2 way radio recommendations

682bear

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H-M Supporter Gold Member
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I need a good set of 2 way radios... my 81 year old father enjoys walking in the woods behind his house... he walks 2 miles every day that the weather permits. There is no cell phone service there and he has no other way to call for help if he was to fall and hurt himself.

I had bought a cheap set and tested them, (I don't remember the brand), but at the back of his property, about 1/2 mile from his house, the reception was unreliable... so I sent them back and ordered a set of Motorola radios. They were advertised as having a 25 mile range under perfect conditions. They were worse, with the reception disappearing completely at 600-700 yards.

The property is heavily wooded, and sort of shaped like half bowl, with the front at the top of a hill and the center of the back line is in a creek bottom. Total elevation change is probably less than 50 feet. The farthest point being a little less than 1/2 mile from his house.

Any recommendations on a good, reliable set of radios that will cover this? Preferably something light and easy to carry, of course.

Thanks- Bear
 
What you are running into is a combination of marketing BS and physics. Wooded areas are tricky as they block radio waves. Particularly the higher frequencies used by FRS and GMRS. The GMRS radios are supposed to require a license, but they are allowed higher power levels. Those might be better for you.

CB uses a lower frequency that is less affected by trees etc.. That might be an option for you to try. Handheld radios tend to be harder to find and need longer antennas.

A less legal option is the Baofeng radios set to FRS/GMRS frequencies. Be careful with those as they can easily be set to Ham and public service (police/fire/etc) frequencies. It's possible to lock them down to prevent accidentally interfering. Out in the woods these are less likely, but should be considered.
 
Find a local ham radio operator and talk to them. They would be able to help you get the proper and legal radio.
 
CB uses a lower frequency that is less affected by trees etc.. That might be an option for you to try. Handheld radios tend to be harder to find and need longer antennas.

You could use a fixed (or vehicle) type unit in the house and have a better / bigger antenna to help with reception.

CB gear is quite cheep on ebay. (last time i looked / milage may vary :) )

Stu
 
What you are running into is a combination of marketing BS and physics. Wooded areas are tricky as they block radio waves. Particularly the higher frequencies used by FRS and GMRS. The GMRS radios are supposed to require a license, but they are allowed higher power levels. Those might be better for you.

CB uses a lower frequency that is less affected by trees etc.. That might be an option for you to try. Handheld radios tend to be harder to find and need longer antennas.

A less legal option is the Baofeng radios set to FRS/GMRS frequencies. Be careful with those as they can easily be set to Ham and public service (police/fire/etc) frequencies. It's possible to lock them down to prevent accidentally interfering. Out in the woods these are less likely, but should be considered.
These are best bet and they are inexpensive.

Do get the software and get gmrs license.

Pair of radios less that 50 bucks.

Local town may have a 2 way radio dealer who may help too.

Lots of places online that can help you.

Google 2 way radio and see what you can find.

Amazon is best source for backing product.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
You can purchase a home base with a proper antenna, which will help you realize a far greater range to/from the handset unit. Not cheap, but no solution is all that cheap. For a note, in the US and Canada there is a Public service Safety band that is available near the 142Mhz (144? I forget) area. We used those bands in search and rescue for years without appreciable attenuation by trees (mountains, however...)

Your local laws may vary, but you could use a SDR to access those PS bands anywhere in Canada legally. In the US, some states al;low access as well (yes before anyone lectures me on the FCC vs state authority, I've had to deal with that as well) I doesn't hurt to ask.

One last suggestion 144khz band is unlicensed in North America (it was used as the intermediate frequency in certain recievers) Only exotic equipment can use it, but in Cave Radio operations we achieved very good rock penetration at those frequencies. Not cheap, but reliable...
 
The 2M ham band is 144-148Mhz. Please stay out of there unless licensed. There are a number of satellites and low signal modes that are easily interfered with.

FRS and GPRS are UHF, 462-467Mhz. And CB is around 27Mhz. It looks like MURS is a possibility. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Use_Radio_Service old commercial radios would be legal there.

The rules in Canada are different. I am only familiar with US FCC regulations as a ham operator.
 
The 2M ham band is 144-148Mhz. Please stay out of there unless licensed. There are a number of satellites and low signal modes that are easily interfered with.

FRS and GPRS are UHF, 462-467Mhz. And CB is around 27Mhz. It looks like MURS is a possibility. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Use_Radio_Service old commercial radios would be legal there.

The rules in Canada are different. I am only familiar with US FCC regulations as a ham operator.

Dad has been a ham operator for many years, but doesn't own a handheld unit... I think I may need to look into that...

-Bear
 
If you think you'd like to get 1 mile in forested terrain, this article might have a part-answer for you. I don't know if they have any commercially available signalling units -yet- but their technology is interesting, and seems to be robust...

 
The cheap hand held "walkie talkies" are essentially line of sight only. Hills, trees, buildings, trees, and other dense objects in the direct line from transmitter to receiver will not make it to the receiver unless it is pretty much a clear path transmitter to receiver (leaves or some tall grass should not hurt if it is not too thick overall along the signal path.)
 
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