UHF CB (Citizen Band) Radios
For those who grew up in the '70's and 80's who "loved" 27MHz CB you would be pretty used to the 'hit and miss' reception of "breaker, breaker, this is rubber duckie..." CB. It worked, and it worked pretty well sometimes but range could be extremely variable and it could be very noisy.
When the UHF CB band became available and manufacturers started producing UHF CB those of us from the 'rubber duckie' era were astonished. Gone were the confusing controls (Remember, mic gain, RF attenuation, etc). You just got a simple, uncluttered transceiver that gave clear sound, and unbelievable range - even from tiny handhelds.
Jaycar carries a wide range of UHF CB transceivers. From quality GME to specially selected house brands that offer excellent value-for-money. Choose between handheld or in-dash depending on your application and distance you want to cover.
UHF Handhelds
Ranging in power from a tiny 0.5W (great for keeping in touch at a campsite) to a powerful 5W. They're compact, portable, and fully self-contained. They'll either use disposable batteries, or be rechargeable. They're light enough to clip on your belt or be carried around for a long period of time. You'll see handheld radios being used by staff at music festivals, on worksites, and many other locations people need easy communication between one another.
UHF In-Dash
Designed for fixed installation into a vehicle, they're powered straight from the vehicle's power. Unfortunately, if your vehicle's power is dead, so is your radio (unless you can hotwire it to another power source). The major benefit on an in-dash unit however, is range. They may have the same output power as a handheld, but you connect an external antenna. This antenna can be large and mounted in a prominent position, which increases the range of any transmission exponentially.
VHF Transceivers
VHF radio has been around for quite a long time. Police, ambulance, fire brigade and taxis have been using it for over 60 years. VHF radios were used in Vietnam in the war there.
There is a long history of boat-to-boat and boat-to-shore communication going back to Morse code at the beginning of the last century. After Morse, there was voice communication on short wave (between about 1 & 1/2 to 25MHz). This short wave or HF (High Frequency) is still used today but only for extra-long range communication between large freighters, passenger liners, etc. Even this has largely been overtaken by satellite technology.
A simple and reliable means for communication for pleasure boaters, fishermen, etc was needed. This has led to VHF (Very High Frequency) Marine. A special frequency band was developed, which is standard all over the world. You don't have to 'tune' your transceiver to a special frequency. You just use simple channel numbers.
Jaycar has two fully-approved VHF marine handhelds which enable you to add an extra dimension (not to mention safety) to your marine adventures.