Two-way radios

[pd]

Do any of you hunters have advice about two-way radios?  Do you use the GPS radios?

I should lead this off by saying that I can always use the hand-held radios in the camp (there are several available), and they are all the same brand.  The problem is that I don't own my own, and I don't want to bring somebody else's equipment with me when I hunt elsewhere.  Sure, I should probably buy a few radios in the same type as those in the main camp, but if I am going shopping, I might as well think about something new/better.

By the way, the area of use would be very hilly, heavily timbered, 2 or 3 hunters at most, no base camp (spike camping).

Any comments are welcomed.

[KFhunter]

love garmin rinos


we use em snowmobiling, easy to locate any party within a reasonable radius.    You can walk/ride right to them.

for hunting it'll eliminate a bunch of talking, you can see your partner almost in real time on the map so no more asking "where are you now?"  if your walking opposite ridges down.

[Bob33]

Rinos are great but if you simply want radios, basic radios are a cheaper alternative.

I have Rinos, non radio GPS units, and plain radios and use them all.

[ghosthunter]

love garmin rinos


we use em snowmobiling, easy to locate any party within a reasonable radius.    You can walk/ride right to them.

for hunting it'll eliminate a bunch of talking, you can see your partner almost in real time on the map so no more asking "where are you now?"  if your walking opposite ridges down.

 

We have used rhinos for 10 years now. They work great.

[Mudman]

Have the garmin 655 and its great.  Like said it does eliminate much talking.  You can see your partner and use the info as you choose.  Range is way better then any radio Talkie I ever used.  Hills and trees arent too much of an issue.  They will scan and communicate with other radios.  If they are close enuff for theirs to work!   Last year in Winston unit I was picking up other rinos 8 miles away in the Margeret and they were on elk.  I knew exactly where they both were. These units with the huntgpsmaps are the only way to go nowadays.  Especially with the weyco crap going on now.

[Labs07]

Garmin rinos are the way to go!

[washelkhunter]

All radios are limited to clear line of sight for optimum reception/ transmission. I like the high power midlands.

[Rainier10]

Garmin rinos are the way to go unless.... everyone else in the party has motorola or midlands that don't have the GPS.  If you get a rino and the others don't have it you have to turn off the portion of your radio that broadcasts your GPS location.  If you don't at the end of every transmission that you send out the others will get a big blast of static.  That static is the Garmin transimitting the GPS location.

[pianoman9701]

All radios are limited to clear line of sight for optimum reception/ transmission. I like the high power midlands.

Washelkhunter is old and uses stuff from the 40s. Some day I'll have to drag him cold and stiff out of some canyon he got lost in. Get a Rino. They're Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!

[pd]

All radios are limited to clear line of sight for optimum reception/ transmission. I like the high power midlands.

Washelkhunter is old and uses stuff from the 40s. Some day I'll have to drag him cold and stiff out of some canyon he got lost in. Get a Rino. They're Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!

That's amazing, PianoMan.  I didn't know they had radios in the 1840s.

Seriously, thank you all for the comments.  I am leaning towards Garmin Rino GPS + radio, but I am not sure if I should go the budget route (the 120 series), or the more expensive routes (like the 655).  Is there anybody out there who has tried both the high end and the low end of the Rino products?

[pianoman9701]

His is actually a smoke box and you're correct, from the 1840s. He sends up puffs of smoke to communicate on windless days.

If you can afford the more expensive one, then go for it. I have the 655T and even though the technology is far beyond Washelkhunter's comprehension, he covets it. It's awesome. Touch screen, 5MP camera, Geo-tag pictures.

[Orion88]

Definitely 655T. 

[stickflngr]

another for the Rino's. They are an awsome unit...

[washelkhunter]

Rhinos? Seems a little ackward to me to be luggin one of those around. Besides how do you send a message, tie a note to its tail?

[Mudman]

   The rino text messages!    Really it does!