Two Way Radios for Hiking

[Omnial]

Hi all,

I've seen some threads about two way radio use for parking the AS. I'm not interested in that.

I'd like to know if anyone has a recommendation for two-way radios that are well suited to long range use in mountains. I'd like to go hiking while my partner is back at the camp site and know we can communicate if needed.

I think desirable features would be:
1. Range in Mountains
2. Clarity
3. Battery Life
4. Ease of use
5. Weather channel
6. "Reasonable" cost - no subscriptions

Anything else I'm missing?

Thanks for your recommendations (based on your experience).

Cheers.

[GMFL]

https://www.discounttwo-wayradio.com/rdr2500

I love these.

[Al and Missy]

VHF/UHF radios like those referenced perform to range specifications (if at all) in line of sight applications. There will be significant restrictions in hilly terrain. Digital radios will typically outperform analog as the site says, but blockage from hills limits range. How much depends on the environment.

Al

[Special-Ed]

Have you thought about getting a Ham license? I have a yeasu vx7r i take into the back country with me when hunting. I am always in communication with help via a repeater or simplex(direct communication) The power output and band on a Ham radio gives you much greater distance over frs or gmrs radios. I can hit a repeater 80 miles away in relative line of sight with the yeasu.

Classes can be had for free a lot of places and Morse code is not needed anymore. They pretty much give you all the answers that will be on the test. I took my class directly from Gordon West who wrote the guide book.

Ham radios start around 30$ for the generic asian copies and they work pretty well.

As for frs and gmrs radios they key to picking them is power and the best(longest) antenna.

[ke6gkv]

frs in hills atre almost useless; gmrs are better-more power and ant.your license is good for 5 yrs and for your family. ham radios are best- more bands,repeaters and people on the air. i never leave home without mine. kurt

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by Omnial

Hi all,

I've seen some threads about two way radio use for parking the AS. I'm not interested in that.

I'd like to know if anyone has a recommendation for two-way radios that are well suited to long range use in mountains. I'd like to go hiking while my partner is back at the camp site and know we can communicate if needed.

I think desirable features would be:
1. Range in Mountains
2. Clarity
3. Battery Life
4. Ease of use
5. Weather channel
6. "Reasonable" cost - no subscriptions

Anything else I'm missing?

Thanks for your recommendations (based on your experience).

Although my recommendation of an inReach Explorer doesn't meet your item 6 on your desirability list, we use one for the 'peace of mind' that it provides. The subscription cost is low - less than CA$20 per month for pay-as-you-go, when you consider reliability and safety IMO. You only need one as you can communicate to any cell phone via text.

1. Satellite communication from most places in the world with a clear view of the sky.
2. Two-way text communication.
3. GPS maps for navigation.
4. Topo maps.
5. Weather reports.
6. SOS feature.



While travelling and especially when out of cell phone reception areas, we send position reports to friends who are interested in following our progress or knowing that all is well.

[Mollysdad]

If you're looking for long range UHF radios at a reasonable cost for mountains, you will be disappointed.
At work we used what I thought were the best radios ever, the Motorola HT1000, probably $1000 each. Without a repeater they were unreliable over a mile or so.
Police and fire use repeaters, so they have long range.

Don't believe advertising, "Our radios use 4 AA batteries and transmit "up to" five miles." Yeah, maybe on the Moon.

[Mainely Fish]

We second the In Reach suggestion. Check it out. Some plans can be suspended when the service is not used. We pass it around to family. Laying a track for home base to follow is great. We do it on all backcountry trips. Hike safe.

[Omnial]

Hello again,

Based on the feedback I've received I've decided to drop requirement #6 (no subscription). I think a reliable/robust solution is paramount for my needs, over all other requirements.

SO, I'm changing my question... What is the best Satellite based system/device. I look forward to your recommendations.

Thanks.

[dst]

Originally Posted by GMFL

https://www.discounttwo-wayradio.com/rdr2500

I love these.

And I love my XPR7550s, APX6000s, and APX8000s. But the ones you linked to, and mine, all require an FCC license for the frequency you want to use. Without that, you are limited to the FRS and perhaps GMRS (if they still require a license it's a simple form) radios.

I get very frustrated when i see the blister packs in stores that mention "up to 35 mile range" with these radios. If you are on one mountain, and your partner is on another mountain 34 miles away, then maybe you can talk. The reality is in open ground areas you might get a couple of miles, add any trees or terrain and coverage drops quickly.

Someone mentioned getting a ham license. A good option, just remember you can't conduct any "business" communications. But for checking in with the folks back at base camp it could be a good option.

[InterBlog]

Good thread.

OP, are you thinking communicate for convenience, or more for potential emergency use?

Bear in mind that, even though the FRS are over-sold as to their capabilities (as posters here have already noted), they are so inexpensive that they are arguably good to have regardless. Even if you can't reach your intended target with one, in some scenarios, you might be able to reach someone else who could be of assistance.

My off-grid neighbor (about a quarter of a mile away) convinced me of their utility, so I got a pair and stuck them on the end cap of our galley (you can see them photo-center below). They are 12V rechargeable, and we leave one of them on when we are at our off-grid property, just in case someone needs to reach us that way (like our neighbors inviting us over for a beer, with any luck). There is no cell service in our area.

[JohnTF]

You need to give more info ? - for what is generally not possible .
VHF / UHF is line of site [ like most any hand held radio generally available to ham or anyone else , HF is generally not available in hand held ] - line-of-site - is , if the globe was a perfect circle - then you can see about 14 miles .
RF does not bend , but can follow the curve slightly and reach up to 17-20 mile [ thats without any blockage of mountains , trees , buildings etc. ] .
There are weather conditions that can increase range dramatically - but very rare and too big of a subject for this venue - and not reliable for any NEEDS .
As a ham , your just blowing smoke - hope no-one takes this advice , and gets them selfs in trouble .

John
KD0CAC

Originally Posted by Special-Ed

Have you thought about getting a Ham license? I have a yeasu vx7r i take into the back country with me when hunting. I am always in communication with help via a repeater or simplex(direct communication) The power output and band on a Ham radio gives you much greater distance over frs or gmrs radios. I can hit a repeater 80 miles away in relative line of sight with the yeasu.

Classes can be had for free a lot of places and Morse code is not needed anymore. They pretty much give you all the answers that will be on the test. I took my class directly from Gordon West who wrote the guide book.

Ham radios start around 30$ for the generic asian copies and they work pretty well.

As for frs and gmrs radios they key to picking them is power and the best(longest) antenna.

[Shermy1987]

Do you want to be having romatic conversation or is it for safety purposes only? If its the latter, then an epirb is the surest way to go.

[CAAR]

Hi, I got once a set of cobra frs, good for 20miles and the battery lasted depending on the use. On standby can be days, but constant use can be hours. Depending if u use the vibration and sound or just sound. Anyway, I liked them and they are in the 50 dollars range

[PatLee]

Omnial - I think Adventure.AS above who recommended the Garmin satellite made a great recommendation. My friend is starting the PCT hike in 10 days and she bought this exact Garmin model to appease her daughter; and to keep her friends in the know about where she is during this 5-6 month adventure. You can text phone to phone; and shut it off when not needed to save battery life.

[Russ Abbey]

I have followed this thread to the end and it has some good advice.
As a Ham, I have been licensed for over 20 years now and it was and is a life saver. Sure, line of sight is the problem with a portable or HT radio. However, remember that FRS/GMRS is limited in both power output and antenna size while in Ham radio we are allowed almost any antennas you can carry and we do.
A close friend does a lot of hiking around Southwest Virginia. He has made a lot of contacts with hams in 3 states with his HT. He started using Ham radio due to no cell service in most of the places around here. It's about the same reason I got mine by the way. Anyway he keeps in touch with his Wife while out hiking and other Hams just in case he breaks a leg or or any other emergency. We as hams have so many options with an HT or even with a mobile rig. Repeaters can add many times the range of FRS/GMRS, not to mention in hiking, lots of times you are in covered area by trees and can not get a satellite to signal thru. More often than not a Ham can get on a radio and call a Mayday or help and be answered any time of day or night.

Yes, I am prejudiced by my hobby, but also understand I have bee on CB, FRS/GMRS, private radio or business radio, but in all the most fun and range of use, and use in emergencies around the globe is why I stay in Ham Radio.

Everything has it's place, just remember that everything also has its limits.

Good luck with your search and enjoy whatever time you have away hiking!

73
Russ Abbey, N4MAV
Floyd County, Virginia

[WindRat]

If what you want is emergency comms and/or occasional updates then I third the in-reach. The display is not very good for texting but you can pair it to your phone and use the keyboard on your phone. Also good for a back up gps. GPS is a pain to use but again, paired with your phone, you can view the maps on your phone.

[vintageracer]

The Garmin In-Reach comes up for sale on a special at Costco a couple of times a year.

Here is a thread on Expedition Portal about the value of this device for those who like to hike or camp in areas where cell phone coverage is not available. There are other numerous threads on this site about the In-Reach and other options for emergency satellite communication.

Certainly a life saving device that everyone should have who travels alone, travels in undeveloped areas of the country or where cell service is spotty.

Many people have been saved in emergency situations with this device. Think of it as an "Epirb" for use on land with an emergency call option and that also allows 2 WAY communication via text messaging for emergency situations or just let everyone know where you are at and you are SAFE!

https://www.expeditionportal.com/for...g-2018.197038/

http://www.epirb.com/

I do not travel without one!

[10MG3e]

You also might try the inReach Mini. Smaller and lighter than the original Explorer. Does not have the same functioning keypad, but does have an app for your phone that you can use offline. The app is smoother than trying to navigate with the buttons on the original. And cheaper. It will go on sale at some point somewhere.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/592606

[Special-Ed]

Originally Posted by JohnTF

You need to give more info ? - for what is generally not possible .
VHF / UHF is line of site [ like most any hand held radio generally available to ham or anyone else , HF is generally not available in hand held ] - line-of-site - is , if the globe was a perfect circle - then you can see about 14 miles .
RF does not bend , but can follow the curve slightly and reach up to 17-20 mile [ thats without any blockage of mountains , trees , buildings etc. ] .
There are weather conditions that can increase range dramatically - but very rare and too big of a subject for this venue - and not reliable for any NEEDS .
As a ham , your just blowing smoke - hope no-one takes this advice , and gets them selfs in trouble .

John
KD0CAC

John, Every hill and mountain out here has repeater on it. The range of the Keller peak repeater which is a good 70+ miles from me and even more from my dad and my brothers. That repeater has a massive footprint and I hit it clearly with my HT. Yes every scenario is different and there are limitations and simplex line of sight across land is much shorter but the point is with a Ham you are getting a much greater chance of calling for help over frs/gmrs due to the capabilities of the equipment, bands used and amount of other users on the air. No blowing smoke here maybe a little clarification. I would hope no one would walk into the woods and just expects any form of comms is going to work. Know your equipment, know your limitations.