AROUND-OZ MOTORHOMES

GME Electrophone UHF TX610

40 Channel Compact UHF Handheld Transceiver

The GME Electrophone TX610 sets a new benchmark in compact 40 channel UHF handheld transceivers. Not only is the TX610 packed with features, its circuit design incorporates a super sensitive receiver with front end filtering and a powerful 1 Watt transmitter. The TX610 is not just another one of the many compact units currently on the market today. GME have spent a considerable amount of time engineering the TX610 to fulfill the needs of users and meet the performance expectations that GME products are renown for. What sets the TX610 apart from the rest of the pack is its superior performance. The TX610 has a full One Watt RF output which is double the power of most units on the market today such as the ever popular Uniden ($99.00). The receive sensitivity and front end filtering of the TX610 meets GME's high standards and the makers claim that the unit is unbeatable in all areas. RRP is $139.00. To our knowledge this is a very keen price and in our view will guarantee the acceptance of this unit. You would need to budget in an allowance for a charger and rechargeable batteries. The only negative we could find is the use of AAA batteries. The problem here is that these are harder to source in the country and about twice the price of AA's. Now if you use rechargeables then the voltage drops to 4.8 volts. No mention is made of what this does to performance. We liked the idea of the optional drop in charger, but again no mention is made of whether you can plug a lead in for in car use on the move. Accessories include a speaker microphone, a full headset and a very neat carry case. The manufacturers make no claims as to range but we estimate this to be 5 to 10 kms in flat country.

Features
Scan
The TX610 will scan through all 40 channels, stopping on a channel that is busy. Once the channel is clear, scanning resumes.
Dual Watch
Allows the TX610 to monitor any two selected channels. This is good is you use the CMCA channel 20 and also want to listen to the truckies on channel 40 etc.
CTCSS
Uses one of 38 selected tones to provide silent operation on any channel. Only stations transmitting the selected tone will be heard.
VOX
Allows the TX610 to automatically transmit when you speak, without the need to press the PTT button. It's not mentioned but this must use more battery.
Roger Beep
Transmits a short beep when the PTT (Push to Talk) is released to let other users know you have finished transmitting.
Duplex
Provides greatly increased range by allowing access to any of the hundreds of UHF CB repeaters installed around the country.
Auto Power Save
Switches to 'power save' mode automatically after a period of inactivity to conserve power and extend battery life.
Keypad Lock
When activated, disables the front panel buttons to prevent accidental presses from changing the radio's settings.
Monitor Switch
Opens the TX610's squelch so the channel can be monitored for activity.
Accessory Connection
Allows connection of the optional Ear and Speaker Microphone.

CTCSS Code Selection

For motorhomers this is a rather magic feature. If you are travelling in convoy you can set everyones set to receive only messages meant for group members. This eliminates the bad language factor if you use open channels. It works like this. The Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) is a squelch quieting system that allows groups of users to share the same channel without disturbing each other. It uses 1 of
38 low frequency tones to open and close the squelch on the radio. The TX610 allows you to utilise a coded squelch tone on any channel so you can communicate with another party on the same channel using the same code. (This filters out unwanted transmissions that don’t have the same coded squelch tone.) You can apply any one of 38 CTCSS codes to each channel of the 40 channels.

Specifications

General

Frequency Range: 476.425 - 477.400 MHz.
Channel Spacing: 25 kHz.
Privacy Codes: 38 for each main channel.
Dimensions: (without Antenna) 53.4 mm (W) x 98 mm (H) x 28 mm (D).

Power Supply

Power Source: Alkaline Batteries - 6 VDC (4 x 'AAA').
Ni-MH rechargeable - 4.8 VDC, 650 mAh (4 x 'AAA').

Operating Time

(Transmit 5%, Receive 5%, Standby 90%).
Alkaline Batteries: 21 Hours.
Ni-MH Rechargeable: 11 Hours.

Receiver

Useable Sensitivity: > -119 dBm.
Maximum Audio Output: > 0.3 Watts maximum (8 Ohms).
Modulation Distortion: < 5% (1 kHz 70%).

Transmitter

RF Output Power: 1 Watt maximum.
Maximum Deviation: +/- 5 kHz.
Modulation Distortion: < 5% (1 kHz 70%).

We had to contact GME by email (Peter Langbart) in researching this article, and we received a response in 24 hours, They also sent us the manual (471K) in PDF format. This was easy to read but if you knew absolutely nothing about UHF and the terminology (particularly squelch) you could end up shaking your head. Nevertheless it is far better at 24 pages than the competition. Range is not mentioned in the manual. We were advised by email that a car charging unit will be available later in 2003. It plugs into a socket on the top of the unit. One odd thing though is you must remove the belt clip to change the batteries. In summing up the only drawback we can see is the AAA batteries being more expensive. GME have a really good website full of lots of goodies and very easy to navigate. We wish they would think about including downloadable manuals as these can save you making costly errors and eliminate sending emails for more info. http://www.gme.net.au/ and for email techserv@gme.net.au