two way radios

[goosechaser]

Went camping a couple of weeks ago and saw parents keeping up with their kids riding bikes in campground with walkie talkie radios. Do many of you use 2-way radios while camping? If so, what kind, small handi talkies, cb, ham, etc. Haven't seen discussion about that on the forum...

[droid_ca]

I like the idea of two way radios even as a single guy I'd carry a two way just as a safety device

[Mightydog]

We use cell phones.

[Pyrofish]

Those radios are the (iirc) FMRS and GMRS radios. I have a few. They've come a long way over the past 10 years. They've gained from 1 mile to 30 miles (although you'd only get 30 on flat water in great conditions). You can get them with weather bands, water proof, secure bands, rechargeables, AA's, just about whatever you want.

They're great Our club has about 10 and we use them all over a site to keep in touch. I use 2 water proof ones to keep in contact while out kayak fishing.

If you go Basspro.com you can see loads of different kinds. They're available at Walmart, Target, Radio Shack, etc.....

[pete42]

I have two we use them when backing in
only fault with them is they do not have a channel lock and sometimes the channel button can get hit with out knowing it and channel changed.
we always use them at rest stops the have lanyards attached we hang them around our necks I just want to know GF is ok.
same when we go to showers in cg it helped one time when she left with out her towel
I was able to run one to her using my mobility scooter saved her a long walk, she saw that she had forgotten it before she showered
I didn't get to take it in the shower room

[glenpinpat]

I own 8 of them all cobras. Use them for hunting and hiking. range varies depending on battery strength an terrain.

[Tumbleweed_Tex]

We use the "cup your hands and holler" method of keeping up with the kids at the campground. Only problem we have is everyone has a kid named Bubba...

[Shadow Catcher]

I have a Fox 40 whistle, loudest one there is

[chartle]

Officially in the US if you want to use the GMRS bands on a mixed FRMS/GMRS radio you need a FCC Licence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Mo ... #Licensing

I have no idea who is giving out tickets though.

Years ago, before regular people had cell phones, we had the older FMS radios at an amusements park. We could never get a open channel.

[cuyeda]

We use portable radios when shopping! When the wife is in the mall, I can look at other stuff, and not have to tag along every where she goes. Heck we even use it while grocery shopping. Since it is always in the tow vehicle, yes, we use it while camping when needed.

If anyone is interested I have a bunch of brand new Kenwood TK-3100 Protalk radios for sale. PM me if interested. With 2 watts power, it beats out the FRS, and GMRS radios. These are New Old Stock models. Sorry for the hijack, but wanted to capture the audience. Need to sell these.



Kenwood TK-3100
Kenwood's ProTalk series of portable business radios are the cost-effective solution for your on-site communications requirements. Rugged and dependable ProTalk radios increase productivity in a wide-range of applications by managing time, personnel and materials efficiently. They can also enhance the security of your staff and facility. ProTalk models feature 2-watts of power for up to 5 miles range.

[Wolfscout]

the smaller GMRS and FMRs came in real handy when we had kids camping with us.

If you trust wiki links :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Mobile_Radio_Service

Recently, hybrid FRS/GMRS consumer radios have been introduced with 22 channels, instead of the 14 channels associated with FRS. On this type of radio, channels 8-14 are strictly license-free FRS channels.
..
The FCC rules for use of hybrid radios on channels 1-7 require licensing only when operating under the rules that apply to the GMRS.[8] Many hybrid radios have an ERP that is lower than one half watt on channels 1-7, or can be set by the user to operate at low power on these channels. This allows hybrid radios to be used under the license free FRS rules if the ERP is less than one half watt and the unit is certified for FRS operation. Only two makers of hybrid FRS/GMRS radios (Garmin and Motorola) presently sell radios that will operate on the GMRS repeater channels; the common "22 channel" radios cannot be used with GMRS repeaters. The Icom IC-F21GM is a solely-GMRS radio which will also work repeaters.

Hybrid packaging still contains the notice of the FCC licensing requirement. Estimates of the number of hybrid FRS/GMRS radios sold to date range from 20 to 50 million units or more. This is compared with approximately 80,000 active GMRS licensees (per the FCC database). Enforcement against individuals is rarely, if ever, attempted.

[asianflava]

I have several generations of Motorola FRS Talkabouts. Worked for Motorola for years and they seemd to give them away at all the time. We used them when we caravaned or were at themeparks. We pretty much use cell phones now.

We had low power radios at work, but they repeaters placed all over the site. We used low power because the transmission had a possibility of blowing some of the equipment. Got spoiled because I worked at another site that didn't have as many repeaters and the reception was bad. We also had PTT telephone which the other site didn't.

[Mike-n-Britney]

We (Britney, Myself, friends and family) use the GMRS/FRS two-ways all the time - not just when camping. We use them on the deer lease, when at the lake, when travelling in caravan (several vehicles), at the races... all the time!

It is true, if you want to use GMRS you are supposed to have an FCC License (it's a group license not an individual license). Last I looked, it was about $80 - but, FCC has/is still considering removing the licensing requirement for several reasons and classifying it as a Citizen Band type. I think the market was flooded with cheap FRS/GMRS handhelds and policing the band has become impossible - plus most of these cheap units aren't very good anyways, and most Tx at less that 1W. FRS is allowed to transmit at up to .5W, while GMRS is allowed to transmit at up to 5W. The only other thing that differentiates the two is the channel or frequency: FRS 1-14, GMRS 1-7 and 15-22+.

I have all Cobra while some in our group have Uniden, Motorola, and Midland. I really like Cobra and Midland. We camp in a lot of areas where there is no cell service, or we choose not to bring our cell phones, so if we want to stay in contact these two-ways are our only choice - and we like having them.

I have a scanner that I travel with that covers almost every band you can think of. It's nice to have for NOAA notifications, Fire/Police, and even listening-in to truckers on the highways.

[Mukilteo]

Slowcowboy, I know a gal I could send your way.
After which, you would find that being alone ain't all that bad after all.

[Mike-n-Britney]

Slowcowboy, I know a gal I could send your way.
After which, you would find that being alone ain't all that bad after all.