Hockaday2017
Active member
What does everyone use for radios in the woods?
BEST "WALKIE TALKIE"?
- Thread starter Hockaday2017
- Start date
Gellar
Well-known member
Sorry I gotta do it…Did I hear a niner in there? Were you calling from a walk-in talkie?
Arcola
Well-known member
Well played my friend
FAIR CHASE
Well-known member
grizzly_
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2013
- Messages
- 1,242
Rocky Talkie
Lightweight radio that easily secures to backpacks and harnesses: 3-day battery life and 25+ mile range line-of-sight. Designed and tested in the Colorado Rockies.
rockytalkie.com
I used a Rocky Talkie recently for backcountry skiing. They are pretty slick. I'm not sure how much of a difference there is between all of them. This one was built pretty burly and had a carabiner and a strap on it, so it certainly looked/felt outdoorsy.
pabearhunter
Well-known member
3 shots and than 3 more about 30 seconds later.
D4570
Well-known member
Holy crap a set of talkies are cheaper than 6 shells
I do an annual trip with a few friends from different parts of the state. One of them has some Baofeng radios programmed to GMRS frequencies. We have been able to communicate over many miles with them to arrange what time we all want to meet back at the wall tent. They do take some technical know how to set up correctly and you're supposed to get your GMRS license from the FCC as well.
D4570
Well-known member
pabearhunter
Well-known member
How about 3 and a prayer.
BillDoe708
Active member
Been using the Baofeng for 4 or 5 years now. They work well. Probably 20 of us using them in our group. No issues
Hockaday2017
Active member
How do they work in the mountains?
D4570
Well-known member
Very well. If you're behind a rock cliff, maybe not, but hills don't seem to bother much.
Arcola
Well-known member
Does anyone have a direct comparison between these Baofeng models and the Garmin Rino? Reception wise, obviously.
Baofeng can do 8 watts, Garmin is 5. Baofeng will be clearer. Wattage doesn’t really translate to distance, but to clarity. Both could probably do 5 miles on the GMRS frequencies. Looks like you can text on the Garmin though. Baofeng is admittedly kind of difficult to use if you don’t have the technical know-how. You’ll have to reprogram it to use on GMRS frequencies if you want to use it legally without a HAM operator license (it’s technically a HAM radio). You’ll have to get that license from the FCC to use either legally. It’s just a $35 fee (they lowered it a year ago). No one is likely to check or catch you, but it is a thing.
Google “best walkie talkies outdoor gear lab” or something along those lines. They don’t have the Garmin to compare, but gives a rundown of some good one.
Also, check this article out:
The Facts About Distance: What’s the Range for Radio?
What’s the range for these to communicate with someone? How many miles? ——This is almost the most common question people ask before getting a new two-way radio.While some radios ads saying that they can transmit
www.baofengradio.com
Radio stuff is kind of confusing to my brain. Surprised there isn’t an old HAM nerd on here who hasn’t chimed in.
