Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets
Reload this Page >

Walkie talkie for coordinating across groups?

Search
Notices
Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets HRM, GPS, MP3, HID. Whether it's got an acronym or not, here's where you'll find discussions on all sorts of tools, toys and gadgets.

Walkie talkie for coordinating across groups?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 11-09-18, 12:44 PM
  #1  
smashndash
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,410

Bikes: 2017 Specialized Allez Sprint Comp

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 850 Post(s)
Liked 344 Times in 247 Posts
Walkie talkie for coordinating across groups?

Our team is going to be taking a bike trip into the mountains, but different groups will be doing different routes and will be going at different speeds. We'd like to be able to communicate with each other and we probably will not be able to rely on cell phones. Can anyone recommend a walkie talkie set that they know has a radius of at least a few miles in the mountains? I saw a walkie talkie that claimed 50 miles ideal but reviews said 1-2 miles in the non-ideal.
smashndash is offline  
Old 11-09-18, 02:49 PM
  #2  
wingless
Senior Member
 
wingless's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Florida
Posts: 343

Bikes: 2011 Trek 1.2 + 2016 Trek 1.1 H2

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 132 Post(s)
Liked 20 Times in 16 Posts
The FRS walkie-talkie radios have an ideal range of about 40 miles, on the clear / flat / open, but about a mile when obstructed.

They are handy w/ multiple channels and call alert options.
wingless is offline  
Old 11-09-18, 02:56 PM
  #3  
wingless
Senior Member
 
wingless's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Florida
Posts: 343

Bikes: 2011 Trek 1.2 + 2016 Trek 1.1 H2

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 132 Post(s)
Liked 20 Times in 16 Posts
If going w/ an FRS walkie-talkie, then get one built after May 2017, for the higher 2W power, instead of the earlier 500mW power version.
wingless is offline  
Old 11-10-18, 04:40 PM
  #4  
Robert C
Senior Member
 
Robert C's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Kansas
Posts: 2,248

Bikes: This list got too long: several ‘bents, an urban utility e-bike, and a dahon D7 that my daughter has absconded with.

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 363 Post(s)
Liked 66 Times in 48 Posts
While it is more hoops to jump, I would recomend getting an Amature Radio license. It will give you a lot more flexibility in small radios.
Robert C is offline  
Old 11-12-18, 01:29 PM
  #5  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,355 Times in 862 Posts
Cool

My friends and I went to a big anti war protest march,
to keep from bring lost in the crowd,
he brought some marine band walky talkies, off his sailboat..

Portland.. on the confluence of 2 rivers ..




...
fietsbob is offline  
Old 11-12-18, 01:43 PM
  #6  
wingless
Senior Member
 
wingless's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Florida
Posts: 343

Bikes: 2011 Trek 1.2 + 2016 Trek 1.1 H2

Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 132 Post(s)
Liked 20 Times in 16 Posts
Originally Posted by fietsbob
My friends and I went to a big anti war protest march,
to keep from bring lost in the crowd,
he brought some marine band walky talkies, off his sailboat..
It is never advised to use marine band VHF ship-to-ship radios on land, unless using the FRS band.
wingless is offline  
Old 11-13-18, 12:15 PM
  #7  
KingOfTheHill
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 26
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 2 Posts
No radio will give you miles of range unless you are using a repeater, are on a mountain top or on flat, unobstructed terrain. With that said, MURS will be your best bet for range in mountains, but the radios will be bigger and heavier than FRS/GMRS bubble pack ones.

Honestly, I would go with some small FRS/GMRS ones that run on AA batteries. While you may not always be able to contact the other group or groups, it is a good compromise between size, weight and usefulness. Yes, everyone should have a GMRS license to use the GMRS channels but if you stick to the FRS only ones no license is required. And while I don't promote it, I doubt you'd get in trouble for using the higher power GMRS ones without a license.

I'm not here to start the license/no license argument, just to give my thoughts on radios (and yes, I do have a GMRS license).
KingOfTheHill is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Cyclist0084
Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg)
54
12-31-17 11:01 PM
ill.clyde
Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg)
92
11-05-17 09:00 PM
ill.clyde
Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg)
249
09-05-17 07:30 PM
MidLife50
Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg)
198
08-03-17 07:49 PM
Cyclist0084
Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg)
98
07-07-17 03:43 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.