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walkie talkies


eridge74

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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

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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

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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.

 

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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.

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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 by kayak-cowboy
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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 :o

Edited by Kohavis
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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.

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