Use a cell phone as a walkie talkie?!

Tom Dunlap

Tom Dunlap

Here from the beginning
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Retired in Minneapolis
This week I heard an article on NPR about a cell phone app that allows people to setup a network that makes them into walkie talkies.

Zello

Has anyone ever used Zello or something similar? I haven't looked at the app very closely. From what I gathered on the NPR article it seems to be an inexpensive alternative to buying dedicated radios.

If I understand it right all that would be needed is the phone and ear/mouth piece. These can be bought at a very reasonable price. If they get damaged they seem cheap enough to just buy another.
 
Yeah and a pretty lame battery life

not a reliable setup at all

best spring for the real thing and get something heavy duty
 
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Yeah...till your $400 smart phone drops out of the tree! I love our sena's!

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Not that I'm defending the app...but...my 4s iPhone cost me $0.99 when the 5 series came out
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It's a pretty simple thing to put a phone in a zippered pocket so it doesn't get dropped. That is, if the app works by only using the mic/earphone. For all I know the keypad might have to be used to. In that case The Fumblies need to be considered of course.
 
Interesting Tom, you ALWAYS dig up cool stuff.

Anyway, I've dropped my phone from 40' no problem but broke the screen sitting by the pool in a beech chair so that is not an issue to me. I'm a firm believer in always having my phone in the tree with me anyway.
The issue:
-it only works when the screen is on and the "talk" screen is in the foreground.
(may not last long)

Must have a data connection or WiFi so out in the woods with poor cell reception may limit it's use. I don't think it will go from one wifi phone direct to the other wifi phone, has to pass thru their server.

-inexpensive, up to 35 mile range walkie talkies are available.
Cool, helmet mounted voice activated are not that expensive either. (I got mine from Paul Cox)

Good thought for an "in the drawer" phone though.
 
While im in a tree, im in the 'library'

there is not any extra discussion, my groundies know to keep anything said to the job at hand and stay focused


I feel that phone calls would add distraction


I just go up, get 'er done and come back down, im not looking to set up office in the air. They can leave a message and wait a few minutes...
 
A couple of the guys on my old crew did something like this. Basically its a touch to talk function.

WHen I was in Toronto our company had motorola phones with talk. It was good because the range was insane, like from the Caribbean to Canada. We could connect with other companies that subscribed to it. We never used it for communications on the worksite though. Interesting idea.
 
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You guys take calls up a tree?

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This app makes the phone into a walkie talkie for communication...taking calls is another issue.

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Yes, I realize that...

But some stated they were always taking their phone up the tree already. I imagine they were taking it up , to use it?
 
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You guys take calls up a tree?

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yes of course. Let me make two examples 1, I'm rec climbing with a friend, we are both in the tree,one of us is injured, who is going to call 911.
another example, you're working as a two man crew your groundie is running a chipper and you're up the tree he hurt himself, the chipper is still running nobody can hear anything and you're the only one that can call 911 it probably be good to call now before you get down out of the tree.
There are LOTS of good reasons to have that technology up there with you.
 
Sena's take care of everything, and work awesome for us. Can talk to my groundie or my crane op, and I can take a call if need be. My phone is always with me in my pocket just in case anyways so might as well keep it connected and have a little background music while I work
 
There should always be a ground assistant available for the climber, not off chipping brush !

Noone should be chipping brush alone anyway-
 
Personally, I take my phone up with me every time. If I find an issue in the tree, which isn't visible from the ground, but which the client needs to see, in order to continue to be able to make informed decisions, I can photograph it, text it to them, even use Skype or Facetime to give them live video of the issue.

I find myself more and more in the information business. It's a big part of why my clients hire me.
 
It does take some discipline to not answer every call unless it's an important business call. I've used it to take photos of issues that need to be dealt with and to discuss it at the moment, whether it's with the client or my boss.
 
Yes I understand how you may need to communicate with a manager from a remote location

or possibly the homeowner/client ( cervi ) although I feel this just leads to a pressure sale, and not a practice I prefer (I'd rather have another meeting with the client, without the pressure of me being in the tree and they have to make an immediate decision)

I like to limit extra distraction while in the tree. If the phone was up there ringing every 5-10 min it would slow productivity and be possibly distractingly dangerous


I choose only to communicate with who is working on the tree with me: other climber , lift op , crane op , groundies, etc..

For that reason a hands free helmet communication system is what I would choose
 
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