Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 2 way radios

Seems a perpetual frustration. Take the advertised range, divide by three, and one has reality.

I believe Baofeng UV-5R and UV-82 are a fantastic way to go. Last 24 Hour Campfire Colorado g2g was on a very busy Ham Radio field day. From our location we made handheld 2-way contacts out to 35 line-of-site miles away with a portable antenna tossed up in a tree!

These radios are fantastic afield.
Drop in chargers, plenty of power for walking and riding line of sight distances and rather inexpensive.

Watch me pull using an intended ham radio afield out of a gray area by using the term 'in an emergency' any form of communication is legal.

There are a few frequencies that are slightly less of a gray area to use with a radio over a 1/2 watt and replaceable antenna Radio.

There are dozens of frequencies no one will know or mind that your using afield. Like say using marine frequencies in a land locked mountainous State.

The Baofengs will communicate with the bubble packed FRS and GMRS radios, like a boss. Again, a gray area.

Just an open challenge, if I may?
The Technician level Ham license is super easy to get. For real, there is a local 5 year old here that has his ticket!

Short study, find a test session, pass tbe test - get your license. Free Easy Ham Stury Flashcards

A Baofeng repeater seems easy enough, on the cheap: https://youtu.be/_KrH86Dzhnc

Amazon list all kinds of sources for these things. Baofeng Tech among the best for an American importer.

Baofeng makes an 8-watt VHF - UFH version. About $60 bucks, add about $12 for an antenna up grade (Nagoya 701) about 20" of lite gauge wire grounded to the handheld's chassis ground or antenna base for a tiger-tail (counterpoise of a diapole). And you have a handheld that will heat (safe, but very noticeably heat) your hand when you transmit.

Battery expected life is shorter, but you can transmit at lower power settings if the high-power setting is an overkill.

(Btw: I am in no way affiliated with these Chi-com wonders, they just happen to be an inexpensive fantastic product)

Actually more then one model above 5 watts.
There is a new tri-bander kicking more power. The added 220mhz band of the tri-bander might prove interesting through foliage, while still following slight topography?

Talked to a guy with an 8 watt Baofeng, extra powered 5R .
As it seems looking up a number there are more now.
The AV-82HP @ 7 watts seems interesting to me.

Here is a site that might be better then my guess work.

http://baofengradio.us/ham-radios-21.html

This brings a chance to mention perhaps a better antenna then the mentioned Nagoya 701 . The Nagoya 771 seems to beat the 701 by a slight margin.

So one must have a ham radio license to operate a Baofeng?

You do it you use it on HAM frequencies. They can be programmed to GMRS, FRS and MURS frequencies too.

They also receive FM radio stations for your listening pleasure.