Anybody here use two-way radios? We are getting together with a group of friends to go on a cruise this fall. I'm looking for something cheap we can hand out to keep in touch while we are on the ship. We may be ending up with over twenty people in our group, so I'm looking at multi-packs. I'm also want cheap since they won't be used heavily, and "Don't bring anything on a boat you aren't willing to lose" applies.
I've made the rounds of Amazon/eBay/Newegg and it looks like a basic set of Cobra radios can be had for about $15 per device. Does anyone have any budget-friendly alternatives and recommendations? I'm not seeing anything better via DX. They seem to have the BAOFENG radios and the other stadard walkie-talkie type sets are about the same as the Amazon units...
Believe it or not, your best bet might be Walmart - at least if they don’t work the way you want, you just take ’em back. Look around where they keep the movies and TVs and such, they usually have a bunch of them. I picked up a pair a while back for $30 or so, and they’re not bad.
Put a decimal point in the claimed range though. What they advertise is probably from mountain top to mountain top, at midnight on a clear calm night.
Not sure how the range will be on board, or how many metal walls will cause problems.
If they do work well and are popular, you may want to have models that support ‘privacy codes’ to block unwanted reception of other users.
Compared to (…and for people that use) cell phones, they can be bulky and annoying.
Remember you don't need a license to listen to the radio, only transmit...and in an emergency do you reaaaly think the FCC is gonna swoop in and get you?
Well, this is just for casual "Hey, I'm going to the buffet, where you at?" type of communication. While on a ship. We don't have international cell phone plans, so phones are turned off as soon as we leave, not coming on until we are back...
oh for casual then you need unlicensed comms…then go with the FRS/GRMS “family” radio’s above…but UHF is going to be very lousy on ship becuase UHF doesn’t work well thru walls and metal (anything that get’s between the point to point line of sight communications)
Some suggestions would be illegal, I’ve worked on communications in difficult places (particularly hospitals). I know of no system that will work on its own, coms in difficult areas (I can’t think of more difficult than on board a large ship.) will require other infrastructure as used by ships crew that isn’t available to you.
While you’re stateside, it’s technically illegal to use GMRS frequencies without a license. I think channels 1-14 are FRS and the rest are GMRS only. Channels 1-7 are both FRS and GMRS, so it’s illegal to use channels 1-7 on high power (if the radio offers high power) without a license. That being said, I don’t know what the rules are in international waters, and I doubt FCC has the budget to send an agent to monitor every cruise ship, anyway. The NSA, however, might be listening and recording every word A GMRS license is $85 and I think lasts 5 years. One license covers you and your immediate family.
If many in your group happen to be hams, I would recommend the Baofeng BF-888s. They go for around $16 apiece. It is UHF only and can be programmed for up to 16 channels. Strictly legal only for hams, although it could be tuned on FRS or GMRS channels, which again, is technically illegal since none of the Baofeng models are “type accepted” for FRS or GMRS. One advantage of the 888s is Li-ion batteries are included, and one charge lasts a long time. I hate the bubble pack FRS/GMRS radios simply because they seem to slowly drain the batteries even when not in use, so the radios are rarely ready-to-use when you need them most. Also, with the bubble pack radios you’re stuck with the stubby ducks on them. With a real radio you can upgrade the antenna or even use an external or mobile antenna. If your group wants to be legal, and they have the time and inclination, getting a ham license isn’t too difficult. Morse code is no longer required. Take the multiple choice exam for Technician class. The question pools are published freely, so even if you don’t understand all the radio theory, one could memorize enough of the answers to pass if you have 3/4 of a brain. I think you can download the question pool at www.arrl.org. You would have to find a local ham radio club that is offering an exam session. I don’t know what the turnaround time is these days for the FCC to process new licenses, so that could be a bottleneck. There is a small exam fee, but after that renewals of your license are free.
Metalophile - Extra class ham radio op, licensed since 1986.
Just to clarify. UHF is the band used by Metropolitan Police, Fire, and EMS in urban environments because they work better than VHF in and around buildings and obstructions. Mountain Top repeaters also commonly use UHF for the trunking frequencies and then cross band repeat onto VHF for compatibility with the local simplex channel. VHF is used by forestry, search and rescue, and federal law enforcement because they work outside a lot in open areas, it has better long range surface propagation, and is easier on battery life for a given amount of power.
As the GMRS license just applies to the USA, once you are in International waters, it would no longer have any relevance to governing your use of that type of radio. So, while all the dual band radios mentioned here will support FRS and GMRS on their UHF Band (and transmit with more power), you’d have to program the channels in yourself, and also program the privacy tone codes as well, probably not something worth the effort for your purposes, licensing notwithstanding.
Those Fasttech FRS models listed are .5W by the looks of it. I think if you look around at the outlets listed above, you may find something that puts out as much as 2 watts, and that would probably be your best bet with the least hassle.
Didn’t see a comment, but you also should consider what the laws are if/when your cruise is in other country territories. Both their band assignments and repercussions for misuse could be different than you might expect at home.
Good chance your range would be limited to pretty much just the open-air decks, anyway. I recently read a test where even a 4/5W HT was having trouble going 1,000 feet with one end inside a house with just one layer of aluminum siding - line of sight a 5W HT can do 15-20 miles to a well-placed repeater so multiple ship walls will likely be a problem.
I like the wifi idea, but have no idea if it would be available ship-wide (would take a LOT of installed gear that seems unlikely to be spent by the ship companies for a get-away vacation), and especially doubt it would be connected off-boat due to sat costs. Would be happy to know things are better than expected, though.
They are handy off shore too. In 2 weeks we sail out of Florida thru the Gulf. I have new Duraloops charged up and ready to go. And yes, local is the way to go on these. We have “12 mile” Cobras that work just fine.
Actually with the dual band you can program them to use MURS and FRS/GRMS (but having a single channel dedicated to FRS/GRMS is a good idea [less of a chance to do something that can get you into trouble])
Yes you need a GRMS license but the FCC doesn't enforce it because it got tied in with the FRS stuff...you DO need a license ($80 bucks I think) [but just because they don't "usually" enforce it doesn't mean they WON'T...and you DON'T want to be on the receiving end of an FCC lawsuit!]
That link I provided in my previous post programs 90~ channels for use, some of which are regulated but in case of emergency you have them, it leaves 20+ channels to program for personal use
I have the Puxing PX-777+ (2 meter) and with a simple external antenna it reaches well over 10 miles and I use to hit the repeater from my house in Baytown to the one downtown (30+ miles) [I used a cheap CB mag mount cut to 19.25" tuned to 146mhz 2 meter in my truck)
I built one of these..yeah..kinda cheezy but when I am talking 20+ miles with 5 watts...on a cheapo Chinese handie talkie, well you do the math. (simplex of course)
Salim, do you have speaker Mic’s for those Kenwoods? If you do you are blessed, because they will fit the Baofeng, Wouxun, and a few other Chinese brands, and they are a good Mic that would cost more new than any of the Chinese Rigs, so you’ll be able to use them.
Now this is me just being excessively pedantic due to my background in enforcement, but I don’t think the FCC pursues lawsuits, they might pursue an ‘enforcement action’ however. In the case of an individual user on a first offence, would not amount to more than a warning, and even the chances of that happening are less than you winning the lottery. Even less odds on a cruise ship, as their field workers are not paid enough to get on a ship and take a plain clothes cruise while looking for offenders. If you run into an irate Yankee HAM on the other hand who sees you with a Chinese radio capable of transmitting out of band, they are more than likely to take a patriotic civil obedience action and throw you overboard when the captain has his back turned. So on your cruise, avoid anyone with a pen protector in their shirt pocket and you should be just fine for arranging that meet at the Ship’s Buffet.
A GMRS license is $85 and I think lasts 5 years. One license covers you and your immediate family.