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Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
#5936600
09/20/15 12:16 AM
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 695
ccrock
OP
Tracker
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OP
Tracker
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 695 |
Our group is hunting in a rugged area with zero cell coverage. We have tried cheaper walkie Talkies and no luck. We have canyons and need to find a way to communicate when hunting with each other in case of an accident.
Chris
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5936774
09/20/15 02:12 AM
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Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 5,067
titan2232
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 5,067 |
A flare will work in case of an emergency. We've spent mucho dollars on Walkies with no luck at all in West Texas.
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5936792
09/20/15 02:22 AM
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 833
Sq2 hunter
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 833 |
I've never had luck with walkies. I would go the satellite phone route..
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5936826
09/20/15 02:41 AM
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 15
cnwrobb
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 15 |
Marine VHF radios with 5 watts of power work to about 15 miles here in the flatland of Illinois. Might be worth looking into. Borrow a pair and try before purchasing, you might find out it will work for you.
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5936865
09/20/15 03:09 AM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 22,630
Cast
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 22,630 |
The canyons will block the signal coming and going. You need antenna height to look down into the canyons. You're in high end radio land. I have several ideas but they all need a tower.
Cast I have a short attention spa
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5936925
09/20/15 04:02 AM
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Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 39
firemed13
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 39 |
Try baofeng radio's from Amazon they have worked very well for us.
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5936987
09/20/15 08:21 AM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,795
dogcatcher
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,795 |
The few times we have had people show up with walkie talkies the squelch was so bad I made them turn them off. One guy was so persistent about using it, I gave him the option turn it off or head for the gate. The next morning I saw him turn it on as he walked to the blind, His hunting days on our place ended right there.
Combat Infantryman, the ultimate hunter where the prey shoots back. _____________"Illegitimus non carborundum est"_______________
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5936989
09/20/15 08:25 AM
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 695
ccrock
OP
Tracker
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OP
Tracker
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 695 |
Thanks for the help. I was afraid the canyons were going to be an issue. Last weekend we had a couple of members flip a jeep in a canyon driving on the road, looking at a buck, and went off the road at a bad spot and wham.... Good news no injuries, bad no way to contact for help. They walked over a mile towards camp and happen to run into me while I was at a feeder.
Firemed13 where are you using those radios?? What kind of country?
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5937159
09/20/15 02:46 PM
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Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 39
firemed13
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 39 |
I have used them often in southern Texas, Wisconsin and Illinois. Just a side note: being a ham radio guy and working with radio for the fire department I am on, there are a lot of factors to effective range of hand held radio. Weather,terrain, solar conditions etc.... Just be aware that things can change and it's not always the radio fault.
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5937695
09/20/15 10:01 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,693
grout-scout
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,693 |
I used to own property in Terrell County (Dryden area) and the cobras I had were borderline worthless. We were only 1 mile apart and although they did work it was hard understanding the other person. They might be good enough to work for emergencies for you guys but don't expect cell phone clarity.
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: firemed13]
#5937865
09/20/15 11:31 PM
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,161
SouthWestIron
Veteran Tracker
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Veteran Tracker
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,161 |
I have used them often in southern Texas, Wisconsin and Illinois. Just a side note: being a ham radio guy and working with radio for the fire department I am on, there are a lot of factors to effective range of hand held radio. Weather,terrain, solar conditions etc.... Just be aware that things can change and it's not always the radio fault. Baofeng handhelds require a Ham license to be legal. Even these given the terrain you would need to setup up a repeater type system. But again you need to be licensed by the FCC.
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5938260
09/21/15 02:28 AM
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Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 39
firemed13
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 39 |
You don't need a repeater to operate on simplex...and don't worry I won't tell anyone if you use them
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: firemed13]
#5938420
09/21/15 04:13 AM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 10,496
Halfadozen
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 10,496 |
You don't need a repeater to operate on simplex...and don't worry I won't tell anyone if you use them careful with that if you are in far west Texas. To the OP, if it is a big issue then go sat phone. Different kind of issue when hunting out there. We used the FMRS radios, but we had to hunt in pairs and no more than a mile apart with sight lines in order to get signals. That was years ago on a 40,000 acre ranch near Dryden.
Freedom is a fragile thing ...Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again. -- Ronald Reagan
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5938465
09/21/15 08:00 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 12,151
kry226
The General
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The General
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 12,151 |
There's not a good enough VHF radio available that will go beyond line of sight.
Satellite is just about the only practical choice for "dismounted operations" in the terrain you describe.
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5938857
09/21/15 03:12 PM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,689
slow944
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,689 |
I heard or read somewhere that even if you don't have cell phone reception for voice that text messaging would work in some cases. My BIL lives in Houston and when Rita hit we communicated thru text messages. Worth at try.
I Have A 45 And A Shovel. Don't Mess With Texas!
According To "Kierchof's Law" Murphy Was An Optimist!
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: kry226]
#5939082
09/21/15 05:24 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 22,630
Cast
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Posts: 22,630 |
There's not a good enough VHF radio available that will go beyond line of sight.
Satellite is just about the only practical choice for "dismounted operations" in the terrain you describe. I said it earlier, you need antenna height to get into and out of the canyons. A satellite has good height. Sometimes, it takes the good stuff to get it done.
Cast I have a short attention spa
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5940016
09/22/15 02:13 AM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,693
grout-scout
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,693 |
Well, there is one more option. The Indians used smoke signals and it seemed to work until the white man came along.
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Re: Need help with radio/ Wilkie talkie/ cb
[Re: ccrock]
#5941222
09/22/15 07:56 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 22,630
Cast
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 22,630 |
Smoke grenades would actually not be a dumb idea.
Cast I have a short attention spa
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