Breaker, breaker.... Walkie Talkie advice?

othereye · Post by **othereye** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 8:49 am

Have any of you tried using walkie talkies to keep in touch with your campmates? Failed miserably? Had rousing success? Accidently asked a DPW officer what he was wearing?

I'd like to hear others' experiences with this and advice on brands/models that have worked well on the playa itself.

Over and Out.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:50 am

I wish there were as many cheap walkie-talkies around when I was a kid! Those crappy Rodeo Snack ones only worked if you were close enough to talk without them!
I've used FRS walkies at several campouts, and found that the ones that actually offer you some code choices in addition to the channels allow you to remove SOME of the outside chatter....Most people leave 'em on channel one, so just going to "two" helps. With such a huge volume of yakking, it helps to FREQUENTLY use your "handle", and make sure you're not talking to ANOTHER "Smokestack Sally" or "Whiteout Wally".
I use a Garmin combo GPS/FRS, and like it.

Lassen Forge · Post by **Lassen Forge** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 2:38 pm

Another trick is to get an Amateur radio license (along with your friends, etc) and switch to the ham bands. Takes a bit of work (you have to pass a test to get a license, tho it's not hard if you study) and you need new radios, but you can pick your frequency and do OK.

The FRS units work well but there's a lot of people who use them, so it's like CB used to be. Crowded. But... you can scout around and find a semi-dead channel.

Same with CB. Plus the CB HT's (ham for walkie talkies) are pretty big and cumbersome. but in the confines of the playa they work good. CB is nice because in an emergency you can se channel 9 (which is monitored by ESD!)

The "officials" have our own business band frequencies and are also encoded, so you won't stumble on them (unless they're like a Ranger and packing their own FRS unit or CB or whatever), but as to interrupting their official communications? No way unless you pirate a radio (and that's something you *don't* want to do - double-plus trouble!!).

I remember those radio shack walkie talkies - wouldn't even get down the block, not much better than ian intercom or a loud shout! But they were fun back then.

Blonde Iguana · Post by **Blonde Iguana** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 6:13 am

I used $70 Costco walkie-talkies to keep track of my teenagers, and they worked pretty well most of the time. We just agreed on a channel a little higher up on the dial, tested it out for a bit to make sure it was quiet, and had a fair bit of success keeping in touch with our kids (altho after about two days we all totally lost interest in the walkie talkies and exiled them to the truck). Be sure that each person carrying a WT also carries fresh replacement batteries.

dj_john69 · Post by **dj_john69** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 5:13 pm

I have been using those walkie talkies for years now...all different makes and models. Ive used Uniden, Sony, and Motorola to name a few.

Some suck...some are better than others. By far, the Motorola Talkabout T6220 is the best. Nowadays, they are pretty cheap as well.

Also, if your buying new ones...get the ones with 5+ miles range. The earlier models had a 1 mile up to 2.5 mile range.

AND...bring lots of extra batteries.

~John

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Fri Apr 15, 2005 5:11 am

And if you intend to lose them, personalize them so that they'll stand out in the lost-and-found more. "LOST- Chartreuse Walkabout, trimmed in red rabbit fur, made into a sporran..."
AT LEAST engrave your name and email or phone. Clip or lanyard is vital, unless you really DID make it into a sporran.