2-way communication with cell phone - interesting off grid tech

[Desk Jockey]

Seems somewhat intriguing.

Beartooth

Claims 10 miles of 2-way comms without cell coverage. Anyone heard of it?

 

[elkguide]

Anxious to hear more about this.

 

[muddydogs]

10 miles coverage where? Over water?

 

[TJ]

Interesting, I'd like to see some reviews from users.

I am a bit sceptical though.

 

[TheCougar]

I've heard of it, but I've also heard that the real world performance is poor. The idea is awesome. We will see about the execution...

 

[GotDraw?]

I am very skeptical as well. I'm no expert, but I see no extended antennae and I doubt the transmission power is much to write home about. Agree with prior poster that is probably rated at 10 miles over water... like buying a "35 mile" blister pack radio from a big box store.

I'd be very surprised if it could come anywhere close to the performance of a 4 watt or 8 watt Baofeng w/a long whip antennae in the mountains. And last I checked, Baofeng 4watt radios cost about $25-30 each, plus another $10-15 bucks or so for an upgraded (long) whip antennae.

Great idea, but probably more a Bearwhisper than a Beartooth.

JL

 

[Stillhunterman]

Been looking at it for a while and seems they're still having issues. A little more info here, read the reviews:
Beartooth Device Converts Phone To 'Two-Way Radio'



And some of the bad news/issues here: Make Beartooth Deliver - Home | Facebook


Beartooth Specifications
2.43in x 3.98in x 0.49in
4.5oz
3000 mAh Li-ion battery
Works with iOS and Android Phones
Line-of-sight range: 5 miles for voice (10 miles for text)
No line-of-sight: 2 miles for voice (4 miles for text)
900 MHz Digital Transceiver (US Spec: 902MHz – 928MHz)
1W Transmit Power (30dBm)
Up to -148dBm Receiver Sensitivity, 178dB Link Budget
Mesh Networking for Extended Range
FSK and LoRa Modulation
AES 256-Bit Encryption
Bluetooth 2.0 Connection to Smartphone
4 Day Battery Life (5/5/90 Duty Cycle)
USB Type-C Port With Fast Bi-Directional Charging (2.1A)