2 way radios

[frorider]

Got these a while back: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/revie...000vp4-two-way

...but they’re bulky, bad UI makes them hard to loan to friends, and I’m just curious what people are using other than BCA.

Anything small & light these days with at least average range?

[eSock]

https://rockytalkie.com/ is what I went with last month, so far so good just keeping in communication w/ mates at the resort.

Might need to rig up some sort of clip for it since the carabiner attachment makes it flop around on my backpack strap though.

[singlecross]

I did a 4 pack of these Baofeng bf-88st for about $12 each. Preprogrammed channels and attached antenna meets legal requirements and are simple for my wife and kids. Work great at the resort line of sight and about 0.5 mile range in eastern forests.

https://www.baofengradio.com/products/bf-88st

[sethschmautz]

I ended up with Motorola T800s for skiing with kids. Remote mics (use a rubber band to hold on place) on backpacks for my wife and I and possibly add these for kids later.

We had a couple of situations last year when the oldest got separated from his ski group. The radio would have helped this and the T800s allow you to send location if paired with a smartphone. We've tested this feature and it works okay.

Cost is about $80 per pair.

Reasonably happy with them. Mostly just wish the kids' coat pockets were bigger to make carrying and access easier.

Seth

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[doebedoe]

I've gone through a couple of blister packs, used BCA when guided & with friends, and now own Rocky Talkies. For me personally, the Rocky Talkies are the right mix of price, battery life, range, and industrial design.

Mine is attached to the daisy chain on my shoulder strap, and leash attached lower. I don't notice any significant flopping under moderate skiing (most of my bc skiing.) Range is as good as the BCAs when I've tested with friends this year.

[gregorys]

Another + for the Baofeng BF888's.
We have a dozen between myself and friends. I don't think any of them has actually broken. I think we might have lost a battery or two over the last several years. (I had another friend misplace a couple of mine, but that's not the radio's fault.)

Hand-mic is super-worth the price. (Last time I got some they were around $5 each - though they look more expensive now.)
But you will likely kill hand-mics. They get beat up in the weather. And when I crash, I usually crash pretty hard - so there's that.

Plan to replace, I'd guess, 10-20% of them a year. (The hand-mics)
I have the radio in a pocket, chest or interior. Hand-mic gets clipped to pack or jacket and gets the brunt of the weather.
They make weatherproof/waterproof ones, but IMO, not worth it. I can't say that weather has damaged any. I expect simply stretch and thrash are as as likely killers as anything.

They will, however, become almost inaudible on wet freezing days when they get rimed up. (Though it's always been late in the day by the time that happens.)
Thaw and dry them out and they should be fine. Mine have been.

The FRS/GMRS BF888's are probably the easiest for people that don't want to program with CHIRP.
Amazon is, IMO, the best source, since they'll handle any problems.

But programing them also allows you to do things like; program in ski-patrol for receive, or lift-ops, etc.
And a dual-channel or dual receive radio (while more expensive) is even better in that regard. I personally carry one of those, and use the BF888's for noobs/kids/etc.

[rp337]

Range vs weight are unfortunately a bit opposed due the whole physics bit. Bigger/more powerful transmitters and antennas take more weight and bigger batteries.

If you want a better radio for the same weight that you're currently using, the Motorola T600 and T800 are pretty indestructible with great range. If you want less weight, a different Midland like the XT-36 will probably give you the same/marginally improved performance with a better battery for 30% less weight.

Do check up on the legality using certain Baofengs in the way you plan to use them in the area you're going to be at, none of these options are more expensive than an FCC fine! The Bf88s are fine but some of their other models get quickly towards requiring a license.

[gregorys]

Range vs weight are unfortunately a bit opposed due the whole physics bit. Bigger/more powerful transmitters and antennas take more weight and bigger batteries.
...
Do check up on the legality using certain Baofengs in the way you plan to use them in the area you're going to be at, none of these options are more expensive than an FCC fine! The Bf88s are fine but some of their other models get quickly towards requiring a license.

I don't want to get in a pissing match, but - yes, using a non part 95 radio for FRS/GMRS _technically_ violates the FCC rules.
That said, I'm not aware of a *single* case where a user was using a non part 95 radio on FRS/GMRS in any semi-reasonably sane manner who even got a warning from the FCC, much less some greater punishment. FRS/GMRS in the USA is simply not receiving any significant attention in terms of enforcement. IMO, use sane power levels (<2W ERP), don't be an asshole, and use it responsibly, and you'll never ever hear from the FCC, part 95 radio or not. Using any radio in licensed business spectrum, or government reserved spectrum, is a whole different world - and will likely be a bad experience. (Some of the BF-888's used come programmed for random spectrum that was business/gvmt reserved. I'm not sure if that's still the case. Provided they're programmed properly, it doesn't matter either way.)

As for range. LOS (line of sight) is the MOST important factor for any radio in the 400mhz spectrum. If you don't have LOS, then a better antenna, or even an order of magnitude more power isn't likely to change a lot. The best bang for the buck, is a better antenna. (But since we're taking FRS/GMRS radios, the antenna is gonna suck - and on part 95 radios, it's not detachable, or swappable. I've never seen a really good one on any radio, regardless of price/brand.)

I'll just leave it there.

[rp337]

I don't want to get in a pissing match, but - yes, using a non part 95 radio for FRS/GMRS _technically_ violates the FCC rules.
That said, I'm not aware of a *single* case where a user was using a non part 95 radio on FRS/GMRS in any semi-reasonably sane manner who even got a warning from the FCC, much less some greater punishment. FRS/GMRS in the USA is simply not receiving any significant attention in terms of enforcement. IMO, use sane power levels (<2W ERP), don't be an asshole, and use it responsibly, and you'll never ever hear from the FCC, part 95 radio or not.

Agreed on all of that. I just figure it's worth a warning to people to double-check on what you're doing, lots of people have absolutely zero knowledge of ensuring they aren't interfering with a spectrum they shouldn't be on. I know of a few people who got FCC attention in Colorado using them but they were using a government reserved spectrum near a military installation, so it's not exactly surprising they got extra attention, but they had absolutely no clue what they were doing and just bought a random radio. In my experience you shouldn't count on the Baofengs to be properly programmed depending on where you buy them from. Great radios, worth a warning so people don't go screwing up without knowing what they're doing.

Also agreed LOS is most important for any radio we're talking about here and by actual radio standards they all have terrible range. Especially during bad weather though, some of these radios work muuuch better than others. Minor terrain features or a heavy snowstorm is where more power and better antennas do shine regardless of LOS. I've had some pretty varied experiences in whether or not radios work well in storms. Some - like BCA's - don't drop off too much in range during a storm. Others are much more limited (i.e. total garbage) in snowy conditions. Being able to go over a small ridge from someone or actually have functional radios while its snowing isn't a given in the $70 price tier.

[tang]

Second the rockie talkie... with caveat that my pair just arrived so just getting going. But chose em based on size, simplicity & price, while presumably still a step or two up from blisterpack motorolas. Chose against the BCA since internal pack space is already at a premium and more $$$

[frorider]

Rockie talkies seem well designed to address typical ski mtneering reqmts, may pull the trigger on a pair. I’ve yet to read a bad review. Simple UI, apparently rugged cable design, USB charge port, Good performance:weight ratio, etc...$90 each seems fair to (hopefully) get all that.

[Falcon3]

Anybody come up with an elegant solution to keep the Rocky Talkie in hands/ears reach without having it bounce around just on the biner?

Thinking a little cordura pouch that would attach to a shoulder strap would be nice.

[doebedoe]

Anybody come up with an elegant solution to keep the Rocky Talkie in hands/ears reach without having it bounce around just on the biner?

Thinking a little cordura pouch that would attach to a shoulder strap would be nice.

Is this based on experience of use or just a concern prior to use? I 've found that attaching the coiled leach to a low point on my pack (waist band) and clipping carabiner on shoulder strap makes bouncing minimal for most backcountry conditions. (I'm not exactly skiing rowdy bumps in the bc.)

If you want a simple solution, remove the existing leash and replace with a bit of shock cord that you can tighten on the fly. Cinch it down to your preferred tightness.

Since the pack and RT were in my office...I put them on, jumped up and down a lot -- it just doesn't flap around/move despite everyone's concern. The combo of the weighted shoulder strap keeping the top carabiner in place, and tension from the leash makes play minimal.

[frorider]

From their website:

Our goal in designing the attachment system was to make something that was failproof for a range of activities and decided on the carabiner and leash combination as the best and most versatile option. In order to keep the radio totally secure on the shoulder strap while snowboarding/biking, use the spiral leash to secure the bottom of the radio to your shoulder strap. The easiest method (used by most of our customers) is to simply wrap the leash once around the strap and clip it to itself. This will prevent it from bouncing or swinging even in bumpy, rugged terrain.

[Falcon3]

Sweet, thanks gents, I’ll try that configuration

[caruzo406]

much happier with these units compared to BCAs, easier to use for other applications

Rockie talkies seem well designed to address typical ski mtneering reqmts, may pull the trigger on a pair. I’ve yet to read a bad review. Simple UI, apparently rugged cable design, USB charge port, Good performance:weight ratio, etc...$90 each seems fair to (hopefully) get all that.

[alldayspread]

I've been curious about the RT's, pleased to hear positive reviews

much happier with these units compared to BCAs, easier to use for other applications

Second the rockie talkie... with caveat that my pair just arrived so just getting going. But chose em based on size, simplicity & price, while presumably still a step or two up from blisterpack motorolas. Chose against the BCA since internal pack space is already at a premium and more $$$

[frorider]

Rocky talkie 5 watt model are on preorder but sound promising