walkie talkie help

J

jogforfun

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I need a good set of walkie talkies to keep in contac in a area with out cell phone coverage. the standard ones that say they are good for 5k tent not to work worth a darn. what do i need, what do they cost and where do I buy them. the logger all seem to be able to radio each other 20k away
 
I agree with the Baofeng radios, they are a good radio for the money. I used to use GMRS radios, and even good ones don't get close to the range that they claim. Mine said they could reach out 60 km, but in reality it was more like 2 or 3 on a good day.
 
Magellann said:
I agree with the Baofeng radios, they are a good radio for the money. I used to use GMRS radios, and even good ones don't get close to the range that they claim. Mine said they could reach out 60 km, but in reality it was more like 2 or 3 on a good day.
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Thats kind of odd advertising because radio propagation at best with vhf is 25 miles under ideal conditions.
Open field from a higher vantage point might get you close , but 40 miles is stretching it.
I need to find that you tube clip were a guy builds his own repeaters etc... was very cool and appeared readily doable.
Rob
 
I heard something about there being different rules for power in US vs Canada?
Basically the US had less restrictions so the same device but bough from US had more juice.

Anyone have insight or was this just another urban legend.
 
The ranges they advertise on units are ranges it "could" achieve. They don't clarify that the could was based on math, not on usage... so as long as you use it in the vacuum of space, it "could" achieve some of those claims.
 
Jmcc said:
I heard something about there being different rules for power in US vs Canada?
Basically the US had less restrictions so the same device but bough from US had more juice.

Anyone have insight or was this just another urban legend.
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I did buy my radios in the states, and compared to the radios that the rest of our hunting group has,mine are definitely better.
But overall they are not very good in the bush. Our area is very hilly and if your in a valley you don't get much reception. On the lake I can get maybe 3 to 4 km with my radio and that's better than anyone else's radio there.
 
wattage is higher for FMRS/GMRS radios in the US, substantially so. I think it's 2 here and 5 there IIRC. But, if you are in hilly terrain like we hunt, you still won't be able to reach everyone. Last bear hunt we tried FM sets. They were substantially better, but not perfect either. Reception on those was crystal clear from everywhere we tried them. But, every now and then, you got one way conversations, not sure why.
We have devised a series of signal shots, that along with the radios, and cell phones (some spots in our area they work) get the message across.
Where we are hunting, we can pretty much tell if it's one of our guys shooting.
 
jogforfun said:
I need a good set of walkie talkies to keep in contac in a area with out cell phone coverage. the standard ones that say they are good for 5k tent not to work worth a darn. what do i need, what do they cost and where do I buy them. the logger all seem to be able to radio each other 20k away
Click to expand...

I also recommend Baofeng UV-5R. I love my 3. However, keep in mind that even a more powerful hand-held like a UV-5R will not allow you to talk to someone on the other side of a mountain, or through several KM of dense forest. They WILL work far better than the blister-pack Motorola or Cobra radios from your local big box stores, but they aren't anything like the 20 watt vehicle radios that the loggers use.

Also keep in mind that you need to be reasonably intelligent (and/or determined) to program one of these, and you need to do your research on what frequencies you can and cannot use without a HAM license.
 
I have two UV-5R radios and have progammed them with FSR/GMRS but like others have stated they are better but not the best... I know I need to get a HAM cert in order to use the restricted frequencies, and plan on doing so, but in an real emergency what frequency should/could I use to call for help? I am a total noob when it comes to radios so any advice would be appreciated - PM me if you want. Thanks
 
ironsighter said:
I also recommend Baofeng UV-5R. I love my 3. However, keep in mind that even a more powerful hand-held like a UV-5R will not allow you to talk to someone on the other side of a mountain, or through several KM of dense forest. They WILL work far better than the blister-pack Motorola or Cobra radios from your local big box stores, but they aren't anything like the 20 watt vehicle radios that the loggers use.

Also keep in mind that you need to be reasonably intelligent (and/or determined) to program one of these, and you need to do your research on what frequencies you can and cannot use without a HAM license.
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FYI you cannot "legally" use the UV-5x in Canada to 'transmit' unless you have a license.

Low power on those radios is 1W (high is 5W). Industry Canada rules FRS is 2W max but since the radio is 5W 'capable' - not allowed even if you program it to 1W....

That said, they are awesome radios especially for the price.
 
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The biggest limitation of all handheld radios is the little rubber antenna,if you could put on a telescoping antenna or hook it up to a 5/8 magmount on the roof
Of a car or truck it would make a huge difference.

H,VE5HFD
 
I use Baofung on the range. Work perfectly. have not tried them hunting.

They have a keypad. If either radio accidently get a button pushed they won't talk to each other. A lot can go wrong.

learned that the hard way.

The bottom right button is a lock button. Hold it for a few seconds and all the settings are locked. Settings can't be changed accidently.
 
Legalities aside... you can get handheld CB radios like Realistic TRC-216 on fleebay for next to nothing these days. Heavier, but you probably get most km/range per dollar.
 
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