BCA Link Radios - opinions and reviews.

SaskSummit said:

Thanks SBR looks like they will be very handy and get alot of use. Especially if you can hear and use them with the sled running.

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i think i was more excited about these radios last season than my new sled

maxwell said:

i can do it. your good blaine lol

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Haha perfect. I will mess with them till i get it figured.

maxwell said:

i can do it. your good blaine lol

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Wow...there's a testament to simplicity....lol


Sent from my Phone while sitting on the side of the road.....maybe.

these are not logging radio's guys, these are 2 way radios for communication amongst groups. If you want a Logging Radio you need a VHF Radio.

Would there be any interest in a group buy on these things? I can make some calls and see what we can get for discounts on quantities?

TylerG said:

Would there be any interest in a group buy on these things? I can make some calls and see what we can get for discounts on quantities?

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I would jump in on that for sure.

Arlene and I have been talking about radios so you can put me down for 2 if the price is right

TylerG said:

Would there be any interest in a group buy on these things? I can make some calls and see what we can get for discounts on quantities?

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Put me for 2 if price is right


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We have a cuple VHF whith mics but they are not as long of a range, max 4km but super clear when in range. Got them back when all of BC could be backcountry ridden, not needed so much any more.




Looks like the BCA are a good product.

SBR said:

I'm Looking at purchasing a few of the BCa Link FRS/GMRS radios for sledding. Looking for user feedback or what other options I might want to consider....

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Hopefully I haven't got in too late on this discussion.
No one in the thread has mentioned the Baofeng radios.
Baofeng radios are an internationally used radio by many consumer and commercial users.
They are direct competition to Motorola and Kenwood in many European and Asian countries.
You can purchase them on ebay, amazon or through a number of vendors in the US and Canada.

baofeng | eBay
Amazon.com : BaoFeng BF-F8HP - BaoFeng's Only TRI-POWER (1, 4, 8 Watt) (USA Warranty) Dual-Band 136-174/400-520 MHz FM Ham Two-way Radio, Transceiver, HT - With Battery, Antenna, Charger, and More : Car Electronics

Out of the box they are the most powerful radio you can buy with the most at hand and available options for the best price.
I recommend the UV-5R in it's newest version the BF-F8hp (although I am going to be checking out the GT3 MKII and the UV-82 soon)
In the BF-F8hp box you'll get:
1 BF-F8hp two-way radio
7.4V 1800mahLi-ion Battery Pack
Antenna
Belt Clip
Hand Strap
Earphone
IN-Depth Manual
Desktop Charger (110V)

The newest version of the UV-5R is the BF-F8hp, a dual band (136-174/400-520 Mhz) tri power switchable two-way radio.
Tri power means its transmit power is switchable between 1w/4w/8w. (The BCA Link is only 1w GMRS .5w FRS)
8 watts of transmit power is pretty powerful, it doesn't necessarily mean greater transmit distances, but it does offer much greater clarity of transmission at the end of line of sight distances.
(That said, in my experience, a higher transmit power has been beneficial when using two-way radios in the mountains.)
Couple that with these new DIAMOND wide band mini antennae and you have an ultra compact ultra powerful two-way radio.
Diamond SRH805S SMA F Female Dual Band Antenna Baofeng GT 3 UV 5R BF 888s Radio 799422501492 | eBay
You can also find a good spot for it in your pack once you have your frequency selected and then add a flexible whip antennae. Have the antennae sticking up above your pack and your db gain will be pretty good. (this is the set up I run)
Black Nagoya NA 771 SMA Female Dual Band 144 430MHz 10W Antenna FOR Baofeng UV5R | eBay
Beyond all that there are a few other points worth mentioning.
The radio acts like a ham radio, you can tune any frequency within the step range just by punching it in on the keypad in frequency mode. So you can use the included programming cable and software to program in all your local radio channels and which ever channels you want to use, then, if you ride with a group who has a different channel than the one you have programmed you can just punch it in and your set. The radios are also PTT and VOX compliant, have an FM radio built in and a flashlight with strobe function. There are tons of accessories available and a lot of Kenwood accessories work with Baofeng radios too like shoulder or lapel microphone/speaker.

Oh, and the battery life of the lithium ion battery is amazing and they work extremely well in very cold weather. Ive had my UV-5R for two years now and I've pretty much kicked the chit out of it and it still works great, I've never had a single issue with it. Have a read on the Baofeng Tech website (https://baofengtech.com/) to see all the other features and specs I have missed. And read the reviews on the Amazon store, they're really informative.

Oh, and I forgot to mention how truly inexpensive these radios are. The newest UV-5r is $65 bucks on Amazon and the UV-82 is $45.

***Disclaimer*** There are "rules" and "regulations" out there that cover the use of these types of two-way radios. Learn them, and understand whatever radio you have is capable of.

i am also down for two

rusty said:

i am also down for two

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have not successfully found a vendor yet, I'll try to look into it more tomorrow.

I think four seasons in ft mac sells those Bca radios

I jut bought two on Ebay, seller is in BC, He only has one in stock but will have more this Thursday. (He was selling for the same price on BCA web sight. I'll let him know about you all looking for a package deal. You can contact him directly.... PM Sent....Tyler.....

I have found a vendor, but she needs numbers to give us pricing. Once I get onto the computer I'll look at this thread and contact everyone who says they are interested for an 'official' list and numbers. If you are interested in a group buy on these and have not already posted in here please post below!

Tyler

Put me in for 2

Ok I'll bite, I'm interested in 2.


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Jake jenkins said:

Put me in for 2

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Caper11 said:

Ok I'll bite, I'm interested in 2.


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have you both on my list.

I'm up to 20 possibly interested people.

I'm interested in 1 for sure, possibly 2 price dependant.

I'm in for 2.
Thanks