Thanks for the pep talk Draclvr! I will continue to wander and use the gadgets for now. If it doesn't start to open up some more, I will take that peek at the walkthrough as you suggest. But I do wish I could ditch that walkie talkie
.
Edit: Another 2 hours. I did manage to get a little further (opened up another room), so we'll see. I'm not one to just quit playing a game, but certainly not loving it yet.