Description

Portable Floating Waterproof Walkie-Talkie Radios for Kayaking

The Problem

I usually go kayak fishing on inland lakes and rivers with a buddy, or two, or three, or even four sometimes. In order to talk to each other while on the water, we had to choose between keeping our kayaks close together, or risk being that guy shouting across the water to keep in communication. I thought if we all got walkie-talkies we would have a better time instead of continuing to choose between shouting or fishing on top of each other.

So I set out to find the best two-way radios for kayak fishing.

I didn’t want to make everyone get an FCC license for GMRS radios even though it covers your whole family and is now only $35 for 10 years. Instead I bought a pack of cheap, license-free FRS radios. As Murphy’s Law would have it, I dropped mine in the shallows the first day. I reached in and dried it off the best I could, but it was toast. I went from angler to angrier. More !@#%& shouting across the lake.

Next I ordered waterproof walkie-talkies that actually float, which worked great. But it quickly got old unclipping the radio every time I wanted to talk, then clipping it back on a belt or vest. There had to be a better way.

The Solution

I finally decided to put together our own kayak fishing radio solution built around a Motorola Talkabout to eliminate all the little headaches. This radio kit has worked so well for us that I decided to offer it to my fellow kayak fishermen.

Kayak Radio Kit Features

• Communicate out of cell phone range in the middle of nowhere without fishing on top of each other.
• Easily mount the radio to the shoulder of your life jacket or Personal Flotation Device (PFD) so you can just turn your head to talk into the microphone.
• Talk normally or even whisper so you don’t spook your next catch.
• Floats in water.
• Water-activated strobe light. If you drop it overboard at night, the flashlight blinks until you dry off the water sensors.
• Red LED light preserves your night vision while changing lures and doesn’t attract bug like mosquitos or moths.
• Safely remain in contact even while fishing far apart. The range across open water can reach 5–6 miles.
• Choose from 22 Channels with 121 optional codes that block interference (also known as Privacy Tones or PL Tones). These are useful if you happen to be fishing on a busy lake or river with tons of radio traffic.
• Two Push-to-talk (PTT) buttons allow you to choose lower power (0.5 Watts) to save battery, or high power (1.5 Watts) to reach through dense forest or around cliffs.
• No FCC license needed

Emergency Radio Capabilities

• Emergency Radio Channel 20 (462.675 MHz) shared by both FRS and GMRS radio bands
• NOAA Weather (WX) channels and automatic storm alerts
• The removable belt clip doubles as an ingenious emergency whistle
• Emergency alert button on top of radio allows you to alert everyone in your party with a loud ring, then starts transmitting to their radios whatever ambient sound your microphone detects around you.

Battery Power Facts

• Rechargeable Nickel–metal hydride (NiMH) Battery with Micro USB charger included
• Also accepts 3 AA alkaline batteries so you can carry extra batteries and never be caught with a dead radio
• Up to 9 hours of battery life on the rechargeable NiMH battery pack or 23 hours with 3 AA alkaline batteries