Posted in 4x4xmore Adventures
Half the fun of heading out in your 4X4 is being somewhere remote – away from the traffic and crowds. But being in a remote place might also mean no phone reception and how do you then get in touch with the outside world in an emergency, if you get lost or break down? If somebody in your group needs medical attention you need to have effective communications you can rely on. That's why you have a UHF radio.
UCF Citizen’s Band (CB) radios have been around for a while, and it’s widely used by off roaders. It’s a well regulated system with channels designated for certain uses. It's a bit more complex than a phone though, so we’ve put together a cheat sheet for you.
Modern UHF CB radios give you a whole 80 channels to play with, so it’s easy to find some clear bandwidth to talk to your mates. They also let you call for help easily in an emergency – just switch to 5 or 35 and start talking. Channel 18 is the one to use if you’re towing a caravan in a group. Use channel 11 to call other off roaders in your area, then switch to a different channel to chat with them.
Channel 40 is used by truckers and it’s great if you want to know about the weather or road conditions – those blokes are always well informed. They’re not expensive and it’s free to talk, so you can keep in touch without running up the phone bill. It’s definitely a smart addition to your vehicle gear.
Download the 4X4XMORE UHF Cheat Sheet here!