# Walkie talkie anyone???



## Skier4life (Feb 23, 2014)

Does any one use a walkie talkie set to keep n touch with the family? I am thinking of getting a set but not sure if its even worth it with all the caveats that they really only work well with line of sight and such! Does anyone have any suggestions for a good set or even advice on whether to bother or not?  Thanks


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## Cannonball (Feb 23, 2014)

They were a great idea in their time,  but these days cell phones work better.  Esp, the option to text instead of always getting pinged mid-turn.


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## billski (Feb 23, 2014)

We used radios when my wife and I would split up with the kids.  That was back in the 90's and early '00's.  I'm no longer chasing four people around the mountain anymore, and all the kids have their own phone anyways.  I usually turn off my cell phone when I'm skiing and only check it now and then these days.  The radios where great, and lots of people used to use them.  We'd have to leave them on and listen for the chirp or chatter, then pull off the trail, fish it out and talk.

The most important scenario is the "I'm too cold./tired/hungry/cranky/have to go to the bathroom".  When they were that age, we alternated who was in the lodge, and "called ahead" for someone to meet us outside.  Ah the days of complicated logistics!

Indeed the radios are line of site, but there are ways around that.  Mostly, It's be getting to the top of a hill and calling.

It seems that most every ski area has cell phone towers on top of them now.

You can't beat radios if you want to be cheap and don't have/want a phone.  

Nowadays, I use them for specific purposes, mostly hiking.  If I'm leading a group and for some reason we need to separate, or someone falls far behind, the radios come out.  Cell phones continue to remain unreliable in several places I like to hike, .  Or if I have a large group and I need to make sure the sweeper (who is often far behind) and I stay in synch.  It's faster and remarkably causes less noise pollution.  

Radios, unlike cell phones often hold their charge better than cell phones thanks to their larger batteries.  Batteries in general degrade when they get cold,colder and coldest.  You can always preserve your cell phone battery by putting it next to your body or matching it up with a hand warmer.  Channel 9-11 continues to be monitored

The last reason I like a radio is as a backup.  I always bring it if I'm solo hiking, for safety reasons.

So those are the tradeoffs.  You have to make your own choice.


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## Euler (Feb 24, 2014)

Cell phone all the way.  I never had much success with the Walkies.  Texting for the win!


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## Twism86 (Feb 24, 2014)




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## dlague (Feb 24, 2014)

We used to use Skiing Talkies to stay in touch with the kids that had an 8 mile radius use (Motorola cannot remember model) and 38 encodings for each channel (otherwise too much chatter).  Primarily used prior to the explosion of cell phones (early 2000s).  Later (mid 2000s) we switched to keeping my wife's phone and the kids took mine.  Later again (late 2000s) we resorted to having the kids carry their own cell phones.  We primarily text each other.

In any case, we require runs together now and then and meet ups at different times of the day.


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## Skier4life (Feb 24, 2014)

Wow thanks guys, there I was thinking I was doing my family a dis-service by not having one!! Now here's a thought, many ski resoirts do have _*relatively*_ good sservice nowadays, lodge accommodation in neighbouring towns, on the other hand have been absolutely atrocious. Maybe we should get them so we can stay in touch at opposite ends of the chalet? LOL.

In all honesty my daughter desperately wants one because she doesnt have a cell yet [and she thinks they are sool] and I was wondering if I should actually go all out and get something really good or just get a cheap pair that it seems like most of you say will only gather dust!!


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## billski (Feb 24, 2014)

I've been through a lot of them, and researched a lot.  They all perform quite similarly in terms of range and function.  Do yourself a favor and buy them used on ebay for ten bucks each.  Chances are good the people used them three or four times and that's it.  just get the ones that take plain batteries, not the rechargeable ones.  Electronics biggest problem is leaking batteries which sometimes you find inside of used stuff.


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## HD333 (Feb 25, 2014)

We have them, got them for one of my daughters for Christmas, Motorola something or other.  We use then as needed, cell service stinks at our mountain.  Kids use them when they are outside playing.  Plus it is fun to jump into other peoples conversations, kind of like a party line back in the day.


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## skiNEwhere (Feb 26, 2014)

I honestly think this is a great investment to have one of those. I remember when they first came out large scale on the market around 2000, it was $100 for 2 walkie talkie's that had a 2 mile line of sight range. Now you can get 2 walkie talkie's for $40 and they have a 20 mile range. 

Some ski areas have no or limited reception. Not to mention your cell phone can freeze up (literally). If you fall and get hurt in the woods, you might not have enough cognitive function to remember your phone password, find the cell phone button (since they all look like apps now) and call someone, who might be skiing at the moment and not hear you call immediately. 

Walkie Talkie are much more durable and couple probably take a blow to a rock better than a phone, and they can withstand colder temps. And they are simple to use if you're not all there mentally after a serious injury. Plus if you don't have any cell phone reception, you can scan the frequencies for help.

As you can tell, I'm all for it.


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## Lucy (Apr 11, 2020)

skiNEwhere said:


> Not to mention your cell phone can freeze up (literally)



Exactly! I always think of it when going out in the winter. It happened a couple of times to my friends.


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