VHF Hand Held Radios 
Most important, a caution:
Our primary user group consists of people who make their living guiding or rescuing others in periglacial environments. While I consider them to be the finest people I have ever met, they do not usually consider themselves to be com's/IT specialists. But if you're heading for your ACMG guide's exam, you are also not endowed with deep pockets unless you bank account is drawn on the 'Bank of Mom and Dad'. We appreciate that fact, so the margins on all the items on this site are kept as thin as possible so we can all survive by helping one and other. Buying a radio is easy, just go to eBay and you can find anything that is on this site, offered by some Chinese seller. But operating it effectively, and programming that radio, is a whole different Ball Game. By all means, consider doing your own programming, and go ahead and purchase a programming cable, but do not expect to be using firmware and software that was developed in Redmond, Washington, by a team that start their morning with latte's and a tailgate meeting. Do expect some degree of problem solving commitment if you plan to program the radio yourself. The most common problems involve getting the USB cables to work by convincing the drivers to co-operate with your operating system, and then understanding the significance of split frequencies, tone codes, bandwidth, offsets, simplex, duplex, etc. Then there is the differences between the OEM software packages (written by someone who's first language is clearly not English), or the OpenSource program (CHIRP, written by people who's first language is English), depending on what you choose to use. It is all do-able, and we find some people have absolutely no problems, while others tear their hair out. We like to help where we can because in our fraternity, some day, you might be rescuing one of us (which I actually contemplated a few weeks ago). But the average $30.00 margin we make on selling the equipment does not give a lot of leeway for individual hand-holding when it comes to programming. So please, if you plan to tackle programming, be prepared to take a long, deep breath: do not pen that poison email telling us how frustrated and disapointed you are, pour a coffee, and spend some time going through all the resources that we will make available to you Post-Purchase.
Why buy here instead of eBay?
We have specialized in catering to clients who are involved professionally and recreationally in mountain activities in Western Canada. Our professional backgrounds are in law enforcement, resource conservation, problem wildlife, search and rescue, guiding, and avalanche training and research. This is a value-added product offering for specialists. For that you get a radio that is guaranteed tested and working and there is no wait to get it to Canada:
- Programming and programming support. *
- Radio is tested when programmed.
- No brokerage and duty fees when it arrives.
- You get properly fitted antennas and not an antenna with a gain-robbing adapter on the end of it to make it fit.
- When you get a bad radio from an ebay seller in Hong Kong, you're left out to dry. If you're lucky, you may get a repair done after 2 months and the price of shipping both ways, about $60.00.
*Specializing in supporting operational areas for: CAA, ACC, ACMG, PC.GC.CA, PEP, BCFS, BCMC, and commercial backcountry operations in the Rockies, Purcells, Kootenays, Selkirks, Monashees, Coast Range, and North Cascades.
More Questions?
See our FAQ. Or send a note via email.
IMPORTANT: Be sure this radio suits your intended purpose, returns are only accepted for warranty issues.
Current Radio Brands: TYT.