handsets suitable for skiing?

On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 22:31:17 CST, (Fred) wrote:


Definitely a good idea to spend the extra money and get the more
powerful units with subchannels. (We use Motorolas.) Your range will
be much better. Even then you can still get out of range by getting on
the opposite side of the mountain.

Also note that some frequencies are incompatible for use in Canada. I
was told by Whistler/Blackcomb ski patrol that I was interferring with
their assigned frequencies. I guess if I needed help that would be a
good thing though.

There are differences in allowable frequencies in Canada. The FRS
frequencies are fine, but the GMRS only frequencies are not.

There are 7 FRS-only frequencies, 7 shared FRS/GMRS frequencies which
are fine, but the 8 GMRS-only frequencies as used in the US are
assigned to other services in Canada. I don't know the details of it.

In the US, transmission on a frequency you are not authorized for in a
real emergency is allowed if no other means are available, but you
could still be in hot water. Canada is possibly different.

Radio Amateurs of Canada :http://www.rac.ca/, the national radio club
or Industry Canada http://www.ic.gc.ca/, the government agency will
have the details if you need.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

In ,
Monique Y. Herman typed:
Apologies if this has been covered before here; I did some searches,
but couldn't find anything.

I'm considering getting a pair of handsets for those times when, by
choice or by accident, the group doesn't stick together. What I'd
like is something that can be used without removing gloves and that
transmits as clearly as possible.

What are the good choices for this? What are the pitfalls?

Is it the case that, no matter how good the set, if I go down the
front side and he goes down the back, we're lost to each other?

Hi Monique,

A.M-B Mike here. Yes the GMRS/FRS radios are pretty much line of sight.
Sometimes you get lucky with a reflection or other mysterious RF
propagation. The GMRS radios have higher power and longer range. Claimed
is 5 miles vs. 2 for FRS. The GMRS require a bullsh!t FCC license to
operate. I obtained one and it's $75 for 5 years but there is no mention
of proper use. Just fill out the application (a real PITA online) and pay
the money. I don't think it's at all enforceable so you will probably get
away with out it. The big advantage of GMRS is the FRS channels are very
crowded at ski resort areas and the GMRS gives you some more channels above
FRS which aren't as crowded (yet!!!). I have a pair of rechargeable (NiMH
battery) Motorola GMRS radios that work very well. For transmission clarity
hold the radio about 8-12 inches from your mouth when you speak. I see so
many people try to eat the radio while speaking and can't be understood at
the other end.

Mike

On Tue, 30 Dec 2003 07:37:41 CST, "Gary S." Idontwantspam@net wrote:

On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 22:31:17 CST, (Fred) wrote:


Definitely a good idea to spend the extra money and get the more
powerful units with subchannels. (We use Motorolas.) Your range will
be much better. Even then you can still get out of range by getting on
the opposite side of the mountain.

Also note that some frequencies are incompatible for use in Canada. I
was told by Whistler/Blackcomb ski patrol that I was interferring with
their assigned frequencies. I guess if I needed help that would be a
good thing though.

There are differences in allowable frequencies in Canada. The FRS
frequencies are fine, but the GMRS only frequencies are not.

There are 7 FRS-only frequencies, 7 shared FRS/GMRS frequencies which
are fine, but the 8 GMRS-only frequencies as used in the US are
assigned to other services in Canada. I don't know the details of it.

In the US, transmission on a frequency you are not authorized for in a
real emergency is allowed if no other means are available, but you
could still be in hot water. Canada is possibly different.

Radio Amateurs of Canada :http://www.rac.ca/, the national radio club
or Industry Canada http://www.ic.gc.ca/, the government agency will
have the details if you need.

I had to research the same issue last spring; my $.02 is that while I
could never find confirmation that it was even legal to bring the GMRS
sets into Canada, but never heard of anybody having a problem.
Definitely, the GMRS frequencies should NOT be used in Canada; while
it would be tought for the mounties to actually track you down for it,
the first-responder-type personnel who depend on having those channels
clear would NOT appreciate it, and would grumble heartily about
'merkins mucking up their bandwidth.

And for GMRS, I have a set of the Motorola T5820 handsets, and would
not recommend them. The range is better than I had with the FRS
radios they replaced, but the sound quality is markedly inferior
(others on the net have reported the same thing). There are plenty of
other models out there to choose from; check alt.radio.family and
maybe epinions before buying.

bw

"Monique Y. Herman" wrote in message
...
Apologies if this has been covered before here; I did some searches, but
couldn't find anything.

I'm considering getting a pair of handsets for those times when, by
choice or by accident, the group doesn't stick together. What I'd like
is something that can be used without removing gloves and that transmits
as clearly as possible.

What are the good choices for this? What are the pitfalls?

Is it the case that, no matter how good the set, if I go down the front
side and he goes down the back, we're lost to each other?

--
monique

I have some old motorolla talkabout 200s that work fine. Any of the
talkabouts work great - just make sure they've got the full set of codes (30
or 40something, forget how many) as well as channels, otherwise you'll never
find a free one.

Do yourself a HUGE favor though - buy the lapel mic/speaker when you get
them. Looks like what ski patrol uses. That way you can stop and talk
instantly, instead of worrying about dropping your expensive radio off the
lift, or digging through layers of parka in sub 0 weather.

Jon Bond

Thanks everyone for all the responses!

Now I just have to figure out what to do with them =)

On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 at 12:23 GMT, Jon Bond penned:

I have some old motorolla talkabout 200s that work fine. Any of the
talkabouts work great - just make sure they've got the full set of
codes (30 or 40something, forget how many) as well as channels,
otherwise you'll never find a free one.

Do yourself a HUGE favor though - buy the lapel mic/speaker when you
get them. Looks like what ski patrol uses. That way you can stop and
talk instantly, instead of worrying about dropping your expensive
radio off the lift, or digging through layers of parka in sub 0
weather.

Jon Bond


Didn't realize those were available for that type of radio. Sounds like
a good idea.

--
monique

"Monique Y. Herman" wrote in message
...
Thanks everyone for all the responses!

Now I just have to figure out what to do with them =)

On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 at 12:23 GMT, Jon Bond penned:

I have some old motorolla talkabout 200s that work fine. Any of the
talkabouts work great - just make sure they've got the full set of
codes (30 or 40something, forget how many) as well as channels,
otherwise you'll never find a free one.

Do yourself a HUGE favor though - buy the lapel mic/speaker when you
get them. Looks like what ski patrol uses. That way you can stop and
talk instantly, instead of worrying about dropping your expensive
radio off the lift, or digging through layers of parka in sub 0
weather.

Jon Bond


Didn't realize those were available for that type of radio. Sounds like
a good idea.

--
monique

http://commerce.motorola.com/cgi-bin...&typ e=255340

Or similar ones availible for other radios - just make sure you get the
right one. Totally worth teh 40 bucks, although I think we found our two
for like $22 each.

Its a HUGE help when its cold, windy, you're on the lift, etc... and even
when you're skiing and get a call, you can just stop right there and talk
instantly. No taking off gloves to get into pockets, no trying to remember
which pocket its in... plus you can keep the radio in an interior pocket,
which will keep the batteries warm and greatly improve their performance.

Not to mention if you're wearing a nice red parka everybody thinks you're
ski partrol ;-)

Jon Bond

On Mon, 5 Jan 2004 10:59:09 CST, "Monique Y. Herman"
wrote:

Thanks everyone for all the responses!

Now I just have to figure out what to do with them =)

On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 at 12:23 GMT, Jon Bond penned:

Do yourself a HUGE favor though - buy the lapel mic/speaker when you
get them. Looks like what ski patrol uses. That way you can stop and
talk instantly, instead of worrying about dropping your expensive
radio off the lift, or digging through layers of parka in sub 0
weather.

Didn't realize those were available for that type of radio. Sounds like
a good idea.

One caveat with a VOX mike: make sure that background noise does not
have you transmitting when you don't intend.

Not only will you annoy every other person on that frequency, on all
of the "privacy codes", by making the frequency unusable, but you will
be unreachable (you cannot receive when transmitting) and your
batteries will die.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Monique Y. Herman wrote:
Apologies if this has been covered before here; I did some searches, but
couldn't find anything.

I'm considering getting a pair of handsets for those times when, by
choice or by accident, the group doesn't stick together. What I'd like
is something that can be used without removing gloves and that transmits
as clearly as possible.

What are the good choices for this? What are the pitfalls?

Is it the case that, no matter how good the set, if I go down the front
side and he goes down the back, we're lost to each other?


We have Motorola Talkabout T5420s. We use them without an external
microphone.

I don't think the T5420s would work very well for what you have in mind.
The line of sight stuff is really true, especially if you think of it
in terms of terrain rather than buildings. Our radios are useful for
telling the kids "I have the car waiting in the pickup area so head
outside and bring the skis and boards." In that case only buildings are
in the way. They are also useful for finding each other around the
base. For example, at Copper, they actually work passably from the
entrance to the Village.

I am sure buildings reduce the usable distance but terrain - ridges and
mountains - make our radios unusable even when we are close as the crow
flies. This means they are not terribly useful for hooking up while on
the mountain. For example, Mary Jane to Winter Park is pretty much
impossible. In fact, it is rare to have them work at Mary Jane at all.
At Copper, Super Bee to Timberline and even Rosi's to Main Vein is
impossible. Forget about Alpine or Copper Bowl to anywhere else.

Probably not advice for you, but it seems that the people who most need
the radios are the ones we hate having to listen to. The worriers and
slow pokes tend to call all the time and get more anxious when we don't
respond. Explanations of how we like to use them don't seem to help.

Good batteries improve the performance. We are now fans of the "Ultras."

All in all, I would say, we could get by fine without them. We end up
setting meeting times anyway. The biggest advantage is providing a
reassuring feeling and saving some steps around the base.

BTW, Motorola honored its warranty (when one of the talk buttons broke
after about 4 weeks) without quibble. It actually sent a pack of two to
replace the one I sent them.

On Tue, 06 Jan 2004 at 02:03 GMT, Varanasi Benares penned:
[snip]

I am sure buildings reduce the usable distance but terrain - ridges
and mountains - make our radios unusable even when we are close as the
crow flies. This means they are not terribly useful for hooking up
while on the mountain. For example, Mary Jane to Winter Park is
pretty much impossible. In fact, it is rare to have them work at Mary
Jane at all. At Copper, Super Bee to Timberline and even Rosi's to
Main Vein is impossible. Forget about Alpine or Copper Bowl to
anywhere else.

[snip]

All in all, I would say, we could get by fine without them. We end up
setting meeting times anyway. The biggest advantage is providing a
reassuring feeling and saving some steps around the base.

It sounds like, while nifty in concept, they're probably not worth the
money for us, at least right now. My fiance and I ski together. We
rarely ski with other people or split up. While it would be nice to be
able to split up and still communicate, it sounds like this is exactly
the application in which these devices are the least reliable.

BTW, Motorola honored its warranty (when one of the talk buttons broke
after about 4 weeks) without quibble. It actually sent a pack of two
to replace the one I sent them.

That is noteworthy, and definitely something I'll remember if I do shop
around.

--
monique

"Gary S." Idontwantspam@net wrote in message
...
On Mon, 5 Jan 2004 10:59:09 CST, "Monique Y. Herman"
wrote:

Thanks everyone for all the responses!

Now I just have to figure out what to do with them =)

On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 at 12:23 GMT, Jon Bond penned:

Do yourself a HUGE favor though - buy the lapel mic/speaker when you
get them. Looks like what ski patrol uses. That way you can stop and
talk instantly, instead of worrying about dropping your expensive
radio off the lift, or digging through layers of parka in sub 0
weather.

Didn't realize those were available for that type of radio. Sounds like
a good idea.

One caveat with a VOX mike: make sure that background noise does not
have you transmitting when you don't intend.

Not only will you annoy every other person on that frequency, on all
of the "privacy codes", by making the frequency unusable, but you will
be unreachable (you cannot receive when transmitting) and your
batteries will die.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

They're still PTT (push to talk) mics. Not that it can't be pushed by
accident. I know there has been more than one time mountain biking that
I've actually called people on my cell phone... while I was still riding
with the phone in my pack. One of my friends freaked out when she heard me
grunting and yelling my way up a super-technical hill, thinking I had
crashed and called her screaming in pain.

Jon Bond