide a broader option for the occasional off-road or isolated inland trek when the van is not coming with you.

Heavy duty, short Radome fibreglass style antenna are becoming increasingly popular but caravanners are opting for an antenna twin pack with a short, compact bar-mounted unit that may be less than 60 centimetres long and then swapping it for a higher gain, interchangeable longer whip, that screws into the base in its place. Higher gain antenna, up to 6 or 8 dBi, (the unit of measure) work best over broad, flat countryside.

Installation and set up

A fixed mount or in-car USB radio installation is not difficult. It does require some prior thought and planning in regard to where the components will be located, before starting the job. Good quality units always include installation instructions to follow.

Firstly, connect the power cable to the vehicle’s battery power, including a fuse and then after through the firewall or kick panel into the underside of the dash.

Depending on where the base unit will be housed, the antenna cable will need to follow, but avoid mounting your unit or handset too close to electronic brake controllers to eliminate the interference that can sometimes result.

The antenna cable also needs to be located carefully. Avoid running it too closely to electrical looms or where there is a lot of wiring as this can affect its performance. Excess, long lengths of cable should not be coiled tightly and tucked somewhere either as this can also diminish antenna operation.

The handset needs to be within connection length from the base unit but also within convenient reach for the driver and in a spot that will not get in the way of any driver controls or leg space.

It is legal to operate a UHF handset while driving but it needs to be fixed to some form of slide or magnetic bracket to ensure it does not move around. One of the advantages of the newer handsets that carry the UHF function buttons is that they are less distracting, sitting within easy sight or easily adjustable in the hand.

How to use UHF correctly and most effectively

First time caravanners may find the 80 channels on the UHF band a little confusing or daunting to begin with but that quickly changes with the realisation that the vast majority will rarely be used.

Once the unit has been tested and shown to be transmitting and receiving properly, it’s time to put it to use. A good starting point when out on the highway is to select and monitor Channel 40, the highway safety channel that is accepted Australia-wide. It’s also the accepted channel used universally by truck drivers. It is not the channel to have long social chats on, however. Do that and one of those truckies will give you some firm, free advice.

Use Channel 11 as an initial call channel and then select or move to a general use channel to continue conversing. Alternatively, when approaching or passing other caravanners use Channel 18, the caravan and caravan convoy chat channel. Many caravans will have large CH 18 letters stuck on the rear of the van to remind other road users that they’re listening on that channel. Never use Channel 5 or 35. These two duplex channels are reserved for emergency use only. Fines apply for their misuse.

General radio etiquette is about speaking appropriately. Bear in mind that this is not a private communication line and anyone could be listening in on the channel being used.

Do not use offensive language and do not clutter up the airwaves with long, purposeless chats, especially on the shared calling channels. Always indicate when the communication is finished with “Clear” or “Over” informing the other party that the conversation has closed.

When using the microphone, simply press and speak across the front of the handset rather than directly into it. The transmission will be clearer.

Avoid speaking at the same time as depressing the call button or releasing the call button before you have finished speaking. Delaying for a second ensures that what is said (or heard at the other end) is not cut off. And remember that only one radio transmission will be heard at any one time so wait until the channel is clear before entering a conversation.

Making effective use of UHF radio when towing a big van is without doubt reassuring and valuable in so many ways. The combined length of your vehicle and caravan makes overtaking more treacherous so any additional view or foresight about what’s coming increases the safety margin. This is where engaging with truck drivers and their advice on when to go or what’s ahead is one of the biggest pluses for a UHF unit onboard.

Remember that 100 km/h is the maximum towing speed and always drive to the conditions. Strong gusty crosswinds pose potential danger for big caravans. The rules state that when following another caravan or similar vehicle, there needs to be a minimum of 60 metres distance between, unless of course you are overtaking.