 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
Does anyone have any comments about walkie talkies?
I've seen a pair for 33 pounds.
I figured they may be useful when you're aiming to meet up so you're in the right area but can't find each other - alternatively just for chatting on the slopes (I can see Denise wanting/needing some encouraging words from time to time  )
D
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A lot only work line of sight, I've got a pair of motorolla ones for work that have a range of about a mile. They are OK provided the buildings in between are not too tall haven't tried them in the mountains.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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About 9 of us last year used them they where quite good we where all suprised at how well they worked certainly helped us keep together which proved quite challenging the year before
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hi bootneck, haven't seen you around for a while  . We were thinking of getting some this year as spend a fortune in mobile calls trying to meet up on the slopes - thought this might be cheaper. Good to hear you got on OK with them
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Hi cathy been working away for a bit and if i came home and started surfing the net i think i'd be kicked out for good by her indoors  They worked out less than 50 quid each for ours well worth it IMHO especially when your paying international call rates to someone less than a mile away
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ah, quite right too bootneck
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This subject has been done to death;however,at the risk of repeating everything anybody else has said here goes.Please note;these are my own personal comments,backed by 25yrs experience with marine,fm,etc.
1st. If you only want to spend £33,buy a pair of gloves instead  These cheap Dixons,Comet style PMR's are worse than useless.The speech quality makes u sound like metal micky on acid  They are highly frustrating in that everyone is forever repeating,or asking to repeat,because they cant understand 1/2 of what's been said  They only function in true,unobstructed "line of sight";to a mile at very best(I know some will claim better,thats either luck or delusion IMHO)I have seen people stamp these into the snow in sheer frustration.Better solution is not to buy them in the first place.
2nd. Unless you are prepared to spend £250/£300 ea for pro Motorola's, you cannot buy a functional PMR in the UK.A far better bet would be to buy a pair of hand held marine band radios.However they tend to be a bit large.Icom do some nice one's but you're back up to £175/£200.
However,do not despair my friends,there is a solution.The good old US of A.Here the position is very different.Spiritual home of CB and the great outdoors,PMR radios(GMRS in the states) are well established and of good quality.Crucially the transmission power is much higher(UK limited to 300/500mW)US sets can go to 5watts(with a low setting of 500mW)Couple this with better crosstalk seperation,auto squelch that works(most have it for game tracking/shooting)VOX etc,and you have a useable tool.Have a look at www.midlandradio.com I have a pair of Midland G 300's off eBay for £70.
They are there all the time on "buy it now",usually sold as "10mile range".
Never tried them at 10 however,certainly work from off the mountain to my daughter in a chalet approx 3m away.And to my lost wife on a totally different piste approx 2m away 
Legality(before anyone else starts throwing their toys about!)Outside of the US they are not,you have been warned  However,I have repeatedly scanned whilst in France;and have never,ever picked anything up.This includes scanning next to a pistie and a rescue chopper(they are on a totally seperate waveband)Mind you,and most are unaware of this,all PMR radios are actually illegal outside of their host country.So yer cheap as chips Dixons thingys are just as dodgey in France etc,and they dont work;what a bargain 
Finally;if you really want to go down the UK PMR route then its only the Motorola's that are worth having;but why bother.Compared to any of the US models they are useless, and just as illegal.Yer pays yer money.......
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dont stick up for her cathy i've been used to hotels for so long treat my house like one so i've been told Snowski we had the moto one's the small sporty ones they worked quite well couldn't complain at all.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'll take your word for it - but the Motorola Talkabouts I use have been excellent - I've even managed to talk to Arc 1600 from down in Bourg at 800m, no line of sight interference, but it must be at least a mile as the crow flies... Speech quality is ok, and with 99 (?) channels on each band I've yet to have interference from other users...
Still, would be interested in something that was less affected by the line of sight problem...
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| PG wrote: |
| I've even managed to talk to Arc 1600 from down in Bourg at 800m |
must be at least a mile as the crow flies...
Now I know my math's is rubbish but;assuming Arc 1600 is a true reflection of its actual locality,I make that 800mtrs.Must be because its French crows 
Seriously,line of sight is a reflection of the transmission power of the radio.Radio waves radiate out from the aerial essentially in a straight line around a 360* arc(unless directional,like micro-wave)However,given they have enough power,they will bounce(off clouds,buildings,mountains,the atmosphere etc)Simple power output is the only practical way of overcoming obstructions.Given that you have enough output,there are enough stray signals left to be captured by the recieving set.Obviously there are limits,more obstructions,less signal.But the biggist determining factor will always be the wattage of transmission.Interestingly,and this is purely an observation,radios often work better in an alpine situation.My belief is that,like sunshine,radio waves are reflected better by the snow(sort of makes sense )One set higher than the other is usually a good bet as well.Communication,to me,is all about clarity and quality.Motorola PMR's are OK but there are better sets out there IMO.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| snowskisnow wrote: |
| PG wrote: |
| I've even managed to talk to Arc 1600 from down in Bourg at 800m |
must be at least a mile as the crow flies...
Now I know my math's is rubbish but;assuming Arc 1600 is a true reflection of its actual locality,I make that 800mtrs.Must be because its French crows |
Think your maths is even worse than mine! Unfortunately my trigonometry is beyond repair, so I'll have to stick with Pythagorus (a² + b² = c²). Which falsely makes it a sheer drop down side a to the valley floor, when in fact we have an obtuse triangle, with angle ab probably nearer 140°.
Still... if it was a sheer 800m drop, then 1000m across the valley floor to my place on the sunny south-facing side, hypotenuse c would be 1281m, rounded up.
I resorted to an online trig calculator to get a more accurate figure... given the angle of 140°, say the straight line from Les Arcs to valley floor is 1200m instead of 800m. http://www.1728.com/trig4.htm tells me the hypotenuse would now measure 2.0685 km....
Why I am doing this in the middle of the night? A pile of logs fell on my foot yesterday morning and I am beginning to think I could have done a Rooney, and broken something. Absolute agony  no way I can sleep, even single malt doesn't work as a painkiller, so it must be bad. Off to A & E tomorrow morning, the main thing that worries me is how long it will be til I can put on a ski boot again
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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What snowskisnow said. GMRS 5 mile, don't even bother with anything less esp. if your mates are uphill of you.
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You know it makes sense.
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| snowskisnow wrote: |
Mind you,and most are unaware of this,all PMR radios are actually illegal outside of their host country.So yer cheap as chips Dixons thingys are just as dodgey in France etc,and they dont work;what a bargain
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I believe you are mistaken. This equipement conforms to the PMR446 requirements which are legal and licence free in most of the EU. The CEPT decisions cover frequency harmonisation, licence free use amd free circluation of equipment.
From UK OFCOM:
"PMR 446 radio equipment may be used in member countries of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), if they have implemented the ERC Decisions listed in Section 11.
Before using PMR 446 outside the UK, check that the country you are visiting has implemented the ERC Decisions. If you do not do this, you may break the laws of the country concerned, risking prosecution and the confiscation of your equipment.
To see the progress made by CEPT member countries in implementing the Decisions, visit the European Radiocommunications Office (ERO) website at www.ero.dk."
The list of countries that have implemented the decision is here:
http://www.ero.dk/documentation/docs/implement.asp?docid=1549
France has implemented the decisions, but with a reduced channel set. Of the 8 channels available on UK PMR446 equipment, channels 1 & 2 may not be used in France.
http://www.art-telecom.fr/interactive/frequences/index-d.htm
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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PG, Je suis angoissé pour apprendre de votre accident. J'espère que vous avez obtenu pour dormir finalement. Comment votre pied est-il aujourd'hui ?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Jonpim, Un peu mieux, merci ! Pas de fracture, heureusement... could have done with some of that gas though, at 4 o'clock this morning. Single malt failed miserably as a general anaesthetic.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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lbt-the link was for info only  Think you will find the shipping is a touch better on eBay(mine cost me £9 p&p)Last time I looked at Midland themselves you could not order unless a US resident.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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PG, Put one on now, clamp it down, reduce swelling? Good luck with that.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| PG wrote: |
| Think your maths is even worse than mine! Unfortunately my trigonometry is beyond repair, so I'll have to stick with Pythagorus (a² + b² = c²). Which falsely makes it a sheer drop down side a to the valley floor, when in fact we have an obtuse triangle, with angle ab probably nearer 140°. |
The cosine rule is the general case of Pythagoras's theorem:
c² = a² + b² - 2ab cos C
When C = 90 deg, cos C = 0, giving Pythagoras. For an obtuse angle, cos C is negative, giving the increase in length you mentioned.
Hope your foot recovers quickly.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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laundryman, teach a man to fish and all. You really should post on how to derive it from the sine rule.
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I've got two sets of the Motorola talkabouts, one set for North America (where they were Ca$80), and one set for Europe (where they were £80, doh!), each set operates on a different frequency, the North American ones being illegal in Europe and vice versa.
I'm not sure whether they work in line of sight or not (don't radio waves refract around solid objects?), but with both sets I've found them to be perfectly acceptable to communicate around relatively large ski areas. You can't alway contact each other straight away, but it doesn't really matter too much, you just wait until you're at the top of a chairlift and try again. It has always been possible to make contact to meet for lunch, or drinks etc at the end of the day. If you are skiing in a group, and using them for the purpose of not getting lost, then they are invaluable, you will never again lose someone at the bottom of a busy run. I would highly recommend them.
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lbt, Is that personnel delivery 1st class flights each way
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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lbt, Raally? Am not sure about your original premise that Denise will want or need words of encouragement from you throughout the day. I have seen what happens when you try to "encourage" her on the ski slope
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[quote="laundryman"]
| PG wrote: |
c² = a² + b² - 2ab cos C
When C = 90 deg, cos C = 0, giving Pythagoras. For an obtuse angle, cos C is negative, giving the increase in length you mentioned. |
Thanks! I think. Just seeing that formula for the first time in 30 years brought back a nightmare image of 'Scruff', maths teacher.... "Dreaming again, PG?" He alone was responsible for my abandoning all thoughts of a career in the sciences...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Robbie, come on, there's no way she's going to snowplough over those moguls without me telling her that I've booked her in at the spa...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Theres no way she is going to be on the same slope as you at all, once i have finished.
You might hold her back.
*giggle*
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FAQ
Prob stems from the fact that whenever I stand on a mountain,it looks a sheer drop 
[/innocent]