Let's Talk Radios

[blackpowderhunter]

garmin rinos are nice especially for the location sharing with your hunting partner. 
MUCH easier to coordinate meeting up with the location sharing rather than "take a left at the big tree, then walk to the other big tree with the moss on the side " 
sure they arent cheap, but if something can be considered safety equipment in the field, it's worth it to me.
also MOST walkies will work on the FRS frequency which is limited to 2Watts, garmin rino's can work on GMRS which is up to 5W.

[Russ McDonald]

garmin rinos are nice especially for the location sharing with your hunting partner. 
MUCH easier to coordinate meeting up with the location sharing rather than "take a left at the big tree, then walk to the other big tree with the moss on the side " 
sure they arent cheap, but if something can be considered safety equipment in the field, it's worth it to me.
also MOST walkies will work on the FRS frequency which is limited to 2Watts, garmin rino's can work on GMRS which is up to 5W.

Did you also know that technically by FCC rules use must purchase a license to operate on GMRS frequncies.  https://www.buytwowayradios.com/blog/2021/10/the-difference-between-frs-and-gmrs-radios.html

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[pianoman9701]

I have a 655T Rino. It has a pretty powerful 5W radio AND charts the position of you and your buddies on each others' GPSs. That helps when you're trying to coordinate a hunt. You can also send each other texts, share waypoints, take photos (and share). Other hunters in the area can't see you unless you make them buddies.

That is a stud unit! Is there a subscription required for it?

Nope, but I also have Onx on it, which does. However, unlike the Iphone OnX, you don't have to update and resubscribe every year.

[blackpowderhunter]

garmin rinos are nice especially for the location sharing with your hunting partner. 
MUCH easier to coordinate meeting up with the location sharing rather than "take a left at the big tree, then walk to the other big tree with the moss on the side " 
sure they arent cheap, but if something can be considered safety equipment in the field, it's worth it to me.
also MOST walkies will work on the FRS frequency which is limited to 2Watts, garmin rino's can work on GMRS which is up to 5W.

Did you also know that technically by FCC rules use must purchase a license to operate on GMRS frequncies.  https://www.buytwowayradios.com/blog/2021/10/the-difference-between-frs-and-gmrs-radios.html

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i did, and i have one, along with a few other silly FCC licenses.
anyways, i read at one point that garmin had gotten a waiver for users of rino's to not need the FCC GMRS license.
I haven't looked too far into it, although id guess that people getting popped for this arent the ones using radios in the woods, more those in urban populated areas.

[pianoman9701]

garmin rinos are nice especially for the location sharing with your hunting partner. 
MUCH easier to coordinate meeting up with the location sharing rather than "take a left at the big tree, then walk to the other big tree with the moss on the side " 
sure they arent cheap, but if something can be considered safety equipment in the field, it's worth it to me.
also MOST walkies will work on the FRS frequency which is limited to 2Watts, garmin rino's can work on GMRS which is up to 5W.

Did you also know that technically by FCC rules use must purchase a license to operate on GMRS frequncies.  https://www.buytwowayradios.com/blog/2021/10/the-difference-between-frs-and-gmrs-radios.html

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The FCC has almost no enforcement. Until they hire 87,000 armed agents I won't be paying another government tax. Of course, I never use the radio anyway.

[C-Money]

I use a pair of Cobra radios that my dad got me years ago. They have the NOAA channels. Work well, and reach surprisingly long distances. We also use them to communicate when traveling together in separate vehicles.

[HntnFsh]

My understanding was that there was a waiver or exemption from licensing for these types of radios.

I also understand that I dont care and will use them anyhow.

[Russ McDonald]

Thus I used technically.  FCC has filed against manufacturers that radios not longer put gmrs channels in.

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[MHWASH]

Is there a Rino that’s just a radio? I don’t need all the locator or OnX stuff.

[Russ McDonald]

Is there a Rino that’s just a radio? I don’t need all the locator or OnX stuff.

No because it is a Garmin product so it is going to have GPS.  It also doesn't come with OnX you have to load it on there.

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[Magnum_Willys]

Available at Sportsmans Warehouse - have not used them but tech sounds interesting - $110.

Motorola Talkabout T800 Bluetooth Two-Way Radios - 2 Pack - The TALKABOUT T800 allows you to share and track locations with your travel companions. No cell service? No problem. Just download the TALKABOUT app and connect your smartphone via Bluetooth, and you'll have the ability to locate a friend's campsite, share your current location and send messages, all while exploring off the grid. You can also control your radio settings from the TALKABOUT app. Skiing, hunting or at a music festival, the T800 has an IPX4 rating and a range of up to 35 miles* to keep you connected no matter where your adventures lead.

[jrebel]

Available at Sportsmans Warehouse - have not used them but tech sounds interesting - $110.

Motorola Talkabout T800 Bluetooth Two-Way Radios - 2 Pack - The TALKABOUT T800 allows you to share and track locations with your travel companions. No cell service? No problem. Just download the TALKABOUT app and connect your smartphone via Bluetooth, and you'll have the ability to locate a friend's campsite, share your current location and send messages, all while exploring off the grid. You can also control your radio settings from the TALKABOUT app. Skiing, hunting or at a music festival, the T800 has an IPX4 rating and a range of up to 35 miles* to keep you connected no matter where your adventures lead.

Just bought these a couple months ago.......Haven't tried to use the bluetooth yet but can say the radios are on par with others I have bought.  The only negative so far.....when using from car to car while traveling, they sucked and were not usable.  Not sure if it had anything to do with the bluetooth or the electronics in the vehicles ( 21 dodge 1 ton and 22 ford 1 ton).  Range is not what they say...but none of them are.  In the outdoors away from the vehicles they were clear and easy to use.  Batter life appears to be good / on par with other. 

[Russ McDonald]

Available at Sportsmans Warehouse - have not used them but tech sounds interesting - $110.

Motorola Talkabout T800 Bluetooth Two-Way Radios - 2 Pack - The TALKABOUT T800 allows you to share and track locations with your travel companions. No cell service? No problem. Just download the TALKABOUT app and connect your smartphone via Bluetooth, and you'll have the ability to locate a friend's campsite, share your current location and send messages, all while exploring off the grid. You can also control your radio settings from the TALKABOUT app. Skiing, hunting or at a music festival, the T800 has an IPX4 rating and a range of up to 35 miles* to keep you connected no matter where your adventures lead.

That mile is way wrong those radios will bot work 35 miles unless you have a repeater or you have ine person on a 10000 fot peak and you 35 miles down in a wode open medow and you have a clear veiw of each other.  Their marketing cracks me up.

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[Mudman]

Russ, what do you recommend?  A radio for a utv/jeep or handheld unit on the cheap and easy with decent performance?  You know more than us on radio so your opinion quite valuable.

[Russ McDonald]

Rugged radios for utv's are baofengs did you know that.  Sorry just a little thing I saw.  Any how.  You are all going tobe stuck with only radios that can use FRS frequencies.  So the Motorola talkabouts or Garmin Rino's.  What I use is a a couple Baofengs because you can program the to other frequencies.  If you have a ham license you can get on the ham repeaters. I really like the Rino's because you have a gps handheld unit and radio all in one but they are spendy.  Midland and Motorola sell aboit the best FRS radios out there.  The marketing on the packaging is wrong.  The best you going to get on a radio like that at only 2 watts is 5 miles clear line of site.  Heavy trees will degraded that.  Getting higher will improve it to.  No one is going to be able to afford the radios that I work on everyday lile the Bendix King KNG P150 or BKR5000.  Motorla APX's.  The other thing with the baofengs is you can change antennas which cam impove yiur signal in and out.  Baofengs are also cheap pos's to but I can fix them and have 4 of them.  In the long run I would lean towards and Rino first and Motorola Talkabouts second.

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