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Offline WillJeep

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two way radios for jeeps
« on: March 03, 2015, 04:34:47 PM »
What type of radio ?
 It seams there is no one radio does all now a days.
 My main uses I have been exploring back country roads and logging roads in BC and Alberta .
 -most times alone so call out if broke down
 -It would be nice to know when I am on a active logging road where the trucks are .
 -talk to as many other jeeps as possible when trail riding
 -talk to truckers on highway find out road conditions ect. ahead
 - and last year after driving 50-100 km down a trail to find out just close due to forest fires.
 And now distractive driving laws hands free .
 I am looking for any input before putting any cash down.
  
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« Last Edit: March 03, 2015, 04:39:21 PM by WillJeep »
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Offline fug

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2015, 05:05:14 PM »
I know in the past a lot of guys would get their ham license in case they had an emergency on the trail and I've seriously considered it.  After seeing one of the new satellite devices in action a few weeks ago I'm thinking I may just go with a CB for vehicle to vehicle communication and something like this for emergencies. 

The InReach gives you the ability to txt anyone anywhere.  You don't need a license.  You don't need for the person on the other end to have a radio.  The device can relay your exact location if crap goes sideways.  It just seems like a better solution for someone like me who doesn't have a ton if interest in radios in general and just needs a way to get in touch if need be.

Fug
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Offline hps4evr

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2015, 08:02:25 PM »
I know in the past a lot of guys would get their ham license in case they had an emergency on the trail and I've seriously considered it.  After seeing one of the new satellite devices in action a few weeks ago I'm thinking I may just go with a CB for vehicle to vehicle communication and something like this for emergencies. 

The InReach gives you the ability to txt anyone anywhere.  You don't need a license.  You don't need for the person on the other end to have a radio.  The device can relay your exact location if crap goes sideways.  It just seems like a better solution for someone like me who doesn't have a ton if interest in radios in general and just needs a way to get in touch if need be.



That is cool. I'm wondering how much your phone bill goes up when you use it...:/
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Offline fug

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2015, 08:37:14 PM »
That is cool. I'm wondering how much your phone bill goes up when you use it...:/

SpecialK has one and he was telling me that he pays about $30 a month and gets 100 free txts.  He also mentioned he can suspend service whenever he wants and not pay for a couple months if he knows he's not going to use it.  In my mind being able to txt home and let someone know you broke down/got stuck/running late is probably well worth it.
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Offline JackstandJohnny

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2015, 08:38:22 PM »
That is Fawkesn cool
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Offline specialk

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2015, 06:36:09 AM »
It is....  it can also log tracks and send them a specified intervals to a person (s) or to your Facebook if so inclined.  I have never used that feature.  Satellites need to be in proxcimity so you may have to wait for 20 mins to send a msg or to receive one that is waiting for you.  It Bluetooth to my phone so that it easier to create messages.   The maps on it are basic.   Not of Garmin quality but if I have my phone its not a big deal.   
So besides the upfront cost, I go with the 2nd cheapest plan at 30
  You can suspend it for 5 or 6 a month if it's sitting idle. 
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Offline JohnB

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2015, 09:27:36 AM »
The SPOT plans are a lot cheaper than inReach.  Look at a SPOT connect.

http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/spot-connect.html


Offline specialk

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2015, 09:46:57 AM »
The problem with spot is that it's only a one way out communication.   You can not receive  With inreach, you can receive.  Even in a emergency you get eta info from responders and constant updates.   With spot... you just wait.
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Offline specialk

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #8 on: March 04, 2015, 09:47:54 AM »
And coverage ..  the iridium network has more coverage than spot.
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Offline WillJeep

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2015, 09:51:40 AM »
Inreach  is a nice option.
 I saw a device {Spot} like this a year ago it would only let you track the device on a computer and only one SOS button so they knew where were to come and get you.
 Nice improvement in one year.

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Offline WillJeep

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #10 on: March 05, 2015, 10:58:23 PM »
After some research
CBs- in western Canada CBs are becoming obsolete  If you have one use it but
I talked to 5 trucker buddies some long haul and some in the oilpatch they don't have them or haven't turned on in 5 years. They have switched to company VHF or cell phones. I even stopped at two different communication companies  they don't even sell CBs any more. They suggest The Source {Radio Shack}. So for  jeep to jeep I could get a few good  cobra  walkie-talkies. You are never more than a 1-2 km apart for basic communication  stop I am stuck ,get going I am eating your dust or left or right an a intersection.
 My biggest concern is coming around a corner on a unrestricted haul road
and have a 7' wide 6' high chrome moose catcher in front of 100,000 lb. loaded 10' wide 50'+long loaded logging truck making time on his way to the mill.
 For Me a good 2m Ham would be the way to go. The frequency is posted at the start of each road. I don't have talk to them just know where they are as they call in there mile markers. I even call a lumber mill to find out the protical on logging roads. You can listen but not talk on their frequency but in a emergency they would pass on a message for you. 
I don't mind getting a licence and being a responsible user, and should be able to get a call out in most of the of areas I would be in. Back in the 70s you needed  one for CBs

The other option is newer tech Spot and Inreach , a satalite - text system
a little pricy ,I hate yet another monthly charge for something.
yes very nice in case of emergency, 

But I am prepared for most basic problems one can only carry so much in a TJ.
If one isn't ready to spend the night in or under your jeep or a days walk out to a highway don't leave the pavement.
 When I drive along a road, see a trailhead going up. I take it and after many switch backs I am now 4,000' above the valley floor, above the treeline I look out and sea of 8'000 to 10,000' peeks in any direction it make up for any problems I had.  ;D
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Offline jkrubi

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2015, 06:32:16 AM »
You can pick up a hand held VHF, it will allow you to talk to others with VHF, but most jeep still have cb in them for trail communication.  As for VHF and the guys using them on logging roads, I have found if it's supper busy they will be calling up and down, if they are only a couple of trucks they don't seem to be calling miles.  As for not using there freqs, I call when im at the trail, and every couple miles up or down if no response from someone, and as soon as they reply it's every mile.  The trucks seem to like to know where we little jeeps are, as some of the roads as quite narrow.

Offline w squared

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #12 on: March 06, 2015, 01:23:53 PM »
CBs- in western Canada CBs are becoming obsolete  If you have one use it but
I talked to 5 trucker buddies some long haul and some in the oilpatch they don't have them or haven't turned on in 5 years. They have switched to company VHF or cell phones. I even stopped at two different communication companies  they don't even sell CBs any more. They suggest The Source {Radio Shack}.

True. CB's still see occasional use on the highway, and I've gotten good info from them on occasion in the past, but those times are rare. The other downside to CB's is that most of the people that install CB's in their Jeeps can't be bothered to tune the antennas, find a good ground, or buy anything other than the very cheapest antenna. This means that the CB's in many people's rigs don't even work as well as FRS would, and are really just expensive noisemakers.

Quote
So for  jeep to jeep I could get a few good  cobra  walkie-talkies. You are never more than a 1-2 km apart for basic communication  stop I am stuck ,get going I am eating your dust or left or right an a intersection.

You'd be surprised how far apart the various members of one group can get while wheeling. CB's with good antennas that are mounted properly and tuned can easily handle those distances (and can often cover 5 to 10 miles of intervening terrain), but as I mentioned before many people simply can't be bothered to install the antenna properly.

Quote
My biggest concern is coming around a corner on a unrestricted haul road
and have a 7' wide 6' high chrome moose catcher in front of 100,000 lb. loaded 10' wide 50'+long loaded logging truck making time on his way to the mill.
Bear in mind that having access to the frequencies on the haul road is not an absolute necessity. If you are patient, you can just wait at the "zero" marker and follow an "empty" in.

Quote
For Me a good 2m Ham would be the way to go. The frequency is posted at the start of each road. I don't have talk to them just know where they are as they call in there mile markers. I even call a lumber mill to find out the protical on logging roads. You can listen but not talk on their frequency but in a emergency they would pass on a message for you.   I don't mind getting a licence and being a responsible user, and should be able to get a call out in most of the of areas I would be in.

Are you aware that it is illegal for a HAM radio operator to transmit on the VHF frequencies that logging and oilfield companies use? And that you would have to illegally modify your HAM transciever to allow it to transmit on those frequencies? Yes, you can listen in, but as soon as you key up you're breaking the law (unless it's an actual emergency).  I have a HAM license so I'm crystal clear on this point of the law.

Also, it's good to be aware that not every haul road has the same method of doing things. Some call both "empty" and "loaded", some only call "loaded" and an empty only calls if you're getting close to meeting, and on at least one or two that I know of you never call "empty" - you just listen for loaded and pull onto one of the "pull-outs" that are located once every 1/4 mile and wait for the loaded to pass because the road is only 10 feet wide. The unfortunate truth is that when you call the sawmill to ask what the protocol is for using the road, their response is going to be "the protocol is to stay off the road unless you're working for us". Speaking from experience (a decade of running those roads all over Alberta and BC to make a living) they don't want anyone else on those roads.

You are 100% correct about one thing though - with the network of repeaters throughout Southern Alberta there are very few places where you can't get a call out if you have a 50 watt mobile, a good antenna, and you installed it properly. I can easily hit the Mockingbird repeater in Waiparous from Highway 8 on the West side of Calgary (that's a 90km drive). I can also normally get into VA6CTV (located near COP) from anywhere between Strathmore and Okotoks. On occasion I've also gotten into the Mockinbird repeater from the South side of Antler Hill near Red Deer (my google-fu isn't up to the task of measuring just how far that is)....and all of those are without ever touching on the abilities offered by repeater links. A small amount of effort in learning how to use systems like FARRS, SARA, or CARA. Once you learn how to use those systems, you can be located 15 KM west of Coleman, and chat with someone on the East side of Lethbridge - or the North side of Airdrie.

I'll also say that with those 50W mobiles a couple members of your group can communicate directly with each other using simplex over ranges that might surprise you. Just be aware that many of the folks in the 4X4 community haven't taken the time to get a HAM license yet, so you can't legally talk to them with a HAM radio - you'll need a CB, and FRS, or whatever else they may be using. You may be able to listen in to them if you bought the right HAM, but you won't be able to legally transmit on their frequency.

Quote
The other option is newer tech Spot and Inreach , a satalite - text system
a little pricy ,I hate yet another monthly charge for something.
yes very nice in case of emergency,  

But I am prepared for most basic problems one can only carry so much in a TJ.
If one isn't ready to spend the night in or under your jeep or a days walk out to a highway don't leave the pavement.
 When I drive along a road, see a trailhead going up. I take it and after many switch backs I am now 4,000' above the valley floor, above the treeline I look out and sea of 8'000 to 10,000' peeks in any direction it make up for any problems I had.  ;D

Feeling good about the view ain't going to make someone feel better about having a punctured lung and a broken ankle if they need to ride all the way home in someone's TJ. That list of injuries is not just hypothetical...I ended up helping someone that was in that situation while out wheeling. That trip is what made me decide to invest the time and get a HAM license so that I could effectively communicate in an emergency situation.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2015, 01:35:50 PM by w squared »
I followed a rainbow out to a garage and found a leprichaun. The rainbow ended in a potted cactus on his porch, but there was no gold :(

Offline WillJeep

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #13 on: March 07, 2015, 02:12:38 PM »
I did post I am going to get a licence and be a responsible user.
The guy at the mill I talked to was a dispatch\driver did tell me it was illegal to talk but has no problem for a emergency . [ I would do it for medical emergency only. ]
 I have a seasonal RV site at Koocanusa so when I take the long way and leave the pavement at Settlers road north of Radium down to highway 3-93 its 200+ km of forestry roads one way . That's why I don't travel with other jeeps or trucks I am just on the way to the lake.
 That's what the radio is for If I get stuck or broke down.
 I went on the form to get some input on which radio platform that would work best for me.
I didn't want to waste time and money to buy a CB and not use it just to take it out put it in the basement with the 8 tract, cassette players.
The Ham radio I have not got in to the technical part of it yet . I was under the impression I could get a dual band radio I could scan and still talk on a legal frequency.
Any input on brands, or types  and a local shop ? I would get it installed and set up properly.


 
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Offline w squared

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Re: two way radios for jeeps
« Reply #14 on: March 07, 2015, 06:00:59 PM »
Yaesu makes some excellent mobile units with two "front ends" that will let you operate on one frequency while still listening continuously to another. The 8800, 8900, FTM-350, and FTM-400 will all do what you are looking for. You could also go with a cheaper options that just has a scan function, but there are other advantages to the dual front ends (like using your mobile as a "repeater" that will let you use a handheld to call to your Jeep, and then use the 50 watts and larger antenna of your Jeep to get a signal further). I know a guys that have a variety of Yaesu rigs, and they have all had pretty good experiences - myself included.

The other brand that I'd consider to be "first rate" is ICOM.

I don't have any personal experience with the "off brands" like Alinco or Baofeng.

The best store that I know of in Calgary for purchasing HAM radios and antennas is NTF communidations - www.ntfc.ca

If you're going to get a 2 meter or dual-band VHF.UHF mobile, then you will definitely want to take advantage of repeaters. The best resource that I know of for figuring out where the repeaters are, what frequency they are running, and what the offsets are is www.repeaterbook.com



I followed a rainbow out to a garage and found a leprichaun. The rainbow ended in a potted cactus on his porch, but there was no gold :(