Grey nomads have been accused of putting lives at risk by ignoring UHF radio procedures and blocking emergency channels.
A volunteer group, the Citizens Radio Emergency Monitors, says grey nomads are among the culprits, but that truckies and families are also guilty of misusing the radios.
The group uses UHF radio to monitor emergency channels for potential disasters but says its job is being made harder by holidaymakers effectively playing on the radio.
Chief Commissioner, Martin Howells, said that the recent Outback heatwave was a perfect example of how emergency channels are sometimes blocked by recreational users.
“These channels start to become very active,” he told the ABC. “And you’re just at the same time dealing with these users that are just accidentally blocking the channel and blocking the calls from coming through.”
He said sometimes parents bought little radios for their children to play with, not realising that they can affect emergency channels.
It becomes a bit of a frustration because the people that are monitoring these channels are volunteers,” he said.
Have you heard UHF being misused? Are you guilty of blocking channels? What can be done to stop radio misuse? Comment below.
I’m sorry but I disagree strongly that GN’s misuse UHF Radio.
When I was much younger I set up and ran CREST Westernport, Citizens Radio Emergency Service Team. Citezens Radio was on the AM band and illegal, RI’s (Radio Insectors) were an operator’s worst nightmare, I remember the illegal side of it well. CREST was legal and recognised by emergency services and operated on channel 9. We were meeting with them Monthly.
I can understand what the emergency team are saying but DON’T blame the GN. Just tune into any channel while going into ANY City or Large Town, the morons that are on there talk about absolute rubbish, in fact they don’t even talk they make stupid animal noises and refer to human body parts all the time.
In the “good old days” I remember having many a lengthy chat to good people, I could go on for ever.It was fantastic if you could pick up a good skip. Thankyou copper wire.
It was also a good way of meeting new people, sort of like a modern day forum (Thanks Cindy). I had many an ‘eyeball’, great fun. I even married someone I met at an ‘eyeball’ and we had 3 great children.
As to what can be done, well, maybe bring in a licence to operate UHF that might thin the garbage out a little anyway. Bring back the RI perhaps. As member of a club way back then we would have ‘Fox Hunts’, tracking another member down who was hiding by his/her signal strength, maybe that system could track down the morons.
OK, maybe there are a few GN’s out there that block and don’t use UHF properly but I really think it is others.
My thoughts anyway.
Keep Safe out there good buddy.
That is a good comment, we used to track the rat bags down in the old days and if caught break the aerial and I agree the worst ones are in the city, but I don’t think too many would know about the emergency channel maybe a sticker on all new UHF sets telling people about emergency channels would help
Don’t blame the Grey Nomads, lets get the foul language off the truck channel, as soon as you tune to ch 40 all you get is a tirade of four letter words from so called professional truck drivers.
Maybe printing a list of appropriate UHF channels that the grey nomads could or should use might help them select the right channel. … unless they are regular user they would not be familiar with what channels are designated emergency channels or what is a”CHIT CHAT” channel.
Appropriate channels? What are you really saying? You think special channels should be reserved for special people?
Entitlement agenda?
Stop trying to push your own wheelbarrow and look at whats best for everybody.
Ch 10 isnot a 4WD channel, Ch 18 is not a caravan channel & ch 29 is not a highway channel.
Stick to the legal channel allocations and rules.
Traditionally channel 40 has been the Highway/Truckies channel. Nomads have taken to channel 18. The problem can come when on channel 40, the call comes in to “drop a couple”.This puts you onto channel 38 which is a repeater channel. Channels 1 t o 9 use channels 31 to 39 to repeat. (At this stage a learned person should step in and correct this). Repeater channels use 1 channel to send, change it for distance and repeat it so it can be heard further than channel to channel. CB protocol has gone to the dogs (or kids, or nomads) and has lost the protocols which made it was it was – not what it is now. You need the UHF but the number of caravaners/Motorhomers who either do not have it or don’t have it turned on or who won’t use it is amazing. Can be a wonderful way to say hello, keep in touch on what is happening or organising a happy hour.
Ch 40 is not the ‘Truckies’channel, it is the Road channel and was intended for any station who is operating a CB radio from a powered vehicle.
Users should be aware that UHF CB channels 31 to 38 and 71 to 78 are the ‘input’ channels for repeaters on channels 1 to 8 and 41 to 48, and should avoid using these channels in simplex mode where they are in range of a repeater, to avoid interfering with it.
Thanks to UHF WORLD for the following info.
Channels 31 to 38 and 71 to 78 – Repeater inputs – Do not use these channels for simplex transmissions as you will interfere with conversations on channels 1 to 8 and 41 to 48
The Australian Government has legislated that channels 5 & 35 on the UHF CB Band are reserved for emergency use only
As at January 2007 the maximum penalties for the misuse of the legally allocated CB emergency channels are:For general misuse – if an individual 2 years imprisonment, otherwise $165,000 (a $220 on-the-spot fine can be issued in minor cases); orFor interference to an Emergency call – if an individual 5 years imprisonment, otherwise $550,000
Can I say up until early 2013 did I know that certain numbers were used for certain purposes on the the UHF and I have been married to a truckie and I know he would not know this either so overall there needs to be more information put out there about the numbers and emergency stations etc. and stop blaming the GN for every little thing. This subject covers a wide range of users and knowledge is the best advice anyone can have. So if emergencies are complaining they need to do something constructive about letting people know how UHF’s are used because most people think they are just for chatting on!
Why is this different to anything else. You buy/acquire a radio, be it CB or UHF, it is YOUR responsibility to become familiar with the workings of it. You do not jump in a car for the first time ever and press the accelarator, smash into a wall and say ‘I didn’t know how this worked.
Wake up you lot.
Exactly. There are ignorant people out there who have self appointed some channels.
Ch 10 is not a 4WD channel. Ch 18 is not a caravan channel & ch 29 is not a highway channel so who are these morons making up silly illegal rules?
read dougs post… acrem and more importintly martin and his dads army are a joke whare he lives they do not monitor as crest newcastle own operate and monitor the uhf repeater in his region. I have lived there, I was involved in licencing and complicence in rad coms.
Well its better to have genuine radio people thay care about how its used properly.
Seems 90% of these newbie 4WD & Caravan people are the worst offenders.
They are under the false illusion that they can reserve a channel and no-one else can use it.
WRONG.
At least Martin is bringing up important issues.
I’ve put an 80 channel UHF CB in my camper and I must say that I’ve not heard any GNs stuffing around – but there are drongos out there who do misuse the channels – go to CB Australis on your search engine and you’ll find a full list of channels, their uses and it lists the channels you can’t use as well.
List of channels and their uses?
Where are you getting this list from?
The ACMA? If not your wrong.
The biggest offenders are Caravan people who make two mistakes;
1) Thinking Ch 18 is a Caravan channel (Its not!)
2) Jumping on Ch 40 and waffling on with their families about what their going to hsve for lunch. Its a ‘Road’ channel for traffic reports and conditions, not for general family chit chat. Use other channels!!!
Sorry I totally Disagree with the Statement/heading..
3rd Paragraph Down..
“”The group uses UHF radio to monitor emergency channels for potential disasters but says its job is being made harder by holidaymakers effectively playing on the radio.””
Last Line says it All “”HOLIDAYMAKERS”” You/they can not blame GN’s for the state of the emergency channel Traffic if it’s only happening at the time of the Holiday’s.. So What the Bleep’n are they talk’n about..
Are you seriously telling me that this issue happens all the Time…?
I think Most Serious GN’s are safely camped somewhere out of the way of the General Holiday Hoards, At least I would be if I was full time on the Road..
J
He’s right. Caravans and tourists with handheld radios and mobiles are getting on any channel and blocking repeaters and on Ch 40 too. And yes I’ve heard Caravan people doing this in November while on a road trip around Victoria. These morons allow their kids to use radios and interfere with other people.
Bloody irresponsible.
I’ve heard this shit happening in Adelaide and Victor Harbor also.
There’s absolutely no education relating to the purchase or use of UHF CB radios in this country.
I really dont think GN’s are necessarilyy
To blame usually they do their homework obout the workings of EVERYTHING to do with their new lifestyle. They could tell you things about the workings of their van/motorhome/towing arrangement that would amaze you! So a simple thing like a cb radio is not “rocket science” to them. How many times have you heard work crews using channel 11 for all their comms? Supposedly a “call channel”? And that is just a small example of cb misuse!
No you’re ignorant. I heard many Caravan people using wrong channels for their family chit chat bullshit.
Ch 40 ain’t a fun chat channel, its a road traffic channel for people who mostly engaged in doing their job.
These caravan people also mis-use Repeater channels by sitting on Channels 31-38 and interfering with hobbyists.
Don’t pretend these people are innocent, We’ve all heard retiree’s and families misusing the band.
Every demographic is guilty of this. Truckies, road construction crews, security staff, children, caravan tourists, 4WDrivers……..there is no education or written guides that come with UHF CB radios when they are being sold.
Government needs to introduce a system whereby retailers cannot sell a two way radio product unless the buyer is made aware of the correct operating procedures.
No-one under the age of 16 should be permitted to operate any two way radio in Australia.
And this channel allocation rubbish has to stop.
Channels 10, 18 & 29 are NOT special use channels, they have always been general use chat channels for anyone to use.
There exists an entitlement attitude in recent years whereby certain people believe any given channel is reserved for them.
WRONG.
No matter where you are in Australia, anybody is entitled to use any channel for general use unless its channel 5 or 35.
Stay off channels 31-38 & 71-78 and you won’t interfere with Repeaters.