Best quality two way radio for areas with poor cell service and some minor topography.

[Hoytvectrix]

I'm wondering if anyone here has any two radios they could recommend. We have a couple farms that are all within about 1.5 miles of each other. There are about 2-3 ridges that are maybe 300 foot elevation change between the two farms, and of course, quite a bit of woods.

I know almost nothing about radio technology. Is it realistic to be able to have a radio connection that could work in these conditions? What should I be looking for in terms of technology to make these work?

 

[Bill]

I have Verizon and it works at the farm. Brother has AT&T and it doesn't work. He buys burner at Walmart every season that connects to the local tower and he can reach me. Just a thought.

 

[Mortenson]

Amazon.com

These are what I bought.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I have Verizon and it works at the farm. Brother has AT&T and it doesn't work. He buys burner at Walmart every season that connects to the local tower and he can reach me. Just a thought.

As far as we know, there are no cell carriers that have any better service on some of the valleys within each of the three farms. We have tried each of the carriers and this is a known problem for the area. Local farmers basically have zero cell service when they are in the valleys and complain about it constantly.

That is an interesting thought though.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Amazon.com

These are what I bought.

What can a guy expect for range on these if there is an obstruction like a hill? I know it really depends on a number of factors, but I would still be curious to get a rough idea.

I have read some that claim 35 mile range on open and flat ground, but then read the comments and people say they get 1/4 mile when in the woods (not even counting hills).

 

[Mortenson]

Unfortunately I can't answer that. We don't really have any hills around here. I only got them last year, and haven't played around with them much yet. If I get a chance, I'll take them to the woods this week when I intend to put some plots in. I'll see if Chris can tag along to test them a little.

 

[PatinPA]

Pre-cell phones we used the old Nokia walkie talkies. Which are laughable because one of my kids got a "toy" set and they had a better range than those old ones. I think the kids toys even had a 5 mile range. My dad and I use them at my place since we have little signal.

 

[Bill]

As far as we know, there are no cell carriers that have any better service on some of the valleys within each of the three farms. We have tried each of the carriers and this is a known problem for the area. Local farmers basically have zero cell service when they are in the valleys and complain about it constantly.

That is an interesting thought though.

Yep the valleys all suck. But I try not to hunt the low spots. Wind swirl kills me in the low spots.

 

[Maddog66]

I’ve always used one form or another of handheld, battery operated VHF radios with as much transmitting power as is “legal”. 5 or 6w is what I’ve seen the most. They sure have got smaller and lighter over the years.

Ive never hunted bluff country. But I’ve had situations where I could barely send/receive at 1 mile in a dense, flat National forest. I’ve also had instances in NW Ontario where there was elevation and we could talk perfect at almost 10 miles.

Quite a few bear hunters I know buy the cheapies off Amazon that they say work fine. About $50 ….Almost disposable. The ones I’ve bought have been in the $100 range with a spare battery tray.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Yep the valleys all suck. But I try not to hunt the low spots. Wind swirl kills me in the low spots.

Definitely. As I've been in the habitat game longer, I've come to realize ridgetops are the way to go.

This is more about safety when working in areas without cell service.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Hoyt, you just happen to have a real-life radio technician at your disposal!

Your best bet for a portable (handheld) radio is a VHF (Very High Frequency 136-174 MHz) or HF / CB (High Frequency / Commercial). HF should reach down in the valley. You DO NOT want anything UHF (FRS/GMRS). Less transmission range.

A radio that is Analog and wide-band will probably work better on the fringe. Which with a portable radio this whole operation will be on the fringe.

Portable (Handheld) radios are pretty much limited to 5 watts of transmission power due to size/battery limitations.

To your question

Will this work: Maybe. Radio doesn’t like to go up and over hills. If it works in December, it might not work in September with the leaves on the trees.

Expected range: Portable to Portable. I’d tell you 1 mile, hilltop to hilltop in December with the stock antenna held at mouth height.

How to improve the situation

Big $$$ and time - put in a repeater. Likely need solar, batteries, cabinet, radio, peripheral.

Mid $$$ and some time - if you have favorite tree stands you could run an accessory high gain antenna in the tree tops and just plug in the portable radio to that antenna.

Little $$$ and no time - if you have a radio that accepts a speaker mic, hold the radio up over your head and talk into the speak microphone. This is equivalent to 6db of gain over your hip. That’s a doubling of actual transmit power!

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

IC-T10 | Products | Icom America.

Icom,America,Land Mobile,Marine,Aviation,Amateur,Network,Systems

www.icomamerica.com

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

That’s probably a VHF decent radio. Mid priced, and maybe you could program it yourself or find someone with the programming software. I’ve worked with ICOM and they are pretty decent.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

75-785 Durable Handheld CB Radio

The Midland 75-785 radio is built to go wherever you go with settings to prolong battery life. Purchase this 40-channel handheld CB radio at Midland Radio.

midlandusa.com

75-822 Portable/Mobile CB Radio

This two-in-one Midland 75-822 Portable/Mobile CB Radio is lightweight and can be converted to a mobile radio with required accessories. Get yours now!

midlandusa.com

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

If it were me, I’d try one of those Midland or this Cobra HF/CB radios. They are HF, analog, wide-band and I don’t think they require any programming.

If you can’t reach your partner with a 4 watt, HF radio, you probably are not getting it done without a repeater.

Cobra HH RT 50 - ROAD TRIP

Upgrade your next road trip and stay connected with the HH RT 50. Shop HH RT 50 Road Trip Handheld CB Radio and other Recreational CB Radios at Cobra.com

www.cobra.com

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Also - I’ll trade Midwest hunting trips for radio installation work, if anyone is interested!

 

[Telemark]

I use a radio for hunting in Europe. They all work pretty much the same, in my experience. The most effective way to boost your range is a "forest antenna"(these are usually long and flexible) and an earpiece/microphone with a 3 foot cable.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Hoyt, you just happen to have a real-life radio technician at your disposal!

Your best bet for a portable (handheld) radio is a VHF (Very High Frequency 136-174 MHz) or HF / CB (High Frequency / Commercial). HF should reach down in the valley. You DO NOT want anything UHF (FRS/GMRS). Less transmission range.

A radio that is Analog and wide-band will probably work better on the fringe. Which with a portable radio this whole operation will be on the fringe.

Portable (Handheld) radios are pretty much limited to 5 watts of transmission power due to size/battery limitations.

To your question

Will this work: Maybe. Radio doesn’t like to go up and over hills. If it works in December, it might not work in September with the leaves on the trees.

Expected range: Portable to Portable. I’d tell you 1 mile, hilltop to hilltop in December with the stock antenna held at mouth height.

How to improve the situation

Big $$$ and time - put in a repeater. Likely need solar, batteries, cabinet, radio, peripheral.

Mid $$$ and some time - if you have favorite tree stands you could run an accessory high gain antenna in the tree tops and just plug in the portable radio to that antenna.

Little $$$ and no time - if you have a radio that accepts a speaker mic, hold the radio up over your head and talk into the speak microphone. This is equivalent to 6db of gain over your hip. That’s a doubling of actual transmit power!

Thank you so much for taking the time and even providing some recommendations. This has been incredibly informative. I like the idea of the Cobra you had linked. Packability is less of a concern and we are typically in a vehicle. I am really thinking this more so for my dad who is in his 70's and out on the farms with almost zero cell service.

 

[West_Fork]

We use Rugged Radios for desert racing.

Rugged Radios • UTV & Off Road Communication Equipment and Accessories

Rugged Radios offers communications for any environment including offroad, UTV, Jeep, Bronco, Tundra, Tacoma, Raptor, F-Series, racing, motorcycle, dirt bike, industrial, fire, and aviation. Products include business band and GMRS two way radios, intercoms, air pumpers, GPS, helmet and headset...

www.ruggedradios.com

For the same radio at a better price we also use Baufeng radios. Ruggeds are just rebranded Baofengs with some additional programming.

Baofeng -> The Official Baofeng Store | Get the Latest Baofeng News

Baofeng official website provides you with the most cost-effective long-range Baofeng two-way radios and meets all your amateur and commercial need. With OEM, ODM ability, quotation for bulk order is available. Contact us directly for a best price!

www.baofengradio.com

Look for the 8 watt models. For a mobile unit they offer up to 100 watts. Totally illegal, but who cares.

These are fully programmable using CHIRP open source software. They also make repeaters. You can have your own code guards etc to keep your discussions discrete.