Hand Held Radio Safety Lanyard
One day while wearing my Kenwood TH-F6 on my belt I backed up to a wall for some reason and the radio fell off my belt and the clip on battery separated, both falling to the floor. The radio was ok but the battery lock mechanism was broken. The battery is rather expensive so I determined to figure out how to protect any HT radio. It took a while but here is my solution:
T-Reign 24 inch 4 oz small retractable tether. (My model: TRSMSTRAP HUNT). Approximate cost is anywhere from $16 to #25. I purchased mine from Sports Chalet in Brea California for $12.76 on sale. My model has a Velcro belt loop which I do not see on the T-Reign web site.
I tried to make the T-Reign work directly by trying to attach the device to my HT but it simply would not work. The unit has a satinless steel loop but it was extremely difficult to open and once I did open the loop I found it would not slip through most of the small HT lanyard openings. The elegant solution was found when I spotted a Nite Ize S-Binder #5 carbine. I purchased the 2 pack for about $3.99. I found them at Home Depot and Sports Chalet.
Photo taken by Nancy Nuclear.
The Kevlar cord is 24 inches and simply will not allow the HT radio to hit the ground. The cord does pull out with some small effort. I found working the HT radio was not impeded by being connected to the lanyard. The S-Binder carabiner works terrific for quick connect and disconnect. I totally discount using the the cable anchor because it is such a pain to connect and disconnect.