What Radio do you use

[Lightspeed]

Hi Big Paul,

I've been travelling extensifvely for nearly a month and have not been keeping an eye on the forum.

Just noticed your question. As a result of discussions about possible advantages of CB radio as a survival comms tool, I recently putchased an Albrect AE 485s transceiver which covers bothe CB and Ham 10m frequencies. This is technically sold as a Ham radio but it handles exactly like an SSB capable CB. This makes operation fairly simple as a lot of funcionality that Hams like to play with is pre set. The radio has just 5 knobs and 6 buttons. Tuning is channelised ( from CB routes) and output power is fully adjustable from 0.1w to 25w which is a very useful power saving / covert operating capability.

Anmother thing that suprised me is that when i opened up the case I found that the radio is buily of old fashioned through-hole components rather than modern SMD miniaturised components. This means that if the radio should fail,provided components are available, it can be fixed in a fairly low tech workshop.

Yesterday I took it up in the hills near my home and was picking up a lot of activity on SSB CB frequencies from 400 to 800 miles range. Transmissions on 10m, where I am licensed to operate, gave me good contacts across Europe at about the same range.

Thers are a number of radios that are similar to the Albrect, made by Ranger, Intek, Midland, Galaxy and Any Tone. Albrect also make an interesting hand held unit that is SSB capable. Prices new range from around GBP 150.00 None of these are legal to operate in the UK without a license.... for the time being....... but EU legislation has recently changed allowing opeation of CB on SSB at up to 12w. ( enough for intercontinental comms when conditions are right) BUT of course our dear government is being a little slow in implementing the new laws, so for now, to use these radios legally, you'll have to travel to France, Germany, Poland etc.

As I've mentioned before radios operating SSB on the CB and 10m frequencies ( 27Mhz to 29Mhz) will give good long distance communication capability during daylight hours at the moment because sun spot activity is high. The long range capability will become less and less impressive and spradic in its nature over the coming 5 years or so, after which conditions will gradually improve again. Even without the intercontnental capability, these radios cover a fairly wide frequency range and will allow you to tune into pretty much all current CB channel sets and transmission types ( the Albrect supports FM, AM and SSB modes). In SSB mode maximum lign of sight communications should be fairly reliable, with summer time spradic skip capability of many hundress of miles even in years of poor sunspot activity.

I am satisfied with my purchase. It will never be my primary radio, but it is a robust keeper unit that is now resident at the bottom of my EMP cage, just in case:-)

---

Hiya,

the morse is the repater's automatic identification GB3AW, I guess

If you're picking this up you may be able to also hear the Farnham repeater GB3FN, this has a very active commuter discussion group who chat on their way to an dfrom work each day.

Also, if you can pick up Newbury, you may not be too far from Walbury hill? Try going up there one evening or over the weekend and scanning from 145.00 to 146.00. You'll be able to hear activity across the whole of the southeast region. Watch out for Amateurs though, its a favourite transmitting location. Usually car based from the main car park, but sometinmes with portable gear near the summit. As long as you are only listening, they won't bother you. Indeed it might be interesting to engage them in conversation to see what results they are getting with their gear. I've found the car park at Combe Gibbet to be fairly quiest adn I've never encountered anothe radio station ther even though I know others to be operating close by...

Well mine arrived yesterday. Just bought one for now to see how I get on and what I can pick up. Had a play last night, and I appear to only be able to pick up local taxi stations at the moment. My local repeater is off the air (don't know why though).

Managed to access the Newbury repeater, but apart from someone transmitting morse code there's not much happening

I was expecting the airwaves to be a but busier!
[/quote]

[00111001]

(25 June 2012, 14:15)Lightspeed Wrote: Hiya,

the morse is the repater's automatic identification GB3AW, I guess

If you're picking this up you may be able to also hear the Farnham repeater GB3FN, this has a very active commuter discussion group who chat on their way to an dfrom work each day.

Also, if you can pick up Newbury, you may not be too far from Walbury hill? Try going up there one evening or over the weekend and scanning from 145.00 to 146.00. You'll be able to hear activity across the whole of the southeast region. Watch out for Amateurs though, its a favourite transmitting location. Usually car based from the main car park, but sometinmes with portable gear near the summit. As long as you are only listening, they won't bother you. Indeed it might be interesting to engage them in conversation to see what results they are getting with their gear. I've found the car park at Combe Gibbet to be fairly quiest adn I've never encountered anothe radio station ther even though I know others to be operating close by...

I don't know where Walbury Hill is? I work in central Newbury, so no probs hitting that repeater. There seems to be more going on recently. I can pick up on QSOs around Southampton, but they're not using the repeaters, just simplex transmissions.

I'll try and hit the Farnham repeater on the way home, I go down the A34 so not too far away. That Albrecht looks cool. May invest in one of those for the truck!

[Lightspeed]

The GB3AW repeater is 10 to 12Km from Newbury, and can easily be accesses with a 1/2w transmitter, so that goes to show what PMR radios can achieve as well.

The Hill i mentioned is Southwest of Newbury. I think there is a route across country from the A34 Highclere turning.

Unfortunately the Farnham repeater only covers a couple of points on your route along the A 34. Best chance of picking it up will be with an external antenna... even the micro mag mounts improve significantly on a handheld antenn operated within a steel vehicle.
Put GB3FN into a search engine and you should be able to find its coverage map.

Glad you were able to make sense of what I wrote about the Albrect transceiver.... I was having brain to finger coordination problems ysterday I think!!!

[bigpaul]

a number of years ago i had an ordinary radio that could pick up the Police frequency, but since that went digital i havent heard of any radio that would do the same.

[00111001]

(26 June 2012, 15:20)bigpaul Wrote: a number of years ago i had an ordinary radio that could pick up the Police frequency, but since that went digital i havent heard of any radio that would do the same.

I used to have an old scanner when I was 14. Could pick up the old bill, local RAF bases etc. But also mobile phones (901mhz an up if I remember correctly?)

My uncle had a brilliant home based scanner. He was quite often the first person on the scene for any accidents that happened locally (we used to get a lot round our way) - so much so that the old bill warned him that they knew exactly what he was up to, and should stay away!

Now it's all gone digital and encrypted you've got no chance of listening in to the old bill. I found a supplier of the tetra (i think that's what it's called, only stumbled across it accidentally) radio systems that the police use. They're restrictively expensive, and you can't rock up an get one, they have to be sent to an official police address, and have a proper purchase order. Would be easy enough to fake, but is it worth the effort to listen in? Probably be easier to pinch one straight from the car. Although I presume that there's a way to locate any missing radios...

[bigpaul]

yes, thats what i thought, we've got a Tetra mast on the hill the other side of the town, i think TPTB were going to put Tetra masts all the way down the Tarka railway line from Barnstaple to Exeter..i expect they've already done it.

[00111001]

I should probably add that I'm not advocating the pinching of anything from police cars, in case it came across that way.

One of the idiots I went to school with got banged up for stealing from a police car. Stupid retard smashed the window, grabbed the first thing he saw an did a runner (all whilst on tag) - muppet took a black duffel bag - which contained loads and loads of .... empty evidence bags. Oh, and a black light wand thing.

---

(27 June 2012, 11:45)00111001 Wrote: I should probably add that I'm not advocating the pinching of anything from police cars anywhere / anyone, in case it came across that way.

One of the idiots I went to school with got banged up for stealing from a police car. Stupid retard smashed the window, grabbed the first thing he saw an did a runner (all whilst on tag) - muppet took a black duffel bag - which contained loads and loads of .... empty evidence bags. Oh, and a black light wand thing.

[bigpaul]

(27 June 2012, 11:45)00111001 Wrote: I should probably add that I'm not advocating the pinching of anything from police cars, in case it came across that way.

One of the idiots I went to school with got banged up for stealing from a police car. Stupid retard smashed the window, grabbed the first thing he saw an did a runner (all whilst on tag) - muppet took a black duffel bag - which contained loads and loads of .... empty evidence bags. Oh, and a black light wand thing.

---

(27 June 2012, 11:45)00111001 Wrote: I should probably add that I'm not advocating the pinching of anything from police cars anywhere / anyone, in case it came across that way.

One of the idiots I went to school with got banged up for stealing from a police car. Stupid retard smashed the window, grabbed the first thing he saw an did a runner (all whilst on tag) - muppet took a black duffel bag - which contained loads and loads of .... empty evidence bags. Oh, and a black light wand thing.

i think that goes without saying, they might have one of these BAIT cars all wired up waiting for someone to break in!! no thanks, i'll stay away from Police in general and police cars in particular....low profile for me...or as low as HAGRID can do!!

[00111001]

(27 June 2012, 11:51)bigpaul Wrote: i think that goes without saying, they might have one of these BAIT cars all wired up waiting for someone to break in!! no thanks, i'll stay away from Police in general and police cars in particular....low profile for me...or as low as HAGRID can do!!

Hahaha, have you seen those reality TV shows where the police have one of those cars? They're hilarious. The ones in the states are brilliant. Thief gets in, has a bit of a rummage around. The doors lock, the alarm goes off, then the police arrive to release and arrest the dimwitted suspect.

Really they should make them explode. Much more interesting...

[Sixpotter]

Any idea whether this would be a suitable item to get in?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BaoFeng-UV-5R-...27c85522cf