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drake371
Oct 20, 2011, 4:07 PM
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I wanted to get a pair of radios to have during setup of top ropes and what not. I recently came into a situation where my partner was on the bottom of a face and I was up top trying to throw my rope over the ledge (we were out of view) to clear everything but due to not hearing each other and no celluar service available, it took nearly an hour to get the line down....
I know I need practice tossing the line but that is besides the point, I just want a way to communicate to a partner thats out of sight and voice.
What should I be looking for?
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marc801
Oct 20, 2011, 4:27 PM
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drake371 wrote: ...I was up top trying to throw my rope over the ledge (we were out of view) to clear everything but due to not hearing each other and no celluar service available, it took nearly an hour to get the line down.... I know I need practice tossing the line but that is besides the point, I just want a way to communicate to a partner thats out of sight and voice. What should I be looking for?
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drake371
Oct 20, 2011, 4:47 PM
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I suppose that is one option, but doesn't really address the problem of being out of communication range.
I have been thinking of ways to over coming the setup problem and rap was the first thing that came to mind.
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darkgift06
Oct 20, 2011, 5:55 PM
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Setting up a top rope I would think would mean a single pitch route... & I think it should be easy enough for you to yell loud enough that your partner could hear you... unless its that once in 20 year wind storms..
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drake371
Oct 20, 2011, 6:17 PM
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The route that this happened on was on the front face of Square Ledge in NH. You are unable to see the bottom of the ledge and the wind is constantly blowing and muffles sounds, plus at the top your are above the tree line...
I am not trying to say I need a radio every time I go set a top rope or what not.. I am merely looking for a suggestion for a radio that could of helped in a particular situation
Usually after we scout he area we want to climb, we both up set the anchors, check things over, toss the rope and have no problems... we just had a problem this one time of not getting the rope all the way down and a radio comm would of been greatful.
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marc801
Oct 20, 2011, 7:10 PM
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drake371 wrote: I am not trying to say I need a radio every time I go set a top rope or what not.. I am merely looking for a suggestion for a radio that could of helped in a particular situation Usually after we scout he area we want to climb, we both up set the anchors, check things over, toss the rope and have no problems... we just had a problem this one time of not getting the rope all the way down and a radio comm would of been greatful.
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ccspikes
Oct 20, 2011, 7:23 PM
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Motorola.
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sandstone
Oct 20, 2011, 7:50 PM
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I have an old pair of Motorola radios (Talkabouts?). I've got the most use out them for road tripping, communicating between multiple cars. They beat the heck out of cell phones for that.
I have taken them on some ice climbs in the NE where I figured that there would be problems due to wind noise and the nature of the route. I've only used them on rock a few times, again only when I anticipated there would be problems. Most of the time they stay at home on the shelf, but in those instances where I made the right judgement call and brought them along, I was really glad I had them. You can always get by without them, but they are so effective and cheap I like to have the option.
I would look for these attributes: small (but not so small they are hard to use with winter gloves), lightweight, standard battery size, a large push to talk button that is usable with gloves, and a good way of attaching a keeper loop. For basic short range use, probably most anything you buy will work. To find out what gets you the best range/features for your buck, you're going to need more knowledge than I have. You can probably find some good reviews/recommendations with google.
I met an English couple that used radios to good advantage in the Ouray ice park one year. It can be noisy in that narrow canyon on a crowded day. They were talking quietly into their radios while everyone one else was shouting. They had them taped to runners that were slung across their chests. They didn't have to fumble with the radios or even hold them up to their mouths, all they did was push the button and talk downward. Simple, cheap, and effective.
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damienclimber
Oct 20, 2011, 9:59 PM
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marc801 wrote: drake371 wrote: I am not trying to say I need a radio every time I go set a top rope or what not.. I am merely looking for a suggestion for a radio that could of helped in a particular situation Usually after we scout he area we want to climb, we both up set the anchors, check things over, toss the rope and have no problems... we just had a problem this one time of not getting the rope all the way down and a radio comm would of been greatful. Dude, it's a freakin' top rope with a slingshot belay - you're at most 100 feet away from each other. Radios? Seriously? What it sounds like you really need to do is learn how to convey a lot of information in only a few short words that are easy to yell. In this case you only need a quiver of 3 one-syllable words.
Let him get his toy!
.
There are times when it could come in handy. Windy, other climbers nearby screaming, mis-communication..
Or maybe he's having fun!
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marc801
Oct 20, 2011, 11:08 PM
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damienclimber wrote: Let him get his toy! There are times when it could come in handy. Windy, other climbers nearby screaming, mis-communication.. Or maybe he's having fun!
But for climbing, with the possible exception of a few unique situations, they really seem like a solution in search of a problem, esp. in the case the OP presented. Even if they are useful in some situations, they're still an extra bit of crap to carry and deal with.
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binrat
Oct 22, 2011, 12:51 PM
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get the 2 watt FRS models. In clear country good for 10 miles.
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linuxxpert
Oct 25, 2011, 1:59 AM
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I just got back from Seneca Rocks, WV. It was a nice weekend so there were a lot of climbers on the rock and while everybody was screaming at each other, my partner and I quietly and efficiently communicated over our radios. I cant tell you how many times I heard climbers yell, WHAT??! HUH??!
Using radios also minimizes the possibility of listing to another climbing party's commands by accident.
We got down safe and without sore throats! 
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knubs
Oct 29, 2011, 5:11 AM
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i always carry radios now. my buddy got taken off belay 130' in the air on the second pitch of a climb because the leader was at the top and set up a belay but we couldnt communicate with the leader when he was in the belay spot and there was some miscommunication. luckily he was tied off at the top and realized slack wasnt being taken...
now i carry radios whether i need them or not. i figure it never hurts to have them with your gear.
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qwert
Oct 29, 2011, 9:57 AM
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I can see some use for radios in alpine and multipitch settings, but - even if you have radios with you! - you should simply have a plan on what to do, instead of having lengthy discussions whenever somone reaches the belay or wants to start or somthing.
And for toprope?
Yeah, you can use one as a kind of toy, and that is perfectly OK, i also have way to many gadgets of all kinds for my various hobbys, but before you "solve" a problem (lack of skills & knowledge) with radios, you should rather get the proper skills, which - in the case of setting up a toprope from above - are really not that much. Built anchor (how can a person on the ground help you with that anyways?), throw down rope or pass it out while rappeling (how can a person on the ground help you with that anyways?), rappel (OK, here i can see some advantage in having the person below check if you rope is indeed long enough to reach the ground. But still: If you have knots in the end, and the skills to ascend the rope, should it be to short, you dont really need that either.)
qwert
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shockabuku
Oct 29, 2011, 9:40 PM
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What was it that you needed to communicate to your partner? I don't understand how having radios would have helped get the rope down.
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