+eridge74 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I got my Delorme PN 40 and I am on the hunt! Now my question is how many of you carry walkie talkies? Is there a universal channel for geocachers ? I read somewhere that cachers use channel 2 so I am wondering if that is true. If not is there a channel that cachers use? thanks for any help Quote Link to comment
+WatchDog2020 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I got my Delorme PN 40 and I am on the hunt! Now my question is how many of you carry walkie talkies? Is there a universal channel for geocachers ? I read somewhere that cachers use channel 2 so I am wondering if that is true. If not is there a channel that cachers use? thanks for any help First, Congrats on the Delorme PN 40 (I love mine) Around here (Upstate NY) no one does the Walkie Talkie deal. Mainly because it's a small group of local cachers and cellphones are the main 'phone a friend' mode. Happy Caching Quote Link to comment
+kayak-cowboy Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I got my Delorme PN 40 and I am on the hunt! Now my question is how many of you carry walkie talkies? Is there a universal channel for geocachers ? I read somewhere that cachers use channel 2 so I am wondering if that is true. If not is there a channel that cachers use? thanks for any help I carry a walkie talkie while on the trails. Every now and then there will be another cacher in the area. Primarily use the walkie while motor caching with a few other cars in the caravan. Works fairly well. Here is what the Frequently asked questions say about the channels used. ******************************************************************************************* Do you have an FRS/PMR channel to find out if other Geocachers are in the area? Yes. The community has decided on channel 2 as the primary for both FRS and PMR, and 12 as the alternate FRS (Family Radio Service) channel and 8 for the alternate PMR (Europe). FRS and PMR radios are longer distance walkie talkies, like the Motorola Talkabout. Quote Link to comment
+eridge74 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Share Posted February 28, 2009 thanks, I had forgotten where I had read that, but I dont know about the FRS/PMR thing I have a Midland gxt850 and could not find that in the menu, however I'll take it out with me and see what happens Quote Link to comment
+kayak-cowboy Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 (edited) thanks, I had forgotten where I had read that, but I dont know about the FRS/PMR thing I have a Midland gxt850 and could not find that in the menu, however I'll take it out with me and see what happens This is information I gathered from an Internet search for your radio. It appears to be a FRS(Family Radio service) GMRS(General Mobile Radio Service). The Midland GXT-850 two way radio supports all 22 FRS and GMRS channels with 142 privacy codes per channel. Edited February 28, 2009 by kayak-cowboy Quote Link to comment
BCProspectors Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Yes, the official geocaching channel is channel 2. We always carry walkie-talkies when geocaching and we use that channel, although we have yet to communicate with another geocacher. Quote Link to comment
+Kohavis Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 (edited) This is information I gathered from an Internet search for your radio. It appears to be a FRS(Family Radio service) GMRS(General Mobile Radio Service). The Midland gxt850 is an FRS/GMRS radio. Most are nowadays. The channel you choose determines which service you'll be using. FRS is shorter range, limited to 500 mW power, and doesn't require a license in the US. GMRS is limited to 20W (although almost all radios are 5W or less for portability), DOES require a license (with a $10,000 per violation fine if you ignore it), and has better range. Basically, channels 1 - 7 are shared FRS/GMRS. 8 - 14 are FRS-only and 15 - 22 are GMRS-only. When on the FRS-only channels your radio probably drops the output power to keep it legal. My wife and I are in the market for a pair of talkies. She wants to go off and do things I'm not as excited about, so I'll go off and geocache meanwhile. When she's done she can call me to come and get her. We'll be in areas where cell coverage is iffy, so the talkies make the most sense. I've done a lot of research into various expert reviews, and the units I've decided on are the Cobra Microtalk LI-7200. I should be getting our pair this spring. For $60/ free shipping it includes a pair of them along with two 1500 mAH Li-Ion rechargeable batteries and a dual table-top charger for them. They're supposed to have the best range of all GMRS radios, and the best battery life. The Midland gxt850, along with the 900 series, are also very highly-rated radios, and are a bit more rugged than the Cobras, so you have a pretty decent radio there Edited February 28, 2009 by Kohavis Quote Link to comment
+fireman121 Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 The only place that I have ever talk to on my walkie-talkie is at events, it also fun listen to cachers asking for hints of a cache location. and there were on channel 2. Quote Link to comment
+Headhardhat Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I always carry our walkie talkies in our backpack. You never know if you have to leave someone on a trail or some other emergency that you may have to seperate. Just handy to have just in case and we always take ours. -HHH Quote Link to comment
+OmahaCachers Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 I'm looking for a walkie-talkie too. Don't know what kind yet. My husband does not want a cell phone but maybe he'll do a walkie. It would be better than phones in the woods anyway. Yesterday the kids and I played in the playground while Red Scorpion looked for the cache in the woodsy hilly area. He was taking so long so of course I was getting worried. Being stubborn on finding it is in some ways good but in other ways bad. Or when he's with the kids and I'm off looking. I've got weak knees (I've dislocated them when I was younger) so I get nervous about busting a knee without anyone knowing. Quote Link to comment
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