Turning Cellphone into Walkie Talkie

[tactical_2012]

Saw these and was wondering if anyone knows of any similar devices out there. Not looking to use apps.

https://beartooth.com/

[theGinsue]

I like the concept of that device. Seems like these have the same sort of capability as the Garmin Rino but much cheaper (overall) than the Rino.

Been wanting to get a pair of Garmin Rino units for years, but they're far too pricey. For those that don't know, the Rino is an FRS/GMRS walkie talkie and GPS unit combined. It can show you the location of other Rino users who share this info (as I recall, you can set up exactly who you share with). This would be a big plus for my hunting partners and I when one of us needs help hauling a harvest out of the woods.

The advantage I see of this unit over the Rino is that you can also text between users. The disadvantage is that your cell phone isn't as rugged as a Rino and the risk of damaging it in the field is high (they just don't make cell/smart phones very rugged).

[hurley842002]

That's pretty slick, and I have the perfect smartphone candidate for it, my Iphone SE with the Otterbox Armor case is tougher than I'll ever need, waterproof, and it's a spare phone at the moment.

[Irving]

Some of my hunting buddies just got Rhinos, and I'm under the impression that you can text. I'll ask and let you know.

[theGinsue]

Some of my hunting buddies just got Rhinos, and I'm under the impression that you can text. I'll ask and let you know.

Copy that. I haven't really looked at the Rino's (due to cost) for more than 5 years. My knowledge of them is likely outdated.

ETA: Just looked at the Rino 755T....."Communicate by voice call or unit-to-unit text messaging". Still cost a lot more than this Beartooth unit.

ETAA: To answer the OP's question as to whether anyone knows of any similar device, there is the goTenna Mesh (https://www.amazon.com/goTenna-Off-Grid-Devices-Location-Information/dp/B0721B8M3J/ref=sr_1_10?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpZCwjZG_5AIVkf_jBx2Y 6gvREAAYAiAAEgJNCvD_BwE&hvadid=177171006688&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9029025&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t2&hvqmt=b&hvrand=17257022040572724322&hvtargid=kwd-34042762365&hydadcr=17786_9817362&keywords=garmin+rino+755t&qid=1567878816&s=gateway&sr=8-10) -- while this does the texting, and location sharing via cell phone link, it doesn't look like it has the walkie talkie option. But then these are $175/pr verus Beartooth's $249/pr.

[Irving]

I also haven't looked at Rhino stuff. You already said, but I did confirm that yes they text.

[cmailliard]

Beartooth was a bust from the start. They came out with a firmware update that sounds like it works better now. There original plan was never going to work. What they came out with was about 50% of what they promised. Their support sucked.

goTenna is fantastic. Tons of Mesh Nodes out there for public to use. There is no voice with it. There is a company making a self contained goTenna Mesh system like a repeater for a radio. Battery, Solar, Antenna, everything for like $1500. There are quite a few SAR teams using the Pro version of goTenna with ATAK. Pricey stuff but pretty cool.

If you are looking for this off grid comm capability goTenna is kicking ass

[Irving]

I was looking into this today and it seems like 2 miles no line-of-sight is a little small of an area. However, if it's a difficult enough area, could be a real life saver.

[Erni]

Speaking of alt comms. Anyone have any exp with Bridgefy mesh app?

[battlemidget]

Gotennas are well reviewed and widely used. I haven't seen anything else that's cell phone integrated that works repeatably.
I'm sure you've heard that SpaceX has been parking sats in orbit for global internet. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starlink)
Mid2020s is the current estimate for the global mesh, and that'll change everything again.
I like the robust frs/gmrs radios. You can get high a decent high wattage HT with all the accessories for under $100. I'd steer clear of the digital stuff, comms works best when they're simple.

[FoxtArt]

Sort of on topic: Droid Turbo 2's can be had refurbished for about $100 now. Even without a case they are one of the most durable phones I've ever had. Mostly waterproof, unbreakable screen, etc. I literally have dents in my screen, no biggie. They'd be a decent option for a rugged phone/radio combination. (and also have a 20mp camera and record 4k video)