I’ve been following Alex Garland, OUTDOORS55, on Youtube for quite a while. He has some of the most practical knife sharpening information I have found which is what originally brought me to his channel. He’s also a knife maker and is going to be releasing a very interesting ultralight saw in the next week.
The saw consists of a carbon fiber tube handle with metal reinforcing ferrules at the ends. This handle can accept any standard reciprocating saw blade which is extremely clever considering how inexpensive and plentiful pruning/clean wood blades are. These blades are also made for use in power tools and tend to be very durable compared to some higher performance folding saws.
The saw comes with a 12″ carbide tipped pruning recip blade, a blade cover, and the handle itself. The whole package including the blade cover weighs in at 3.95 ounces. That is extremely impressive when you consider that most 7-8″ folding saws weigh almost twice that (6.6 ounces for something like a Bahco Laplander).
The stats on this saw are impressive but when you consider that it breaks down into two compact parts and doesn’t use expensive replacement blades, it looks like a real winner. Pricing and the exact release date are not available at this time. You can keep your eye on Alex’s Instagram feed and KnifePointGear.com for more information.
FRS radio communications can’t be private… can they?
The rechargeable battery packs in some of my older FRS radios gave up the ghost recently so it seemed like a good time to update. FRS radios haven’t seen much innovation in the last several years so I was surprised to come across the Motorola T800 and T801 Talkabout radios with a feature set that is actually quite innovative and very useful.
These radios can be paired with a smartphone to serve as a sort of off-grid, FRS based modem for sending text messages and other info. So… do they work? The short answer is yes, but they come with all the shortcomings of FRS radios with which you are likely already familiar.
Overview
The T800 and T801 radios are identical except for color and the T801 radios come with some additional accessories. These are fairly typical FRS radios with 22 channels and 121 privacy codes. They feature access to NOAA weather radio and ca be configured to give weather alerts. They come with a rechargeable NiMH battery pack but can also be powered from 3 AA batteries. Per the FCC listing, these radios output 750mW (FRS max is 2W but power makes almost no difference with these radios for a variety of reasons).
The housings are weather resistant but not submersible. The quality is typical Motorola which is to say it is quite good. They feel sturdy.
Finally, the feature that sets these apart is Bluetooth connectivity. This is used to pair the radios with your phone in order to integrate with Motorola’s free Talkabout app which contains the connected functionality. It is not used for wireless headsets or anything along those lines.
Observations from Use
As FRS radios go… these are typical. If you have ever used FRS radios before, you are familiar with their limitations. Radio manufacturers often claim ranges of 30+ miles but that rarely (if ever) works out in the real world. I tested these around my home which consists of low hills, lots of timber, and few structures. These are hardly ideal conditions but they are a good test. My testing consisted of placing one radio inside my home with my wife while I walked around our area and attempted to contact her along with general usage on our acreage.
I was able to have reliable voice connections regardless of conditions within a 1/2 mile. At 3/4 a mile, voice calls were generally fine but I could put myself in positions where I was too low or there was too much timber to make contact. Generally, I could make contact easily out to 1 1/2 or 2 miles as long as I was intentional about my positioning. This is fairly typical of any decent quality FRS radio that I have tried.
In my experience, the connected features of these radios work well with one very annoying caveat. Before I get into that, I’ll outline a little about how these features work. The radios may be paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth. Once connected, they may be used in conjunction with Motorola’s free Talkabout app to send individual or group texts and share locations via maps as long. All of the connected features are handled via the app with the radios acting as a sort of modem.
Each user is registered to the app which adds a useful layer of privacy that is lacking with FRS voice communications. You can send texts to a specific radio user or blast them out to anyone who may be in range. This privacy is perhaps the best feature of these radios.
The data range is shorter than the voice range. I was able to send texts from almost 1 1/2 miles but I also had texts that failed to send at 3/4 mile. Like voice communications, it will be heavily dependant on your conditions but is generally reliable within a 1/2 mile.
Now for the annoying caveat: You can turn off any and all tones on these radio for silent operation… except for one. Whenever the radio connects to or disconnects from Bluetooth, there is a fairly loud tone. It can not be turned off which is unfortunate because, like many Bluetooth devices, these can and will drop their connection at inopportune times. Sometimes just having your phone on one side of your body and the radio on the other is enough to interrupt the Bluetooth connection resulting in a surprise tone. This is obviously not ideal for hunting or home security applications but it can be mitigated by turning off Bluetooth or only using it intentionally. Using an earpiece may also eliminate the tone, at the external speaker at least, but I have been unable to test this.
Wrap Up
FRS radios are, in my view, the foundation of almost any emergency communication plan. They do not require a license to operate and, chances are, your neighbors already have some compatible radios. They are not without limitations but they are the first rung in the ladder.
The Motorola T800 and T801 are solid, typical FRS radios with the useful addition of off-grid text messaging and location sharing. They expand your communication options in a useful way when you are out of range of a cell tower or in emergencies. Perhaps most importantly, they add a method of communication that is more private than voice communications over FRS frequencies.
I purchased 4 of the T801 Talkabouts from Amazon for my own use. If you are interested, you can check them out at Amazon.com (affiliate links to follow):
Hill People Gear just launched the new V2 version of the Conner. The biggest changes relate to the Conner’s evolution of a pocket first, then a pack, to a pack first. It now sports a full suspension, larger water bottle pockets, additional capacity, and more.
We’ve taken our popular Connor pocket / backpack and updated it for version 2. Version 2 is a dedicated backpack, although it still retains the tabs necessary to be used as a back pocket if so desired. The V2 Connor has the following features:
Extremely load capable AHBC chassis allows for an optional belt and also carries very comfortably in shoulder only mode.
Large main dimensional pocket fully lined with First Spear’s 6/12 PALS cut velcro loop fabric lets you create whatever organizational system you want.
Center zip outer pocket with stretchy tweave fabric on the outside expands as you stuff it.
Twin outer mesh pockets on either side of the center zip. Sized to take a bike bottle size bottle.
Full height zippered spacer mesh pocket on the inside of the pack
Hypalon compression wings have a 2 channel pals grid cut into them for additional pouches either inside or outside of the wings.
Dual wand pockets are large enough to accept round or GI sized Nalgene bottles. will not accept a GI canteen cup
Generously long bottom compression straps.
Includes (2) ITW repair female SR buckles.This allows conversion of the straps from center pull to side pull.
I recently had the chance to try Fire Wicks from Ben’s Backwoods and I’m impressed. To give you some context, my impression of them is that they are kind of like an improved version of petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls. Having something that readily turns spark into flame and then extends that flame is vital to any fire kit.
Fire Wicks are sections of lamp wick that are impregnated with wax. The use of lamp wick is the genius part. First, lamp wick is dense with cotton fibers so the can be fluffed to catch a spark and burn for a long, long time. Second, the lamp wick is flat in form which makes Fire Wicks incredibly easy to store in a kit, on a sheath, or anywhere. Lastly, one Fire Wick can be trimmed into multiple pieces to start multiple fires. It can also be kept whole to use like a match when starting a twig stove or reaching into a fire lay. The lamp wick form is very handy.
At GunfighterslNC we have always prioritized customer feedback and demand into our design process. We consider it to be a valuable tool in both honing our existing products as well deciding where to spend our research and development time. So, in short, you ask for it, we deliver, and we deliver it right.
We are proud to introduce the long awaited Scoped Revolver Holster!
We wanted to maximize scope coverage and protection without being bulky. The scope cover was designed and re-designed at least a half dozen times before we were happy with it. We settled on 22 oz HEX70 XL which is a 70 denier nylon designed specifically for high strength, durability, and superior abrasion resistance. This is sewn over a elastic core to give a slight amount of stretch to conform to the scopes shape and position.
The scope cover needed to be able to conform to the various ways a scope can be mounted and be as simple as possible to minimize bulk and failure points. To accomplish this we decided on 1/4 inch shock cord woven through the length of the scope cover and joined with a large pull tab which is easy to grasp even with a gloved hand.
The cord attaches to the front shell using a marine grade nylon impregnated composite hook (used in sailboat racing) which is hard riveted on, so it won’t degrade over time and is impervious to the elements. The result of all that is a scope cover that will stand the test of time, doesn’t need adjustment to provide tension and looks the business.
The Scoped Hunter is available for most revolver platforms at this time, in both right and left hand draw. Models offered are: S&W X Frame, N Frame, L Frame, Ruger Redhawk\Super Redhawk, Ruger Blackhawk/Super Blackhawk and the Taurus Raging Hunter. More models will be added based on customer demand.
I hope that you enjoy it!
Adam Harris
Visit our website to browse or purchase, or reach out to us directly to find out more about the Scoped Hunter Holster. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have – and, we appreciate you spreading the word, should you feel compelled to do so. 🙂
