Walkie-talkie for a trucker: selection and registration

With the spread of mobile phones, it seems to many that the problem of communication has been solved throughout the country. In practice, this is not the case. A walkie-talkie will help where there is no coverage of mobile operators, and never was. It is extremely important for representatives of some professions. A walkie-talkie in a car for truckers is not just a useful accessory. She can save a life. A long-range walkie-talkie for the highway will call for help, serve as a unique tool for obtaining traffic data, and solve many other problems.

Why do you need a walkie-talkie in the car

The walkie-talkie offers a lot of advantages for those who are constantly on the road due to official duties. Despite the fact that modern cities, adjacent villages, recreation areas of citizens are almost completely covered by cellular coverage, it is not available in many areas. For example, portable radio will help in the mountains, in the steppe expanses. Probably, it is not worth remembering the length of highways in the Far East and the territory of Siberia.

The best radio for truckers will offer:

• ease of communication — setting up the walkie-talkie takes very little time, to switch to the channel, just press one button;
• the ability to call a person from a considerable distance where there is no cellular network coverage;
• opportunity to send a distress signal.

Finally, truckers communicate by walkie-talkie not only within your own country. They use this type of communication abroad with equal efficiency. This means that they do not have to pay for roaming, as is the case with mobile operators. The radio does not even have to be reconfigured.

How to choose a good radio

When choosing a walkie-talkie for a trucker, you should focus on a specific list of requirements for its technical parameters, as well as placement conditions, features of use, and functional charge.

Range

The range at which the radio is capable of transmitting a signal depends on its power.. The laws of the Russian Federation allow the use of some devices without mandatory registration. These are walkie-talkies with a power of up to 10 watts. The range of their work is within 7-8 kilometers. It is better to buy such a model for carriers operating within the city, including taxi drivers.

If you look at the top walkie-talkies for truckers, you can find devices in it with a communication range of 20 km or more. These are powerful models. They are equipped with special antenna units. In addition, radios of this class have a power of more than 10 watts. Their owner must go through the procedure for registering a communication device. How to do this will be discussed in detail in the section below.

Important! Some drivers resort to peculiar tricks. By purchasing a walkie-talkie with a power of up to 10 W and connecting it through an amplifier to a professional antenna, you can increase the communication range tenfold. However, this method of bypassing legislative norms should not be recommended for use. When operating such a scheme, the radio quickly fails.

Antenna blocks

To choose the right walkie-talkie for truckers, you should pay attention to which antenna will be convenient to install on the car. Today, three basic designs are offered.

1. long antenna. Usually it is placed along the cabin, with a significant exit of the free zone of the pin beyond its limits. For the track, this design gives maximum advantages. Through the antenna, you can broadcast up to 1600W of power, connect long-range radios to it. However, in the city, a protruding pin will touch branches, power lines and other obstacles.
2. short antenna has a length of 65 cm to 1 m 70 cm. It can be placed so that it almost does not protrude beyond the dimensions of the cabin. The car can easily move both on the highway and within the city. However, the short length of the antenna imposes restrictions on the allowable transmission power and communication range. Usually it does not exceed 7-8 km.
3. The latter type of antenna is suitable for use only in densely populated areas or when transporting goods over short distances. familiar to everyone pin on a magnetic base it is simply rearranged from car to car, provides a communication range within 3-5 km. However, truck drivers rarely choose this type of antenna. The fact is that it often falls off from the vibrations of the cabin and a sufficiently large amplitude of its oscillations.

Operating frequencies

There are two options for choosing a walkie-talkie by frequency. It can work with short or medium range waves. It depends on whether you need to obtain permissions for its use. The radio frequency of truckers in Russia is 27 MHz — this is the shortwave range. If the power of the device does not exceed 10 W, you do not need to obtain special permission to use it. The common band, which is allocated for the communication of truckers, occupies frequencies from 16 to 30 MHz.

Walkie-talkies of the medium wave range operate at frequencies from 136 to 172 MHz. They provide a significant range of communication. But to use such equipment, it is mandatory to obtain a special permit, regardless of the power of the radio.

Another subtlety of choice is channel search convenience. Usually, in order to tune the radio to the wave of truckers, you need to go to number 15. Depending on the manufacturer of the transceiver, it may be in different grids, search ranges. So, for the MJ600 model, this is the selection area D, C for ALAN radios, E for MJ3031. Frequency tables are given in the operating instructions for a particular device, so you should not neglect the familiarity with the documentation.

Useful options

Certain vehicle radio features or device options may be critical. Briefly, the following list of options can be given.

1. Hardware SOS button. It is designed for one purpose — to sound an alarm and call for help. The message can be formulated in different forms, from classic Morse code to the owner’s voice message. When a critical situation arises, it is enough to reach the radio and press a single button.
2. GPS tracker. The use of such devices without their registration with the supervisory authorities is prohibited. However, a walkie-talkie equipped with a search beacon can dramatically increase the driver’s chances of survival. It will help not only to give an alarm, but also to facilitate the speedy finding of a car in trouble in a large area.
3. The last extremely important option of a trucker radio is built-in emergency battery. It will keep the device working even when, as a result of an accident, there was a complete failure of the car’s on-board electrical network. He will do this for a short time, but this will be enough for operational negotiations and calling for help.

Top 5 best radios for truckers

The rating of car radios for truckers includes a variety of solutions. There are models for communication within one locality, walkie-talkies for signal transmission over long distances are presented. All models have received many positive reviews from their owners.

5. ALAN 100PLUS

The rating is opened by a simple walkie-talkie for communication at a distance of up to 3-5 km. The power of its emitter is only 4 watts. The device does not require registration and can be used without restrictions not only by truckers, but also by taxi drivers. The model offers a choice of 40 channels, automatic fine-tuning of the frequency, indication of communication quality. There is frequency and amplitude modulation. You can give an alarm as quickly as possible by selecting the emergency channel. To the model is easy connect an external speaker.

Pros:

Minuses:

Prices on ALAN 100PLUS on Yandex Market:

4. COMMUNICATION M333

This walkie-talkie is close to the power limit at which it is not required to obtain permission to use the device. The maximum transmission rate is 8 watts. The model is able to work with a frequency shift of 5 kHz, feel confident both in the networks of Russia and the CIS, and abroad, in Europe. The device is equipped adjustable squelch. The frequency control allows you to fine-tune the channel, and the reception indicators will show when the communication quality becomes optimal. The model provides sound transmission with a level of distortion of only 8%.

Pros:

Minuses:

Prices on COMMUNICATION M333 on Yandex Market:

3. Megajet MJ 555

This model offers maximum ease of use. All radio set-up, channel selection, noise suppressor operation and volume control are done directly from the PTT (intercom). This is a very convenient solution in 2019, the walkie-talkie can be placed anywhere to hide it from view. The long cable of the PTT does not limit the usability of the device. The output power level of the model is within 10 watts. When connected to a long antenna, you can get a communication range of up to 15 km.

Pros:

Minuses:

Prices on Megajet MJ 555 on Yandex Market:

2.Optim Apollo v2.5

This is another handy walkie-talkie for the widest range of drivers. All adjustments are on the PTT. At the same time, the ergonomics of control and the functional charge of the device are carefully thought out. There is not only a change of channels and the type of modulation, but also the setting of the spectral noise reduction system, setting the sensitivity indicator. The radio can automatically turn on together with the initialization of the car’s on-board electrical network. With a sufficiently low emitter power of 4 W, the model provides high-quality sound transmission over a distance of up to 10 km.

Pros:

Minuses:

Prices on Optim Apollo v2.5 on Yandex Market:

1.TYT TH-9800

Despite the impressive price, this device is very popular with the consumer. Multiband radio: it works on the frequencies of truckers, allows you to listen to aviation communication bands. For transmission, it operates at frequencies of 26-33 MHz in frequency modulation mode.

Important! It is possible to establish two-way communication in real time between a pair of such products.

The PTT has customizable quick channel selection buttons. In addition, the device can work with different radiation power to set the optimal ratio between communication range and power consumption. So, for the range of truckers, steps of 5, 10, 20, 50 watts are offered.

Pros:

Minuses:

Prices on TYT TH-9800 on Yandex Market:

How is the registration of a walkie-talkie for truckers

Registration of a car radio is required in the following cases:

• the device operates in the civil band at frequencies from 26 to 30 MHz (generally accepted value of 27 MHz) and has a radiator power of more than 10 W;
• the radio operates at frequencies from 420 to 473 MHz;
• the frequency range of the model is from 136 to 172 MHz.

Registration of low power portable radios operating in the frequency ranges 466000-466100 kHz (PMR standard) or 433075-434750 kHz (LPD standard) is not required. Documents that testify to the permission of the user to operate this or that means of radio communication must be presented upon request to representatives of control authorities, including traffic safety inspectors.

The radio registration procedure takes place in several stages.

1. First you need to get individual unique air call sign. This can be done at any ham radio club by studying general theory and passing exams. Based on their results, the user is assigned a category from 1 to 4 and a personal call sign is registered. The average cost of the service is 350 rubles. The user is issued a certificate of assignment of an individual identification call sign.
2. Next, you should contact the State Commission on Radio Frequencies for obtaining permission to operate in a certain frequency range, get in touch and take other actions. The procedure is performed on the basis of the certificate obtained at the first stage, its cost is an average of 400 rubles.
3. The last point is certification and registration of communication equipment. The radio is handed over to the territorial division of Roskomnadzor. In the application of the standardized form, the applicant indicates his call sign, as well as the data of the transceiver. Within 10 days, the territorial branch of Roskomnadzor issues permission to use a walkie-talkie for a trucker.

Important! A similar procedure should go through not only the owners of vehicles equipped with walkie-talkies. Permission is also required for hunters who use devices operating at frequencies from 136 to 172 MHz for communication.