Walkie-Talkies

[Harv]

Although my immediate need is only tangentially a tractor safety issue, I will post it here because it might easily serve that purpose.

Not to go into any detail about why I might have to be ready to be called back to the house from my tractor on a moment's notice next weekend (3 days, actually), but my need for a good set of walkie-talkies has suddenly risen to the top of my wish list.

When I'm out tractorin' the property (42 acres), I am frequently as much as a half-mile into the woods away from the house. What I had planned on buying for my own safety was a simple coach's whistle in case I got myself in a bad situation that I needed help getting out of (should never happen, right? /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif) The whistle would just fit into our current budget (euphemism for "financial crisis") and would serve as a one-way emergency signal device, assuming I was able to blow the dang thing.

Now the need for instant two-way communication has arisen, even though our budget hasn't, so we considered just springing for a second whistle, but concluded that voice communication is what we really need. It is important enough that we could go as high as $100 (for a pair), but don't want to spend it if we can get the job done for less. I am well aware that truly good ones run much higher than that, but I was wondering if any of you folks have any first-hand recommendations for a "sensibly" priced pair of units that would cover the distance reliably. If it weren't for the trees, we would almost be talking line-of-sight for the most part, but the terrain is such that a hill might accidentally get in the way.

So, would less than a hundred bucks for a pair get us nothing but junk? If so, how high would we have to go to have something reliable? I'm hoping there will be enough left over to still buy the whistle. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

What's wrong using a cell phone...?

 

[cowboydoc]

Harv,
I do the medical for a huge soccer tournament for the local club here twice a year. We had the same needs to be able to have radios for about 20 people at one time. It was essential that we had good clear communication especially when people needed medical attention, 12 different fields at the complex, or when I needed to radio for additional help. We used to rent the motorola radios for a weekend. This year we bought the $39.95 motorola two way radios, small like a cell phone. They worked excellent. From one end of the complex to the other is about 3/4 of a mile and clarity was excellent. I would recommend a set of these for yourself.

 

[deere4600]

Harv, a year ago I purchased 4 of the Motorola Talk-about 250 radios for the family. They are advertised to be work in a two mile range. They might go 2 miles if there were no obstructions but work very well for a mile or so. We use them when I take the kids to the fairs and other events where they can get spread out. It works pretty well to keep in touch. I paid $80.00 each but now see they have dropped to about $60.00. Midland and Cobra also have the family band radioes that are as low as $40.00. They probably work as well as the Motorola. I also bought rechargable batteries (they take 3 AA bateries). Keeping all of the batteries charged is rather inconvenient. I would recommend trying to find radios that use a batter charger that you can just set the radios in. Motorola makes a bigger (clumsier) unit call the Distance which advertises a 5 mile range. I believe you can set the radio in the charger to avoid having to swap batteries. The radio is over $200.00.

 

[Von]

Harv,
I have two of the Motorola Talk-about 250 radios, got them about two years ago. We use them when hunting and they work great. I got mine off of ebay and paid $65.00 each with extra mics with earbuds. The price has dropped way down, so check ebay for a good deal. You can use just batteries and they will last 30 hrs. I find all kinds of uses for them and kids play with them all the time. So they are tuff, and can take the rough handling.

 

[2710Fan]

Harv,

Any of the FRS (Family Radio S?) radios are a good bet. They range in price from about $60.00/pair to a couple of hundred bucks a piece. They are like anything else...more features more money. The advertised range is 2 miles, but I would figure up in the mountains that you would get a lot less or a lot more depending on line of sight.

I have a pair of Motorola FR-60's which I got at Best Buy for under $100.00 for the pair last year. I've seen at Wal-Mart a pair of Motorola FR-50's for less than $60.00 a pair. The newer models come with weather band. I have been eyeballing a Ranger-10 with WX for $60.00 at KMart.

Thanks,
JB

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Harv,
Why waste your money on a reasonably priced set? It'll just wear out in 10 years, loose its resale value and not have all those neat ergonomic buttons on them. No, if you're going to buy a set go down to Joe's Tractor Imporium and buy the same product with the John Deere or Kubota name on them, it only costs 3x as much to go first class.

I know your need in immediate but lets think about the long haul here price should never be a consideration. Did I mention the Kubota walkie-talkies comes with an embossed leather carrying case?

Or you could just go to RadioShack.

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Harv,

I'll second (or third or forth) the Motorola Talkabout. I have two (the yellow ones) clarity is amazing if your reference is Citizen Band and range is quite good but terrain driven. I purchased two at COSTCO @ $59 each. I have seen them a lot less expensive, other brands, don't know how well the less expensive ones work.

A few details from the manual:

Power: 3 AA batteries
Battery Life: 3 hours of talk and 27 hours of standby.
Channels: 14, with 38 privacy codes
Frequency: ~462 -467 MHz

Accessories: earphones/microphone headset

Al

 

[JonLeonard]

This past Christmas K-Mart ran a sale on Cobra walkie-talkies. For $59.99 you got 2 radios, ni-cad batteries, and a charging base that holds both radios. They advertised a 2 mile range as well. Unfortunately they had sold out by the time I got there /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Dont know if they still carry them, but I would bet that the normal price would be in the $79-$89 range.

 

[patrickg]

FRS radios with 500 miliwatt/2 mile range can be had for as low as $49/pair. Go to Radio Shack and or a discount chain, even Lowes sells them. Standard features include 14 channels, sometimes it costs just a bit more to get privacy codes (38/channel). Get someting that can use AA cells as life is better than AAA. Rechargable batts are ok but unit should accept standard alkaline AA as a backup. Avoid units using 2 cells, opt for 3 or 4. Good features not neccessarily costing more are:

external power jack, could be used from 12 volt tractor battery and never run out of juice.
provision for external mike and earphone to permit hands free operation. You don't have to pay extra up front for VOX as Radio Shack sells an add on but you do need jacks for earphone and mike to use the add on.

Some units have a low power transmit option that saves on xmit power/batt life when reliable comms don't require full power.

Radio Shack recently closed out a good accessory but this will only tantalize you, probably, as you may not find one except at a ham radio swap meet or something like that. They sold a real cheap "simplex repeater" which you could plug into a walkie talkie and put in a high place. If you and your other person are line of sight with the repeater but not each other you could go to the channel that the repeater was set for and talk to it for a short while. When you unkey the mike the repeater (contains a digital recorder with solid state memory) transmits what you said. The other person basically hears a silent period as long as your message then hears the message coming down from the repeater. When the reply is transmitted the same thing happens to you. First a period of silence then the repeater retransmits the message to you. You know it is working because after transmiting your message you hear it repeated back just like the other person does. This alows both parties to be sure there message is making it to the repeater if there were a question on that.

Smoke signals might be a cheap alternative to radio. If you enjoy raising small animals, consider homing pidgeons.

Patrick

 

[jdkid]

Hi ya
I'd side with john here cell phone would be a better bet for what ya doing ,think of this ya out on ya tractor and ya wife gose to town shopping or to pick a kid up from school ,ya could call the guy next door or 911 if things are realy bad.with a walkie talkie if you have ya own band ya realy stuck if no ones home .a place i worked on had them and they were good/bad good cos ya did not have to ring and with 4 others on the place ya always got someone ,bad cos they worked on line of sight ie if ya were on the back side of a big hill sometimes ya could not get out with out changeing bands to a base set then someone may not be at home .i know a few people who have got pre payed cell phones (call time already payed for) and just stick them in the glove box of the car P/U etc etc good if ya wife get a flat on a dark road or kids run out of gas,call in a crash to 911 etc etc ,top them up once a year cheep addon to frist aid kit.
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[Harv]

Thanks, guys! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I knew I could count on you for advice (on pretty near any subject, it seems).

John, JD -
I have a cell phone, but such things just flat out don't work in them thar hills. The very best analog cells can pick up a weak signal if you stand in just the right spot, while my Sprint Digital PCS gets absolutely nothin'! /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif They've been promising to expand their coverage area for some time now, but there is some doubt they will ever reach my property.

Richard, deere4600, Von, Al -
I have now done some of my own research and found numerous reviews that concur with your observations on the Motorola TalkAbouts, particularly the model 250. Could be the best bang for the buck if I can find a couple by next Thursday. I see some good prices on the internet, but I don't really have time to wait for mail order, and certainly not enough time for an eBay auction. Too bad, really -- I've gotten some very good deals off of eBay in the past.

There is a whole family of TalkAbouts, so I'll have to scope out the other models as I find them, too.

Jon -
I've seen some favorable reviews of the Cobras, too. I will keep my eye out for them also.

Tomorrow (Sunday) I will get out there and do as Patrick suggests and just start hitting the stores. Thanks, Patrick for outlining what to look for.

One feature missing from most of the units I have found on the internet so far is "water resistant", or better still, "waterproof". Not that I plan to be calling from my submerged Bota (although I can't rule that out), "waterproof" also implies "dustproof". Me and my tractor are frequently engulfed in a self-inflicted cloud of dirt dust, so this is a feature I would like if I can find it. One company I came across, called "Unwired Technology" makes a nice-looking water-resistant unit in my price range (although they use the dreaded AAA batteries). Anybody have any experience with their products?

Thanks again, folks. I'll let you know what I come up with, 'cuz I'm sure you're dying to know. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

$59.95 Pair @ Sams Club/Walmart

The BE-1438VP is a versatile 2-way family radio system. It has 14 channels with 38 subcodes, giving you a total of 532 different channel combinations. This advanced feature allows you to have conversations without interference by other users on the same channel, even in areas of high two-way radio usage. Up to 2-mile range makes the BE-1438VP ideal for camping trips, skiing, hunting, shopping, or any other activity where you need to keep in contact with others.Item: 951155

Features
· 2-way family radio system value pack-Includes:· 2 radios · 2 headsets · 2 beltpacks · 6 rechargeable batteries and 110 volt AC battery charger · Up to 2 mile range 14 channels with 38 subcodes · Multi-function LCD · Automatic squelch · FM transceiver (462 MHz) · Headset jack · Volume control · Key lock · Battery meter · Detachable belt clip
________________

@ Sam's Club last night-by Southwestern Bell

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Motorola Talkabout 250 - $45. net @ Dicks Sporting Goods
{from today's Sunday Paper}

How To Buy A Two Way Radio

 

[tsh3]

I bought a pair of Audiovox from Crutchfield. They were $69 a pair with rechargable NiMH
batteries, dual charger, 14 channel, 38 sub. We use them skiing, tractoring and they are great
when travelling in 2 vehicles. The charge lasts longer than all day. We are happy with them.
Go to www.crutchfield.com and search on frs radios.

Steve

 

[RobS]

Hi Harv, we have a pair of the original Motorola Talk Abouts plus a cell phone. I've used both on the tractor and they both have the same problem... I can't hear either while running at PTO speed. I even tried the cell phone on vibrate but the various other vibrations on the tractor overshadowed that option. They're great for outgoing communication but you may need to add an "incoming call" light to your dash if you don't want to miss anyone /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Von]

Rob, I have the mic with earbud, and It would fit under the earmuff I wear so I could hear if anyone was talking to me. The earbud with mic is about $12.00. Or they sell just the earbud. I have never used it on the tractor but have used it skiing and hunting lots of times with good luck.

 

[bsauter]

I have a pair of Cobras. I think they are the 3s. What is nice about them beside having the NOAA WEATHER frequencies is the call option has VIBRATION. When my wife wants to talk to me and I am on the tractor with my muffs on and earbuds in my ears listening to CDs all she has to do is hit her call button and my radio will vibrate. It's great for loud areas.

Brad, Kubota L3010HST, loader, R4 tires
Pictures at http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=179207&a=9183978

 

[Harv]

Well, after reading the replies in this thread, plus searching the internet and driving around to a dozen stores in my area, I convinced myself I wanted a couple of the Motorola TalkAbout units. Now, the Motorola web sites lists 17 different TalkAbout models, soooooooo... after boning up on all the different features, costs and other tradeoffs, I finally located and purchased a pair of TalkAbout 250's, the very same model so many of you recommended. Next time I'll save myself some time and just listen to you guys. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

There's certainly a lot of other makes and models out there, many with nearly identical features, but for me the decision came down to how well made and sturdy the units looked. For my money, the 250 fit the bill. Not sure it has the best ergonomics -- the talk button seems to be in exactly the wrong place, but maybe that's to prevent pushing it by mistake. I'll be trying them around the neighborhood tomorrow (Tuesday) and then up at the property in a few days.

Anyway, the best price I could find was $59.99 less a $15 rebate = $44.99 each. My new concern then was realizing that the kids would just love to get their hands of these puppies, so taking into consideration they both have birthdays this month, I picked up an Audiovox FR1420 2-pack for another 50 bucks. They're surprisingly full-featured, lacking only the privacy code stuff, they're nice and small for small hands, and, most importantly, they look pretty cool. /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

Thanks to everybody for their advice and experience out there. I'll share the performance results of both models after this weekend.

(BTW -- for $3.99 I got the whistle, too. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif)

 

[jimmoore]

Harv, with all that hot air that you are pumping, I bet a person could hear that whistle for 20 miles!!/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

jim