TESTED: GME 6160XO UHF RADIO
GME’S 6160XO COMPACT HANDHELD UHF IS A RELIABLE COMMUNICATOR IN ALL CONDITIONS.
ANY TIME we’re out and about in the bush, we like to keep in touch with the other vehicles and people in our group. As a lot of the cars we drive are new vehicles owned by the manufacturers they don’t have UHF radios fitted to them, so we rely on handheld radios for convoy comms. Also, when we have someone joining us on a trip or road test we insist they bring a handheld and that it should be a five-watt unit, as the lower-powered, cheaper units just don’t cut it for reliable communications. For us this is a safety issue, as we’re photographing or filming cars often on narrow dirt roads and we need to communicate with other drivers or the photographers that might be over a rise or around the next bend.
I’ve used plenty of handheld UHFS over the years, but I have to say that the latest unit I have, GME’S 6160XO, is the best yet. I have to admit I have a preference for the GME product just because they are Australian made, but you can’t argue when the performance of the product is first rate.
The 6160XO is the Blaze Orange version of GME’S popular 6160X, which is usually black in colour. You can also get the black ones in a twin pack or as a pair of bright yellow ones in the 6160YTP. The bright colours are handy for finding them if you drop one in the car, in the bush or wherever. They are compact and could easily be lost in the scrub. There’s even a bright pink 6160 available.
The 6160 feels good in your hand; it’s solid and has a bit of weight to its die-cast body, giving it a feel of quality and durability. The unit has an IP67 rating against dust and water ingress and should survive a quick dip in a creek should you drop it (up to onemetre depth) or in heavy rain.
The housing is simple to use, with an on/off/volume dial and scan button on the top; push to talk and squelch buttons on the left side; and menu and function up/down buttons on the front under the lit LED screen. There’s even a little LED torch built-in to the top for use at night that has a strobing mode for attracting attention.
Five-watt radios use more power than lower wattage units, but the 6160’s 2600amp/h Li-ion battery gives up to 30 hours of life. I’ve found I’m getting three to four days of use when using the 6160 in road test convoys where we’re on the road and using the radios most of the day.
The 80-channel 6160 comes with a desk charger, belt clip, case, and accessories like a one-volt charger, while multi-chargers are all available from GME. The housing has an attachment point for a lanyard which I use to keep the radio close by all the time. The 6160 comes with a two-year factory warranty, and being an Australian company you get great aftersales service if needed.
GME’S 6160XO has proven to be a powerful and reliable handheld UHF for use in convoys or in camp, and it has become my personal go-to radio whenever I need one.