What are the best walkie-talkies for use in the field and at home?

What to look for when buying a walkie-talkie? Which radio works best in the forest or in the mountains? Which models are rainproof? In this post, we will look at the best-selling walkie-talkies from popular manufacturers TYT and Baofeng and present their most important features. All this so that you can understand the important functionalities even better and adjust the equipment to your goals.

Why walkie-talkies? Why not a smartphone?

As a short introduction: free, free distance communication is perfect for tourism or when practicing various types of sports. The radiotelephones are also used by, among others uniformed services and warehouse workers. The usefulness of walkie-talkies is appreciated by lovers of the outdoors, longer hikes in the forest and in the mountains. And some are also looking for walkie-talkies to listen in from the apartment. However, most often we use a smartphone for remote voice communication. So a layman could ask the question: why do I need a walkie-talkie in the era of mobile phones ? For a successful connection, you need the operator's GSM network coverage. Forest, mountains, uninhabited areas don't have much of it. And in situations where there is a problem with the range,walkie -talkies are simply worth their weight in gold. In extreme cases, they save a person's health and life.

What to look for when buying a walkie-talkie ?

When choosing a walkie-talkie, you need to know under what conditions you want to use it . If it is primarily outdoor and more difficult weather conditions, pay attention to the waterproof walkie -talkies with a solid housing.

The budget you have at your disposal is also important . Below you will find several price proposals and you will decide for yourself, for example, which walkie-talkie up to PLN 200 has the functions you are looking for.

The third aspect that should be taken into account when choosing the best walkie -talkie is the user's level of sophistication .

Which walkie-talkie will be perfect to start with? 100% Baofeng UV-5R HTQ 5W radio . It is a good starting equipment to check whether the subject "feels" at all. There is also a more powerful version in the Sapsan store (8 W and an enlarged battery).

What walkie-talkies for the forest and in the mountains?

Baofeng BF-A58

An ideal proposition of a walkie-talkie for the forest or for a boat will be, for example, the Baofeng BF-A58 walkie-talkie .

• 5 watts of power , DTMF keyboard, LED flashlight are just a few features from a long list of functionalities.
• The degree of protection is IP67 , which provides dustproof protection and protection in the event of immersion in water (30 minutes at a depth of 0.15 m above the top of the enclosure or 1 m above the bottom for enclosures lower than 0.85 m).
• The Dual Watch function means that both active channels are shown on the display, so you can have one important channel for continuous listening, and another for communication between units etc. The radio obviously receives this 'used' channel first and listens to it until until the end of the transmission (receiving two calls at the same time does not make sense, because everything would merge into one big noise).
• Built-in FM radio that will allow you to listen to your favorite station during breaks from calls, automatically switching to the selected channel after receiving the signal from the other station.

Baofeng P15UV

When looking for a walkie-talkie in the mountains or into the forest, you cannot miss the new model of the Baofeng P15UV walkie-talkie . It is a very well made radio, but has a different antenna input and a tiny battery. However, it is a USB Type-C version , for which many users will surely appreciate it. Although the price slightly exceeds the budget of PLN 200, it must be admitted that this walkie-talkie has a great price-performance ratio. The housing is made of a hard plastic that is resistant to cracks and scratches. Long range, new display, loud and clear sound. Two frequency ranges: VHF (136-174MHz) and UHF (400-480MHz).

Bao UV-82

The Baofeng UV-82 shortwave radio is a professional ham radio, which also works brilliantly in the field. 8 watts of power with a dual display, DTMF keypad and the Dual Watch function mentioned above when discussing the BF-A58. The power stand can be used to charge the radio as well as its battery.

Two-channel Shortie-82 radio

The Shortie-82 5W is a cheaper replacement for the Baofeng UV-82 5W model. It is made of slightly inferior quality materials, but it is suitable for work in extreme conditions (it can be used in the temperature range from -20 ° C up to + 60 ° C).

TYT TH-UV 88 and TH-UV98 walkie-talkies

Walkie-talkies from the manufacturer TYT are often of much better quality than Baofeng. The offer includes the TYT TH-UV 88 walkie-talkie and the TH-UV98 model . What's the difference between the two devices? Certainly in the transmission power (5W vs 10W) ​​and in the battery.

There are different versions to choose from:

• with charging only at the charging station
• or with batteries that have USB Type-C inputs, so they can be connected to the phone's charger.

Walkie-talkies for children

Some of us still remember playing in the yard with walkie-talkies. Children's walkie-talkies work just like these "adult toys", but with a slightly limited range and reduced number of functions. A good gift for a young hiker will be the Baofeng t17 walkie-talkie . The set includes two pieces. Colors to choose from. Very easy to use. There, nothing needs to be set (except the channel). The downside is the short range, but you probably don't need too much to have a good time at home or in the yard in front of the block.

We hope that now the choice of a walkie-talkie in the mountains or in the forest, but also for the youngest and beginners, will be easier. And when you go out in the fall, don't forget a good EDC flashlight .