SLROC Forum

Hi ,

Soon we will do some Green Laning but I have not done a car club run for years and never a Landrover one.

What coms are used these days? I still have a 40Ch CB UK/EU set and I have some Licence Free Walkie Talkies 8Ch 40 sub channel type.

Are people moving over to Digital radios these days?

Its Alan and I who organise the GRR at the moment, not sure what wizardry Alan has in the Disco - I used to have a CB but currently don't.... I'd also be interested in hearing from folk what would be the best kit to get. 

Thoughts folks ? 

No comms wizardry sadly - used to have CB way back in early 80s before they were legalised - interested to hear people's thoughts on here

I think most of us keep it simple with the CB you mention but some of the guys have the amateur type radios but believe you need a licence for those.

CB's are definitely the easy route to go!

For comps, we use MSA safety radios.

When I'm doing setup, I either use one of the UK General (business) channels or amateur.

I believe a number of people have gone the cb route: the radios are cheap and the licenses are rarely checked for......

In other words, it depends on who you think you will mostly spend your time with...

I think most of us keep it simple with the CB you mention but some of the guys have the amateur type radios but believe you need a licence for those.

Cb's require a license (like your tv license, you can buy one in the post office)

Amateur is a personal license: you take a really simple test, and can use a basic radio.... and there are oodles of frequencies to use as an amateur

Sorry Ian, CB was deregulated in 2006. No license required.

MSA Radio - No way. Thats real pointless bureaucracy territory. A real radio messed about with by people who like rules.

Proper Amateur radio - probably the way to go if you are really into radios and want to communicate a lot, all the time, but not cheap and you need to pass an exam...and like rules.

For actual mobile comms, anywhere, anytime - Iridium satellite mobile phone.

For green-laning maybe once a month ? Probably a hand-held CB is the way to go, so you can walk up to the problem/stand by the gate and still talk. No exam, quite cheap, takes 0.4 seconds to learn how to use.....
   

As stated before, it depends who you are with really, I have CB, cheap easy and license free and perfect for talking to those around you up a hill. 

So Digital radios are not main stream.

Check out the future below

https://picasaweb.google.com/113414066050877387300/Motorola?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPnb6rWB-7imdQ&feat=directlink


I bet 5 Years from now these will be standard infact I would go as far as to say 5 years from now your mobile phone will have this stuff built in as standard. These new digital radios even talk to the web!

Ahh well time to dust off the old CB 10:4 Rubber Duck! 

So Digital radios are not main stream.

Not in the UK.... though I believe its quite popular in the USA

MSA Radio - No way. Thats real pointless bureaucracy territory. A real radio messed about with by people who like rules.

Not really - though I would agree its a pretty crap implementation

Proper Amateur radio - probably the way to go if you are really into radios and want to communicate a lot, all the time, but not cheap and you need to pass an exam...and like rules.

Lets see: £40 to do the exam; £100 for a radio; .... and I mostly use mine as a back-channel at motorsport events

For actual mobile comms, anywhere, anytime - Iridium satellite mobile phone.

One for the Evoque, I suspect ;-)

For green-laning maybe once a month ? Probably a hand-held CB is the way to go, so you can walk up to the problem/stand by the gate and still talk. No exam, quite cheap, takes 0.4 seconds to learn how to use.....

For days out with mates.... use whatever they have!

Re Amateur Radio, the exam is under £30 and you can get a decent handheld for about £40 ( Chinese on Fleabay, but also sold by UK dealers at twice the price) with the ability you need for the short distances involved in GRR's

Tommy

Quote

MSA Radio - No way. Thats real pointless bureaucracy territory. A real radio messed about with by people who like rules.

Not really - though I would agree its a pretty crap implementation

Quote

Proper Amateur radio - probably the way to go if you are really into radios and want to communicate a lot, all the time, but not cheap and you need to pass an exam...and like rules.

Lets see: £40 to do the exam; £100 for a radio; .... and I mostly use mine as a back-channel at motorsport events

Kinda makes my point about MSA radio ! 

For days out with mates.... use whatever they have!

Now that is a good point - No use being tooled up with more kit than Joddrel Bank if every-one else has a £5 PMR from Maplins on a different set of frequencies. Overall my guess is that there are still more CB sets out there than anything else ?   Do the "real" amateur kits talk  to the CB frequencies ?

...and Tommy....You are breaking up......but thats just old age      

Re Amateur Radio, the exam is under £30 and you can get a decent handheld for about £40 ( Chinese on Fleabay, but also sold by UK dealers at twice the price) with the ability you need for the short distances involved in GRR'

Plus of course the cost of the course😃

I think you will find there is no charge for the course, I as a an authorised RSGB instructor do not charge for tuition and the £30 includes the cost of the course booklet.
Strathclyde 4x4 Response offer the course to all its members and if there is any spare slots we open up to others such as Raynet and BRC, if SLROC were interested in getting a course set up then I would be only too happy to help out.

Tommy