Info on Handheld Radios

[Osprey]

I'm looking into buying a set of the hand held walkie talkies,like the Corbra's or Motorola or what ever.
what brands are you Guys(and Gals) using. what kind of features to look for.
I think they offer 2 different ranges i.e. a 2 mile and a believe a 5 mile range unit.
any help would be great Thanks.......Os

[ 07-18-2001: Message edited by: Osprey ]

[Gizmo Man]

OS: do it right the first time and buy the Motorola 250.

The FRS radio is good up to 2 miles. The 5 mile range is for the commercial radio and requires you to get a license.

I have 2 of the original motorolas and they work great and you can hear them. I just bought 2 of the uniden with the clip antenna and they are difficult to hear. They are going back.

Giz...When you want to go float the Kalama??

[Mr. Fisherman]

OS,

I have a pair of hand held CB Radios that work over greater than 5 miles.

I have the cigarett lighter adapters and magnetic anteneas for use in caravans too.

They are collecting dust in the garage. I paid over $250.00 for them. Make me an offer.

Email me at jeeperusa1@netscape.net

Catch ya on the flip flop good buddy, Over.... [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Phish_on]

Now there's the kind of input you can use. I have a pair of El-Cheapo "Scientific American" and also have used the Motorolas a few times.

The cheapos, of course have no choice of channels. So they are best used in remote areas. Actually pretty clear up to a mile or so.

The "sub-channels" on the Motorola are a nice feature that allow you to find a "private" channel.

Both are limited by geography - - they will work 2 miles across a lake, but not 1000 yards around a bend in the road.

You have to keep pumping AA batteries into them - are there models with more serious power sources?

Os I have 2 of the Motorola Talk-About radios that I never use Model number T289. They retail for about $90 each and have barely been used. Email me and maybe we can do a deal or possibly a trade.
Stew
sstew24935@aol.com

[ 07-19-2001: Message edited by: STEW ]

[smilesforu]

Os I know which ones your mean. The super compact sized ones. They had a couple kids on tv that heard stranded mountain climbers on thier little hand helds...I think 15 miles away? Wasn't that long ago either.

I have a couple different sets of the hand held cb's that have the different channels. My latest pair are made by GE and are feature packed. Bought them on one of the online auctions for 40 bucks I think. They came with a cig lighter adapter to save batteries.
Nice thing about cb channel ones is they work great for hunting when you need a ride....If your buddies have theirs on!!! Down side is the larger size you have to pack to get the power. 8 aa batteries apiece.
I like the looks of the small motorola ones, but haven't tried them yet [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img].

Nice features are the flexible antenna, multi channel, low/high power switch, A high watt output. A microphone port and a earplug are also nice features if you are looking for a setup that stays on your belt loop and you don't want to spook game in a hunting situation. Then the cigarette lighter adapter is a very nice feature too.

I also have two older style cb handhelds I had to buy each channel chip... [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] They do have all the other fancy options though. (They need a new home...ebay look out) Go with multi channels so you can have a private line when you need one.

[Sockeye]

I have two of the motorola talk about 250. We use them for everything from hunting to just keeping in contact with the kids. Also in large casinos. I like the fact that they're small and compact. Plus lots of sub-channels to get away from all the chatter. We used to have walkie-talkies but got tired of being talked over and non stop chatter by the big CB base stations. No more of that! You can pick them up cheeper on E-bay than in a store.

[Get Bit]

I have two of the Cobras and they work great ! Have used them up to the two miles they list and no complaints. I think the key here is where you want to use them and how far you want them to reach. The higher priced Motorolas I've heard really reach out there. Can't go wrong with the Cobras though. Hope this babble helps.

Get Bit

[urb]

seems like the vhf handhelds would be more practical for use on the water, that is if you want to talk to any one besides the other handheld I've got a couple 6 watt raytheons. They work up to about 8 miles in the woods, I mean the water. But they're kind of expensive 350. each

[DF]

The problem with cb's is if the conditions are right. You wont be able to hear your buddy thats around thr corner. But also if the conditions are right you will hear somone in another state. The gave cb radios an HF band (high frequency) wich ranges from 26.965 to 27.405 This band is very very noisey at times. Its the same area all of us hams use to talk around the world [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]. For hunting and stuff I HIGHLY RECOMEND the motorla talkabout. VERY good unit. I had a cobra and we put it up agianst the motorola by friends has and his one. They use the UHF band up in the 460 MHz area. Very quiet band and not much noise. It is line of site though. I have talked up to 5 miles with these things. I was hiking up in the hills around here and talked to my dad when he was sitting on the rooftop at boise cascade. So they work well. With cb's. They wieght alot. Suck batteries and dont go very far most of the time.

just my .02

can ya tell that im in to communications?? [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[Osprey]

Thanks for the replies Guys.I already own a portable handheld CB by Radioshack,I use it for hunting,but want something for floating rivers with my Cat buddies.

Stew I'll be sending you an e-mail I'm very interested...lets talk.......Os