Walkey Talkey

[Southerngent630]

I have a good Walkey Talkey, can you use them on board or in Europe to keep in touch with family?

[CruiserBruce]

Know that many of these are illegal in foreign countries, as they can interfer with locally used frequencies, including emergency frequencies.

 

Know they work on ships, but can be a little problematic due to the all metal construction of the ship.

 

Know that people who wonder around talking on them loudly, with the volume turned up, can be very annoying to others.

[gerryl12]

Know that many of these are illegal in foreign countries, as they can interfer with locally used frequencies, including emergency frequencies.

 

Know they work on ships, but can be a little problematic due to the all metal construction of the ship.

 

Know that people who wonder around talking on them loudly, with the volume turned up, can be very annoying to others.

I definately agree that they are very annoying mainly because most people do not know how to listen to a radio and have the volume cranked up. Then the reception is not that good so they ask over and over. They fit in the same cattegory as people who yell into a cell phone.

[Big Dawg CC]

We used them on one cruise so we could keep track of the kids. At home, we tested before our cruise, and found that they they had a range of several hundred feet. On the ship, however, they were pratically worthless. Too much metal I suppose. We did not use them again.

[GeriatricNurse]

We used them on one cruise so we could keep track of the kids. At home, we tested before our cruise, and found that they they had a range of several hundred feet. On the ship, however, they were pratically worthless. Too much metal I suppose. We did not use them again.

 

DW & I have used (two-way radios) many times on many ships & the reception was always excellent in/from any location onboard!

[whogo]

Walkie-talkies are perfect for those who can not bear to be separated from their loved ones for a moment. You know the type, the husband who accompanies his wife to the beauty parlor and later blocks the aisle while she shops for groceries. Sometimes they dress alike. Walkie-talkies are not needed by anyone who can stand to be away from their beloved for a moment and is clever enough to meet up at an assigned place and time.

 

My only experience with cruise ship walkie-talkies has been as an unwilling eavesdropper to one side of the conversation. "Edgar? Edgar? Is that you, Edgar? Who is this? I want Edgar. Edgar? Edgar?"

 

Hint: As a general rule, speaking louder does not help.

[jcrandle]

Your question asked "can you use them in Europe?" Since DW is a retired English teacher, she has beaten into me that "Can" implies ability, and "May" implies permission. According to my Wiki source, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Radio_Service , it is NOT legal to use US Family Radio System (which is likely the generic category you refer to) in Europe. They use the US FRS frequencies for other service, though they have similar service on different frequencies.

 

On the other hand, it is possible to use the FRS radios in Europe, as anecdotal evidence says that they have worked there, though your should be aware that if the use was detected, you could be subject to punitive legal action by the government.

[photomikey]

Walkie-talkies are not needed by anyone who can stand to be away from their beloved for a moment and is clever enough to meet up at an assigned place and time.

 

This is true in a shopping mall or amusement park where people use them where there is at least the remotest possibility that they will be separated. It is stupider by an order of magnitude on a ship at sea, where your loved one, even without prior arrangement, can really only be a few hundred yards from you, and by design must return to the stateroom at least a few times per day. Even without that, it is hard for me to imagine walking the Lido deck from the Lido itself, past the pool, down a flight of stairs to the... whatever deck is below that, past the shops, the bars, the casino, the library, the coffee shop, and a variety of lounges. It seems to me that you could walk through every single public area of the ship in a matter of about ten minutes any find just about any passenger who is not in their stateroom. Furthermore, it is husband on one end of the radio and wife on the other end, I know my wife's habits better than I know my own, I could predict her location on the ship down to whether she's on the port or starboard side and whether she's sitting in a chair or on the sofa with about 80% accuracy.