Walkie talkies and skiing

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blackjack17

1705 posts

Uber Geek

#306580 5-Aug-2023 11:24

Was thinking of getting some walkie talkies to communicate with the family while up skiing.

Kids don't have phones and phones are a hassle anyway when skiing.

Has anyone used these https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/p/uniden-uh45-4-uhf-hand-held-radio-quad-colour-pack/N169082.html

They say they have a range of 3km but that must be line of sight right? would they be able to work from the top slopes to bottom? Whakapapa/Turoa

Or would I just be wasting money on yet another toy?

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Mehrts

1063 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3112047 5-Aug-2023 11:36

Any of the UHF radios will be line of sight. That's purely down to physics of radio frequencies, not the tech in the radios. However the signals can reflect off objects, allowing for limited non-line of sight reception, but this is hugely variable depending on the environment you're in.

I'd say they'd work fine if communicating from the top of the slope to the bottom, but not if you're wanting to talk from one side of a mountain to another. 500mW is pretty limited as far as RF power goes. Try and aim for something with at least 2-3W of power for more range.

If there are radio repeater stations nearby, then that'll give you way more range via the "duplex" functionality, and potentially coverage from one side of a mountain to another, but that's totally dependant on how far you are from the repeater station in the first place. If it can't "hear" your transmission, it wont relay anything.

johno1234

2794 posts

Uber Geek

#3112057 5-Aug-2023 12:24

as Merhts says, line of sight so UHF (and VHF) poor for Whakapapa in particular where West Ridge, valley and base are all well out of sight of each other.

Cheap phones with wired ear buds do work well. Can be worn under the helmet and answer/talk on the mic on the cable.

xpd

Geek @ Coastguard NZ
13765 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

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Lifetime subscriber

#3112061 5-Aug-2023 13:27

Read this thread as well.

Walkie Talkies for emergencies? (geekzone.co.nz)

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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jonb

1771 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3112062 5-Aug-2023 13:43

Would say 500W is too low power also, try look for some 2W ones, or at least 1W.

The price jumps a lot for that though, so maybe just get these and see you go.. especially if need a 3 or 4 unit pack.

johno1234

2794 posts

Uber Geek

#3112067 5-Aug-2023 14:04

Will more UHF power get around the line of sight problem?

What radios are the ski patrol and ski field operations staff using?

Oblivian

7296 posts

Uber Geek

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#3112076 5-Aug-2023 14:15

They'll be using commercial UHF.

Prs/'talkies' are normally low output. commercial paid frequency will be 5-15W sort of thing. And have a repeater/base somewhere to bridge gaps.

ashtonaut

614 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3112156 5-Aug-2023 22:13

We have essentially identical units (black ones that weren’t in a 4 pack). They work really well when skiing with the family. Couple of learnings:
- They really are only line of sight, so don’t expect them to work well if you can’t (theoretically) see the person you are talking to.
- Quite a few people use radios, so make sure you sit on a channel for a few mins before you ‘choose’ it to use for the day.
- Agree with the kids a ‘backup’ channel if all of a sudden you get someone else on your channel.
- Tell the kids not to use it unless they need to!

Highly recommended.

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phrozenpenguin

840 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3112163 5-Aug-2023 22:27

If there is a repeater somewhere for patrol, is that usable by others (i.e. it does all) or just for specified channels/frequencies?

Oblivian

7296 posts

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#3112165 5-Aug-2023 22:43

A PRS/uhf cb has to be available for all under general Radio licence rules for those setting one up.

A commercial/paid licence one will not be. And usually the latter is used to prevent interference from others when needed in emergency.

phrozenpenguin

840 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3112177 6-Aug-2023 00:17

Oblivian: A PRS/uhf cb has to be available for all under general Radio licence rules for those setting one up.

A commercial/paid licence one will not be. And usually the latter is used to prevent interference from others when needed in emergency.

Thanks, useful to know.