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Field Communications

Whether we are on a 10 mile back packing hike with the dogs or we are out dog sledding in the backcountry, communications are extremely important.

Why do I need to use radios in the field you ask?

Well, there is the safety issue. If a member of your group gets injured or takes the wrong trail, you want to know what is happening. Then, there is simply convenience. Unless you are always side by side with members of your group, it is very handy to have an easy means of communicating with one another.

What kind or type of easily obtainable, commercial radio should you use. There are the old standby CB Radios (Citizens Band Radio), FRS Radios (Family Radio Service) and GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service.

Let's preface this discussion with some stipulations about these radios.

• The discussion is only about hand held radios.
• These hand held radios use line of sight transmission/reception (Note: GMRS can use repeaters which would increase range). This means in practical terms, that if you are on flat ground, with no obstructions between one radio and the other radio, you will get "optimal performance". You might get close to the manufacturers purported range specification. Otherwise, if you are in hilly, rolling terrain, or built up areas, reception is usually dramatically reduced. Fog, rain and in the case of CB, atmospheric conditions also significantly impact reception.
• Power is everything for transmission. The more watts output, the more chance you have of greater transmission radius. The type of antenna you use (or in the case of a hand held, are stuck with) plays a significant role as well. The antennas are designed to be held perpendicular to the ground, upright in order to radiate their signal best. Keep in mind that using batteries is a relatively low power source coupled with a small antenna is not ideal for range. Therefore, hand held radios are inherently not very good for range. They are convenient though if their limitations are understood.
• Range for a hand held CB Radio can vary greatly since the hand held varieties come in versions which have power output form 100 milliwatts to 4 watts. So, range could be from a couple of hundred feet under optimal line of sight conditions to about 2 miles (reliably).
• Range for a FRS hand held is generally about two miles in optimal line of sight conditions.
• Range for a GMRS hand held (not using repeaters) may be up to five miles (2 watt output power) in optimal line of sight conditions.

In our experience, we have rarely been somewhere flat and close to ideal/optimal conditions. The closest has been at Pyramid Lake, where there is a flat desert area surrounding the largest natural lake in Nevada. There, we have gotten pretty good performance and range from the three types of radios discussed above. However, for the rest of the time, the terrain is usually hilly or mountainous where we go hiking or dog sledding. Clearly this is not good, "line of sight" radio conditions. I would have to say, that even using the GMRS radios with their higher power output, one mile is pushing it. Sometimes, as little as a quarter of a mile distance and we have trouble hearing each other. Yes, no matter what type of hand held radio you try using, a quarter of a mile to a mile is probably the best you can expect to get when you are in real field conditions. Keep in mind "line of sight". This is not a rationalization to buy the cheapest radio you can find. What I am trying to convey is that using the best representatives of the three types of hand held radio, the manufacturers ratings don't hold up in "non ideal conditions". In fact, if you read the manual for your radio, the manufacturer will mention that range depends on conditions, that's the bottom line. You should still strive to obtain the best radios you can afford to get. However, don't get carried away with the need to get a bunch of extra bells and whistles. Stick with a no frills solution.

CB radios are prone to an atmospheric condition known of as "Skip" where the radon transmission will bounce off a layer of the atmosphere. You may find you can talk to someone on the other side of North America, but can't talk to someone half a mile away. Some CB radios use large numbers of batteries (8-10) to support that 4 watt output power rating making them costly to logistically support.

Speaking of batteries, use fresh batteries when ever possible or at least carry spares. Last seasons batteries will probably fail quickly. Keep in mind that temperature has a significant impact on battery output. At 70 degrees or above, your batteries will work fine. However at 50 degrees and lower, the batteries output will decrease exponentially to the point that the battery could appear to be dead. Always try to keep your radios and obviously the batteries warm and dry. If it is cold outside, keep the radio on the inside layer of your clothing to keep it warm. If you are sweating and the interior of your layers are moist, keep in mind that electronic devices do not do well in wet environments.

Channels can be a problem between radios of different manufacturers. CB is simple and consistent. You have 1 through 40 or in the case of older CBs, 1 through 23. These are the same no matter what the manufacturer is. The frequencies match the channels. However, it gets complicated with FRS and combination FRS/GMRS radios. There is a good chance that channels on one manufacturers radio is not the same on another, especially if, for instance channel 8 through 14 are GMRS frequencies and 1 through 7 are FRS. Many of these combination radios do not use the same frequencies to correlate to the same channel. Read the manuals for different manufacturers to determine if the same frequency is available and if so on what channel.