We have a small group planning on buying some rugged handheld radios for trail rides. We have tried the cheap route of unidens from radio shack or walmart and they suck in the mountains. Has anyone run the rugged in a mountainous area to know how well they perform and how the range is? I know they are awesome in the desert but I just need a mountain review. If this is in the wrong place please move
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Help Support Hardline Crawlers :
rugged radios
- Thread starter 06blktj
- Start date
jeeptj99
Well-Known Member
what about like a cb radio? thats what we always use.
Craig_c
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2014
- Messages
- 400
I don't know how they compare, I'm sure just as good if not better, but my FRS radio reached from somewhere around your turn back down to Putney trailhead clear as day. Which is basically talking through the mountain side. I'm sure the Rugged stuff gets out just as good. At Harlan we have watched our friends drive right below us and they never heard a word from us as we were calling them on the CBs some used to run.
Mortalis5509
Well-Known Member
Re:
Rugged hand held work good for descent range.
Rugged hand held work good for descent range.
blacksheep10
XBJRA champ/ 555 and team Nasty codriver
InDaShop
Dont Tread On Me
Puxing
Model# Px-777 handheld radios
get the VHF version
They are between $50-60 on ebay from china. We typically order a 4 pack at a time. Usually takes a week'ish to get to you.
You just have to program the channels, super easy, they send a CD and a cable to hook to your computer. Create list, and upload to radios. Or you can manually do each channel, do able but much more time consuming.
I highly recommend them. We used to all carry $400-500 Kenwoods, and all now carry these cheapo's so if they break, or get lost or walk off, its not the end of the world.
Here is the freq's to my trunk 1, and what we load all of our Puxings with.
Model# Px-777 handheld radios
get the VHF version
They are between $50-60 on ebay from china. We typically order a 4 pack at a time. Usually takes a week'ish to get to you.
You just have to program the channels, super easy, they send a CD and a cable to hook to your computer. Create list, and upload to radios. Or you can manually do each channel, do able but much more time consuming.
I highly recommend them. We used to all carry $400-500 Kenwoods, and all now carry these cheapo's so if they break, or get lost or walk off, its not the end of the world.
Here is the freq's to my trunk 1, and what we load all of our Puxings with.
InDaShop
Dont Tread On Me
now we are talking range, thats a factor of the watts each radio puts out on broadcast.
Handhelds are regulated by the FCC to 5watts, thats not much. Line of sight maybe a true mile. But add a mountain between....
Most people put the 50watt bases in their vehicles. much more range. or if you are real baller put the 110w in. I could reach my Main Pit trailer that had a 30' ringo-ranger tower antenna from 70 or so miles out in the Unicorn when I was racing it with a 110w. Sadly they only had a 50w, so they could only hear me, I couldnt hear them.
Handhelds are regulated by the FCC to 5watts, thats not much. Line of sight maybe a true mile. But add a mountain between....
Most people put the 50watt bases in their vehicles. much more range. or if you are real baller put the 110w in. I could reach my Main Pit trailer that had a 30' ringo-ranger tower antenna from 70 or so miles out in the Unicorn when I was racing it with a 110w. Sadly they only had a 50w, so they could only hear me, I couldnt hear them.
blacksheep10
XBJRA champ/ 555 and team Nasty codriver
Wyatt,
What you think of these:
http://www.bajaracinggear.com/7_Watt_High_Power_2_way_Dual_Band_VHFUHF_Portable_Race_Radio/p2532483_14666943.aspx
7 watt, already programmed, multi frequency, external antenna for $25
What you think of these:
http://www.bajaracinggear.com/7_Watt_High_Power_2_way_Dual_Band_VHFUHF_Portable_Race_Radio/p2532483_14666943.aspx
7 watt, already programmed, multi frequency, external antenna for $25
Dillehay
Well-Known Member
look at Baofeng UV-5R handheld radios. It's a small HAM radio. You can program to use MURS channels.
We use them during motorcycle woods racing for rescue and such.
They are cheap 35.00, somewhat durable, good battery life and with the shareware online, easy to program.
We use them during motorcycle woods racing for rescue and such.
They are cheap 35.00, somewhat durable, good battery life and with the shareware online, easy to program.
InDaShop
Dont Tread On Me
blacksheep10 said:
those 7w all seem to be around $75. If you're only buying one, then sure $99 works to pay someone else to do your programming. But if you guys bought a bunch, would make sense to program them yourself.
When I see the Baofeng 5w is only like $35, I wonder how good they are. Same as I felt about the Puxings.
If the 7'ws work, I'll likely switch, keep me posted.
TURNEROFFROAD
Well-Known Member
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blacksheep10
XBJRA champ/ 555 and team Nasty codriver
Ya, I get its only $25 to program like 50 channels, but it looked like the cheap add on antenna, batteries, battery eliminator, helmet kits etc made it attractive to grab 4 for the cost of a kenwood for something like we did last year in Colorado. I'm always so damn leary of messing with straight from china buys, hopefully these work as they had to power up to program them.InDaShop said:
Dillehay
Well-Known Member
Try CHIRP you may be able to program these radios with this shareware.
TRUCNUT
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 5, 2012
- Messages
- 217
look at Baofeng UV-5R handheld radios. It's a small HAM radio. You can program to use MURS channels.
We use them during motorcycle woods racing for rescue and such.
They are cheap 35.00, somewhat durable, good battery life and with the shareware online, easy to program.
I'm a HAM Operator these are good radios for the $ use mine in the woods all the time
chirp will program all the PUBLIC channels you need
We use them during motorcycle woods racing for rescue and such.
They are cheap 35.00, somewhat durable, good battery life and with the shareware online, easy to program.
I'm a HAM Operator these are good radios for the $ use mine in the woods all the time
chirp will program all the PUBLIC channels you need
