My parents bought two walkie-talkies a year or so ago for birding. We've
used them several times. Like last year when the three of us went to the
shorebird festival. Dad didn't want to walk out to the boardwalk so you
went and parked nearby with the dog while Mom & I walked out. When we were
ready to go we "called" him and he met us at the gate. We've also used them
when we go birding in two cars. And sometimes use them if we're only in one
car. Dad isn't really a birder - he just goes, mostly to drive. Mom & I
can get out and walk and Dad will follow in the car - or drive on ahead.
It's a great way for us to keep in touch. I think they're wonderful to
have. When one car stops the other doesn't have to sit there trying to
figure out what's going on - or get out the their car to find out (and
probably scare away the bird). They can just ask over the walkie talkie. I
agree 100% with Denny about the usefulness of these little devices on
birding trips.
Laurinda
Mountlake Terrace, WA
(just north of Seattle)
RindaA at worldnet.att.net


----- Original Message -----
From: <osprey at nwinfo.net>
To: <TWEETERS at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 07, 1999 1:05 AM
Subject: Radio communication on field trips


> On May 1 I joined Andy Stepniewski and six other WOSers for a field trip
> around Yakima County. There were two cars of birders. The driver of the
> second car, whose name I unfortunately have forgotten, had two Motorola
> hand-held radios or walkie-talkies. They made the trip quite a bit more
> enjoyable for the people in the second car as they were able to hear
Andy's
> many comments about the areas through which we traveled. He was also able
> to point out birds we spotted as we drove around. They also were able to
> ask questions and tell us of the birds they were seeing in route.
>
> Yesterday I led a group of friends on a trip around the Toppenish NWR and
> Ft. Simcoe. I rented three of the Motorola Radius SP10 radios from a
local
> company for $10 each for the weekend. They have a range of between one
and
> two miles. They proved again to be quite an asset and added to the
> enjoyment of the people in all of our cars. They are also good for
> communicating with a car that is lagging behind.
>
> I highly recommend these radios. They are convenient to use and
> communication is very clear. The volume is loud enough for all of the
> people in the car to hear. They sell for less than $150 each and the
rent,
> in Yakima at least, is cheap.
>
> Denny Granstrand
> Yakima, WA
>
> Denny Granstrand
>
>
>