Walkie talkies

[old guys rule]

Looking for info on what to look for in a set of walkie talkies under $200

 

[toolmanmike]

Looking for info on what to look for in a set of walkie talkies under $200

What kind of range? We had a set of cheapie Cobra's we used for vacation. Out on the highway we gould get a few miles out of them. Lot's of fun on car cruises and way handier than cell phones.

 

[old guys rule]

What kind of range? We had a set of cheapie Cobra's we used for vacation. Out on the highway we gould get a few miles out of them. Lot's of fun on car cruises and way handier than cell phones.

A few miles I guess

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cob...floating-walkie-talkie-2-way-radio-2-pack-set
these look good and rechargable

 

[YY1]

You can get FRS band radios real cheap since they've kind of lost their "new" status.
I'd say the 37 mile claim is pretty optimistic.

If you want better range, VHF/UHF radios can be had for about $200 each.
I don't think you need FCC licensing unless you get a repeater.

 

[69Bee]

Anything outside of FRS, walkie-takies of old, or CB is going to need a license. The FRS radio operates in the UHF band.

FRS: The Family Radio Service (FRS) is a private, two-way, short-distance voice and data communications service for facilitating family and group activities. The most common use for FRS channels is short-distance, two-way voice communications using small hand-held radios that are similar to walkie-talkies. The service is licensed-by-rule so the general public can use the devices without having to obtain a license and channel sharing is achieved through a listen-before-talk etiquette.
Other services that allow similar communications include the CB Radio Service. The FRS is authorized 22 channels in the 462 MHz and 467 MHz range, all of which are shared with General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) which requires an individual license for use. Family Radio Service (FRS)

GMRS: The General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) is a licensed radio service that uses channels around 462 MHz and 467 MHz. The most common use of GMRS channels is for short-distance, two-way voice communications using hand-held radios, mobile radios and repeater systems. In 2017, the FCC expanded GMRS to also allow short data messaging applications including text messaging and GPS location information. General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS)

 

[Xp29h]

I’ve been looking at radios now seems like forever! Cannot seem to find any that work like they say! These ones have a 22 miles radius. These ones have a 35 mile…. Maybe line of sight if you’re standing on a mountain looking down.

I have a guiding business. We hunt moose, deer and black bear plus some fishing.. our hunting stands for bear are all within 2 miles of camp and some within 500 yards! Most of the time we can’t reach anyone on stand with the radios that claim to have the 35 mile range. Now we are wooded with hills and swamps etc but it’s been a nightmare trying to find radios to work.

So, after that long radio rant, do not expect much out of any family friendly radio system. Now if you want to get registered and use or use repeaters, those will work but the radios are very costly and so is the service!

This is what we’ve been using for the last 4-5 years and are better than any Motorola or midland we’ve tried! Not great but better..
Amazon.com


Good luck! If you do find something that works well, please let me know!

 

[Budnicks]

I know probably doesn't help you any...

I have some 30+ year old JobCom/from Motorola
(they still work hold a charge for about 10-12 hrs)
have a plug in adapter (.02 milla amp (? IIRC) to charge them 110vt),
used when riding my old quad, Yamaha Banshee all over Utah Piute Trail
all over the Sierras too
we had mikes & ear pieces in our helmets, lead guy & back of the pack
just plug in stuff
line of site easily 2 miles...

you can get services for them still
I never had that need

don't remember how much $$$, I know they weren't really cheap
but not overly expensive either

I'm sure they still make something like them too
better than a 'walky talky' by far

great on site, like construction sites, used them a lot
they are great for closer stuff, a lil' obstacles they still work
used them at the racetrack mainly, or my jobs

I used them Hunting back in the day too, but;
nowhere near 25 let alone 35 miles range
work great in like 2-ish maybe 3 miles,
even in the hills as long as it's not to covered

**seemed like the rockier the terrain, the worst they were too

I still have 2 of them, still work too (well last I tried anyway, been a while)
that says something about quality

 

[old guys rule]

I know probably doesn't help you any...

I have some 30+ year old JobCom/from Motorola
(they still work hold a charge for about 10-12 hrs)
have a plug in adapter (.02 milla amp (? IIRC) to charge them 110vt),
used when riding my old quad, Yamaha Banshee all over Utah Piute Trail
all over the Sierras too
we had mikes & ear pieces in our helmets, lead guy & back of the pack
just plug in stuff
line of site easily 2 miles...

you can get services for them still
I never had that need

don't remember how much $$$, I know they weren't really cheap
but not overly expensive either

I'm sure they still make something like them too
better than a 'walky talky' by far

great on site, like construction sites, used them a lot
they are great for closer stuff, a lil' obstacles they still work
used them at the racetrack mainly, or my jobs

I used them Hunting back in the day too, but;
nowhere near 25 let alone 35 miles range
work great in like 2-ish maybe 3 miles,
even in the hills as long as it's not to covered

**seemed like the rockier the terrain, the worst they were too

I still have 2 of them, still work too (well last I tried anyway, been a while)
that says something about quality
View attachment 1722249

View attachment 1722251

View attachment 1722252

Any idea what those would run today? Ballpark

 

[Budnicks]

I just did a Bing search 'Motorola Job-Com' for sale $249 - $649
(I think the later is a pair, with chargers) 'Motorola Solutions'
no belt pouches either, that was separate
5 watt IIRC, less than I remembered, higher watts available too IIRC

they have knockoffs cheaper, like $29-$59 ea.,
they are not Motorola Quality thou, Chineseum crap no doubt

 

[Krooser]

During my last shot at hot rod show promoting we bought some gently used UHF handhelds for less than $50 each. Got them from a local two way radio service shop in Appleton, WI.

Those shops are a good source for radios since they usually take in trades from commercial customers.

If you are operating in rural areas you won't have any licensing issues. Around here every big farm and logging operation uses these for on site communication.

 

[Hey-O]

What kind of range? We had a set of cheapie Cobra's we used for vacation. Out on the highway we gould get a few miles out of them. Lot's of fun on car cruises and way handier than cell phones.

X2.

 

[Triplegreen500]

Times like this make me miss my old Nextel DirectConnect phones...

 

[YY1]

The 400-ish MHz UHF radios we use at work can reach almost across the small city (14 square miles) and moderate hills in the surrounding area.

I was told by our vendor that the wattage is what the FCC is concerned with.

We only had to apply for a license for our 30 watt repeater (which is not online and may never be).

The radios themselves are 5 watts.