The best friend of anyone running a 4×4 offroad or on longer trips away is a reliable UHF radio, these come in many shapes and sizes and the options out there are overwhelming for anyone who hasn’t used one before.

But we’ll try to make selecting the right UHF loud and clear to save you the worry and hassle on the tracks!

There are plenty of things to learn about UHF radio’s but with a quick run over you will be clear on what means what and be able to decide what best suits your setup when you start hitting the tracks!

Handheld or wired in?
Arguably given the same wattage figures and dBi antenna you couldn’t tell the difference between the two, this is why it is important to understand what the ratings of your UHF are so you get a better picture of what exactly your radio will be capable of.

MORE WATTAGE THE BETTER…. Well sorta?

When looking at wattage, many people get the idea that if you pick the highest wattage unit you will have the best performance. This has some basis in fact but it isn’t the whole equation and without being a qualified Radio Technician it’d be hard to describe exactly why, but a good way to think about wattage out of your UHF is like a hose, where a smaller wattage is less liters per minute and higher wattage is more.

With this analogy a firehose definitely pumps out more water than a garden hose, however if the fire hose is set to spray a wide and fine mist the garden hose may just give you better range across your yard.

So if wattage is flow, then the “spray” so to speak could be thought of like decibels from your antenna, with this considered, what will different decibel antennas do for you?

Decibels that go to 11!

When looking at a UHF device you can think of lower decibel antennas to be more like a mist. They ‘spray’ your radio waves out in all directions and are better suited to hilly country where vehicles and communicators might be on different planes or axis’.

Where extreme high decibel antennas are better suited to flatter terrain and are more like a highly focused jet of water. Able to reach further but only in one direction.

So if you were to compare the range within 4WD Supacentre the Oricom UHF380PK includes a 6.5dBi antenna and is 5W transmission power, whilst 6.5dBi is quite high you can get antennas for fixed stations that don’t move well in excess of 12dbi for extending the usable range quite a long range, however if you are outside the “fan” pattern of signal dispersion you will receive weak signal.

Alternatively If you were to grab an Oricom UHF2190 2 Watt handheld radio you would have 2 Watts of transmission power and a 0 dBi antenna, perfect for communicating extremely short range but very clearly. These hand held units find themselves in the hands of navigators who are guiding vehicles through sections of tough track and between convoys, whilst the higher power and higher decibel systems built into vehicles are much better suited to communicating with other groups and calling for help in emergencies.

There are nearly infinite options available on the market, however with these factors considered, you now should have a better idea of what a UHF might be able to do for you and your 4WDing setup, as well as the incredible performance gains to be had by simply choosing the right antenna or swapping to the right antenna when you need to.

For more information about the best UHF setup for your vehicle, head to www.4WDSupacentre.com.au or visit one of our stores or even call an expert on 1800 88 39 64 for the best tips and tricks for your setup!