You probably know that if you want a successful hunting trip, you are going to need to head out with a quality two-way radio. There is nothing better for staying in touch with your fellow hunting buddies. So, what is the best one that money can buy? Let’s run you through that in this review! Before we tell you, however, let’s talk a little bit about what makes a good two-way radio for your trip.
What Makes Good Two Way Radios for Hunting
Before we introduce you to what we genuinely believe is the best two-way radio for hunting, we figured we would take the time to talk you through some of the features that we believe should go into a decent radio.
First and foremost; the audio quality needs to be sublime. When you are hunting, you need to keep sound to the absolute minimum. This means that you can’t really afford to be repeating yourself because something was a little bit fuzzy through the radio waves. Sound, both sending and receiving audio signals needs to be at the absolute top of the game. This is why we tend to steer clear of the cheapest radios on the market. They never sound that great.
Range
The range should also be fairly decent. A good few miles is going to be great. It means that you and your hunting party can wander a bit further away from each other while still retaining communication. The higher the range is on the radio, the better the signal will be at short distances. So, even if you are planning on walks no more than a couple of miles away from one another, it still makes sense to buy a radio with a decent range on it.
Quality
The radio also needs to be quite robust. When you are hunting, things are going to get banged about a little bit. It is going to rain. Your gear is going to get dirty. You aren’t going to be hunting if you do not head home at the end of your trip completely caked in dirt. This means that any radio that you purchase needs to be able to put up with all of this. A well-built radio is the best route to go down. Waterproof is an absolute must, in our opinion.
Channel Selection
You also need to ensure that any radio that you purchase has multiple channels that you can communicate on. If you can make some of these channels private (i.e. only accessible to people who have the same radio set-up), then this is going to be even better for you. It means that less people are going to be listening in on your conversations. This is great if you are in a more-populated hunting area.
Finally; look for a radio that has a decent battery life. If the batteries can be swapped out, then this is going to be even better. You really do not want your radios dying when you are out there on your hunting trip. If they do, you are going to be kissing goodbye to your method of communication.
Let’s take a look at what we believe is the best two-way radio for hunting.
Best Two Way Radio for Hunting Review
Let us introduce you to the Midland GXT1040VP4, one of the most-popular two-way radios for hunters. This is for a good reason too.
One of the amazing things about this radio is the whopping range on it. The maximum range caps out at 36-miles. Now, if you are in the midst of a forest or an incredibly hilly area, then you won’t get that 36-miles. However, most hunters will get somewhere between 12-miles and 20-miles on it. This means that it is one of the better radios on the market when it comes to range. Do bear in mind that as the power in the batteries dwindles, the range will be reduced.
Standard Features
Out of the box, you have access to 50 GMRS radio channels. You can use these ‘straight’, but a lot of people will enjoy the fact that you can make any one of these channels private. This means that only devices you have paired yourself up with will be able to listen in on your communications. There are over 3,100 potential channel combinations when privacy options are taken into account here, which means that it is highly unlikely that somebody will stumble across your private communications randomly.
Weather Scan
In addition to this, you will also have an NOAA weather scan built into the radio. This means that your radio will be constantly on the lookout for urgent weather alerts in the immediate area. Obviously, if you are a good hunter, you will probably be checking what the weather is like just before your trip, but this feature is always useful ‘just in case’.
Battery Capability
This radio lasts a decent amount of time on a single charge. You should be able to get a whole day of use out of it, although some people have reported a little bit under this when they have been using their radio a lot. However, thankfully, the radio batteries can be swapped out at will. This radio will even take standard AA batteries for power. Most people actually use their Midland GXT1040VP4 like this, mostly because the AA batteries tend to last a little bit longer than Midland’s branded products (there had to be a downside somewhere, right?)
Water Resistance
This radio is also nice and rugged. It is waterproof, so you don’t have to worry about a little bit of rain getting on it, and it is cheap enough that you are not going to need to worry about it being your most expensive possession while on your trip.
Finally; while the Midland GXT1040VP4 is available in a multitude of different colors, if you want the best one for hunting, we recommend that you pick up the camo color. Obviously, camo is fantastic for keeping you from standing out like a sore thumb to the animals. However, the camo color has an additional feature built-in. This is various ‘calls’ for some of the most-hunted animals in the United States, which you may be able to take advantage of.
Motorola Two Way Radios for Hunting
There are a lot of people that will tout Motorola as the best two way radios for hunting. We won’t deny that Motorola radios are some of the best-built radios in the world.
When you pick up a Motorola radio, you will be able to enjoy a plethora of features. This includes fantastic sound-quality, a long battery life, and a ton of private channels that you can converse with your fellow hunters on.
The problem with Motorola radios is that as good as they are, they are just plain overpriced. There is no sense paying hundreds of dollars more for a decent set of Motorola two-way radios when the Midland GXT1050VP4 is able to do. Plus, let’s be honest, when you are hunting out in the wilderness, things do tend to get broken and probably bashed around a little bit harder than you wanted. Why not opt for a cheaper radio that offers the same experience? It will be less heartbreaking if you drop it into a puddle.
2-Way Radio Headset Hunting (Boom Mic Headsets Included!)
As one final point to note; the Midland GXT1050VP4 comes complete with some boom mic headsets. There is no need to purchase these separately. Why is this a good thing?
Well, for starters, it means that you are going to be able to go completely hands-free when you are using your two-way radio. This is great because, obviously, you do not want to be holding a radio in your hand when you are trying to line up a shot or do a little bit of tracking. You can keep it in your backpack and everything will be good to go.
The main benefit of the boom mic headset, however, is the fact that it is going to mute the speaker on the two-way radio. Sound will only come through the headset. This, of course, means that you do not have to worry about animals listening in on your private conversations. Oh, and you won’t be scaring them away either! As you know; the main technique you need to practice when you are hunting is staying as silent as you possibly can. The boom mic on the headset is going to make this a whole lot easier for you.
Conclusion
Interested in one of the best two-way radios for hunting? Well, hop on over to Amazon and take a gander at the Midland GXT1040VP4 today. It comes in a variety of different colors, including an awesome camo color, which means that you should be able to find the perfect radio for your personality. Pick up a couple of sets. It will serve you well if you are heading out on longer hunting expeditions with a few people in tow. The affordability of the larger sets means that it should be dead simple to get everybody using the same system.
