Have read a lot of good info on our site, and having realised the benefits of this equipment on the 30th aniv' run thought I would request any receent recommendations.
VHF (fixed) and antenai.
GPS. Not sure if I can live with an Ipad, as it might remind me of work too much, and maybe get in the way.
Sources?
Regards, Eric.
VHF & GPS
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mepham55
- Spanner Man
- Posts: 835
- Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 8:38 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC, Canada
Re: VHF & GPS
Hi Eric,
I came home after the trip and ordered a vhf handheld. I went on eBay and bid and won a baofeng 82L for $37. David had a baofeng and the reception was more than adequate for what we were doing.
I ended up winning 2 radios on eBay so I was going to donate the other radio to founders day as a raffle item so maybe you can "win" this radio in February!
Now I have to look into getting my amateur radio license, some new (expensive) vhf radios can now send text messages, emails, and report your GPS location(aprs).
Matt
I came home after the trip and ordered a vhf handheld. I went on eBay and bid and won a baofeng 82L for $37. David had a baofeng and the reception was more than adequate for what we were doing.
I ended up winning 2 radios on eBay so I was going to donate the other radio to founders day as a raffle item so maybe you can "win" this radio in February!
Now I have to look into getting my amateur radio license, some new (expensive) vhf radios can now send text messages, emails, and report your GPS location(aprs).
Matt
Last edited by mepham55 on Mon Sep 15, 2014 10:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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ANDYD
- Defender of the World
- Posts: 3075
- Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2004 10:45 pm
- Location: Sunny Steveston BC
Re: VHF & GPS
Hi Eric,
Matt is right, during convoying a good hand held normally does the job. Although you can hear the difference when someone has a hand held and the range is limited. Other issues it needs to be charged regularly and can end up falling on the floor during rough terrain. 1 bonus with a hand held is you can walk around with it outside the car and don't have to leave it in the car which can attract break ins.
If you want some thing more powerful and permanent, the unit that most of us have is the Icom2300
http://www.roverlanders.bc.ca/roverforu ... f=6&t=6244
Cost at Burnaby radio is about $250 plus $100 for the antenna set up. You can normally get around 10km range even in the mountains and valleys. Much, much more out in open terrain.
For GPS I have a built in Kenwood car radio/ CD player with built in GPS that has a 8" touch screen display, this has a SD card slot that can take the "Back road map books" digital maps. The Kenwood unit is available from Best Buy / Future shop etc ... and is less than you would think. The BC Back Road Map SD card is between $100 and $150 depending where u get, but I have found it amazing for tracking the LR progress through any terrain in any area. Plus it matches the paper copy Back road map books so you can use them both together in combo ....
Cheers,
Andy
Matt is right, during convoying a good hand held normally does the job. Although you can hear the difference when someone has a hand held and the range is limited. Other issues it needs to be charged regularly and can end up falling on the floor during rough terrain. 1 bonus with a hand held is you can walk around with it outside the car and don't have to leave it in the car which can attract break ins.
If you want some thing more powerful and permanent, the unit that most of us have is the Icom2300
http://www.roverlanders.bc.ca/roverforu ... f=6&t=6244
Cost at Burnaby radio is about $250 plus $100 for the antenna set up. You can normally get around 10km range even in the mountains and valleys. Much, much more out in open terrain.
For GPS I have a built in Kenwood car radio/ CD player with built in GPS that has a 8" touch screen display, this has a SD card slot that can take the "Back road map books" digital maps. The Kenwood unit is available from Best Buy / Future shop etc ... and is less than you would think. The BC Back Road Map SD card is between $100 and $150 depending where u get, but I have found it amazing for tracking the LR progress through any terrain in any area. Plus it matches the paper copy Back road map books so you can use them both together in combo ....
Cheers,
Andy
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Bill E.
- Landy Man
- Posts: 933
- Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 12:30 pm
- Location: Tsawwassen BC
Re: VHF & GPS
Yes Andy but apparently it's useless for the roads around Liza Lake :roll:
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ANDYD
- Defender of the World
- Posts: 3075
- Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2004 10:45 pm
- Location: Sunny Steveston BC
Re: VHF & GPS
Ha ha ... thanks Bill, yes ... Liza Lake, my nemesis .... :crybaby:
Mind you, the "road" did continue .... but only for the brave and foolhearty (and those who have a day or two to battle through it!).
Mind you, the "road" did continue .... but only for the brave and foolhearty (and those who have a day or two to battle through it!).
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Crs
- Missing Link
- Posts: 595
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2012 3:16 pm
Re: VHF & GPS
VHF: The club got a good deal on VHF radios at the store mentioned. They may still match it. While the Icoms are ideal, on-the-trail communication is fine with the handhelds. A decent one will only set you back about $40.
GPS: I recommend the Gaia app for the iPad/iPod/iPhone. It's great and VERY cost effective if you already have an Apple gadget. Note though, you will need a GPS dongle (e.g. Bad Elf) if you don't have GPS on you Apple thing. (How to tell: if it had 3G/4G, then it has GPS built in.)
GPS: I recommend the Gaia app for the iPad/iPod/iPhone. It's great and VERY cost effective if you already have an Apple gadget. Note though, you will need a GPS dongle (e.g. Bad Elf) if you don't have GPS on you Apple thing. (How to tell: if it had 3G/4G, then it has GPS built in.)
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BlkP38
- Bumper Sticker
- Posts: 141
- Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2012 8:12 am
- Location: Maple Bay
Re: VHF & GPS
Thanks all for your input.
With what you said, and doing some surfing I am getting up to speed with these gadgets.
In the last century I never had so much coice when I was after a marine radio and chartplotter for the sailboat.
Eric.
With what you said, and doing some surfing I am getting up to speed with these gadgets.
In the last century I never had so much coice when I was after a marine radio and chartplotter for the sailboat.
Eric.
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rayhyland
- Drip Dry
- Posts: 652
- Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 5:28 pm
Re: VHF & GPS
I have a Yaesu FT8800 in my 110. I really like it because it has a detachable plate that mounts on the dash, and the radio is remote mounted in the cubby box. I've driven across borders and left the truck in questionable areas, I just detach the face plate.
The nice thing about that radio is it is dual band vhf-uhf, meaning you get good range on the 2m band, but also you can talk to friends (or family) on the little FRS/GMRS talkabout radios. I've found that many families we know have those, and we have a bunch of them lying around the house, so it's handy to pass them to friends if you are on a "road trip" with a bunch of cars, or to use the truck unit as a "base camp" radio when the kids are exploring around a campsite.
For advanced users it has the ability to transmit tones for repeaters, and can send data.
The nice thing about that radio is it is dual band vhf-uhf, meaning you get good range on the 2m band, but also you can talk to friends (or family) on the little FRS/GMRS talkabout radios. I've found that many families we know have those, and we have a bunch of them lying around the house, so it's handy to pass them to friends if you are on a "road trip" with a bunch of cars, or to use the truck unit as a "base camp" radio when the kids are exploring around a campsite.
For advanced users it has the ability to transmit tones for repeaters, and can send data.