GME XRS 330-CTP UHF radio: 4x4 product test

UHF communications are an essential addition to any touring 4x4. Not only are they handy for chatting with and relaying messages to other members of your convoy but they improve safety by alerting you to road and track conditions, give you a means of staying in touch with your camp, are priceless when conducting vehicle recovery, and are super handy if you have someone spotting you over an obstacle.

There are a handful of quality brands of UHFs available for in-vehicle installation, but we always like the products from Australian company GME. It’s rare but great to see electronic components still be made in Australia, and that should be enough for us all to support this brand.

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Not only are they Aussie-made but they are some of the best in the business, so there’s no compromise on quality and performance. Take GME’s latest range of leading XRS Connect radios for example. UHF radios where the main body of the unit can be mounted out of the way are nothing new, and they’re especially important in newer vehicles with complex dashboards that don’t easily accommodate a traditional boxy unit. With the main body tucked up out of sight somewhere, the handpiece is the only part of the radio set that comes into the passenger cabin and it therefore houses all the controls.

The handpiece is a hefty unit that feels top quality when it’s in your hand; not a flimsy plastic piece that you might crush in your grip. Not only does it contain the controls for the power button, channel selection, volume control, squelch, etc. but it also conceals the speaker inside it.

In the past, some mike-in-handpiece radios have used tinnie little speakers that delivered less than ideal sound quality, but not the GME handpiece. It conceals a two-watt speaker that gives you clear and easily understandable sound at all times. GME claims it’s class-leading, and Ron Moon said after driving our Ranger for a week that this was the best speaker-in-mike radio he’s ever used. Who are we to argue with the great man?

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That’s right, we fitted an XRS-330C super compact UHF to the Ranger and it’s been delivering clear and precise comms for a few trips now. We got it as part of the 330-CTP Connect Touring package which also includes a GME 6.6dBi elevated feed antenna, and our good mates at Ontrack Automotive fitted it for us.

The XRS-330C has more features than we’ll ever need but basically it’s an 80-channel, five-watt UHF radio. Users can connect the radio to an app on their smart device via Bluetooth to program special features like the preset channels, scanning and the customisable buttons on the handpiece. As I say, more features than we’ll ever need but, most importantly, as a reliable UHF radio it works better than any other we’ve used before.

RATED
Available from: www.gme.net.au
Fitted by: ontrack4x4.com.au
RRP: $629
We Say: Quality Australian-made radio for reliable comms.