I am a big fan of using radios in the backcountry, and I’ve talked (almost) all my ski buddies into getting their ham licenses - we make extensive use of 2 meter simplex communications while backcountry skiing.
Becca rappelling on the West Face of Snowpatch Spire, with Pigeon Spire in the background. Can you spot the radio on her harness?
It only takes one or two windy belays to realize the appeal of radios for multipitch climbing, as well, but for climbing, having something as small and lightweight as possible is paramount, and it needs to clip to your pack or harness. Indeed, recently the Rocky Talkie has popped up as radio that ticks many of these criteria, and with a substantial Instagram advertising budget (and a generous sponsorship of SAR awards), Rocky Talkies being clipped to increasingly many climbers’ and skiers’ packs. However, at $110+ tax and shipping for what is essentially a cheap FRS radio and an $8 Trango wiregate carabiner, they are a pricey option.
Four “Knock-Offy Talkies”
Ahead of our recent trip to the Bugaboos, I wanted to see if I could come up with a knockoff Rocky Talkie equivalent with many of the same features for fraction of the cost. I did so using the Baofeng BF-T1 radio, a 3d-printed carabiner clip, some cheap M2.5 screws from the hardware store, and 4 pack of aluminum carabiners from Amazon (feel free to upgrade to Trango for some extra $$$).
If you’d like to make your own, feel free to print (or modify) my CAD file. You’ll need:
a Baofeng BF-T1 radio (less than $20 on eBay, or even cheaper from AliExpress)
a carabiner with a spine cross section of <12mm
2x M2.5 x 12mm machine screws
2x M2.5 washers (6mm O.D)
a 3d printed carabiner clip (CAD file here)
Weight 125 grams per unit, 72% of what a Rocky Talkie weighs
Assembly is straightforward, and the weight of the final product is ~125 grams (compare to 173 grams for a Rocky Talkie), and is quite small as well. Build quality, durability, and battery life are worse than a Rocky Talkie, but hey, they’re cheap as hell.
| Knock-offy Talkie | Rocky Talkie | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight (g) | 125 | 173 |
| Transmit Power (watts) | 1 | 2 |
| Cost | about $25 | $110 |
CAD rendering of the carabiner clip.
It is theoretically possible to (illegally) transmit on FRS frequencies for interoperability with other radios, and with an amateur radio license you can transmit on any 70cm frequency in the amateur bands using Baofeng’s programming software, as well as use 70cm repeaters and standard features such as CTCSS, although there is no keypad for DTMF dialing.
Let me know what you think!