UHF & Comms Installation
Your Trusted Comms Specialists
UHF & Comms Installation in Newcastle, the Hunter & Sydney
Out where mobile coverage stops, a UHF radio is how you talk to the convoy, warn the truck behind you, and call for help. Altapac supplies and fits GME and Uniden radios, antennas and cellular boosters across four NSW workshops — antenna matched to the country you drive in, cable routed away from noise sources, and the whole thing tuned so it transmits as far as it should.
Heard the first time — installed and tuned, not just plugged in.
UHF & Communication at Altapac
Two identical radios can perform completely differently, and it's almost never the radio's fault. Range comes down to the antenna you chose, where it's mounted, and how much of the vehicle is shadowing it. That's the part we get right, because it's the part that decides whether you're heard.
The brands we're authorised to fit
Where most setups start
Vehicle Mounted UHF
A permanent 5W radio wired to the vehicle, with the head unit somewhere you can actually reach it. The setup that gets the most range.
Shop vehicle mounted UHF
Handheld UHF
Goes with you out of the vehicle — spotting a track, guiding a reverse, or keeping in touch around camp.
Shop handheld UHF
Antennas & Mounts
The single biggest factor in how far you're heard. Gain, height and mounting position all matter more than the radio itself.
Shop antennas
Mobile Boosters
Cel-Fi repeaters turn one bar into usable signal. Different job to UHF — this is for phone and data in fringe coverage.
Explore Cel-FiNot sure which setup you need?
The right antenna for the Hunter bush is the wrong one for the Hay Plain, and most people are sold the tallest one on the wall. Tell us where you actually drive and we'll match the radio and antenna to it. Give us a call or drop into one of our stores.
The right antenna for the Hunter bush is the wrong one for the Hay Plain, and most people are sold the tallest one on the wall. Tell us where you actually drive and we'll match the radio and antenna to it. Give us a call or drop into one of our stores.
The rest of the 12V setup
Comms usually goes in alongside the rest of a touring build. Doing it at the same time means one set of cable runs, one tidy loom, and no rework later.
Stocked here, not ordered in
Our stores carry deep stock across the common fitments, so most jobs don't wait on a supplier. Ring ahead with your make and model and we'll confirm what's on the shelf before you drive over.
- Same-day or next-day fitting on common kits, subject to stock
- Radios, antennas, springs and vehicle-specific mounts held in stock
- Stock moved between stores when a part is held elsewhere
- Guaranteed Fit — the right parts for your exact vehicle
More on comms and 12V
Browse all UHF & communication
Auto electrical installation
Vehicle fitouts
Current promotions
Why Choose Altapac?
We've been fitting gear to Australian vehicles since 1972. Four workshops, one standard of work, and a guarantee that the parts on your car are the right ones for it.
1972Fitting Australian vehicles since
4NSW workshops across the Hunter and Sydney
30,000+Fitments completed
4.6 ★Average from 1,113 Google reviews
Guaranteed FitWe match parts to your exact make, model and build. If what we supply doesn't fit your vehicle, we make it right.
Authorised fitters, not general mechanicsWe're authorised to fit the brands we sell, which means factory fitting instructions, correct torque settings, and warranties that stay intact.
Advice from people who use the gearOur teams tour, camp and tow. Ask what actually holds up on a corrugated road and you'll get an answer from experience, not a spec sheet.
Pay how it suits youZip and Afterpay available in store and online, so a full touring setup doesn't have to land in one hit.
What our customers say
Wonderful people to deal with, very good throughout the process and delivered a quality hard lid for my vehicle. Were excellent with any after sales questions, making me feel like they wanted to look after their customers.
Darren M. — Maitland
What a team! This is my 3rd set of roof racks I've had installed by these legends and this one was by far the most complex on my new work van. I have a pretty high attention to detail and Andrew in the office and Beau installing them absolutely nailed it. Very happy and I would have no hesitation in recommending them. Thanks again
James C. — Kotara
Great store to get fitted out for roof racks and attachments for the car. They fitted my first set of roof racks and have helped me out with all the changes to my setup for over 10 years. Great and knowledgeable service too.
Christopher Y. — Artarmon
Where We Fit UHF & Comms
Four workshops, two regions. Book at the one nearest you — the fitment standards and the Guaranteed Fit promise are the same at every site.
Newcastle
Kotara
94 Park Ave, Kotara NSW 2289 02 4941 4444
Opposite Westfield Kotara. Convenient for Charlestown, Adamstown, Merewether and Lake Macquarie.
Hunter Valley
Maitland
3/175 High St, Maitland NSW 2320 02 4003 8500
On High Street. Convenient for Rutherford, East Maitland, Cessnock and Singleton.
Lower North Shore
Artarmon
Roof Rack & Towbar World, rebranding to AltapacUnit 13/87 Reserve Rd, Artarmon NSW 2064 02 8999 8878
Convenient for Chatswood, St Leonards, Lane Cove and North Sydney.
Inner West
Burwood
Roof Rack & Towbar World, an Altapac partner store3/320 Parramatta Rd, Burwood NSW 2134 02 8999 2099
On Parramatta Rd. Convenient for Strathfield, Ashfield, Croydon and Concord.
Found your radio cheaper? Bring us the price.
Show us a current offer or written quote from an authorised Australian dealer and we'll match it — freight and charges included. In store, over the phone, by email, or through the website. Same price on the gear, installed and tuned by a workshop you can drive back to.
- Authorised dealers matched, including approved online sellers
- Freight and other charges counted in the comparison
- Apply in store, by phone, by email or online
Applies to products. Grey imports, auction sites and marketplaces are excluded, as are our workshop fitment, window tinting and paint protection services. Full policy
UHF & Comms Questions
No. UHF CB in Australia runs under an ACMA class licence, so anyone can use it without applying for anything, as long as the equipment is approved for the Australian band and you stay within the 5W limit. There are conventions worth knowing rather than rules: channels 5 and 35 are reserved for emergency use only, 22 and 23 are data channels, 40 is the road and truck channel, 18 is used by caravans and RVs, and 10 is commonly used by 4WD convoys. We'll run through the ones that matter for where you drive when we hand the vehicle back.
Not always, and this is where most setups go wrong. A high-gain antenna squashes the signal into a flat disc, which reaches much further across open country but fires straight past anything above or below you. In hilly terrain or thick bush, that means the truck on the ridge above can't hear you. A shorter, lower-gain antenna radiates in a rounder pattern and works far better in the hills. If you drive both, plenty of people run a tall antenna for the highway and swap to a short one when they turn off. Tell us where you actually drive and we'll pick accordingly.
A 5W handheld and a 5W fixed radio transmit the same power, so the difference is entirely the antenna and where it sits. A proper antenna mounted high on the vehicle will always out-perform a stubby aerial held at chest height inside a metal box. Vehicle mounted is the right answer for touring and towing. A handheld earns its place as a second unit — spotting a wheel placement, guiding someone onto a hitch, or keeping in touch around camp. Most people who travel regularly end up with both.
Yes, because it doesn't rely on a network at all — it's radio to radio, so it works anywhere as long as someone is in range and listening. That range is realistically a few kilometres in hills and considerably more across open country or vehicle to vehicle on a highway. It is not a substitute for a satellite messenger or a PLB if you're travelling genuinely remote. If phone and data coverage is what you're chasing, a Cel-Fi booster is the product for that job, and the two do different things.
