Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Best 2-way radio for rugged elk hunt

Anybody have suggestions for a two-way radio system for the mountains? Been looking at Cobra and Motorola right now. Waterproof would be nice but not all that necessary.

None of them work very well in the mountains where line of sight can be very short.

It will depend.. If you are both hunting the same mountain side, even if it’s a huge area, you’ll probably be fine with any of the new 15-30 mile units made by Motorola. If you are going to be separated by a mountain, say one of you is scouting in a truck and the other is scouting in a different truck. Not many radio systems within a reasonable budget will accomplish contact...Ours work good in rugged terrain out to 5 miles. 😎

brayirish,

As a licensed "ham" operator & a "storm recovery volunteer", I have considerable experience with 2-way radios of numerous sorts.

NONE of the "prepackaged" & CHEAP sort of radios that one usually sees in discount & sporting goods stores (by Cobra, Motorola, etc.) works "worth a hoot" or sometimes at all in mountainous terrain, as the vast majority of such radios work in the VHF-high or (more commonly) in the UHF portion of the radio spectrum.
(I would NOT bet my life and/or that of my friends on cheap VHF/UHF radios that MAY well work POORLY or NOT at all in an emergency. - During one east coast hurricane recovery event that I worked, some radios & at some times wouldn't "talk" a 1/4 of a mile 100% of the time & seldom successfully beyond 2 miles.)

As I told a TX DPS senior supervisor, who was looking for a suitable radio system for the rough terrain/mountainous areas along the TX/Mexico border, VHF-high & especially UHF radios are "line of sight" & therefore work poorly, IF AT ALL, in places W/O a more or less direct line from one radio to the other.

ImVho, what the DPS agent & you need are COMMERCIAL-INDUSTRIAL QUALITY, LOW-BAND FM (that's between about 25 & 50 MHZ) radios..
(IF you can find 2 or more of the so-called "agricultural radios" that operate just above or below the 11M "Class D citizen's band", those should work WELL for your purposes, as will any number of other low-band FM radios of the sort that rural LE, FD & ambulance services have used for decades.)

I've seen several such LOW-BAND FM radios for sale on Ebay.com, under "commercial & industrial supplies" & at very reasonable prices.

GOOD LUCK on your search & upon the hunts to come!!!

yours, tex

satx

What kind of license do you need for those radios and what would a reasonable price be?

tag

Prwlr,

Thanks for the question. I should have said a bit about licensing.

The FCC licenses private citizens/non-profit groups/commercial enterprises for those radios/frequencies. = IF you are a farmer (as our family is) you can get an "agricultural license" easily. Similarly, IF you are a contractor, trucker, work for/own a company that has commercial vehicles & are involved in a lot of other commercial/industrial businesses, you can get licensed for 2-way commercial radio fairly easily/quickly. = As is usual for the feds, you must fill-out some "blank forms", pay a small fee & wait to receive your license before operating LAWFULLY.
(As police/fire/emergency medical departments have mostly moved to VHF-High & UHF, there are FEW currently licensed radio systems below 50MHZ in 2018. = Our farm is the ONLY "agricultural radio system" that is currently licensed on "low band FM" in Northeast TX & we essentially have 2 "private channels" near 25MHZ.)

Note: During "hay season" our family is ON the radio nearly 24 hours a day to "get the hay in" (while the weather is good) & sold. = We once had a VHF-High pair of frequencies that was shared with a local DVM's office. = Our constant "chatter" about cutting/raking/baling/storing/sale of/transport of our crops "drove the DVM's wife nuts", so we got re-licensed on a pair of "unoccupied channels" by the FCC.
(Our main business is primarily selling HIGH QUALITY bales of hay to the horseracing industry.).

Also a "ham ticket" at the Technician or General levels are EASY to get, too, with only a relatively simple "multiple choice" test. = NO Morse code test is required anymore.

Suitable Low-Band FM commercial radios are relatively inexpensive, if purchased used & in good condition.
(Fwiw, I paid 40.oo each for 12 radios, in GOOD condition, from a nearby volunteer fire department, that was "moving up" to trunked 800MHZ equipment, for the farm's radios that we have on all of our tractors, trucks, PUs & heavy equipment. We have since bought 4 handhelds on our pair of frequencies for about 60.oo each. - I saw NO reason to buy new radios, given the easy availability of crystal-controlled/used "low band FM" radios.)

Good-working "ham" radios start about 50.oo used & go up to several hundred/thousand dollars each, depending on how "fancy" that they are.

yours, tex

If you decide to go the Ham route, I got my Tech license with a simple phone app study guide.(free), and a small handheld Baofeng UV-5R ham radio is only $40-$50 with earbuds and charger. I did carry a baofeng UV-3R (which could be recharged using USB, but it has been discontinued.

Thanks for the info satx78247 and kellory.

Prwlr,

WELCOME.

yours, tex

brayirish; prwlr; All,

Btw, there is a LOT of "skip" on low-band FM frequencies, at certain times. = As an example, a college chum, whose family owns sawmills, cuts/sells pulpwood & has about a dozen log-trucks, has a "forestry radio license". All of their fixed facilities & vehicles have 2-way radios. - The business ventures, which are out from Livingston, TX are in the "forestry & timber products" low-split, low-band, FM frequencies.

One night a few years ago, Rob P_________ was surprised to hear another & unfamiliar feminine voice on "his" frequency. Expecting to discover an UNLICENSED "outlaw" using their frequency, he answered the woman.
(There ARE "outlaw stations" out there in the USA. - Getting caught transmitting W/O a license will usually get the "outlaw" HEAVILY fined.)
The lady's timber company was licensed on the same frequency but she was at a fixed station near Watertown, NY. - Turns out that there are a total of FOUR forestry companies "sharing that frequency" in the USA.
(REMEMBER: Do NOT forget that, even though you may not ever hear anyone speaking on "your frequency", that someone MAY be receiving your transmissions & therefore do NOT transmit "sensitive information" AND/OR transmit vulgar words!!)

yours, tex

Not just that, but ANYONE can buy a radio and listen in just for fun. It only requires a license to transmit, so always behave as if someone is monitoring you.

As always, you are welcome to any knowledge I can provide.
I was annoyed when the Baofeng UV-3R was discontinued (mine is damaged) because it is the only one I know of that could be recharged USB which my solar charger puts out. It meant I could recharge anywhere.

kellory,

That's WHY that I love the old-school commercial MIDLAND, GE & MOTOROLA radios, converted to the FM ham bands.
OR
The REALLY old Motorola & GE "rock-bound" mobiles are STILL USEFUL on industrial frequencies & in DUSTY/rough terrain.

FOR EXAMPLE: The 110W Midland 70 series of industrial transceivers has 80 channels (expandable to 160) & works well on 50-54 & 144-148 MHZ. - PC-programmable, too.

Also, both sorts of mobiles are tougher, as a mobile in a heavy-duty truck/Jeep/PU/car, "than a 2.oo steak".

yours, tex

I had a pair of Motorola transceivers with twistlock batteries that worked well and good range, but might have been an anvil in my pack. Heavy as original sin. I could carry 10 spare radios for less weight and space.

Edit: my company stopped using radios when the last repeater tower locally sold out to become a cell tower. At that time, our range dropped from at least 100miles to 6-8 on a good day. We went to cells.

FRS is Family Radio Service. No license, 460-some odd MHz that is UHF mentioned above. Nearly all the inexpensive radios are FRS: Cobra, Midland, Motorola (actually designed by a company called "Giant" and made in China People's Radio Factory No 46, the only Motorola employee to have any contact with those radios is the accountant who cashes the royalty check for the use of the name).

usually sold as a pair for $60

the "range" is just a marketing slogan. You will get much much less range in flat treed terrain, much much less to nothing in steep canyons and mountains and longer range mountain top to mountain top line of sight. but a mile or so is pretty realistic nearly all the time.

There are 22 "channels" (individual frequencies) assigned to FRS (used to be 14) and nearly all of them have a "code", I would never buy one that did not have this code. If two user groups pick the same "channel" but different code they will almost never hear each other, but rarely will interfere with the other group. Learn how to program them and don't use the default channel/code it has when its first powered on.

We use FRS in some of our local clubs for Line to Pits communications in High Power Rifle Competition (200 to 1000 yards).... channel 2, code 23 of course!

Ham radio could be even better, Baofeng handheld ham radios are better than and cost less ($30 each) than FRS radios. But every person using the radio must have a ham license.

if the area you hunt has a ham radio repeater, you quite possibly will have clear communications for tens of miles in every direction, except for the steep canyons and areas shaded by mountains from the mountain/tower the repeater is on. I wish my hunting partners would all get ham licenses. But we typically never get so far away that FRS doesn't work, well one trip we did, but climbing a hill got me back in range....

FRS are notoriously cheaply built and the batteries die at annoying times. I usually have several spare radios in the truck and everyone hunting partner I give a radio to gets spare batteries. (if they come with chargeable batteries, those will have a terrible usable life, plan on using Alkaline batteries on hunts.)

MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service) is 5 channels in the 150 MHz range (VHF High) no license but very hard to find radios for that band.

GMRS radios require a license that is good for the whole family and only the family, not all your friends and hunting buddies, they need their own $65 license. Radios tend to cost more >$100 also in the 460 MHz UHF band like FRS. but the range is likely to be a bit better due to power level and radio quality. There are GMRS repeaters but not nearly as many as ham repeaters.

Marine radios 150 MHz VHF range are priced like GMRS but are only legal on boats on water.

Most other "commercial" type radios require some kind of business (or as mentioned agricultural) license, which likely limits their use to the business geographical area and perhaps business use, so they might not be legal for hunting.

Poole

GMRS radios are good, but buy the license. The most important advice I can give you about 2-way radios is to never buy any where all the settings, specially if turning it on and controlling the volume has to be done through the menu. What you want to buy is a set of radios that you both turn on and control the volume with a rotary knob. Don't even look at radios that to turn on and also to control the volume is done with push buttons, nor radios that when turned on always have a LED blinking light that comes on every few seconds. The radios where everything, including turning ON and increasing/decreasing the volume is done with push buttons use a lot of battery power, and the LED coming on/off also drains the battery, although slowly. I have both types of radios, so what I am trying to tell you is true.

Yes, some of the settings such as channel number and a myriad of other stuff has to be done with the LED menu, but you don't want to turn it it on by pressing and holding a button for a few seconds, nor to increase/decrease the volume through the display. Also, you don't want any blinking LEDs whenever the radio is on.

HAM radio is the best, of course, but don't forget that marine radios are also quite good, as well as GMRS channels. 2-way radios with GMRS channels aren as expensive as told above. Your pocket is the limit, but you can buy a pair for around $40.00 on the low end, and pay more if you want a built-in GPS with map features, plus texting. Yes, some allow you to text between identical units nearby.

Finally, regardless of radio, have spare Alkaline batteries.

How do radios compare in price and usefulness to satellite phones? I've never used either and don't know how well they do in the mountains. I know you can rent the phones, though, and pay by the minute so you don't have to lay out hundreds for them.

You might also consider the Rino radio/GPS. It allows for radio as well as it can keep track of your location and the location of every other radio in your group.

https://youtu.be/sjMcXDbzp-8

There are several varieties, and made by Garmin.

We used to use Marine radios. Had one I used in my boat, mounted in my Jeep. I always carried a hand held. Didn’t expect any tug boats in Deep South texas. Hasbeen

kellory; All,

The Midland series 70-056C radios have handheld "twins" that weigh about 2 pounds each & are 7-8W. = The "C-range" radios need NOT be "modified" to work on 2M. All that is needed is to program the radios with a PC & a small/inexpensive programming adapter.
(Offhand I cannot remember the model number but there are also Midland base/mobile/handheld radios that do 35-55MHZ & work FINE on 6M, too.)

Btw, our vehicle "AG radios" are (ex-VFD) GE Master Exec II mobiles & are both big/heavy BUT I expect them to outlast me.
(The mobile antennas on our farm vehicles are "frequency adjusted", i.e., "cut down" & formerly "heavy duty" 102 inch stainless steel 11M "CB" whips. - "Glass whips" often get broken on farm equipment.)

NOTE to 2-way neophytes: IF you get a "ham ticket" & hunt in ROUGH terrain, SIX METER radios are several times BETTER than TWO METERS & MANY times more useful than the higher ham bands like 222 or 440MHZ, unless you have a "mobile repeater" sited on a HIGH mountaintop (OR perhaps up in a TALL tree) with solar power and/or deep-cycle batteries.
(I know of some really dedicated hunters who DO own & use a mobile repeater.)

yours, tex

Now that is some good info. Thanks. I'm just a tech level ham, so I will need to research what is legal for me to use.

Edit: I haven't used 6 meter, because the baofeng 3 wasn't capable of it. My new baofeng 5 is able to use it, so I will need to get more familiar with it.

kellory,

6M simplex works FAR better than 2M simplex & there are few repeaters in the sparsely settled areas of the USA. = 110W on 51-54MHZ had GOOD coverage in rough/uneven terrain due to "ground effects". Also, there is a LOT less "idle chatter" on the 6M & 222MHZ bands.

Don't feel bad. - I'm trying to figure out how to convert a low-band SSB Marine Radio-Telephone to channelized 60M.
("A little bird told me" that we hams are about to get several more channels on 60M, that were once marine frequencies & given my interest in Gulf Coast storm rescue/recovery, I believe that 60M SB is the way to go.)

yours, tex

There are 6m (50 MHz) FM mobiles and many of the full feature HF radios include 6m, very few handhelds and to work well it would require a 5' long antenna. I just googled and apparently the WouXun (pronounced somewhat like "Oh, Sheen") KG-UV5D handheld includes 6 meters, but I didn't see a Baofeng that does.

I have found that 6 meter FM is the most underused band in all of ham radio. Theoretically it should propagate better point to point than the 2 meter and 440 MHz (or 460 MHz of FRS).

Ham radio has many facets. The most basic license allows use for all these VHF/UHF frequencies and repeaters. the 2 higher licenses give access to the HF or "shortwave" frequencies that propagate around the continent or around the world. But HF is beyond the scope of hunting radios.

One thing I thought would be a lot of fun for HF ham radio and hunting is to hold a "hunting season net" every evening after dark during hunting season and we could all talk to each other about what we saw, shot or didn't.... sorta makes the campfire bigger.... but while there seems to be a lot of crossover between shooting-hunting-ham radio (all gadget hobbies) I don't think we'd have enough interest to really get such a net (group conversation, usually moderated) going.

Poole
. _ . _ .... _ _ _ . _

completely different tool.

Sat phone like cell phones you must dial one specific number and that person must answer. and you must pay a fee, either monthly or per minute or both. You can call from almost anywhere in the world, to basically any phone number in the world. Your call goes from your handset to the "tower" which in that case is a satellite, the onto a switching network to some other central office or tower to the other person's phone.

2-way radios are typically no fee and communications is either direct from your radio to every other radio within range on the same frequency. Or to a repeater which retransmits it to every radio within range on the same frequency. (using the aforementioned "codes", allows groups to share a frequency without bothering each other very much). When you transmit, and talk all your hunting buddies hear what you say and can reply if they want to, no need to "answer" to set up a connection.

the dynamics of 2-way radio usage is a lot different than the familiar making a phone call we all know how to do. I think radios are much better suited for outdoor use for anything except calling 911 in an emergency or checking in with the wife back home.

Poole

Thanks for the info.

I had to pick up a 2 meter license for job radios, and decided to go a bit further on my own. I wanted a back up radio system for safety reasons when hunting. I want utility more than a hobby. I actually find it irratating when I try to find build plans for a hidden attic antenna. And people keep trying to teach me antenna theory. I just want the building plans...lol.
I wouldn't mind talking with others on hunter.net (If established). But what I was after was a means for medical response in the event of an accident. (Much like that kid they made a movie about. The one who got his arm caught and cut off his own arm to survive.) Or we even had a local weatherman who had to crawl for miles for assistance after a fall.

As for 6 meter...
I know the baofeng 3 could not do it. It was 2 meter only. The baofeng 5 is not yet programmed but it has more capacity. I need to see what it is capable of.

Bill Poole,

Actually 6M is more popular than 222MHZ, 902MHZ or any of the higher bands.
(There are so few 222-fanatics, that it was like "a private club" everywhere that I've lived over the last 2 decades. - I really like 222 because there is a lot less prattle, twaddle & silly chatter "about not much of anything" on that band. = 2M often sounds like 11M "CB".)
Note: I'll never forget the Saturday night that a popular 2M machine in Columbia, SC was "tied up" for over 2.5 hours by 2 people, who were reading/blathering on & on about "peach pie & cobbler recipes" over the air. - NEITHER would "give up" the repeater OR take their conversation to the phone.

I'm one of the "behind the scenes guys" at TWBTS reenactments & we use 222MHZ exclusively because that band is "quiet" on simplex and there are plenty of handhelds to equip all the "support folks", who summon 1st aid/ambulance personnel, haul water/ice, do "in camp security" & other needful tasks to make the reenactments "go" at least somewhat smoothly.

Fwiw, I used to have a "converted industrial" Low-Band, HIGH-split (35-55MHZ), handheld by MIDLAND & that was on 6M. - The base-loaded "rubber duckie" was about a foot long. I also had a "pull out" 1/4 wave antenna for longer distance use & that worked fine.

yours, tex

If you go with a baofeng give your self some time to program them i had to down load chirps the software from Baofeng i could not get it to work.
I set up a channel that i could hit a repeater in the area i hunt for a oh shoot channel if something bad was to happen. It is good to know we have a emergency channel if need be.
Get your license you will not regret it.

If you go with a baofeng give your self some time to program them i had to down load chirps the software from Baofeng i could not get it to work.
I set up a channel that i could hit a repeater in the area i hunt for a oh shoot channel if something bad was to happen. It is good to know we have a emergency channel if need be.
Get your license you will not regret it.

Gotta love them Rhinos!


I won't leave the mules without one.

Unless I forgot it at the truck!

GET A Rhino!