Amateur Radio and CB stuff at borders?
 

Hello everyone.

I hav only just registered to the forum but been reading on it for a long time...
I am from Holland and have travelled a fair bit..(europe, Australia and little asia) I am now in the UK for the last three years and planning to leave end '09 start '10 on a trip first to africa and then drive to oz...
Up through europe, russia, mongolia, china, india etc.

I am just making some decisions on a vehicle..
Choosing between a bigger 4x4 truck or a HIlux Surf or a 80 Land cruiser.
I have a co-driver and another mate of mine and his niece are coming in a 80 Land Cruiser..

Now I was wondering how bad border crossings can be with things like Amateur Radio's and CB Radio's.
I have heard some bad and some good story's about this so can anyone shed some light on the subject please..

I am looking to have a CB, a 2mtr set and a HF set in the truck..

Any help wud be much appreciated..

Thanks in advance

Toby

CB radios
 

Hi Toby

Travelling in most places with a CB on display will cause you no problems but remove the arial/radio for Algeria, Libya, Russia is a big no no as is Iran. Everywhere else is fine and I doubt you'll have any problems (we didn't).

Becky

great thanks Becky
I just heard all these diff story's so was wondering....
Thanks for that will put everything in then.... :cool4:

I'm sure you know all this, but just in case... You do need to hold the relevant Ham license for HF and 2M , otherwise you could potentially find yourself in some trouble.

I don't know how what the risks are elsewhere, but if caught transmitting on HF from a vehicle in the UK without a license, theoretically you would be subject to a vehicle confiscation...!

CB on the other hand is license-free in Europe.

CB Licence
 

No CB Licence required in the UK now either - My cheque was sent back with a polite note from the licence authority.

Tunisia will not allow cb's, they are confiscated on entry, can be collected on departure, remove ariel and keep radio hidden on entry. Local police are not a problem but don't make it obvious to the "Garde Nationale"

Hello Richard,

Thanks for your reply...
Yes I am aware of that. I do hold a amateur licence.
When I came to the UK I decided to finally get a licence..
I am only a 2E0 at the moment due to being busy I have not had time to get my M0 yet..
I will get it tho before I leave..
I allready have a 2mtr and 10mtr set in the truck, but I am looking to maybe get a Kenwood 480 or something as it is easier to hide and a all in one radio..

Oh yeah and as far as I know u risk confiscation in most country's..
In Holland (where I am from) u can't buy equipment without ur licence and every radio u buy needs to be registred with the Dutch Ofcom..

By the way my callsign is 2E0HRS



That is some helpfull info too thanks for that Kevin..
I will keep that in mind..
I think I will have to hide the radio's as much as I can then..
Thanks again

I'd be more inclined to make use of the Inmarsat Internet/Sat phone connections - the little sat connections now are amazing. You can use Skype, have access to local and international phone as well as internet and email. I think Thales sell/lease the units.

CB is dying as a serious means of communication for anything other than chatting, and its little more than line of sight unless there are repeaters.

True we have skype internet etc but I like a ham set in the truck lol
And because we are going with 2 maybe three trucks it wud be a good communication device lol

Hi Toby, I think having an amateur setup in your truck is a great idea. I met a German guy some years ago in Sudan with one. He was using it daily to send and receive emails and access information on the networks. All for free.

In terms of concealment he left the antenna in place, but hid the transceiver very well. He kept a flashy stereo in the dashboard connected to the antenna via a splitter, so if challenged about the antenna he could spin the dial and play a local music station - once or twice officials waggled the antenna which caused static and everyone was happy.

Good luck with your M0! Mine next year, inshallah.

Hey,
Yeah That is what I was thinking....
If I do it right I can like u said receive emails and stuff over the FM..
It is the free side of it that attracts me most lol
I am thinking of a radio like the 480 so I can mount the radio in the back somewhere and then just remove the little front from the dash...

Splitting it onto the radio is a brilliant Idea....
I will keep that in mind....

So u a 2E0 too then at the moment ay....

Hi,

It's a good idea not to have your CB radio and antenna on display when crossing borders. In Morocco, for instance, the police will confiscate it and return it to you when you leave the country. It happened to a travel mate of mine in 2003. I believe you need a permit to use it in the country. After the border, nobody cares.

No, my radio studies will have to start next year, when I have a little more time. I was told to set aside 2 weeks to get the qualification does that sound right?

Rite yeah I have heared that....
I will put everything out of sight.... :blushing: :D

well it depends..
I did my M3 and 2E0 both in a weekend less than a month appart...
If u sit the course u cant fail really...
I can get u in touch with my radio club if u want I think it was like £20 per weekend.. u are in Manchester aren't u?
The M0 is a bit different tho takes more prep and reading...
a lot of calculating and stuff.... that is the only reason I have not gotten round to it yet.... :D

Having the licence is come in handy even here in the UK and besides that it is fun lol

So u gonna do all three right after eachother?

Any tips how to do it (links)? Range, reliability, setup required?