HF or Sat

[Rod and Mavis]

Greetings all.

I would like to steer some comment our way on the virtues or otherwise of HF over Sat communications for we grey nomads.

Any worthwhile comments and experiences would be appreciated.

I/We are currently leaning towards HF.

Comments please :confused:

Regards and happy travels to all.

Mavis and Rod.

[Brian and Lis]

Rod/Mavis, Lis and I have just been down this road also, with the help from Kimbo we have purchased and joined the HF Radio Club. this will allow us to contact Base stations at set times (skeds)and report in our location,how long we intent being there. If we request our position is flagged and updated on contact. it also allows us to contact other members(565 current) by selcall(own personal number). the best feature is this radio will enable us to direct dial to home/kids(big ones) cost of $1 connection plus $0.50 per minute with 6 minute limit. the added bonus will be the social side of the club .

hope this helps in some way. will await reply's from Tony, Rick, Neil, Roger and Kimbo

[RickA]

G`Day Rod & Mavis

Having been subtly bullied (lol) :laugh: into replying we also had HF radio fitted in Cairns when we were last there.

It is a Codan NGT .We are also members of the HF club and yes it is a very social club and we agree with Brian & Lis on all their comments.

Cheers Rick & Lea :thumbsup:

[TonyH]

G'Day,

HF or Sat phone this is a very popular topic on on many websites.

Yes I do have a Codan NGT fitted to our vehicle, touch wood I havent had to use it to rally help or assistance (yet). But I will participate in the daily 'skeds'.... these are scheduled communication times (am & pm) between the radio base station & any participating members. At this time you can call in give your location & intended destination for the day, this journey can be monitored by the base station, giving you an extra feeling of security in your travels.

In the time we have had our HF radio we have made some very good friends across the airwaves & have stayed & meet up with others during our travels.

There are members of the HF Radio Club that monitor their radios 24/7....so that in the unlikely event, you need assistance or need to get a message out there is a good chance some one will be there to talk to you.

But do keep in mind that you are relying on good radio transmission conditions, the weather & topographical conditions can greatly effect your radio operation.

During our recent stay in the 'Top End' reception on the HF radio club frequencies is very limited....being so close to our Asian neighbours you are more than likely to pick up anything other than what you are looking for.....south of Katherine everything works OK.

If you are in a truely remote area you can listen to the outside world through Radio Australia & the BBC with your HF radio. Contact can also be made with the RFDS with your HF radio.

The ability to be able to make phone calls through the HF is a great tool, something that we have subscribed to but as of yet not used....but remember that this feature as with general radio operation is dependant on good operating conditions. (remember that it will be a 'party line' & anybody on that freqency will be able to hear your conversation).

Participating in the regular 'skeds' is encouraged as it hones your skills in the use of the radio.

Wendy is reluctant to call in during skeds....think it might be a girl thing.....but with saying that there are many ladies who call in who are very proficent & entertaining in their on air 'verse'.

We also have a Sat Phone (Iridium) sitting in the consol of the truck. This has been used only on one or two ocassions...booking or checking accommodation for that night or making personal calls when the mobile is out of range.

If you go walking away from the vehicle the sat phone, goes in your pocket or backpack for that little bit of extra security.

I purchased the sat phone 2nd hand on eBay for $1200, I'm hoping to be able to sell it for a similar amount again on eBay when we are finished with it.

To use the sat phone is as easy as using a mobile phone.

My mobile is with Telstra & IS NOT a prepaid & has international roaming switched on.....all I do is take the sim card out of my mobile, put it in the sat phone & your in business....so easy!

Which is better HF or Sat Phone???

Both are great & both have their advantages & disadvantages, by having both I feel we covering all the bases that we are likely to encounter.

I hope I have answered your questions & given you something to go on with......

CU down the road

[Rod and Mavis]

Greeting all.

I thank you all very much for the invaluable input.

We will let you all know when we have jumped in. Probably with a selcall attached to the notification :thumbsup:

Pretty sound advice thanks Tony and Wendy to have the back up of sat.

As we are pretty tied to Brisbane for the foreseeable future (short trips 1 month max), the HF will be the go initially so as to get used to the operating protocols and catch up with you all.

Thanks again guy's.

[Kimbo]

I didnt reply purposefully because I'm sure you know my thoughts re the HF and sat phone debate

\

[TonyH]

Hi Rod & Mavis

Click on the link below (from Exploroz)...giving you more to think about :smile:

http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/76087/...t.aspx%3fpn%3d1

CU down the road

[Rod and Mavis]

Thanks Tony

[Tolley]

Hello,

I know this is a February topic and might be a bit stale.

I opted for the sat phone and purchased one last week. It cost me new $1150.00 as the Federal Govt subsidised it by $700. Our subsidy was given on the basis that we work in remote areas. However, a friend of mine also gained a govt subsidy of $700 on the basis of there senior age and that they travel in remote areas on a regular basis.

In our business we are big Telstra users. By big I mean how many $ we spend with them. I intended to take a Telstra satphone plan amalgated into our business account. The advoce from my close Telstra advisor was to take the Pivotel option due to the fact that they do not demand a fixed term contract and that they are price competitive.

Also, the satpnone reseller with whom I did the business told me to apply for the sabsidy "as I havn't seen one knocked back as yet".

Regards

[Rod and Mavis]

Greetings Colin & Gayleen.

Thanks for your info on the Sat phone.

Since generating this discussion we/I have decided on the HF radio as our choice for traveling coms.

Of course we did pay a considerable amount more than your purchase with no hope of a rebate (bugg.r) :confused:

Our reason for choosing the HF over the Sat were many.

The fact that we have made new friends and new potential for gatherings with the HF Radio Club was a plus.

Also that we could make phone calls and send SMS's using the radio for very little cost (after the initial purchase of course).

Being able to communicate our position and intended travels with the HF base was also a security bonus.

The ability to have family contact us in emergencies through the bases is also comforting. Anyone in the network can relay messages to us if required.

The radio also has a feature that we can transmit our position to base using the GPS program installed. Secondly the GPS function can be used by family and friends to project our travels onto Google Earth if we desire.

All in all we are happy with our choice as we are sure you are happy with your choice, it really is an individual thing that is dependant on requirements.

P.S say hi to the pups :biggrin:

[Bob and Annie]

Hi Rod

Have just put in a HF radio yesterday and would like to know what HF club members prefer?

Look forward to talking to you all.

13 days to go and on the road for ?????????????

Best to all :thumbsup:

Bob & Annie M

[Rod and Mavis]

Greetings Bob & Annie

I joined the HF Radio Club Inc. Have a look at the web site it is very helpful.

http://www.hfradioclub.com.au/

Their are a few Kedroners in this club,how many,I could not tell you but I did pick a few from the supplied selcall list and rogues gallery pictures also supplied when you join.

We actually purchased our radio from the club,so it was preloaded with their frequencies.

Denise Ryan was my contact (Secretary/Webmaster) ph 0417267660. A very helpful Lady.

Kimbo is a member and might be able to better answer you if I have missed anything,being that I am a complete newby to the HF scene.

Hope this helps :thumbsup:

[Tolley]

Hello Rod & Mavis,

Moet and Cherie say g'day as well!

Being an old tank soldier and former army radio instructor I am both familiar with and an admirer of HF radio. My purpose in adding yesterdays comments about sat phones was just to highlight the govt subsidy. Until I enquired about purchasing the phone I was unaware that such a subsidy existed. I just thought some of our KOGer friends might like to know.

Sat phones certainly do not has a social aspect. HF radio clubs and their members do a fantastic job of monitoring the airwaves. If we were permanently on the road I would do the "bib and braces" thing and have both HF and sat phone.

By the way, just to make you jealous, the HF radio I was last associated with years ago in the army was the ANGRC106 which had 600 watts of antennae power through a 12 foot whip antennae mounted on top of the armoured vehicle. You could just about fry an egg whenever you transmitted!

We had an exciting trip back to Cairns from Brisbane in mid February. We tried to go west and got caught up in the floods. We did about 30 flooded crossings and at one stage a 650 km detour to get around the water. Bit of fun really. Called into Burdekin Falls. Very impressive. The water over the top of the dam wall was 180 cm deep!

We are headed from Cairns to the Tip ETD Cairns 5 June. Watching the road conditions closely. Coen is still cut off. Should be OK by early June.

Regards to you both.

Colin Gayllen Moet & Cherie

[Rod and Mavis]

Greetings again Colin Gayleen Moet & Cherie.

Wow the AN/GRC-106 sounds like the go hahaha.

Good to hear that you all are enjoying your travels and using the Kedron to best advantage.

Keep safe guy's and enjoy the trip north and yes we are green with envy,but I guess our time will come :thumbsup:

[RickA]

Hi All

Just had TIC fitted to HF by very friendly and knowledgable chap in Albany WA. Merv is his name ,he does some of the skeds out of Albany Base.Now we can make phonecalls from just about anywhere in OZ.We joined the HF club on a reccomendation from Kimbo and have found them a very sociable and friendly bunch .They often have gatherings around Aus. in different places. We have been to one gathering over here and it was great fun and very helpful to those of us who are still learning. :confused1:

Cheers

Rick & Lea :thumbsup:

[Rod and Mavis]

Hi to all from us.

I/Rod can not wait for our first HF gathering,(will be Kilcoy QLD 11th-14th June).

I have so many questions that need answering and need some time face to face with someone that knows the ropes. :biggrin:

The TIC is a great addition Lea & Rick I am sure it will come in handy.

[Bob and Annie]

Hi All

Thankx Rod and Mavis

Its a good start. I am in the same boat some one on one would be soooo helpfull

But am having fun playing.

Should be setup by the end of the week.If this happens could I give some one a call ?

Thanks again Rod

Bob & Annie M

[Rod and Mavis]

Hi Bob & Annie

Give us a selcall 4014

Send us an Email when you are ready.

We are flat strap at the moment but can stand by for ya if you let us know :thumbsup:

[sid fish]

HF is certainly a great thing to have, especially if you like "playing" with that sort of thing.

But if you are comparing ti with sat phone for purely safety and emergency purposes, then I would (and have) opted for sat phone, because:

- cheaper capital outlay

- less gear in and out of the car

and most importantly of all:

- if you roll the 4WD, you'll snap your HF antenna, just when you need it most. As long as I'm still alive, I'll just pull the sat phone out of the secure centre console and dial '000'. This last point alone was enough to steer me in the sat phone direction.

Cheers

Sid

[ATV42]

Hi Sid.

I agree with your reasoning for buying a sat phone. We purchased one in April, and it is a good safety device and it's reassuring you can contact anyone anywhere and they can contact you. If we call its costs us $2/ minute. but if someone calls us, they pay their normal charge for a call to a mobile phone. One night in the Bungle Bungles we text one of our family and they called us for a good old chat; same same when we were overnighting out at the horizontal falls in the Kimberley recently.

We find that another advantage is you can put it in your backpack when walking, or take it out with you in the tinnie; you can't do that with a HF!!!!!!!!!

I have bonded an external antenna (about 2inch round), to the top of the snorgle on the landcruiser and another to the top surface of the 4 seasions hatch, we have had reception where ever we have been. Currently in a secret place along the Dampier Peninsula.

Cheers

Peter

(ATV42)