walkie talkie

[Peaches54]

Do walkie talkies work well on cruise ships? Any experienced "walkie talkie users" please give information about how well they do or do not work,  what type of walkie talkies work well.

[Flatbush Flyer]

8 minutes ago, Peaches54 said:

Do walkie talkies work well on cruise ships? Any experienced "walkie talkie users" please give information about how well they do or do not work,  what type of walkie talkies work well.

You may want to search here on CC for the hundreds of threads asking this same question.

In any case, 

#1. Walkie Talkies are obnoxious PIAs which are extremely offensive to everyone within earshot of you.

#2. The metal structure throughout a cruise ship render all but the most expensive professional models (possessed by crew) useable throughout the ship.

#3. Use post-it notes and the complimentary shipboard voice mail service.

[Herfnerd]

Ditto FF - walkie talkies don't work other than to annoy people

[MCC retired]

Please do a Search here on CC.

They have been debated over and over if they work at all but mostly concerning the  annoyance to other guests.

Can be a hostile topic.

Edited October 29, 2018 by MCC retired

[leaveitallbehind]

As others have indicated, they do not work well as the metal structure interferes with any consistent transmission.  The ones the crew uses rely on repeaters located around the ship and are on a unique frequency.  

 

The bigger and most hotly debated concern is that they are more often annoying to other passengers who are in earshot of those attempting to try to make them work with amplified conversations punctuated with electronic squelching.

 

IMO they are also not necessary as the ships are not that large to make it difficult to find other more effective ways to communicate, such as pre-arranged plans to meet, post it notes on the stateroom doors, messages on the stateroom phones, meal time discussions of plans, etc.

[ldubs]

Twenty something years ago we took consumer grade walkie talkies (Radio Shack) with the idea of being able to talk to the kids.  They did not work very well.   

 

I'm not among those who would become highly annoyed if you tried to use them around me.  But, I think  you can read for yourself that walkie talkies have become a "no-no" here on CC.   Just say no to walkie talkies.  

[jlp20]

Cruise ships are made of steel. Normal radios are simply not powerful enough to overcome the barriers. It really isn't that hard to locate your party on a ship. People have been doing it for decades.

[cb at sea]

Simply try TALKING to the others in your party...tell them your plans...listen to THEIR plans...and you won't have even one iota of trouble connecting.  The ship appears to be so large, but since 90% is taken up by cabin space, you only have about 10% of the ship to look thru to find the others!  It's not the chore you imagine it to be.

[Heidi13]

Although consumer "walkie talkies" tend to use UHF, which has improved propagation over VHF inside the ship, they are still basically unusable.

 

When working, my $1,000 portable radio could reach through a couple of steel bulkheads, without using the repeater system. Consumer radios are less powerful. The officers & crew radios use a repeater system with Tx/Rx aerials located throughout the ship. This is the only reason their radios work. The officer & crew radios operate with a tone to access the repeater system, a feature that isn't available on cheap radios.

 

With consumer "walkie talkies" you will really only get reception when in line of sight, probably on the outer decks.

 

Suggest saving baggage space and leaving them at home.

 

 

[ldubs]

3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

With consumer "walkie talkies" you will really only get reception when in line of sight, probably on the outer decks.

 

 

 

 

 

The ones I mentioned above worked a lot better than what you describe. Reception was not limited to line of sight or outer decks.  But still, in my opinion, they did not function well enough to make it worth while.  

[SRF]

Also, realize unlicensed radios that are legal in the US may be illegal on board the ship, especially once you are in foreign waters (not just on land).

[mef_57]

You cruise line may also disallow them aboard.  Check your 'prohibited list'.

 

[Heidi13]

6 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

The ones I mentioned above worked a lot better than what you describe. Reception was not limited to line of sight or outer decks.  But still, in my opinion, they did not function well enough to make it worth while.  

Apologies, should have mentioned reliable communications, as I carried a portable radio continuously while working and required reliable & clear communications.

 

Propagation of radio waves are constantly changing and before the days of ship repeater systems, we could achieve some level of communications using our commercial radios, but it was never reliable. Some times we received signals through bulkheads, at other times it was garbled. Only time they worked flawlessly was when crew were away in a boat, on the dock or outer decks.

 

Haven't used consumer radios, but can't see how they would perform better than the commercial radios provided to the Captains & Officers.

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 10/29/2018 at 9:35 AM, Peaches54 said:

Do walkie talkies work well on cruise ships? Any experienced "walkie talkie users" please give information about how well they do or do not work,  what type of walkie talkies work well.

They seem to work much better at ticking off fellow pax than they do at communicating.

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

 

Haven't used consumer radios, but can't see how they would perform better than the commercial radios provided to the Captains & Officers.

 

I agree and don't think they are in any way comparable to commercial grade.  Like I said, the Radio Shack ones we had were "iffy" at best and really were not worth bringing.  

[Thrak]

Just a note that, in some countries, if you take them ashore you may well be having an "extended stay" in their correctional facilities. Some places just have no sense of humor in regard to their own particular restrictions.

[SRF]

Even if you do not take them off the ship.  Just using them in another countries waters could be problematic.

 

What is an unlicensed, public use, frequency in the US could be a military or police frequency in another country.

 

[Schoifmom]

Check with your cruiseline (you don't say which you are sailing on).  Most mainstream lines have some sort of phone app which includes the capability to chat with your fellow cruisers (some are included, some have a nominal charge).  While they may not be totally reliable, they are certainly better than walkies.

[bmci3398]

On 10/29/2018 at 11:50 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

#3. Use post-it notes and the complimentary shipboard voice mail service.

So, how does the complimentary shipboard voice mail service work? I ought cell phones wouldn't work out at sea. Are there phones around where you can call to listen to a message? I ask as my daughter, son, and eighty nine year old mom will be in different places than I will be, and I've wondered how to save steps as opposed to going to the room all the time. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, bmci3398 said:

So, how does the complimentary shipboard voice mail service work? I ought cell phones wouldn't work out at sea. Are there phones around where you can call to listen to a message? I ask as my daughter, son, and eighty nine year old mom will be in different places than I will be, and I've wondered how to save steps as opposed to going to the room all the time. 

Just like any decent hotel: Leave/retrieve messages on your cabin phone. Depending on the ship, you may also be able to dial your mail box from any "house phone."

As for heading back to the cabin: consider cruising on non-humongous multi-thousand passenger ships.

[SRF]

Cell phones work on board ship, but at a VERY high cost.

 

If you really need to be in touch, get wifi access for each person and text or email.  With many smart phones and plans, you can do wifi calling.  There are a number of threads on wifi calling.

 

But most people just plan and talk.  Before you go your separate ways, discuss what and when people will do things.  And periodic meeting times and places.  So everyone goes and does their thing after breakfast, then meet at 11:30 for lunch, then off to their things, and meet in the late afternoon, etc.

Edited January 14, 2019 by SRF