TESTED: GME XRS-660 UHF Australian made CB radios by Australian Mountain Bike

[@gozznut]

One of the biggest feature points that you did not mention is that there is a map function within the mobile app. When connected to any of the GME XRS range of radios the UHF also transmits a GPS coordinate of where the transmission was made and this position appears on your map as well as the map of anyone else connected to a GME XRS radio receiving your transmission. It is possible to cache an area of interest from the map to your mobile phone or tablet so that it is available offline when there's no phone or internet available. You're also able to add kmz of tracks, way points and other areas of interest to the map. As long as there are multiple XRS UHF being used by people in your group it's great when someone is off the trail, or has bogged their 4wd and needs help or has spotted something interesting or you're looking for a campsite etc. Their location is right on the map in front of you and anyone else can easily come find them.

[@joshuagibson2184]

Do you know what the range is up in the mountains? Pretty new to radios. Would a 5w handheld get more distance than 3w radio in a vehicle with a larger antenna?

[@gozznut]

@@joshuagibson2184 I'm not an expert, but you'd want to look at the manufacturers quoted dbi gain of the antenna on you UHF as well as the power output of the radio. On my 4wd, I have a 2.1 dbi antenna I use for hills driving, sand dunes and built up urban areas. The lower gain antenna propagates the signal into a more rounded shape (think of an apple on a plate and the antenna is the core, then cut the apple in half straight down through the centre of the core. The cross section of the lower dbi signal is kind of like the cross section of the apple). This helps the signal get over peaks in the landscape but won't get as far a line of sight as a higher dbi antenna. In flat highway driving I use the same UHF but swap the 2.1 dbi to a 6.6dbi antenna. The profile on these are a lot flatter like a frisbee and allow longer distance communication but terrain blocks it a lot more easily. I tried googling the GME XRS-660 antenna dbi and can't find any figures quoted for it. Line of sight is really important though for any UHF and some areas and have repeater stations that can be accessed to help assist with this.