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Walkie-Talkie on a ship: good idea?

ashoor

By ashoor,
in Princess Cruises

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Potstech

Potstech

Posted
Posted (edited)
I have used walkie talkies on ships for YEARS. Love having them when we split up from a group. great with kids who want some independent time but them want to meet back up in a bit. great on shore when splitting up instead of cell phones. Mine even reach ship to shore to communicate with someone who wanted to stay on ship in port.

 

Be aware that different countries have different regulations on use of transmitting devices. some require special licenses and some are only allowed on certain frequencies. the walkie talkies bought in the states are approved for use in the US and not necessarily in another country. Some countries call for high fines and jail time for illegal use of transmitting devices.

 

Also they make ear pieces, sold at Radios Shack, that will keep all your conversation to yourself. Or else use a standard set of headphones/ear buds to keep others from being bothered by your use.

Edited by Potstech
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satxdiver

satxdiver

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Posted
We use Motorola brand walkie talkies or "2-way radios" as they are now called.

 

Our rechargeable ones no longer hold a charge and we started shopping around for a new set. Be careful not to buy the generic 22 channel type, you'll want the security code/channel feature or you could be stuck with several others on the same channel.

 

After seeing the prices for new walkie talkies to replace the rechargeable ones we have, I discovered that by removing the rechargeable battery pack you can actually place regular AA batteries into ours. That's something I'm not sure many realize.

 

Just used them on the Grand Princess this past week. Nobody on our channel, just us. Had some issues if we were across the ship with many decks between. But going to the atrium usually gave us a signal from bow to stern.

 

Nobody complained or gave dirty looks when we used them. In fact many asked how they worked and wanted to get some of their own. Although we try to be discrete and keep the volume down when talking on them.

 

They are officially called FRS/GMRS handhelds (aka walkie talkies). They are licensed by the FCC. By FCC regulation they have 22 channels total. Privacy codes and any other silly marketing rhetoric is not all they claim. What it actually is squelch control. If you send the right code, the squelch in your radio will open allowing you to hear what is being transmitted on that channel at that moment. Want to hear everything on the channel? Turn off the privacy codes or whatever it is called. Luckily with only 22 channels available and the low use of these radios on a ship, it generally is not too conjested.

 

Ships are made of metal. Metal walls, doors, etc are everywhere and metal is an insulator to radio waves. It makes it difficult to communicate between metal decks or even one end of a deck full of cabins to the other end.

 

While the radios are licensed for use in the US and Canada, they are not licensed for use in many foreign countries since each sets their own rules. Using them in a foreign country could get you a free visit to their constabulary with painful results.

 

Last shouting into the radio does not improve what the other party is hearing. In fact it makes it worse because you are overdriving the input causing severe distortion of your voice at the other end. So DON'T DO IT. Besides it is extremely distracting.

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  • 11 months later...
carolekam

carolekam

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We are considering getting walkie-talkies for our cruise. I am disabled but will be separated from my family from time to time during the cruise. What if I have an emergency and need to contact them? Should I not take a walkie-talkie just because it may annoy some other people? If you have a better (and not expensive) idea then let me know.

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Putterdude

Putterdude

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We are considering getting walkie-talkies for our cruise. I am disabled but will be separated from my family from time to time during the cruise. What if I have an emergency and need to contact them? Should I not take a walkie-talkie just because it may annoy some other people? If you have a better (and not expensive) idea then let me know.

 

My DW has MS often spends ship time in our cabin so I can understand your concern. However in the event of an emergency there is a button on your cabin phone to push and if you are in an accessible cabin there are emergency pull cords.

 

You can put on the list of those who have never met or heard a walkie talkie that they liked .:eek:

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Nancyquilts

Nancyquilts

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We are considering getting walkie-talkies for our cruise. I am disabled but will be separated from my family from time to time during the cruise. What if I have an emergency and need to contact them? Should I not take a walkie-talkie just because it may annoy some other people? If you have a better (and not expensive) idea then let me know.

 

If you only use it when you have an emergency and no one is present, you obviously won't be bothering anyone, but you may not have good reception. If someone else is there, I would hope they would contact the medical service for you.

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ronrythm

ronrythm

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Posted
We are considering getting walkie-talkies for our cruise. I am disabled but will be separated from my family from time to time during the cruise. What if I have an emergency and need to contact them? Should I not take a walkie-talkie just because it may annoy some other people? If you have a better (and not expensive) idea then let me know.
Welcome! Great to have a new person on the boards. First let me say in response to your question, that there are house phones all over the ship. If you have an emergency, especially a medical one, it would be best to use the house phone to call the emergency number (or ask one of the staff or crew to call) and get help immediately, rather than try to get someone on a rather chancy portable radio and then have them try to figure out where you are to get help for you. The emergency personnel of the ship can then track down your relatives if needed.

 

One note, since you are new: it is often better to start a new thread than reply to a thread like this one that is over a year old. Most the people from this one will have moved on to other things.

Enjoy

Ron

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Cruisin' Chick

Cruisin' Chick

Posted
Posted
We are considering getting walkie-talkies for our cruise. I am disabled but will be separated from my family from time to time during the cruise. What if I have an emergency and need to contact them? Should I not take a walkie-talkie just because it may annoy some other people? If you have a better (and not expensive) idea then let me know.

 

considering that walkie talkies:

1) may not work in many places on board

2) will annoy the heck out of your fellow passengers

3) yes, there are better ways of communicating with loved ones on board

 

May I suggest that if you are having an emergency while you're in your cabin, if you can get to your phone, call the 911 number on it. If you are having an emergency while about the ship, there are house phones all over the ship or you can flag down a crew member or a fellow passenger to get on the phone and call for help. If you have to be taken to the infirmary, the bridge will make a PA for your family members to meet you there.

 

For everyone who is trying to stay in touch with others on board: it really isn't a massive place. You may often run into your family members or friends when not trying to track them down (sometimes I would run into my teen with her friends many times on our last cruise). You can leave notes (that's what we did), set up meeting times and places, call from a house phone and leave a message on your or someone else's cabin phone.

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cinycat

cinycat

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Walkie-Talkie on a ship: good idea? Especially when two groups of people and you are constantly doing different things etc.

 

Has anyone used walkie-talkie to get in touch with family and friends on a ship?

 

Used this last year when I was on an Alaska cruise with my 10 year old grandson. Generally worked like a charm. Sometimes it didn't because of interference from bulkheads, etc. but I would recommend it.

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MSN-Travelers

MSN-Travelers

Posted
Posted
We are considering getting walkie-talkies for our cruise. I am disabled but will be separated from my family from time to time during the cruise. What if I have an emergency and need to contact them? Should I not take a walkie-talkie just because it may annoy some other people? If you have a better (and not expensive) idea then let me know.

 

Buy/take any electronics that will make your cruise more enjoyable.

 

Please be aware that the radio signal has to be able to reach both parties for the radios to be effective. The radio signals have to literally punch through the decks, bulkheads and cabin walls. Unfortunately, people tend to think that shouting will make a weak signal stronger. It is this use of an "outside voice" that makes them annoying to people around you.

 

Everybody will report different experiences but we found these radios to be ineffective when the parties were widely separated by distance and decks.

 

I certainly wouldn't want to rely on them in an emergency.

 

Enjoy!

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caribill

caribill

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At the same time they do work just well enough to make them worthwhile occasionally, especially if one person likes to wander.

 

They should never be turned on during shows or lectures or in the dining rooms.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Thrak

Thrak

Posted
Posted
We are going to purchase a set for our next trip - for use ashore only. It would have been great to have some walkie-talkies in Hong Kong when hubby and I became separated in Patty's Markets. :o

For that purpose I'd just purchase a short-term international package from my phone carrier and either call or text my wife. I have a fear of ending up in a foreign jail while my ship sails away! (Plus it's just easier...)

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KandCsailing

KandCsailing

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My adult sister-in-law really wanted to have us bring our set of walkie-talkies to use when we cruised together and she lost it 5 minutes after I gave one to her on board. :rolleyes:

 

That was the only time we've tried. If I can't find Dh around the ship I first check the trivia schedule and second look for him napping in our cabin. Post it notes work great for some people.

 

If you will feel safer then take a set along. The staff will also page a family member to locate someone for an emergency.

Edited by KandCsailing
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hllwdcruiser Great Review Rare

hllwdcruiser

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We brought them on board once and then only used them once when we tested them while still in port in Port Everglades. They were too much of a bother to carry around with us and we found that we never needed them, even when traveling with another couple. Making plans prior and leaving voicemails served us just fine. We never brought them onboard again.....

Edited by hllwdcruiser
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flacousa

flacousa

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Posted
Anyone with a FRS/GMRS hand held radio (aka walkie talkie) can hear every word uttered over the air. There is no such thing as a "private" setting.

 

RIGHT/WRONG! Most radios have 24, 36 or 48 channels plus privacy codes.

 

My Midlands have 36 channels and 121 privacy codes, if I set a privacy code on both my radios we only hear others on the same channel using one of the 121 codes that match what I have set on that channel, so do the math 36X121=4356 combinations of "privacy" from listening to others chat, the drawback is that anyone on that channel can hear you regardless of the privacy code you use so refrain from doing any drug deals on the radio NSA is listening...

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