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March 29, 2007
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Which two-way radio will work in South America?
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IC-M88 Radio (courtesy, Icom)
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I need to purchase two-way radios for a group of missionaries working in Guyana.
Obviously, things such as maximum range and durability are of great importance. Much more
important than price, actually. Can you recommend something?
— Randall
Decatur, Alabama
Do you have a question of your own?
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 Well, I can make some recommendations. I also can tell you to expect problems no matter
what. Hand-held radios are incredibly unreliable things—the second someone walks to
the back side of a hill, he or she might as well be on the back side of the moon. Add to
that the issues that your people will be facing, such as rain and humidity.
So for starters, I’d probably dismiss the radios using the FRS and GMRS frequencies, which
have a range of two and ten miles, respectively (under ideal conditions). They might be ok
for around town or camp. Motorola’s T6500R radio (motorola.com) sells for about $50 a
pair.
Better to get a real hand-held radio, I think. Icom’s IC-M88 (icomamerica.com), for
instance, is designed for marine use and can withstand lots of punishment. It’s pretty
powerful, with five watts of output, and compact. The battery is rechargeable, although
there is an optional AA battery pack. The downside: Cost is about $500 each (maybe less if
you shop around). Kenwood’s TK2140 ($700; kenwoodusa.com) has similar specs but in a
larger form, so there’s more room for goodies such as programmable keys.
The other thing to keep in mind is that these radios use radio bands licensed in North
America. You might well find that in Guyana those same frequencies are used by, I dunno,
the local radio station. So check with Guyanese officials (perhaps in their U.S. embassy)
about the utility of American hand-held radios in their country.
The Gear Guy reports from
2007 Winter Outdoor Retailer, the bi-annual gearapalooza in Salt Lake City. Check out
his top picks for gear to watch in 2007.
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