What brand Walkie Talkie?

[allenr]

I'm looking to buy two Walkie Talkies to communicate between a SP Grape Harvester (no cab - very loud) and a Tote Bin tractor with cab.

Distance will generally be only 20 -200 feet.

What is a good quality and tough brand?

Are Uniden worth the extra money?

And how many watts should I be buying, will too great a wattage result in more "traffic jams" throughout the local area when other operators may also be using theirs?

Will I need a throat microphone on the Grape Harvester - if so what brand?

And does the VOX function still operate with a throat mike?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts on my lengthy list of questions.

Oh, I have also considered a Cordless Phone with Walkie Talkie capability but they're very coy about range and they don't appear to be made for a rough life.
Exception being "EnGenius" but they're very pricey.

 

[MicroPilot]

I would be looking at a GMRS radio, Motorola or Midland. These radios will have plenty of range, and have a "selective" squelch option that filters out other traffic on the channel you are using except for traffic using the same squelch code.

This is good overview of GMRS/FRS radios:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?guideID=1072288099473&type=page&id=cat12077

 

[wdchyd]

I use Motorola, been thru other brands and Motorola seems to have their stuff together when it comes to options, clarity and battery styles......

Priced fairly reasonable when you consider they come in pairs with all the charger stuff and headphones and vibrating models too.....

I do use the rechargable batteries but like the backup plan to throw in akaline batteries when I want to......

I don't care for the models that take the AAA batteries......I prefer the AA's.....

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I have two Uniden's. I didn't spend too much on them...The only problem I noticed was that the menu sounds stopped working for a while and then came back once the batteries were removed for storage...

 

[CurlyDave]

For general-purpose use the Motorolas are OK, and they are not overpriced.

I tried using them for hunting and they were totally unsuited for that application. They both let out with a loud static burst every time they received something, and broadcast a loud static burst every time I pushed the "talk" button.

For communication on a job site, or while working, the static burst is not a big problem.

 

[marimus]

For general-purpose use the Motorolas are OK, and they are not overpriced.

I agree with this, Motorola are ok and not overpriced.

Do you guys get GME over there? They are one of the better options down here. I have a few Uniden radios and they are great when new. Apparently their power output drops over time, and i've been told they need to be serviced regularly to maintain peak output.

 

[wdchyd]

I tried using them for hunting and they were totally unsuited for that application. They both let out with a loud static burst every time they received something, and broadcast a loud static burst every time I pushed the "talk" button.

.

Dave, you have a wrong setting on those radios as I use my mine all the time for hunting......you have to toggle off the "Roger Beep" and other sounds in the menu screens......It is very annoying to have these extra crazy sounds when trying to be quiet....

I have several models (and friends also) and these are quiet as church mice....My latest set even has vibrate mode to be used with volume all the way down....(plus a built-in emergency flashlight)....

 

[Toyboy]

I have and use Kenwood, Motorola, and Midland. They all are good units and would do the job for you. We have ear bud mics for all of them that we use when hunting and that may be something you'd want to look into to minimize the background noise when recieving a transmission. They also have clip mics (like the cops use) that might prove useful. Look up the different brands on the web and see what accessories are available.

 

[Western]

I prefer Motorola, but have used several brands.

We used Motorola's when I was In Law Enforcement, of course they where higher wattage and well built than you can purchase and your local sporting goods store, but a friend of mine bought 2 pair of Motorola's that where $200 each at Cabelas which where exceptional while hunting elk, cheaper ones had a real time reaching their advertised ranges.

For the short distance you stated almost any radio would probably work. I think most of them are 2-4 watts, not sure though.

How about using a CB radio? works great in a tractor and you can add an external speaker to hear over the engine noise if you like.

I've done the cb thing and was able to talk to my wife from my tractor easily from over a mile, ( had a base in the house at the farm).

 

[FastPauly]

CompactTractorFan;
I don't know what model of Uniden radios you have but on the ones I have, you can toggle the button beep sounds On/Off.....see snip from manual below. I know mine gets acidentally shut Off at times due to my big fat fingers.

Adjusting the Sound;
Your radio emits a beep each time one of the
buttons is pressed. To turn this sound off, press
PTT and MONI at the same time. Press them
again to turn the sound back on.

If I were buying new radios, I would be sure to get the coded squelch feature to try and eliminate unwanted calls. Probably this feature is pretty much standard now?