WALKIE TALKIES BRAND

[ASolosailer]

Just found out that my iPhone 5C does not accept ISO 11 which is needed for downloading the RC App for family communications.  Therefore, I need to purchase walkie talkies for the ship.  Anyone have any experience using walkie talkies on cruise ship, i.e. Allure?  What brand works the best?  Thanks. 

[Clarea]

Our experience with walkie-talkies was unsatisfactory.  Once we were separated by a few decks, communication was poor to impossible.

[Mike981]

Might work some of the time, probably won't most of the time. And guaranteed to upset fellow cruisers all of the time.

[mom says]

If you do a search you will find multiple threads stating that they don't work well due to all the metal work on the ship,  as well as being a source of annoyance and irritation by those cruisers within earshot,  and finally  the technical explanation by our resident mariner of why they won't work.

 

Bottom line, find another solution.

Edited August 25, 2019 by mom says

[MCC retired]

Do a Search on this subject . Always a hot topic .

Lots of postings , always controversial about how/if they work at all , and guest annoyance .

Am I giving away my opinion ? 😀

Edited August 25, 2019 by MCC retired

[mac66]

"walkie talkies" are kind of a generic term. The most common are the bubble pack FRS/GMRS radios like the Motorolas.  The FCC recently boosted the power ratings on these things.  Older ones put out 1/2 watt power, newer ones put out 2 watts which are much better and just may work better on board a ship than the old ones.  The problems on board is that everything is metal which tends to block radio signals.  Used on deck or on balconies or open areas WTs should be good to go. Used inside cabins, not so much. Most come with earphone mics to avoid disturbing other passengers. I find them less annoying than people walking/talking/texting on their cell phones oblivious to their surroundings.

 

A highly rated and relatively inexpensive 2 Watt WT  are these...

 

https://www.amazon.com/Radioddity-Two-Way-License-Free-Channels-Charging/dp/B07T5DSJGQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?SubscriptionId=AKIAJO7E5OLQ67NVPFZA&ascsubtag=740724368-2-&tag=shopperz_origin1-20

Edited August 25, 2019 by mac66

[shipgeeks]

Cabin telephones, post-it notes, white boards all work easily.  Planning to meet up at a time and place works.

[SantaFeFan]

22 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

Cabin telephones, post-it notes, white boards all work easily.  Planning to meet up at a time and place works.

 

Over a hundred days on cruise ships and never needed a walkie talkie. And this with multiple family members and friends. It really is not a problem. In the best case scenario both parties of the conversation will be able to use it when one party calls, but in many cases they can't be used (or shouldn't be used) because the party being called is at a venue where the call would be a major distraction to anyone around them. Think of a cell phone going off in a theater. Not pleasant for everyone else. 

Edited August 25, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[donaldsc]

Bring out the popcorn.

 

DON

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, ASolosailer said:

Just found out that my iPhone 5C does not accept ISO 11 which is needed for downloading the RC App for family communications.  Therefore, I need to purchase walkie talkies for the ship.  Anyone have any experience using walkie talkies on cruise ship, i.e. Allure?  What brand works the best?  Thanks. 

The consumer portable radios generally work on the UHF band, which have better propagation through steel than VHF, but they still do not provide a reliable means of communication. You will see the officers talking clearly on radios, but they are utilising the ship's repeater system. Consumer radios are great for line of sight and open air, but are virtually useless within the accommodation of a cruise ship.

 

In addition to progagation issues, they are also low power transmitters, with the max power of cheap walkie talkies being 2W. My portable UHF/VHF radios were rated 5W and they didn't work without the repeater system. 

 

Sadly, many will advise they work well, but I spent 25 yrs at sea before the advent of the ship wide repeater system, and daily cursed the limitations of portable radios for effective communications.

[ASolosailer]

thank you for that detailed info.

 

[SRF]

Another factor, radios that are legal in the US, may not be legal in other countries (including the territorial waters of that country).

 

Radio frequency allocation is not world wide for most of the spectrum.

 

Also, some countries pretty much prohibit radios for private use.

[ducklite]

14 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Cabin telephones, post-it notes, white boards all work easily.  Planning to meet up at a time and place works.

Agreed.  We sailed with our son when he was 16 and didn't have or need walkie-talkies. We just agreed on the where and when in advance and left a note if anything changed.

[LA_CA_GAL]

When selecting walkie talkies, go for the loudest ones.

When you find out that they do not work on a cruise ship, get one of these for a backup:

 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

19 hours ago, ASolosailer said:

Just found out that my iPhone 5C does not accept ISO 11 which is needed for downloading the RC App for family communications.  Therefore, I need to purchase walkie talkies for the ship.  Anyone have any experience using walkie talkies on cruise ship, i.e. Allure?  What brand works the best?  Thanks. 

As stated. The connection between them is not 100% at all. Hit and miss depending where you are on the ship. Brand. Motorola. As for upsetting other cruisers. So does using an iphone. So what. Even though. You can use an ear piece if you are worried about disturbing others.

[SantaFeFan]

1 hour ago, twodaywonder said:

As stated. The connection between them is not 100% at all. Hit and miss depending where you are on the ship. Brand. Motorola. As for upsetting other cruisers. So does using an iphone. So what. Even though. You can use an ear piece if you are worried about disturbing others.

 

An earpiece won't stop the inevitable "Can you hear me" shouting that will occur when the signal is weak and the speaker is trying to be heard, which will be most of the time. Conversations go both ways - unless you are married, that is! 😉😂

[mac66]

21 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

Over a hundred days on cruise ships and never needed a walkie talkie. And this with multiple family members and friends. It really is not a problem. In the best case scenario both parties of the conversation will be able to use it when one party calls, but in many cases they can't be used (or shouldn't be used) because the party being called is at a venue where the call would be a major distraction to anyone around them. Think of a cell phone going off in a theater. Not pleasant for everyone else. 

 

And yet...I've used them used successfully on cruise ships when the kids were little. Limitations not withstanding, they used to be quite popular.  Whether you or I  find them useful is immaterial. They are better than nothing.  I for one would like to see someone use the newer more powerful ones just to see how they compare with the older ones.

 

In fact I may just buy a pair for my next cruise just to tick off you old (GET OFF MY LAWN!) fogies. 😉

Edited August 26, 2019 by mac66

[SantaFeFan]

2 hours ago, mac66 said:

 

And yet...I've used them used successfully on cruise ships when the kids were little. Limitations not withstanding, they used to be quite popular.  Whether you or I  find them useful is immaterial. They are better than nothing.  I for one would like to see someone use the newer more powerful ones just to see how they compare with the older ones.

 

In fact I may just buy a pair for my next cruise just to tick off you old (GET OFF MY LAWN!) fogies. 😉

 

And I have successfully fly fished off my balcony on past cruises. (See, I can make stuff up too!)

 

Oh, and GET OFF MY LAWN!

 

 

Edited August 26, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, mac66 said:

I for one would like to see someone use the newer more powerful ones just to see how they compare with the older ones.

 

Suggest checking my previous post # 10.

 

The new models are a max of 2W, while the dual band portables I used were 5W. Even with 5 W transmitters, I was subjected to 25 years of ineffective communications, before the advent of ship repeater systems. So less than half that power of my radio will result in less effective communications. 

 

If you want effective communications on a cruise ship, using portable radios, you require access to the repeater system.

[mac66]

59 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

Suggest checking my previous post # 10.

 

The new models are a max of 2W, while the dual band portables I used were 5W. Even with 5 W transmitters, I was subjected to 25 years of ineffective communications, before the advent of ship repeater systems. So less than half that power of my radio will result in less effective communications. 

 

If you want effective communications on a cruise ship, using portable radios, you require access to the repeater system.

 

I heard you the first time, I just don't believe you. 😉  I need to see for myself.😁

Edited August 26, 2019 by mac66

[mac66]

2 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

And I have successfully fly fished off my balcony on past cruises. (See, I can make stuff up too!)

 

Oh, and GET OFF MY LAWN!

 

 

No, I actually did use them with the kids on a cruise one time. Of course the boats were made of wood back then but they worked.  😁

Edited August 26, 2019 by mac66

[SantaFeFan]

49 minutes ago, mac66 said:

 

I heard you the first time, I just don't believe you. 😉  I need to see for myself.😁

 

Good call. Heidi13 has only been a mariner for most of his working life, all the way up to captain, so what the heck does he know.

[Heidi13]

51 minutes ago, mac66 said:

 

I heard you the first time, I just don't believe you. 😉  I need to see for myself.😁

Doesn't bother me.

 

Suggest you may want to read the theory on the propagation of radio waves, specifically UHF. Might save you some money.

[ldubs]

On 8/25/2019 at 1:15 PM, ASolosailer said:

Just found out that my iPhone 5C does not accept ISO 11 which is needed for downloading the RC App for family communications.  Therefore, I need to purchase walkie talkies for the ship.  Anyone have any experience using walkie talkies on cruise ship, i.e. Allure?  What brand works the best?  Thanks. 

 

Hi ASolosailer.    We brought some of the generic Radio Shack walkie talkies on a cruise when our kids were young.   They did not work very well and were really more of a pain than they were worth.  We decided to not bring them after the first time.  I don't think you will find them to be very useful.  As far as the complaints by other passengers, I think that is probably overblown.   

[lisiamc]

2 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Hi ASolosailer.    We brought some of the generic Radio Shack walkie talkies on a cruise when our kids were young.   They did not work very well and were really more of a pain than they were worth.  We decided to not bring them after the first time.  I don't think you will find them to be very useful.  As far as the complaints by other passengers, I think that is probably overblown.   

 

I’m unlikely to actually complain, unless someone is shouting into their walkie-talkie during a show, a meal in a quiet restaurant, or trivia.  But I will definitely think evil thoughts about the shouter all the same. 😄