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The Safari operators use VHF radio's with repeaters. If they are licensed by ICASA then they are legal and cannot be stopped from using them.

I have not heard 29Mhz activity for a long time inland. Not even 4x4 people on trails.

Regards,

Wayne

Wayne, I was just wondering since the 4x4 club I am part of only uses 29MHz. but then again we travel in convoys when on trips so we don't need long range radios. I can understand that the safari operators use VHF radios for the extra range and to concur the line of sight limitation.

As some have said in this thread: this topic comes up regularly.

It was interesting and encouraging to see Groovys perspective.

My thots when reading this thread:

Is an someone using a radio to alert other others of a sighting not the same as a "blackberry group" or people phoning/texting each other in a larger group that spills into more than one car . It shouldn't matter if its an OSV or a private vehicle

I'snt the aim the same? To get more people to a sighting. Is it a problem because it "their" people and not "ours"?

Over the past few months I have used the internet to improve my lifer list (birding). I use a forum where people report rare/not so common sightings and if I can I head down to the spot i do - (it works sometimes but I've realised that birds are able to fly/swim/run/walk) . Feeds are available on twitter and some even have GPS co-ords. This is acceptable behaviour in the birding fraternity and possibly so coz the volume of birders is not huge. However would this be a problem if everyone was a birder? And large numbers turned up affecting the birds behaviour and spoiling the chances for others?

My thots are that if radios are not allowed in the park - then texting, phoning, twitterings etc should also be banned.

But then where do we stop - should we also doscourage flagging down someone to inform them of a sighting up ahead?
Not sure about the last one but I'd be happy to comply with the rest.

I suppose it is human nature to tar everybody with the same brush and generalise.

When I am in Kruger, I am usually in a hired sedan and thus do not have the luxury of the extra height to be able to see over the long grass and so, what upsets me at a sighting, is when a vehicle, don't care whether it is an operator or Jan Public, is inconsiderate of others who are also just trying to see what is happening or catch a glimpse of an elusive one.

I think that is all comes down to education! If people are taught the correct way to act and also given an explanation of why they should or shouldn't do something, maybe it would be a more pleasurable experience for everybody.

Recently I have had a solo leoaprd sighting messed up by somebody who was polite enough to pull into the space I was giving the leopard as she was walking down the road calling her cubs, had a HUGE safari vehicle, who was way bigger than I was, pulling in and blocking my view on a kill...and believe me he would have been able to see it even if he hadn't moved and lastly, I had to tell people on 2 occasions to STOP as they were blocking the path of a leopard who wanted to cross the road with her cub and also a cheetah who wanted to cross the road looking for a mate! People just don't know how to read animals and their behaviour in general.

A little knowledge may be a dangerous thing, but no knowledge at all is far worse.

So, it is not only the OSVs that are the problems, it is the SUVs, MPVs, the "I can see, so bugger you"s and anybody else who is inconsiderate and doesn't care.

Wishing everybody the sightings they wish for over this festive season, whether it is a bird in your garden or your first impala in a park! Drive carefully and consider others.

@DrPhil, yes 29Mhz works well but only short range unless there is skip where you could then cover many many km worldwide.

Remember Kruger used to have SW SSB radio's in the old days to cover the park. VHF works well for the safari operators with repeaters and are used all over. You can get VHF.UHF receivers to listen.

I must say it is much better than in the past when they caused chaos.

Regards,

Wayne

We found signal for cell phone reception erratic to say the least so there is usually a fairly lengthy delay if one wanted to respond to a sighting that was posted for the public whereas the OSV's radio coverage seems to cover a far bigger area and is instantaneous.

Does anyone know what the Frequency's are that the operators use?
Then we could just get a VHF-UHF receiver and monitor them also.

I will be in Kruger this March for 3 night 4 days to short but better than
not at all.

I really did not want to go into this thread.

I have a very "soft spot" for Safari operators.
They are professionals, and like most people, they get tarred with every one else's bad behaviour.

As a breed, I find the JJ's rather lovely. I do tend to be more than a bit envious.

I do think that they are in the typical "sandwich" position. Respect and love for wildlife, and the demands of the job.

I have had both the best and worst encounters with so called, "JJ"s".

My worst encounters in the Park, have never ever been with Safari operators.

Greetings and all good wishes for the forthcoming year.

Have just returned from 15+ days in the park, more OSV's than ever and always in a big rush for the next sighting of the "Big 5". They miss (their guests???) so much, to the extent that one lot ran over a small spotted genet in their haste. The problem appears worse around Satara and Skukuza, or it did this trip.

The radios most likely operate in the 150-174 Mhz range, with repeaters on Mariepskop ensuring excellent coverage in just about the whole Lowveld. The exact frequencies could be determined quickly with a simple scanner.

One also needs to distinguish between the general OSV operators and the lodges located on concessions within the KNP and the Makuleke CNP. The latter are also allowed to use the public roads, and most have permission to use designated public roads outside of public hours. These lodges have their own private frequencies and are free to share sightings.

I can remember the days when only three commercial operators were active in the KNP:

- Comair, with three or four VW Combis operated out of Skukuza
- Atlas Springbok offered three-night bus tours from the Witwatersrand
- Welcome Tours also operated tours from Johannesburg/Pretoria, but used Combis or sedans.

Some local guides also operated on more of an ad hoc basis, but that was it. None of them had radios, but guess what, their guests still enjoyed excellent sightings.

Johan

After nearly 10 years of dreaming about it, my SO and I have decided to start up our own small tour operation to bring overseas visitors to KNP. My SO has been visiting the park for almost 40 years now and I have been with him since we were married 26 years ago. We intend to visit the park with small groups ( never more than eight), and have decided that the nature of our visits will remain the same they have always been. We hope to instill in our guests the passion for KNP that we share. We will definitely tell them that there are no guarantees about what will be seen, but rather there will always be something interesting to see, be it fauna, flora or environmental. We intend to provide each visitor with a basic set of reference books so that they (should they wish to) can learn more about what we are seeing. Of course we will teach and share interesting facts, but we have always found it so much more interesting when we are able to research sightings then and there.
I realise that, as tour operators, people have to make a living, but when that is all that KNP becomes, then it's time to get out.
Chasing after "good" sightings does not equal passion.
Appreciaiting whatever there is to be seen is the secret to the magic that is KNP!!!

Thanks Elsa!! We are really excited. And terrified at the same time

Thanks Tulagi!!!

I have to share a wonderful experience we had on Saturday morning.

Our daughter and I went out on an early morning drive from B&D ( SO decided he wanted a bit more sleep). We decided to do the gravel S114 up and then down again on the tar back to camp.

It was raining very lightly and we haven't driven very far on the S114 when I spotted a leopard in a tree right next to the road............not a car in sight!!!!

We parked and watched it for a while. It then got out and went and laid down at the back of the tree in the grass. Shortly there after another car arrived and we told them there was a leopard back somewhere in the grass................. Just after that it got up and started walking, but you could only see its tail from time to time..................

Then this OSV arrived...........we told him what we saw and asked if he could have a look as he was so much higher............immediately he said he saw her and she was stalking some impala........she then caught one, but we could still not see anything.

Next we heard him calling us...................he was back at the tree where she originally laid.........we drove back there only to see the cub climbing into the tree!!!!!

He was so very nice to park furthest from the tree so we could all 3 cars share in this stunning sighting...............

Hats off to this stunning guy, who called us back, told us what he could see and gave us the front row seats to a dream sighting!!!!

Lion Queen

Thanks for that heart warming story!

I am sure things could improve if we just tried to communicate at sightings.... (hopefully!)

1. In December we were waiting patiently on the S7 to get close to mating lions next to the road. After about 20 minutes we got a lovely spot about 10m from them, and left a nice gap so other cars on either side could see them.
No problem -- a green vehicle approaches, pushes through the cars, and pulls right in front of us, about 3 m away from the lions!
I left him to explain to his clients (he was a foreigner, English not too good), but then politely said: ``Excuse me, could you please just move back a bit so we can all see?''
Reply: ``Just 2 minutes!''
After another 5 minutes, I said: ``Escuse me, but you are being rude now! Could you please just move back a bit so that everybody can see?''
He scowled, and reversed 5m, and everybody was happy! (except the driver!)

2. Same place, same time. Another green vehicle approaches the mating lions, but the driver waits patiently, then parks on the side in a place where nobody's view is barred! Later, in camp, I meet the driver, Dean, and chat with him.
Dean tells me where the two cheetah brothers regularly hang out west of Transport Dam, and that he saw one there that evening. ``Just go down that road tomorrow morning, and you should see them!''
4:30 am I head down the H1-1, and stop for a brilliant sunrise just west of Transport Dam. As I put my camera down, I look up, into the eyes of 2 cheetahs, lying about 30m away in the road, watching me curiously!

Thanks Dean, for being so friendly!

God bless,

Friedrich von Hörsten