Radio just for logging trails

[logan1080]

Hey I'm just looking for a radio to use to let loggers know we're coming up the road. Any recommendations? Beofang?

[HellRaZoR004]

What bands you thinking of using to contact them? CB band (HF) is not covered by Baofeng radios. Truckers typically use CB or a licensed frequency of which you don't have authorization to use the latter (or really know what frequency)

[logan1080]

No idea. I'm just thinking for Golden heading into silent pass they have the frequency on a sign there.

[HellRaZoR004]

Do you know what the frequency is?

Update: According to http://sledgolden.com/nov-20th-grooming-report/ the frequencies they use would be covered by the baofeng radio. I would recommend the BF-F9 V2+ for the best performance for the price.

[Drewd]

I'm not a big fan of the 8 watt Baofengs. Battery capacity is severely limited with stock battery if you use high power on this radio.

If you decide to get it, upgrade to a larger battery pack and carry a spare.

I personally use UV5r and UV82 radios which are 1/2 price of the 8 watt Baofengs.

I use low power on all and instead rely on Nagoya antennas which give incredible range over the crappy factory antenna.

[blastco2]

Originally Posted by logan1080

Hey I'm just looking for a radio to use to let loggers know we're coming up the road. Any recommendations? Beofang?

Been on that road.... wow, good riding area! I can understand why you are looking to talk to the loggers. We dont have anything like that in the states, that i know of, to access a riding area.
The baofeng uv5r or one of it's variants would be your best choice. Stop at the toll booth and use the radio's vfo to dial in the freq. Get the uv5r that comes with the 7 inch ish antenna. The 4 inch antenna is pure garbage. These would be good choices....
Baofeng UV-82 Two-Way Radio (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E4KLY34..._VRvfybDHTCTWD
BaoFeng Pofung GT-5TP 8/4/1 Watt Tri-Power Dual Band Two-Way Radio, VHF 136-174/ UHF 400-520MHz Transceiver, Kernel Upgrade Walkie Talkie with Dual PTT & 2000mAh Battery & Earpiece Headset https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ISY9V9U..._l3vfybTZDEE8M
Neither are the uv5r, but they both have a decent antenna and are cheap enough. All the 5r's that I found had the crappy antenna. Crappy antenna...just lean out the window and yell. Just a little advice for using these to talk to the loggers. Locate the tiny mic hole on the front of the radio, hold the radio straight up mic hole right in front of your mouth, no farther than 2" away. Speak as if you are talking on and old style wired phone. Dont yell or whisper. Push the button wait 1-2 seconds before speaking.

Edit: forgot to mention that the logger channel/freq will, more than likely, be in the vhf band, 150ish mhz. With that in mind, you will want a dual band radio (vhf/uhf). I dont know of any that are freq agile (keypad tuning), vhf only and inexpensive. Miklor.com is the starting point for information/instructions/software for all the cheap chinese radios. If you have questions, myself and a couple of others will help as best as we can. Good luck

[logan1080]

I heard it's illegal to have a radio now that you can program the frequency? You can be fined big time if your caught. Is this true?

[blastco2]

I assume you mean keypad programable? That would be a question for IC. If true, there are some different radios to choose from. You will need to know the frequency, so that, you can program it at home.
In the US it is not illegal to possess, it is only illegal to transmit on unauthorized frequencies. There are some local or state laws that are more restrictive.