2-way radio help

PineRidge · Oct 22, 2003

Not sure where to post this so we'll jump in here. Need some advice from a few of you hunters out there. I would like some input of the hand held 2-way radios that I see being advertised daily. I need something rechargable, with at least a 2 mile range, and with a vibrating alert since I will be using it sitting on a compact tractor. I also have high tension wires that cross my property, will this affect reception? Any comments are most welcome as I have not yet made a purchase.

Mike

bncsauve · Oct 22, 2003

My experience with the handheld two way radios that you see these days is with 2 types. FRS and GMRS

Both radios are "line of sight" which means that if there are any hills in the way, range is severly limited. Buildings and trees can also affect range. The only time you get full published range is usually over water or probably flat land with no obstacles in between.
GMRS radios have more transmit power than FRS radios, and so punch through obstacles better, but still won't go through hills. GMRS radios require a $50 FCC license, FRS radios don't. FRS radios are cheaper. If your usage is over flat land with no obstacles, an FRS may be the right choice. On the other hand, if you have less than ideal conditions, GMRS would probably be a better choice. You can get base stations for your house for either one. (good choice). I have used both types for hunting in the woods in hilly areas and have found that GMRS works out better for me. Hope this helps.

Adirondaks · Oct 22, 2003

I use FRS radios from Midland when hunting. They are very handy to have, to call for help dragging, notify others in party of siting and direction. I hunt in deep hardwoods and have never lost contact. I didnt want the bother of the FCC license. The FRS radios are also used by familys at malls to keep in touch and by big rig truckers when backing into tight spots. I use mine when going into the field to mow too. Motorola and Midland make quality units. Garmin makes one with a built in GPS, the Rhino . It shows your location to the other unit when you transmit. The AA batteries last over a year with Midlands Battery Saver mode.

DavidJ · Oct 22, 2003

I've used many different types and frequency radios. We used VHF for the local FD and UHF at work, I also have some FRS radios and as far as range there's only a slight difference in any of them when talking handheld to handheld. The biggest difference you can make is to buy a repeater station. that way it will allow you to get better distance even between handhelds.

GaryM · Oct 22, 2003

As stated by others, GMRS requires a license, but you can run high power and install a repeater system. That said, you need better than the box store GMRS units to do it. You would be spending $250-300 per radio to get that capability.

You might want to look at the Multiple User Radio System (MURS) units. They are actually the old VHF "roaming" frequencies in the business band. Power is limited to two watts, but as it's VHF rather than UHF, I'd expect the range to be slightly better. The FCC just gave up tring to regulate the users. Here's a site with some good information and links: http://www.provide.net/~prsg/murshome.htm

thcri · Oct 22, 2003

PineRidge,

I am not sure on how much money you want to spend but you may want to check out the Garmin GPS pages and look up the Rhino series. These are two way radios along with a GPS built in. So if one of you get lost the other person has a cordinate on the one lost. They are becoming popular.

murph

PineRidge · Oct 22, 2003

Guess I should have said that these will be used only on a 6 acre plot for communication between home and mowing routine. The only thing that really concerns me is that I need the vibrating mode so that it may be felt/heard over the running diesel and the fact that they will be used close to some high tension towers also on the property. Should I expect any interference from the high voltage towers, or are these crystal clear?

rockyridgefarm · Oct 22, 2003

( GMRS radios have more transmit power than FRS radios )

 Usually 

There is a trend in offering "Gummers" in the same output power as FRS, of course they still claim "up to" 5 mille range. (jerks!)

I bought some Uniden GMRS radios at Overstock.com for $50 each. They had been $249, but were being discontinued. The new model boasted ~300mW vs. 2W for these. Uniden was dropping the higher wattage. Go figure.

Of course, it is a real pain to actually find the power specs. I went online and opened product manuals to get it. My Unidens are probably semi-pro models, and I am sure there are better, but these blow away the FRS units I had.

jackd · Oct 22, 2003

Mike:

This is probably mundane, but have you thought of using your cell phone? I put mine on vibe, and the CFO (and others, unfortunately /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif ) can reach me.

JackD

bncsauve · Oct 22, 2003

Covering 6 acres, I would expect that you would have no problem using an FRS radio. As a matter of fact, the sportsmans guide is offering a base station FRS for about $15. I don't think the high tension wires will be a problem. If you can't find a vibrating FRS, you could always use an ear bud type headset. It would fit inside hearing protectors if you use them. Or work fine if you don't.

ronjhall · Oct 22, 2003

Here is a thread from last winter on FRS radios. Click Here

I have a set of Motorola’s 6200’s that work very well. But they do not have vibrating or rechargeable batteries. The next model up has these features. I believe they are not the current models that you can buy. Price was just over $50 for the pair with rebates that Motorola was offering at this time last year.

I have vibrating on my Cell phone. Because of the vibration of the tractor when it is running I can never tell when it goes off. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif An ear piece may work better.

PineRidge · Oct 22, 2003

Jack hate to admit it but I haven't owned a cell phone since I got out of the HVAC business over 4 years ago. For most of 38 years I was tyied to a pager and then cell phone when they came along. Heck I even had to tote one of those 1st big clumsy blasted bag pnones around with me. So you can understand why today I don't miss them. Still Internet savvy though as our mail order & Internet business keeps us all hopping here at the ranch. Need the 2-ways for that reason only.

Mike

jackd · Oct 22, 2003

Lucky you, Mike...someday I'll be there... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Jack

bncsauve · Oct 23, 2003

Sounds like a great setup. But, since you appear to be trying to withdraw
from communications technology, how about two tin cans and a long string? /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

PineRidge · Oct 25, 2003

Bob I tried that idea first but with the mowing I just couldn't figure a way to keep the string tight enough to actually work. Can you hear me now? GOOD! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

EddieWalker · Oct 25, 2003

A buddy bought some top of the line $200 each walkie talkies that worked well. We could talk over a mile apart in the woods across canyons, but we couldn't comunicate if there was a ridge between us.

Another friend bought a cheap pair of Cobra walkie talkies for about $30 for the pair. They worked just a well.

I paid about $40 for my motorola ones from Cabela's with charger. My land if very, very heavily wooded, but mostly flat. After about a 1,000 feet guessing they are worthless.

On six acres I'd guess you shouldn't have too much trouble.

PineRidge · Oct 27, 2003

Thanks for all the input on this subject. After doing quite a bit of homework I decided on a set of Motorola T5950 GMRS/FRS hand held units. Funny thing though as all the major players had them on backorder for a minimum of 3 to 4 weeks, so I assume that this must be one of the models that is in high demand. Anyway last night I got a brainstorm to search the eBay site and viola, I found a set with a buy-it-now price of $30.00 less than in the stores were offering them at, and they were brand new never used..... Now the decision to buy at eBay was a no brainer for me. Thanks again! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif