Two way radios

[JIMI]

Does anyone have an opion on tow way radios? I'm looking into the Motorola line as well there are a couple others out there. What have people found that work and what does not work.

Are these a waste of time because of limited range, most are liited to two miles.

Give me your thoughts and reviews.

Thanks!

[philfort]

I have found them useful for belayer/climber communication.

Whatever you do, DON'T get a Cherokee FR-460, like I have (they are extremely tiny, so I thought they'd be good for climbing). They break if you let the batteries run really low. Such as might happen when it gets cold. Switch the batteries to new ones, and presto - the radios don't work anymore, and you need to send them in for repair.

 

[David_Parker]

I have the Motorolas and they are GREAT! I use them for a variety of situations but not yet for climbing. Skiing at Whistler I was able to communicate most of the time. Range is at least 2 miles but much less if the 2 radios are in a basin separated by a ridge. Line of sight is important for max range. Erik and I decided it would have been nice to have these on Dury as we could not communicate when we were at each end of the rope both on the way up and down. It would have been handy for the rap that left him short and I had no clue what he was doing down there! Anyway, they are light, weatherproof and I can imagine hundreds of situations where they will be handy. Ditto to Alex's comments. I just have to try to remember to bring them along! I got mine at Costco for about $70.00 pair. There are a bunch off channels and sub-channels that come in handy when at places like a ski resort where lots of people are using them. My first test was when I was at the sea kayak symposium with my 5 year old son and I wanted to stay in touch with him while I paddled around. Perfect!

DPP

[AJ]

I've got some older Motorola TalkAbout+ radios that I've been using for 3 years now. They have been really handy - especially skiing. My only complaint isn't an issue with the newer models - they used to have the channel selector buttons raised so if you bumped them they would change. I've found the range to be pretty good up to 2 miles. No real test beyond that.

[philfort]

A note on range: they can work far beyond the 2 mile range if you're line of sight. I recall being near the summit of North Twin Sister 2 years ago, and having trouble finding a free channel (out of 14) to talk to my partners, because of all the conversations going on in Bellingham (presumably).

[Guest]

I've been using those Motorola Talkabout® T289 Alkaline battery radios for about 1.5 years now for rock climbing and snowshoeing. No complaints about the functionality and very useful when I bother taking them.

The most important caveat is that batteries don't last long at all! The indicator is not informative - you can see it halfway down and it'll be 2/3 down in 10 minutes. They work very unreliably when the battery is 2/3 down. One must really keep track of the usage. The models without the display are not worth it because you'll always be fumbling with the channels and codes.

This model is not suitable for expeditions in my opinion unless you carry 2 extra sets (6 AA) with you at all times and always have more at the "base". But if you do then it is OK and lightweight. 2 miles is good enough for climbing. I also found that if you leave the batteries in when not in use they tend to go down, can't explain but all 4 do the same.

I personally find it wasteful to replace AA as often as the radio requires for weekend activities. There are rechargeable models but haven't used.

[Cal_Droke]

I have a couple Motorola Talkabouts.

For the most part I have only used them on roadside/short approach routes. They work great...Much better than SHOUTING, paticularly if there are other climbing teams nearby. I got one of mine at Costco for a reasonable price.

[Alex]

radios are particularly handy in situations where you have more than 2 people climbing or skiing in seperate teams that move at different speeds, like on Rainier or skiing St Helens or doing day-long approaches in the backcountry, or climbing two seperate routes on the same massif. They work much better above treeline (duh), but in general are useful for coordination when it comes time to get back to camp. Also useful in alpine situations where you have a "basecamp" and are doing long routes from camp, such as on Dragontail. If you are overdue chances are your buddies can contact you at predetermined times to see how you are doing...

[EddieE]

I thought distance would be an issue as well, so I ponied up for the Motorola Distance DPS radios (5 mile radius). They're more cumbersome and I haven't used them on technical routes, but work great on bigger mountains where parties tend to get separated like skiing at Whistler, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, etc.

[SquidWard]

Check out the Kenwood TK 3100 & 3101 protalk radio. these radios offer 2 watts verses the 300 to 500 milli-watts the motorola and many other of the FRS radios have. They also have 600mah ni-cad battery packs and optional 1200mah packs.You can also choose between vhf and uhf. These radios are mil-specs and commerial grade so expect to pay two to three times as much.speaker mics and other options are also avalible.You can purchase them at Action Communicatios inc. in Everett Wa. 425-348-9121

[Jman]

My wife and I, along with two other couples, all purchased the Motorola - not sure which model, but is the standard yellow one. No complaints. They work great when our party gets separated on snowshoe/hiking outings. Range is difficult around and over ridges. Reception is crystal when in range, picks up even a whisper. Also given them quite a beating - they've held up to dropping on rocks, buried in snow, light rain, and general rough use. I'm impressed with Motorola's durability. Costco sells them for about $60 each.

[Guest]

 

Family Radio Service transceivers - FRS - can be an amazing tool. I am an amateur radio operator - KA7HLV - and I bought a pair of Radio Shack FRS radios as soon as they became available in 1997. The Federal Communication Commission - FCC - allocated a very small chunk of airwaves for use by the public fully unlicensed (no citizenship requirement, no age requirement, no knowledge test, no skill test, no license document required or available). The regulatory folks thought the use would ultimately (and quickly) degrade to the level of Citizens Band Radio Service - CB - that long haul commercial truckers use (failure to identify yourself, use of profanity, rebroadcasting copyrighted music, etc, etc ).

Typical Users of FRS: In these first 5 years the FRS has shown to be actually economically elitist with downhill resort skiers, families in shopping malls, etc making up much of the use. Though FRS use has continued to explode, now that cell phones and cell service are less exorbitant and they have the ability to function similar to short distance two-way radios, many former FRS users don't use their radios. The bulk of use has been informative and highly useful for the public (as compared to the quality experienced on CB) and in fact many organizations/clubs have flocked to FRS because of the small size of the units, the very low cost of the units, and the unlicensed requirement. Some form of "Mt. Hood Ski Patrol" is using FRS this year, they chased me off their "customary" channel!

Transmission Distance. Besides CBRS and FRS there is also GMRS - General Mobile Radio Service - but GMRS requires licensing. FRS gets 1/4 mile to 2 mile, CBRS gets 1 mile to 5 mile, GMRS gets 5 mile to 25 mile. Phil F experienced receiving transmissions on FRS while in Snoqualmie area from the Bellingham area, this is not a function of his receiving radio, it is a function of the transmitting radio, the power of the transmitter. The FCC put limits on the transmitting power of FRS so that it would be a very localized broadcast and it is technically a federal misdemeanor to alter an FRS radio for greater power. Hence the severely restricted quantity of bandwidth, only 14 lousy channels. It would be impossible to use FRS if everybody had the ability to transmit 25 miles! Skiers in Utah, Colorado and Lake Tahoe would be bombarded by skiers' radio chatter on a dozen close-by ski resorts!!!

My Requirements: That first pair of Radio Shack FRS radios weren't so good. I waited several years and kept borrowing friends' newer units. Eventually I made my 1999 decision based on

Inability to change channels inadvertently

Ease of use

Size

Weight

Ability to easily secure with 3mm cord

Price

Use of ubiquitous AA batteries

My Choice: Motorola Talkabout FR50. These were the absolute lowest model that Motorola made at that time, and they cost just $35 at Costco ($70 for a pair). I have used many other models and I still prefer my FR50. They don't have subchannels but this makes them way easier to use for first-timers. They function with all other FRS radios as long as the others are not using subchannels. There is also a remote headset/earphone jack.

Battery Drain. I have dozens of days' use and I've noticed that _talk-time_ determines battery life, and not the amount of time the unit is simply turned ON. If I limit my talking then they easily last for 5 10-hour days. If I had to replace the batteries after 3 long days' use I would be very satisfied, they easily give me value beyond the cost of 3 AA alkaline batteries. I don't use rechargeable AA for radios because those batteries would need to be replaced frequently.

Alpine Climbing. This is where radios provide increased communication that is excellent and sometimes almost critical. On my 70m rope scampering over ledges and aretes with the wind blowing….. many times it's IMPOSSIBLE to communicate safely by yelling at my belay. With my radios I've never been let down, adequate to perfect reception everytime. And sometimes the lead might want to ask for route alignment beta from the belay that has lead the route several times already…. Maybe I'm weak but I rather enjoy the simple convenience of talking casually with my partner rather than bellowing like a bull moose in rutting season.

"…wazzzzup?! The rope hasn't moved up for nearly 10 minutes. You still awake up there?…."

"….well….can't decide…...it all looks HARD…..wasn't there supposed to be a 10B variation to the 11C crux?…."

"….yeah, I remember it goes left, under a roof, then up the left side of the roof to a nice hand crack for 30 feet, which rejoins the main route…"

"….ahh, hadn't thought of traversing beneath that roof over there….was looking straight up and…….…thanks…."

"…I'm at the belay stance, give me 10 minutes to build an anchor and enjoy the view…"

"…uhm, I'm freezing, the wind has really picked up down here, I want to begin moving now…"

"…OK, I'll have you ON in 2 minutes…"

Road Tripping with 2 cars or 3 cars: Coordinating full bladders, coordinating empty gas tanks, coordinating empty stomachs, coordinating spontaneous hiking/sightseeing breaks.

David.

 

[geordie]

Borbony aka BonBon really likes those radios. One almost hit him on Saber ledge as it came flying down the cliff. (another point for the mtnrs)

g

 

[rayborbon]

Yeah and to be honest in most situations if you need that much I say practice on easier, shorter, less travelled routes. Don't hog up the crags and then drop your water bottles and radios on me. Gimme a break

[Retrosaurus]

"Bons A-ray!!"

 

[rob_cranfill]

I've been using a pair of Morotola FRS radios (dunno which model, the cheapo one without any LCD display at all... I think it may be discontinued) and I like 'em for the aforementioned yelling-over-the-wind-and-around-the-corner belay situations, and also for separated parties.

Used them once between a party waiting at the Snow Creek parking lot and another party at the base of Snow Creek Wall (not sure exactly where they were, but pretty far in).

I wanted to add that I have developed the superstition that the units will drain the battery even when they are "off". I can tell that the radios never really go all the way off, since even then if I press the "monitor" button, they make a little tiny clicking noise out the speaker. So I keep 'em with their batteries out (probably would suffice to remove just one battery from each, but I do all three.)

- rob