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Beartooth

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Re: Beartooth

#51

Post by agentgt »

dotBen wrote: post #47
agentgt wrote: post #10

Is there a bluetooth device for making your phone a walkie talkie for CB radio or marine VHF radio? I have wanted that for some time as I think having radio tm for survival over some propriety thing beneficial for emergencies. An example would be something like this https://www.cobra.com/products/professional/29-ltd-bt But I want a smaller form factor to throw in a hiking pack and VHF support as well.

Really, you should just buy a CB/VHF radio. As someone commented above, iPhones are not rugged enough for the kinds of use you might need such a radio in. And batteries can be changed/etc. They really are not expensive.

Yes but the idea/hope would be to minimize form factor as well as having the microphone and speaker being cordless. And for emergencies (unlike others I'm not looking to be social but to have another channel of emergency communication).

That being said I do own a marine vhf radio.

Re: Beartooth

#52

Post by roymurdock »

Just don't see a value prop to make this feasible. I go to festivals, skiing, camping with friends 2-3 times a year.

At a festival, cell service is fine. Camelback with gatorade/water mix is the crucial piece of equipment. Just keep an eye on it, as random people will try to drink from your straw.

For casual skiing we set times/places to meet up in case we get separated. Again, cell phones work fine on most mountains. Don't want to throw this bulky, expensive (not water/shock proof?) thing in a plastic bag in my pocket. If I'm going back country, go with a buddy. Keep an avalanche kit (shovel, beacon, air tube) in the backpack and bring a $30 pair of 6 mile, 2-way, replaceable battery, shock/waterproof radios.

Camping, the point is to get away from constant communication and leave the phone off, in the car. Again, bring the actual radios if you're going in deep.

Smartphones are great for day-to-day life and work, but I feel like half the point of the vacation is being able to untether.

Re: Beartooth

#53

Post by reitanqild »

anthonybsd wrote: post #40
vermontdevil wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also take orienteering class if you want to be an outdoorsy person. I took it and it was a blast. Now looking to join a local club and get into orienteering competitions.

Orienteering was mandatory in my school when I was a teenager. Interesting memories... :)

Same here. Teacher and two in my class competed on national level, but I never caught the bug although I was happy to learn to use maps and compass as it is useful (and was essential back then) for long hikes.

Re: Beartooth

#54

Post by baldfat »

harlanlewis wrote: post #45
chrissnell wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're talking about 2-meter radios, you're going to need a ham radio license to use them in the US. It's not hard, but it is necessary. Also, FCC regulations do not permit "broadcasting" on these bands. That is, you can't play music over them. Having a music festival playing in the background is flirting with that rule. You're better off just using FRS radios.

I think you're both talking about FRS. Many commercial two-way radios support both GMRS (up to 5 watts - $65 for 5-year license) and FRS (up to 500 milliwatts - no license req'd). Most users just ignore the GMRS functionality on their 2-ways.

two-way walkie talkies I would have said two-meters if I meant those. My dad has been a ham since the 1960s.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UE6MIO/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_d...

Re: Beartooth

#55

Post by IshKebab »

rajangdavis wrote: post #36

I hope this isn't too off topic, but is there anything similar but for networked devices? For example, something for IOT devices to talk to each other minus the internet.

There's LoRaWAN. It's becoming very popular for city-wide IoT networks, and there's an mBed compatible board so it is easy to use.

http://www.multitech.com/brands/multiconnect-mdot

http://thethingsnetwork.org/

Re: Beartooth

#56

Post by macintux »

andrewljohnson wrote: post #44
jdietrich wrote: post #30

As with any smartphone product being marketed for use in wilderness environments, a note of caution is necessary. Rescue services have seen an increasing number of life-threatening situations caused by the unwise use of smartphones. Phones aren't sufficiently rugged and often lack user-replaceable batteries, so cannot be relied upon as a navigation tool or as a means of emergency communication. If you're considering…

I agree it's foolish to do a dangerous trip with just one navigation method. But that doesn't mean your phone isn't a good tool, or that we'd have less emergencies if they didn't exist. I develop an app called Gaia GPS, which a vast array of backpackers, wildland firefighters, and SAR use as a tool to navigate in the woods. They use battery packs and rugged/insulating cases with their iPhone and Android devices to ma…

I heart Gaia GPS, thanks. I find the interface a bit confusing, but that's a tough problem to solve given a large feature set and a small touch-only UI.

Re: Beartooth

#57

Post by baldfat »

nmcfarl wrote: post #48
adekok wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hmm... $43 for a 23 mile range, or $249 for a 2 mile range. Sometimes improved technology isn't the right solution.

I don’t know about the 2 mi range - but the 23 mi range is in best possible conditions, line of sight from mountain top to valley. Those same walkie talkies advertise a 1 mi range in a "Neighborhood"

They are much farther then line of sight. I certainly get two miles in heavy forests and other side of hill. These work great for groups hiking and climbing.

http://www.buytwowayradios.com/blog/2006/07/the_truth_about_...

Re: Beartooth

#58

Post by r00fus »

anthonybsd wrote: post #40
vermontdevil wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also take orienteering class if you want to be an outdoorsy person. I took it and it was a blast. Now looking to join a local club and get into orienteering competitions.

Orienteering was mandatory in my school when I was a teenager. Interesting memories... :)

Which school was this? I've never heard of such a requirement outside of say, Scouts or the military.

Along with basic financials, I inclined to agree that'd be a very good add for required classes.

Re: Beartooth

#59

Post by zouhair »

jdietrich wrote: post #30

As with any smartphone product being marketed for use in wilderness environments, a note of caution is necessary. Rescue services have seen an increasing number of life-threatening situations caused by the unwise use of smartphones. Phones aren't sufficiently rugged and often lack user-replaceable batteries, so cannot be relied upon as a navigation tool or as a means of emergency communication. If you're considering…

One of the things I loved about my MiniDisc player is that it runs on ordinary battery.

Re: Beartooth

#60

Post by seanp2k2 »

chrissnell wrote: post #26
baldfat wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Try buying a bunch of two ways on amazon. You can get 6 of them for $150 and they work for 10 hours on 2 AA batteries and have a 23 mile range.

If you're talking about 2-meter radios, you're going to need a ham radio license to use them in the US. It's not hard, but it is necessary. Also, FCC regulations do not permit "broadcasting" on these bands. That is, you can't play music over them. Having a music festival playing in the background is flirting with that rule. You're better off just using FRS radios.

The "23 mile range" business is very optimistic. You'll probably never see over 5 miles of range unless it's line-of-sight between two mountains. However, they'd be great at most festivals or e.g. Burning Man. Look for something FRS or GMRS. There are also 2-meter (~144mhz) radios which parent is talking about like e.g. a Baaofeng UV-5R which are inexpensive software-defined radios that can operate on licensed and unlicensed bands. If you get something like that, you should be aware of the power restrictions of FRS and GMRS and the licensing requirements for GMRS.

TL;DR unless you intend to get pretty into it and just want something for festivals and something to give to non-radio-geek friends to use, just get a FRS or GMRS radio. Motorola and Uniden both make quality sets that will work up to a few miles away at festivals.

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