best 2 way radios
- Thread starter m8welder
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BC Sno-Ghost
Active VIP Member
I've owned about 4 or 5 sets of FRS radios. None of them will ever reach the range that they advertise on the box, especially in the Winter. In my experience the best I've ever really done is about a 1 to 2 km range or about 1.5 miles. They say snow is the worst thing for the operation of these radios. Something to do with snow absorbing the signal.(?) Good to carry though. You can get separated within 500 meters of each other and not know it. I'm using Motorolas right now and they seem to work pretty good. I think they're all pretty much the same
4extreme
Active VIP Member
We use the Garmin Rino 520 Gps`s. It has a built in radio. The US one has a range of 14 miles, or 20 kms. These work well in the mountains and around town. We were out a few weeks ago in Sicamous and I lost my friend(briefly). I polled him on the radio and his position was updated to my GPS. He was about 1.5 kms from me.
Barton
Active VIP Member
Wallmart in the states has the garmin 530hcx for $384.00.
island rider
Active VIP Member
my opinion try and get your hands on a couple of hand held vhfs , i have a couple of programable kenwoods they are good for a 5 - 10 ks depending on terain . and you can program in the local logging companies and seach and rescue channels they sell for about 175 on ebay . should always keep an frs handy though not everyone has vhf radios .
Captain-sno
Active member
Thats why the 530 is 40 dollars more, and they are only 2 watts in Canada...that is the one Wholesale sports sells. The 5 watt units are USA only and Wholesale cannot sell them. You can have one sent from the USA, has the 5 watts and the extra repeater channels.
520 is the same unit without electronic compass and barametric Altimeter.
This is from your link: Transmit with Power
Rino 530HCx boasts a whopping 5 watts of transmit power (GMRS), which lets you contact others from up to 14 miles away (line of sight). In Canada, you can transmit at 2 watts over GMRS with a range of up to 8 miles
5 watt is illegal to sell in Canada as it is not approved.
Use Motorola UHF, picks up the cops and most logging frequencies. Cousin picked some up as the are the same hand helds the log truck drivers use at the mill where he loads logs. Not great range in the mountains, maybe two miles but they are the clearest I've ever heard. $125 each with voice activated head sets so a little pricey.
One more for the Garmin Rhino. I bought mine this summer and love it. I found the best deal at Maptown Maps, Globes, Travel Guides for the World, Canada and USA - Map Town Ltd. not to mention the people there also have a clue about what they're selling. The same can't be said for the big box stores (I had a bad experience at Bass Pro Shops).
The Rino 530 is indeed limited to 2 watts if you buy it in Canada. I was in the market for a second one (a pair of 2-way radios is better than one) for my sledding partner, and wanted a 5 watt unit so it would be compatible with my original. Ended up ordering a Garmin Rino 530HCx GPs/FRS radio from The GPS Store for US$409, plus $70 for UPS Express Saver shipping. Took about 10 days...
tapex
Active member
Have had a couple Motorollas for years. Never found them to be that great except when stuck and didn't want to yell that I didn't need help, or really needed some help:d. One of my riding buddies has a rino 530hcx and let me check it out last year. Was really impressed with the range and that there is built in gps on the same unit. The GPS saved us some grief one time and really saved our butts the second time. Bought one this summer, just a better tool for use (in my application anyways).
giddyup
Active VIP Member
another vote for the 520/530 garmins, i bought mine out of the states last year, work great, just wish i could hard wire them in to the battery on the sled, the charger will not work if the radio is in a cradle, garmin or the ram cradle.
giddyup
giddyup
Captain-sno
Active member
Want me to take pictures of mine....modified the cradle, installed a 12 volt adapter, and am hooked all day. Keeps the battery at 100%, and works great. Have to cut the ram cradle, attach the charger piece to the gps and file down the wings, run from a source on the sled that is 12 volt and either put in a fixed 12 volt adaper somewhere on the plastic, or like I do, run the wires into my snowbunjie handle bar bag. Then hook the 12 volt charger to the modified cradle/gps.
If you want pics, pm me your email.
senorjeem
Active VIP Member
Ok!! Got to wade in here. IMHO, the biggest threat to any of these radios is moisture, and when you stick them in a warm pocket on your body to keep the batteries alive (warm), it is also quite moist, (moister on some than others) I don't care if you spent $1000 on a 10 watt unit, I don't think that it will last in the conditions that they are exposed to. Had the Garmin Rhino, and I thought that being able to poll your riding buddies and see where they are was a pretty cool feature, but the radio crapped out after two seasons. Had the Cobra FRS units, and the battery packs were $hit. Have some Motorolas that are a couple of seasons old, and it sounds like you are talking through a pillow, and is very hard to decipher what is being said
, so.....I went to Costco, and found a 3 pack of Motorola's for $60.00. Guess we will replace them annually!!
. Had the Cobra FRS units, and the battery packs were $hit. Have some Motorolas that are a couple of seasons old, and it sounds like you are talking through a pillow, and is very hard to decipher what is being said, so.....I went to Costco, and found a 3 pack of Motorola's for $60.00. Guess we will replace them annually!!Similar threads
