Walkie talkies

[melog]

Daft question: will walkie talkies work on boeard and is it a good idea to take with us?:rolleyes:

[rakaia]

Not a daft question at all :)

We took them and found that they came in quite useful...allowed us to split up during sea days and meet up later with little difficulty. Big tip though...don't leave them on too loud (ours vibrated) and don't have long conversations on them...kinda annoying to other people. Great for keeping tabs on each other though on a big ship!

[-Lew-]

We bring a couple walkie-talkies on every cruise.

 

I would suggest you use the newer, higher powered ones that advertise 20 to 25 mile range. Although they don't even approach that kind of range on land, it's an indication of their power output. Their performance onboard is much better than the older, low powered ones. There's a lot of steel on a ship and the higher powered ones perform a lot better with fewer dead spots.

 

Don't forget to bring them with you on your ports of call. No need to worry about getting separated when you have a walkie-talkie with you.

 

Lew

[LEHS]

Sailing June 9 on the Ruby out of Venice--need to buy this week then...any suggestions of the better brand to get? Traveling with 10 people and a 3 yr old...I agree with keeping to vibrate (as I do with my cell phone)--been on RCCL where they offer them and the pax, from what I experienced, were pretty obnoxious talking on them like a Nextel Phone!!

[Cruizin' Dude]

I have brought a pair with me and my lady the last few trips. Though we rarely use them, they do come in handy, and are on our main check list before we go on cruises. It will come in handy when we are in Alaska next week! :D

[TomCruises]

I just purchased a pair of Midland 30 mile range walkie talkies! Anyone have an experience with these. They retail for about $69.99!

[AAAAmerican]

 

What County do you hail from down yonder?

 

 

On Two Way Radios .. what is importnat is there frequency and wattage.

 

 

On Ships being Steel the Radio Waves are not easy to penetrate this metal.

 

 

Also the more channels available make it less likely other Ship-Mates will be on the same one(s) your on.:cool:

 

 

Does yours have a vibrator too? Thats a nice feature too.

 

 

 

 

I just purchased a pair of Midland 30 mile range walkie talkies! Anyone have an experience with these. They retail for about $69.99!

[rcacace]

I would suggest you use the newer, higher powered ones that advertise 20 to 25 mile range. Although they don't even approach that kind of range on land, it's an indication of their power output. Their performance onboard is much better than the older, low powered ones. There's a lot of steel on a ship and the higher powered ones perform a lot better with fewer dead spots.

 

 

Lew

 

Hardly. It's only an advertising ploy to sell their brand over the competition and there are web sites which have reviewed most of common brands. The most critical part of any of any of the walkie talkies is how good the receiver is since their power input and antenna length are controlled by FCC rules. Even an increase in power won't do much to increase the range especially through the steel hull.

[towhee]

The first year we cruised we inevitably found that one of us was going forward on the port side of the ship, while the other was going aft on the starboard side of the ship. We ran ourselves ragged that year.

The following year we brought along two handy-talkies on the Amateur Radio band (we're both licensed) and it was so much easier to find each other. We finally switched to the Family Radio band (non-licensed) when my sister came with us.

These radios are definitely part of our packing just like our toothbrushes. Find one that has multiple channels and set both radios to the same channel. That can be your primary calling channel and if you have interference from other passengers you can always choose a different channel. Keep messages short "Where are you?", "I'm in the forward lounge", "OK, I'll be right up" gets the job done. You can discuss details when you get together.

Some of the larger ships offer them for rent during the cruise. Check with the purser's desk if you don't have your own.

[tetleytea]

We didn't have much luck with walkie-talkies. We could not find a channel that was not also being used by the crew. It was hard to filter out each other's conversations, and too many false alarms--every time you heard something, your ears would perk up but it turned out not to be to you.

[satxdiver]

The two way radios everyone is referring to are FRS (Family Radio Service) and controlled by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). Illegal use of any radio frequency in the USA can result in a fine and imprisonment as stated by law. FRS two way radios are limited to 500 Milliwatts or 0.5 watts output (actually ERP but that is a bit complicated). There are 14 designated channels. Only one conversation can be conducted at one time on any one channel irregardless of the manufacturer's claims. Private channels do not exist. With over 3000 pax on board the ship and perhaps hundreds with FRS radios, what are the chances you will have a clear channel?

 

Another option currently being sold are FRS/GMRS (General Mobil Radio Service) two way radios. GMRS radios require a license from the FCC to operate in the USA. They can have up to 5 watts power (ERP actually) and have 8 assigned channels (15 - 22) plus they share channels 1 - 7 with FRS. GMRS radios are used a lot by businesses and evidentally some ship's crew. Still the physical rule remains with one conversation per channel at any given time. This is not your cell phone and your conversations are not private!

 

The ship is made out of steel. The walls are steel such as the ones in your stateroom. Steel and radio waves do not mix all that well. Steel and other metals such as copper are used to shield electronics from stray radio waves.

 

FRS radios are legal in Mexico but GMRS and FRS/GMRS radios are not. If you are caught using one, you may find yourself on the wrong side of the law.

 

FRS, GMRS and FRS/GMRS radios are not legal in Europe. They can be confiscated and the owner charged with violating the law in that country. Most South American countries allow all three types of two way radios. However they are heavily used by businesses and reception may be very poor.

 

Sometimes when I am bored, I will listen in on the FRS/GMRS frequencies to see what is being said. It can be very entertaining at times.

[travelsafar]

I just purchased a pair of Midland 30 mile range walkie talkies! Anyone have an experience with these. They retail for about $69.99!

 

Our group got these radios and they worked fine throughout most of the entire ship (Holland America). They are GMRS radios and require a license from the FCC which currently cost $85.00 to operate. One fee covers your family and is good for 5 years.

 

The Midland radios we got cost about $70.00 but includes two radios, a charger, headphone mics and rechargeable batteries, although you can use 4 AA batteries instead. They are 5 watt radios which usually have better range than the 1/2 watt FRS radios, although the FRS radio do not require a license.

[satxdiver]

Our group got these radios and they worked fine throughout most of the entire ship (Holland America). They are GMRS radios and require a license from the FCC which currently cost $85.00 to operate. One fee covers your family and is good for 5 years.

 

The Midland radios we got cost about $70.00 but includes two radios, a charger, headphone mics and rechargeable batteries, although you can use 4 AA batteries instead. They are 5 watt radios which usually have better range than the 1/2 watt FRS radios, although the FRS radio do not require a license.

 

Congratulations on getting the license. Many (more likely most) do not.

 

They may be 5 watt radios but a true 5 watt radio will drain the batteries fairly quickly if a lot of transmitting occurs. Most will actually put out less power depending on the battery pack.

 

When you hold the radio up to your lips the antenna will be radiating a 465 MHz signal out through your head. There have been studies about the dangers of electrical fields from power lines up to microwave ovens and beyond. Your cell phone BTW uses around 500 Milliwatts or 0.5 watts.

 

I am a registered electrical engineer and hold a amateur radio (ham) license.

[rcacace]

Our group got these radios and they worked fine throughout most of the entire ship (Holland America). They are GMRS radios and require a license from the FCC which currently cost $85.00 to operate. One fee covers your family and is good for 5 years.

 

 

It's true that a license is required but I find that a very large number of folks never bother with it. Especially at sea where you cause no disturbance to anyone, who is to know. I view the fee as just another tax for which you receive nothing in return. Do what ever you think best.