PMR walkie talkies

[Tarrodemierda]

hey do u guys use pmr-phones at all?

im looking for one pair and as theyre not so popular here im intrested to know more about those and what models i should look for i  plan to use it outside,so it has to be somewhat water/splashproof and rugged but i dont want anything nonsense tech in it to pump up the price.

[665ae]

What is a pmr-phone?

[Tarrodemierda]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMR446

man,i didnt know it isnt used/popular in usa/uk either?

we use it quite a lot but i have only some real cheap pair of those.

pretty good equipment at outdoors.

[RenHoek]

On this side of the pond, they're called "FRS" radios (Family Radio Service) -- slightly different freq range, but the same general band. They're pretty much the standard type of  "walky-talky" used today here in the states.

I have several Motorola radios and they seem to be well made, and work fine as long as you don't really believe the "5/7/12/15+ mile!!!!!" marketing B.S. that is boldly touted....Line of sight is everything with these radios. We use them for car-to-car chatting when traveling with friends, or out camping - when the kids want to go off and play in the woods.

FRS radios are limited to 0.5 W output, per FCC specs. GMRS specs allow up to 4W. I bought a pair of Icom F4 radios (4 watts) several years ago, too. I programmed them for the various GMRS freqs (and bought the FCC license...$75 per family back then), and a couple of local repeaters that are maintained by radio hobbyists. (That came in REAL handy once when I broke my leg in the woods back in '03). Even had a 25W mobile version in my truck for awhile.

If you're shopping for cheaper "bubble-pack" radios, stay away from any of them that use AAA batteries - those just plain suck. Motorola's radios are generally good quality. For about double the price, I'd recommend the really nice (MIL spec construction) Icom radios.

-RenHoek
 

[665ae]

Ah, ok.  Like RenHoak said, those are FRS (Family Radio Service) radio's in the states.  I've got a few of them.  We use them quite a bit in the woods...

[Medic82]

I use a VX-170 VHF radio from Yaesu. It’s a though little ting that can take a lot of beating plus it’s pretty water resistant. They have a UHF model that they call VX-177

The VX-170 http://yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=111&encProdID=7A3213027D790BCFC558E51B3306C192&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0
The VX-177 http://yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=111&encProdID=E82F2B10BB77B242EB1DE6D5C2EBA63B&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0

They also got some models that are both VHF and UHF radios. Butt I would recommend either the VX-170 or VX-177 just because they can take A LOT of beating and the battery life on those models are pretty good. They are also pretty simple too mod so you can extend the frequency band for transmitting. I have had my radio for 3 years now and have had no problems with it. Used it in the rain, when it’s freezing cold and in the scorching sun and it still works flawlessly.

I had a friend of mine buy it for me when he was in USA and I paid 150$ for a brand new one and you can find a used cheaper on the web

[Dunc]

I have just recently purchased a VHF Marine handheld and spent many evenings on the internet making sure I bought the right one . As it turns out I got the same model we use for S.A.R and training which is perfect for me . Anyway the brand is ICOM  and here in England the MCA ( HM Coastguard ) Cliff rescue teams are issued with Icoms and I also believe RAF Air Sea Rescue have them now as well . So Basically they are the Victorinox of the radio world  And they do PMR radios .

Heres a link to their selection of PMRs

http://www.icomuk.co.uk/categoryRender.asp?categoryID=3510&searchExact_productsCategory=4956&searchExact_productsCategory2=4956&searchExact_productsCategory3=4956&searchExact_productsCategory4=4956&searchSortField=productsName&searchSortMethod=az&page3510=1

Dunc

[Medic82]

I don’t like Icom that much because the pc software for programming the radio is not that user friendly and the programming that you can do through the radio is almost nothing.

The pc software you get with Yaesu radios is very user friendly and you can program absolutely everything through the radio if you need it.