Two Way Radio's

[packer58]

Gonna keep it simple.................What radio's have been working for you...

 

[norsepeak]

I use the Garmin Rinos. GPS and radio all in one...they've been working good for me.

 

[pirogue]

Also have a couple Garmin Rinos. But if I don’t need GPS on the occasion, I use Midland brand. Had better luck with them than Motorola.

 

[Bubblehide]

Walkie Talkie Suggestions Please!

I'm looking for a pair of walkie talkies that will do close to a mile in mountainous terrain but still on the same side of the mountain with up to 1000' of elevation change from each user. Any suggestions from those that have them? Thank You! ElkNut/Paul

www.rokslide.com

Baofeng and the Retevis appear to be manufactured by the same company but branded differently, as I have both.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

We use Yaesu FT3DRs. We replace the stock (dummy load) antenna with a quarter-wave whip (signal stick) and they work great on 2meter VHF or 70cm UHF. We use compact hand mics on our backpack straps, plugged into the radios, which usually ride inside our packs.

The batteries are very good. We can run a battery for a couple days all day, easy. Carry a spare but have not needed it. Getting a mile up and down the mountain is no big deal. With a good antenna we find the radios work even when we lack line-of-sight.

Last weekend I climbed a peak in the Sangre de Cristo solo and had comms with my son day and night - he was inside our home 62 miles away. We’ve gotten 148 miles (simplex, that is without relying on a repeater) range with this radio/antenna combo when on a 13er.

Caveat - we are Technician level ham radio operators. But if my 13 year old can study and pass the test I’d say you can. Cost $14 to get him licensed. The radios cost a little more but you can go cheaper.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

One more thought: my son and I have our own “bank” of frequencies programmed into our radios. They are public amateur freqs but not regularly used, so essentially private to us in the backcountry.

If for some reason we lose comms, we can switch to a local repeater frequency and make contact there. If we’re on different sides of the same mountain, there’s a good chance we can both hit a repeater network and talk that way.

It ain’t rocket science. My 13 year old understands it and we practice when we hike together. My 10 year old is also learning. I’m often surprised to see the time and effort guys put into “sexy“ skills like shooting, calling, etc. Then they crap out and go cheap/easy with comms, navigation, real fieldcraft.

 

[Azdon]

I have both Midland and Motorola FMS/GMRS radios as well as 2 meter VHF ham band radios. The FMS/GMRS radios are ok if you are close or at least "line of sight". This is due to the low power limitations and the type of antenna. Under ideal conditions We are able to communicate up to about 4-5 miles. This is "line of sight" only!!
Under most hunting conditions we are limited to 1/2-1 mile at best.

The 2 meter ham radios are much better, however, legally you must have a ham radio license to use them. Crzy Trekker is right on the money with his comments. We have 2 meter mobile radios in our vehicles and have handheld Yaesu ft-60 when we are hiking. We are lucky in our hunting areas because there are quite a few repeaters that we can use. Many of these repeaters are "linked" with other areas of the state so we can sometimes communicate with people 100-300 miles apart!!

 

[packer58]

Thanks guys, gives me something to think about....

 

[Gunnersdad49]

One more thought: my son and I have our own “bank” of frequencies programmed into our radios. They are public amateur freqs but not regularly used, so essentially private to us in the backcountry.

If for some reason we lose comms, we can switch to a local repeater frequency and make contact there. If we’re on different sides of the same mountain, there’s a good chance we can both hit a repeater network and talk that way.

It ain’t rocket science. My 13 year old understands it and we practice when we hike together. My 10 year old is also learning. I’m often surprised to see the time and effort guys put into “sexy“ skills like shooting, calling, etc. Then they crap out and go cheap/easy with comms, navigation, real fieldcraft.

Any benefits to the FT 3 over the FT 4?

 

[Fullfan]

Another vote for the Garmin Rinos. Only use them elk hunting. Even if I can’t talk to my son, I can still see where he is.