Best recommendation for walkie talkies

[Jakev_93]

Just looking for your input for what’s worked for you while hunting. I’m in the market for a good set that will actually let me talk to my hunting partners if they’re a few canyons away. Mainly just for checking in and seeing if they’ve got anything down or need any help. Weight is a factor for me because they will mainly be used on backpacking trips. Thanks for your input!

 

[Upstate SC]

If you are wanting to talk to someone several canyons over, you probably want to look into a ham license.

In general, handheld radios are line of sight, so if you are in a canyon it will be difficult to get someone in another canyon.

If you have a ham license and there is a radio tower in the area, you can use it as a repeater to extend your reach.

All that said, BeoFeng radios are popular.

 

[fwafwow]

Subscribed. I'm sitting for my exam in a couple of weeks, and while I don't want to jinx it, I'm hoping to pass. (One of the benefits of the pandemic - I've had time to teach myself the exam stuff.) One of the limitations of a license, however, is who else has one? My hunting buddies are not licensed, yet, so I'm not sure the license will be as valuable for me as it could be.

 

[seawolfxix]

Subscribed. I'm sitting for my exam in a couple of weeks, and while I don't want to jinx it, I'm hoping to pass. (One of the benefits of the pandemic - I've had time to teach myself the exam stuff.) One of the limitations of a license, however, is who else has one? My hunting buddies are not licensed, yet, so I'm not sure the license will be as valuable for me as it could be.

Have you taken the practice exams on the ARRL site? You’re sure to pass if you run through them a few times.

Nobody else in my group is licensed either, so the radio is only useful to me in case of emergency (and no cell reception).

Exam Practice

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.

www.arrl.org

 

[fwafwow]

Have you taken the practice exams on the ARRL site? You’re sure to pass if you run through them a few times.

Nobody else in my group is licensed either, so the radio is only useful to me in case of emergency (and no cell reception).

Exam Practice

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.

www.arrl.org

I'm using the HRE Tech app for practice tests. I've taken 8 of them with a range of 74%-91%. I am sure I will do about 10 more tests... I'm somewhat anal retentive on test taking.

If you don't mind my asking, are you able to use your license and radio to "call home"? Sorry for the dumb question, but one hope of mine is that there is some way to interface/connect with my wife even though she doesn't have a license. I do have the inReach Mini to send her texts.

 

[seawolfxix]

If you don't mind my asking, are you able to use your license and radio to "call home"? Sorry for the dumb question, but one hope of mine is that there is some way to interface/connect with my wife even though she doesn't have a license. I do have the inReach Mini to send her texts.

I don’t personally. I just upload my gps location via APRS so she can see where I’m at via https://aprs.fi/

 

[come2elmo]

No Service? No Problem! Article by Chas Carmichael

Communication with family back home or our hunting partners out in the field is one of the big challenges outdoorsman have. There are a lot of different ways to stay in touch luckily and our guest contributor, Chas Carmichael is here to talk about one you may not hear have considered. No...

www.rokslide.com

 

[come2elmo]

GMRS vs FRS radios?

Is it worth getting a licence to use GMRS over FRS radios? Is the reception that much better-reliable?

www.rokslide.com

 

[come2elmo]

I am looking at the comms stuff as well mostly for when we are driving the fs roads and such. Gmrs would probably suffice for our needs but I am a nerd so I like toys and learning new to me things. The radios in general play by the laws of physics so I don’t expect them to be of much use if my hunting buddies are over a ridge. As far as repeaters go there is only one in the area I am hunting this fall so it will be touch and go if I can reach it or not. There are satellite repeaters. But that is a whole level of math I am not sure I want to attack. But who knows

we all have inreach devices which work but are definitely not realtime comms. Message delivery can lag pretty significantly again depending on physics and device settings.

 

[Bockja]

We dealt with this same issue a few years ago. It seems like most of the recreational available radios just don't cut it. We eventually ended up with Tera Tr-505's (link below). They are currently FCC Part 95 certified. We found that using them within the MURS range at 1W provided much better transmission in typical hunting conditions compared the the FRS/GMRS frequencies most people use. Also, the MURS band does not require any licensing to operate. I will note, these radios are programmable and can be programmed to utilize broadcast power or frequencies beyond those that you can legally use without a GMRS or HAM license. We still have issues though and recently have relied more on our Inreach units to communicate though these can be slow and don't help when time is of the essence. I have been thinking about getting a GMRS license and building a small mobile repeater that is solar powered with battery backup. This would work when we utilize a basecamp but too heavy for those times we backpack hunt.

TERA TR-505 GMRS Recreational Handheld Radio

The affordable TR-505 GMRS 16 channel radio is ideal for recreational activities with family and friends. Includes 16 pre-programmed (GMRS) UHF channels. Optional (MURS) VHF license free channels. Offers an incredible combination of power, size and battery life. Ready to use out of the box!

powerwerx.com

 

[Squamch]

Are the radio regulations actually enforced in the states?

 

[fwafwow]

We dealt with this same issue a few years ago. It seems like most of the recreational available radios just don't cut it. We eventually ended up with Tera Tr-505's (link below). They are currently FCC Part 95 certified. We found that using them within the MURS range at 1W provided much better transmission in typical hunting conditions compared the the FRS/GMRS frequencies most people use. Also, the MURS band does not require any licensing to operate. I will note, these radios are programmable and can be programmed to utilize broadcast power or frequencies beyond those that you can legally use without a GMRS or HAM license. We still have issues though and recently have relied more on our Inreach units to communicate though these can be slow and don't help when time is of the essence. I have been thinking about getting a GMRS license and building a small mobile repeater that is solar powered with battery backup. This would work when we utilize a basecamp but too heavy for those times we backpack hunt.

TERA TR-505 GMRS Recreational Handheld Radio

The affordable TR-505 GMRS 16 channel radio is ideal for recreational activities with family and friends. Includes 16 pre-programmed (GMRS) UHF channels. Optional (MURS) VHF license free channels. Offers an incredible combination of power, size and battery life. Ready to use out of the box!

powerwerx.com

Thanks for this!

 

[Bockja]

Are the radio regulations actually enforced in the states?

Typically, GMRS license requirements are not enforced. There have been numerous discussions by the FCC about deregulating this band similar to FRS but it hasn't gone that far yet. As far as encroachment into other HAM frequency bands, they are often somewhat regulated by the HAM community and reported to the FCC for non-compliant users. Transmitting on military or emergency frequencies such as fire or police are definitely enforced.

 

[Squamch]

Typically, GMRS license requirements are not enforced. There have been numerous discussions by the FCC about deregulating this band similar to FRS but it hasn't gone that far yet. As far as encroachment into other HAM frequency bands, they are often somewhat regulated by the HAM community and reported to the FCC for non-compliant users. Transmitting on military or emergency frequencies such as fire or police are definitely enforced.

No kidding eh? I've got a wouxun something or other with all the frs and GMRS frequencies in it as well as trucker and resource road channels. Loggers would rather you have a radio and use it than not have one. Very few people bother with the license up here.

 

[Bubblehide]

I have way to many HAM handhelds to count, from non-programable Baofeng (preset channels) to fully programmable. I really should sell some off. The present ones are good for line of sight. If you want canyon to canyon you will need to hit a repeater, which means a programable handheld.

 

[fwafwow]

I have way to many HAM handhelds to count, from non-programable Baofeng (preset channels) to fully programmable. I really should sell some off. The present ones are good for line of sight. If you want canyon to canyon you will need to hit a repeater, which means a programable handheld.

I take my Technician test on Tuesday, so I might be able to take something off your hands - if any of them are good for a beginner. I have some time to get used to something simple while at home in advance of a trip to Idaho in early Sept.

 

[Bubblehide]

To start with I'd advise to have whatever you get programmed by a professional for the areas you intend to use them. But I am willing to talk to you about what I have.

 

[Wassid82]

Just looking for your input for what’s worked for you while hunting. I’m in the market for a good set that will actually let me talk to my hunting partners if they’re a few canyons away. Mainly just for checking in and seeing if they’ve got anything down or need any help. Weight is a factor for me because they will mainly be used on backpacking trips. Thanks for your input!

Titan radio TR4X have worked great for our hunting party. one person in our group is a nervous Nelly and these radios have help tremendously. they will definitely work several canyons over.