Looking for a handheld radio, no idea where to start

[Soul_Eater]

Title pretty much says it, I'm after something small enough I can carry hiking or hunting, but also has a decent range. Ideally, I'd like it to be able to attach to a car antenna as well, but I don't know a great deal about that. I've been looking at a Midland 75-822, which I guess is pretty much a starter unit, but I'm concerned about the range.

I apologize in advance, I know about this much when it comes to radio.

 

[Seven-Delta-FortyOne]

Well, let me ask a few questions.

Who are you trying to talk to? Is there a group that goes hiking and hunting together, or are you hoping to talk to random strangers?

Are any of you licensed for any service? Are any of you interested in getting licensed, or do you prefer to stick to the license-free services?

I see you are looking at a CB unit. Was there a reason that you've come up with that particular unit?

How far/what kind of terrain are you operating in?

And lastly, thank you for not buying a Bao-Junk, picking any random frequency, and firing away. We will try to reward you by giving you all the help we can.



Delta

 

[I_am_Alpha1]

The first place to start is by figuring out what you want it to do. You posted your question to the Scanner/Receiver area of the forum and said you are considering a CB handheld. CB is 4watts AM and is fairly useless as a handheld. Get an Amateur License and buy a 7watt handheld (Baofeng for $50) and add a hi-gain antenna to your backpack--this still won't work well if you are hunting and located between two mountains.

No apology necessary--we all started right where you are.

 

[Soul_Eater]

Lots of questions, thanks for being interested. I'm a 911 dispatcher, so I have some experience on channel, but nothing really outside of work. I don't really have the bug for amateur radio licensing, basically just to talk to another buddy on backwoods hikes.

Another reason, and I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, is to just turn the thing on when I'm on the highway and listen. I love talking to people, and I know there are all kinds on those channels, but still. I'd stick to a basic two-way set if it wasn't for that.

Honestly no particular reason for it, I found it rated pretty highly online and it seems familiar like a belt radio the units carry.

 

[gewecke]

The first place to start is by figuring out what you want it to do. You posted your question to the Scanner/Receiver area of the forum and said you are considering a CB handheld. CB is 4watts AM and is fairly useless as a handheld. Get an Amateur License and buy a 7watt handheld (Baofeng for $50) and add a hi-gain antenna to your backpack--this still won't work well if you are hunting and located between two mountains.

No apology necessary--we all started right where you are.

The 7 watt chinacom radios are a GIMICK to get you to buy them, keep that in mind. 7 watts will merely suck your battery dry much faster, instead of letting you transmit any farther. The range you can talk with 3-4 watts vs. 7 watts is so miniscule you'll never notice any difference. As for a Amateur radio license, that might be overkill if he only cares about a half to a full mile or so. :wink: 73, n9zas

 

[Project25_MASTR]

Lots of questions, thanks for being interested. I'm a 911 dispatcher, so I have some experience on channel, but nothing really outside of work. I don't really have the bug for amateur radio licensing, basically just to talk to another buddy on backwoods hikes.

Another reason, and I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, is to just turn the thing on when I'm on the highway and listen. I love talking to people, and I know there are all kinds on those channels, but still. I'd stick to a basic two-way set if it wasn't for that.

Honestly no particular reason for it, I found it rated pretty highly online and it seems familiar like a belt radio the units carry.

It is built to nowhere near the same quality to what you see officers wearing. It's probably a little larger and heavier to what the officers use as well. Just keep that in mind.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[SteveC0625]

Lots of questions, thanks for being interested. I'm a 911 dispatcher, so I have some experience on channel, but nothing really outside of work. I don't really have the bug for amateur radio licensing, basically just to talk to another buddy on backwoods hikes.

Another reason, and I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, is to just turn the thing on when I'm on the highway and listen. I love talking to people, and I know there are all kinds on those channels, but still. I'd stick to a basic two-way set if it wasn't for that.

Honestly no particular reason for it, I found it rated pretty highly online and it seems familiar like a belt radio the units carry.

I'm not going to be the radio police here, but I'll only make suggestions that are legal.

If you want talk to your buddy on hikes, you might investigate MURS radio. No license is required, but there are FCC restrictions on the specific radios you can use. Decent range for hiking purposes, too as they're 2 watts on VHF channels.

Another choice is FRS (Family Radio Service.) These are the bubble pack radios you see in stores everywhere. For the FRS channels, no license is required, but it's limited to 1/2 watt. Not bad for hiking, but only good for well less than a mile, generally.

Most bubble pack radios are also GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) capable. Higher power is allowed, but some of the FRS channels are off limits. There are also some GMRS only channels. FCC license ($65 for 5 years) is required, but you can go up to 5 watts portable and 50 watts mobile and base. Repeaters are allowed on the 8 upper channels, but most of the bubble pack radios can't access them. The bubble pack radios only do 2 watts or less on GMRS settings. There's lots of manufacturer's hype on the packages, especially exaggerated distance claims. Realistically, depending on terrain, they're good for a mile or two for average use.

Dollar wise, the bubble pack radios on FRS are your best deal. Depending on the model and features, you can usually get a real decent pair of them for under $100, much less if you shop for a bargain somewhere. (I'm partial to the Motorola ones. I have three FRS only radios that are 20 years old, and they all work just as well today as the day I got them.) If you want to use the bubble pack radios on GMRS, there's just the addition of the license fee and a few minor operational rules to follow like IDing every so often. Other GMRS specific portables can have full power (5 watts) but they'll run about $100 and up.

If you just want to listen to stuff on the highway and elsewhere, get a scanner. They scan much faster than HT's, and depending on the model you select, they'll handle all kinds of radio systems like P25, trunking, etc. And, they're capable of receiving a much wider range of frequencies and radio services.

 

[bharvey2]

Lots of questions, thanks for being interested. I'm a 911 dispatcher, so I have some experience on channel, but nothing really outside of work. I don't really have the bug for amateur radio licensing, basically just to talk to another buddy on backwoods hikes.

Another reason, and I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, is to just turn the thing on when I'm on the highway and listen. I love talking to people, and I know there are all kinds on those channels, but still. I'd stick to a basic two-way set if it wasn't for that.

Honestly no particular reason for it, I found it rated pretty highly online and it seems familiar like a belt radio the units carry.

It sounds like you may be asking too much from one type of radio and, don't really have a specific goal in mind as to what you want to accomplish with a radio. I'm not trying to be critical but you need to decide what you want to listen to and/or who you'd like to talk to before you can commit to a radio to suit you needs or desires. As for being embarrassed about listening, don't be. This is website and forum is devoted to people who do just that!

Here is something to consider: For listening only, you can buy a scanner. It's features would likely be governed by your geographical area. A good starting point might be to find out the type of radio system that you use while dispatching and find a scanner that can receive that system. You'll also be able to listen in to a multitude of other services and formats. (Air, HAM, GMRS, MURS, etc.) With very little investment, you could also get an inexpensive Chicomm radio that will allow you to carry around while hiking. Without a license though, you couldn't legally transmit with it. It would however allow you to program and listen to most of the frequencies that would viable with a handheld, two way radio in that environment. Although you mentioned you don't have much interest in an amateur license, a tech class license wouldn't be too hard to acquire and would open up a lot of opportunities.

 

[robertmac]

I'm not going to be the radio police here, but I'll only make suggestions that are legal.

I am not sure why being a radio police is wrong. He is a 911 dispatcher, so I'm sure he doesn't want any Tom, Dick, Harry coming on his frequencies just to talk. And he does say he wants to talk. So setting him straight as to services that allow it is proper. What isn't, is giving the impression that one can put in any frequency they feel they want but are not licensed for [oh, I've seen it before, doesn't mean will be used to transmit]. At least in the USA, there are options for use of non licensed required services, versus only FRS/GMRS in Canada. If he likes to talk, I'm not certain why he is opposed to ham radio. Coming from 911 dispatch, I wouldn't expect him to sound like a CB renegade.

 

[SigIntel8600]

Title pretty much says it, I'm after something small enough I can carry hiking or hunting, but also has a decent range. Ideally, I'd like it to be able to attach to a car antenna as well, but I don't know a great deal about that. I've been looking at a Midland 75-822, which I guess is pretty much a starter unit, but I'm concerned about the range.

I apologize in advance, I know about this much when it comes to radio.

I would recommend a pair of Dakota Alert MH-538HT VHF MURS radios for handheld use. No license required. 2 watts output. The antennas are non removable, so you can't hook it up to a car antenna. VHF will give you better range than UHF in wooded terrain. I hike in the woods and my MURS radios beat my FRS/GMRS radios hands down. Some hunters and hikers illegally use VHF marine band handhelds. If you get busted, you are screwed.

http://www.amazon.com/Dakota-Alert-Wireless-Handheld-M538-HT/dp/B013XQMPSM

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Title pretty much says it, I'm after something small enough I can carry hiking or hunting, but also has a decent range. Ideally, I'd like it to be able to attach to a car antenna as well, but I don't know a great deal about that. I've been looking at a Midland 75-822, which I guess is pretty much a starter unit, but I'm concerned about the range.

I apologize in advance, I know about this much when it comes to radio.

The CB handheld is not going to give you much reliable range. At 27 MHz, the portable antenna is a tiny compromise. A vehicle mounted CB with a decent base loaded antenna will be a useful thing to have when traveling. Especially when you are on a highway and traffic suddenly stops for no reason. It is good to find the next exit. You can usually count on a trucker on channel 19 giving out the mile marker to avoid.

The next step are FRS radios, but those vary in quality and performance. Midland is not a bad place to start. I have some ICOM IC-4008A's, but they are expensive and rare. Avoid models that use AAA batteries. Instead AA or decent LiPo or LiIon batteries are better. If you are far into the woods, you might be more likely to have a bunch of spare AA batteries than to find an AC outlet for a charger. Plan ahead.

MURS radios and GMRS radios will give you greater range provided you buy models that actually produce 2 to 5 watts of power.

MURS is an unlicensed VHF service. The power is limited to 2 watts and channels are shared with a lot of commercial use, though out in the woods that will not be a problem. There are cheap radios and expensive ones. You get what you pay for.

GMRS requires a license but you can use 5 watt high performance UHF professional radios like you are used to at work. The power permitted is up to 50 Watts so mobile to mobile can be pretty respectable. On the cheap side Midland now makes an inexpensive and tiny 5 watt GMRS radio you can mount in the car. It might be a handy "base camp" standby. You can also talk to FRS radios on certain GMRS channels, so you have that option if some of your hunting partners use FRS.

So you have four alternatives 27 MHz CB, 150 MHz MURS, 462/467 MHz FRS and GMRS. I would avoid the CB for portable use. I am biased toward the GMRS, and I use surplus Public Safety radios, and have option for repeater access, but the other choices will work better than CB if you buy reliable gear.

As far as emergency communications in the event someone breaks a leg. None of these will assure you that anyone will be monitoring should you call for help. Cellphones have a poor record in back country. There are other solutions, but that is another subject.