No matter where in the country you’re travelling, good communication with other drivers on the road is crucial and potentially lifesaving. We test out a couple of UHF radios from GME to find out how they perform when on the road.
Whether you’re travelling in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia or just dawdling up the Hume Highway to visit family over Christmas, you can’t downplay the importance of good communication with other drivers on the road to get you out of some potentially sticky situations.
In the bush and when deadling with Australia's harsh conditions, a UHF radio is an essential piece of kit in your vehicle. If you’re travelled the iconic rough roads up to remote areas such as Cape York, Qld, or across the Gibb River Road, WA, or anything in between, you’ll know how important it is to be able to talk to other road users about potential hazards.
Reduced visibility because of dust, accidents, wandering stock and wildlife, changed road conditions, breakdowns and people in need of help are all situations which can be communicated to others via UHF radio.
GME provided us with a couple of UHF radios which we tested on a couple of short trips away over the summer break — the XRS-660 and the TX6165.
The TX6165 (right) is basic but the XRS-660 is the most powerful GME has ever made
Along the Hume Highway from Melbourne to Sydney, where there is mobile range the whole way, some of the above conditions are not so common, but we used a GME radio to communicate with a truckie who’d lost his rear indicator lights, and he was very grateful for the heads up.
Also, listening to the truckies channel gave us advanced warning about a very serious crash on the Hume involving four trucks and which resulted in the closure of the highway for hours, as well as detours.
GME TX6165 5W handheld UHF CB radio
GME launched its newest range of 5-Watt Handheld UHF CB radios, the TX6165, late last year and our Creative Director Tim van Duyl has tested them on a few road trips and photo shoots.
The TX6165 features 5W transmission power, an IP67 ingress protection rating for exceptional performance and years of reliable use, up to 30 hours battery life, VOX hands-free mode and a built-in LED torch.
The TX6165 is a vital piece of communication kit for travellers
It also has a large, clear LCD display, 2 watt speaker and a user-programmable button.
This radio is not complicated to use but it’s a serious bit of equipment for users who need rugged and reliable UHF CB communication, for both work and play.
It comes in orange and yellow, as well as black. The TX6165TP twin pack comes in a rugged carry case with a full range of professional grade accessories or there’s the standard TX6165X for those who just need the basics.
The TX6165 is available now with a recommended retail price of $349.
GME XRS-660 5W Handheld UHF Radio
We also got to try out an XRS-660 — the most powerful radio GME has ever made.
Whether you’re doing the Big Lap or just heading off on a quick camping weekend, the XRS-660 will pretty much cover all your communications needs.
All the usual CB features as we know them are there, but the XRS-660 steps up with a range of extras taking it to a whole new level.
The powerful XRS-660
Built-in GPS functionality ensures true location awareness. Travellers can now have peace of mind knowing they can communicate with fellow travellers, while their live gps location data is visible without needing a mobile phone.
Along with IP67 protections from dust and water, there is a colour screen providing a display for all environmental conditions — even full sunlight.
Switchable transmission power of 5W, 1W and 0.1W and a 2W speaker, the XRS-660 also has Bluetooth allowing you to connect to an extensive range of audio devices. Through the wireless technology smartphone application, you can update, control and customise the XRS-660 to suit yourself. Scanning is now twice as fast using the Scansuite digital scanning technology, so you won’t miss a transmission. There are also multiple power-saving modes so the unit will ‘sleep’ during periods of inactivity, so extra battery life, always good when camping.
The XRS-660 retails from $549.
GME tried-and-true quality
Both these radios are a reflection of GME's unwavering commitment to quality and are good pieces of gear to carry in your vehicle — whether you just need the basic TX6165 or the more spec’d up XRS-660 — you can’t go wrong.
Head to the GME website for more information.
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