Two-way radios

[rowdycwby1]

I'm in the market for new radios to use in the mountains. What are y'all using and what's the distance are y'all getting out of them before they won't contact each other. I know a lot of them are saying up to two miles but I doughters that's realistic in the mountains. So let's see some pros and cons on y'all so radios. Thanks in advance a

[WapitiTalk1]

You're right about the max distance in the mountains. They work fine if you're both in the same drainage but a single ridge in between will snuff the signal. I use a set of Motorolas I've had for a few years and they seem to work fine (when we remember to take them, lol). I prefer the radios that you can use standard batteries in vs. the ones with rechargeable batteries.

[six]

I have a Garmin rino 650. Absolutely love it. The first year I had mine I was watching a saddle. I put it on scan and marked someone 19-miles away.

"They work fine if you're both in the same drainage but a single ridge in between will snuff the signal."

Same goes for the rino. Put a little hill in between the radios and your done unless your close.

[Indian Summer]

I have two sets of Motorolas. One set was free for some promo. They are really small. The other set I bought. They are much bigger and boast the furthest distance of any model they offer. Both sets perform the same!

With a direct line of sight and optimum conditions I'll get two miles very well. Put even a small ridge top between me and the other guy and you get nothing.

What we do is pick a designated time to contact each other. Then we try to make sure we get to a spot where we can get signals by that time. But of course "things" happen in the hills so we say after that time goes by if you don't hear me kick it on every half hour and try again. We make sure our watches are showing the same time. I use my GPS to avoid mistakes.

The Hail Mary plan is if you still don't hear anything. Then we'll pick a later time like 4 oclock which is before the evening hunt and try it again and at the top of every hour after that if we still don't make contact. But it never comes to that. When we do talk I try to see what my partner has in mind for the evening and let him know which way I'm going to wander before we settle on a time for the next contact. Basically we talk 3 times a day if possible.

If I hear a shot from the spot where I think a partner is I kick it on immediately. If I'm going to have to go help I want to know asap.

[saddlesore]

I think it depends on how bells and whistles you want. I use basic Motorolas No matter what you get, they are all line of sight.