05/05/2023
UHF awareness post 📡
I know it has been said before, but if you are traveling, have your UHF turned on and turned up. Get in the practice of it.
Ok, so truckies 🚛🚚 swear 🤬🤬🤬🤬heaps. Mostly this is in the city 🌆 and you don’t want your precious ears 👂 to hear or to have those darlings on the back seat 💺 corrupted. Ok turn it down 🔇a bit in the 🌃, but when you are out of those city limits , turn it on.
Practice using it. Not sure what to say, practice by using your phones 📱 📱 .
“Hey “Mrs over there in the green dress 👗 ” (identify who you are talking to might be “the southbound patrol and jayco caravan”), this is “Mr cooking the barbie 🍗🍖🥘 with a Tinnie 🍺 in his hand 🤚 ” (identify who you are - perhaps “the northbound landcruiser/crusader combo). “Do you copy?”
If they respond, tell them what you want to tell them - could be:
“Do you realise you’ve left your vent open?”
“Hey buddy, your right indicator isn’t working”
“Just passed unfenced cattle 🐄🐄🐄🐄 about 5ks back, you might want to slow down a bit”
“Any idea how far back your last fuel ⛽️ stop was?”
“Just letting you know that I noticed your van had a bit of trailer sway”
“Just letting you know I’m going to overtake you at the next possible opportunity”
“Just letting you know if you want to overtake me if I’m in your way, as soon as you pull out, I’ll back off for you”
“If I’m going to slow for you, I will pull over at the next available spot and let you pass. I’m not local so if you know of any spots, please let me know when it’s coming up”
There are somethings I have bought that I hope I wasted my money 💸💸💸💸 on and I never have to use - things like a PLB (personal locator beacons) and a Defibrilator. I also bought a generator - sad to say that after having it for 2 years, I had to put fuel ⛽️ in it 6 weeks ago 😞
Can you see how useful a UHF radio can be? If you’ve spent the money 💸, use it. They are a good thing. If you haven’t spent the money, if you can’t afford it, find the one you want and ask the kids to get vouchers for you for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthday 🎁, Christmas 🎄 🎅etc. if you want to travel Aus with a caravan, a UHF is not a luxury item.
There is a reason for my rant
We were traversing the Lassiter Highway 🛣️ today, heading to Uluru 🪨. A car 🚗 flashed his headlights at me. Did that mean there was something wrong with my 🚙 ? Police 👮♂️👮♀️🚓 are ahead with a speed detector or breathalyser? There was something wrong with the other motorists lights? There was roadkilll or cattle 🐄 on the road?
After a couple of kms I forgot about the flashed headlights. There had not been any perils.
Another 10-15kms down the road 🛣️- bang 💥, there it was - what that driver who flashed 📸 his headlights meant. On my left side, there was a ⛽️ fuel tanker 🚚 up to his axles in red dirt. He was run off the side of the road. And plowed into the dirt there. The driver was okay.
On the right side of the road (that’s my right, not the correct side), there was a car towing a caravan. It looked like a sardine can which I had tried to get into using jemmy bars, grinders, hammers 🔨🛠️⚒️, levers and my very very blunt can opener . The drivers side of the car did not look pretty when you can see the interior of all the panels. As for the caravan, wow, do you know how easy that aluminium exterior on your van just tears off - certainly much easier than Tim trying to get the glad wrap started to cover something - mind you, they both look as messy when Tim has finished.
The Lassiter Highway is a reasonably narrow road. You have a family 👩👦👨👦👦who are LIVING in their caravan driving out from having been to Uluru 🪨. You have a fuel tanker who decides to overtake them. Before he does, he jumps on his UHF to warn the car/van driver of his intention. The car/van has a UHF but it is not turned on📵🔕🔇. The truck overtakes. The side draft 💨🌬️from the passing truck sucks the car and caravan in and rips open the side of both the car and caravan.
No body was injured at all in this accident, but a family has no idea if their insurance covers getting towed, accomodation while it’s repaired/replaced etc.
There’s certainly a dispute as to who’s fault this accident was - perhaps it was just an unfortunate accident.
All in all, a very unfortunate event which may have been avoided had the truck driver been able to communicate with the driver of the car.
After assessing the accident, the people involved, assisting where we could, and determining there was nothing more we could do, we left the accident scene.
To further enhance the need for having a UHF (and having it turned on), was being able to communicate with oncoming vehicles - of warning them of an accident scene, and to slow down. 1/10 had a radio who responded. The best I could do for the rest was to flash my lights.
As a side note, whilst we were stopped to see if we could render assistance, several other cars towing caravans went past. They may have slowed to 80kms, but when there is a car and caravan on each side of the road and a truck, perhaps slow to 40kph or less people - it was a narrow road.
FOR EVERYBODY’S SAKE, PLEASE TRAVEL WITH A UHF TURNED ON AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT
Over and out
Ten four and goodbye.
