Mike

Has anybody used two way radios on a ship? Do they work? We are taking our kids, and thought it would be a good way to keep tabs. Is there too much steel? <BR> <BR>Thanks, <BR>Mike

x

I have seen families using them on the ship. I didn't ask them how well they worked. <BR> <BR>

techydude

Chances are there will be a lot of dead areas because of bulk heads. If you can tell me the frequency on them I can give you a good idea how well or poorly they will work (or at least if they are VHF or UHF).

Bob

I'm a HAM radio operator and frequent cruiser. The radio's they are using are on the new "Family Radio" frequencies (you can get them in any electronics department for about $50-60 a pair) and I've used them on several ships. <BR>Since these little radios have a range of up to two mile (in the open) they also work well to find each other while you are off the ship, shopping, etc. <BR>I found that they will work in most areas of the ship but for example, if you're on deck 1 and the person you are trying to reach is on the top deck there is so much steel between you that you'll have trouble. <BR>What we did was try calling each other, if they didn't respond move to another area and try again. <BR>They really saved us a LOT of walking. Really, the only problem with them was kids calling each other constantly with typical kid chatter. Make sure you get a pair that has more than 1 or 2 channels. Most now have about 15-18 channels to cut down on this problem. <BR>Have fun! Bob

Mike

Thanks for the feedback. I got one that has 14 channels with 38 codes and it also has a scramble mode. But I was looking at the manual, and it shows that things like mountains or trees could interfere, so I thought they might not do much on a ship. We'll be on the Grand Princess, so I'm sure it can save some walking. <BR>Thanks, <BR>Mike

Theresa

The Grand Princess has 2-way radios to rent for $4 a day if I remember. They were renting Sony Walkabouts if I remember correctly.

xxx

Hi, <BR>Used our two way radios on the QE2 this past summer. Worked great where ever I or my son were. We are bringing them next month on the Explorer of the Seas. My husband bought some very powerful ones with a five mile range. He actually said we could not use them in London because they were illegal. I'm not sure about that, but we did only use them on the ship.

Andy

I saw tons of kids and parents with them last Thanksgiving on the Celebrity Century--and I think that Celebrity might even rent them for the duration of the cruise........And yes,they do work!

techydude

Hey Bob, what's the bandwidth on those little buggers? I have found that UHF based frequencies will have problems because of the proxomity of metal to metal.

JoeG

We used 2 way radios on the Golden Princess this past summer. Got excellent transmission 90% of the time. Last year we were on Carnival Elation and as you might expect there were lots of families and kids on board. The radios worked well, but there were a lot of people using them which meant you sometimes had to wait for someone to stop talking before you could talk. Other than that they work extremely well.

mike

Has anybody used cobra two way radios, they're much cheaper than Motorola, but I'd rather pay the difference if the cheaper ones don't work well. <BR>Thanks, <BR>Mike

Theresa

Mike - I tried VTECH because they were cheap and they acted cheaply. <BR> <BR>You may want to try Sam's Club - they had a pair of sony ones rather cheap.

Ted

I too am a ham radio operator. To the lady who said her husband bought some that were 5 watts with a range of 5 miles.... STOP USING THEM! People are buying these units because they sell them at the same stores where the FRS (Family Radio Service) units you see on the ships are sold, but!!!!! They may ONLY be operated in the U.S. with a license from the FCC! If you are caught using them in foreign ports, OR the U.S. without a license they WILL be taken from you and you could be fined hundreds of dollars. <BR>If you purchase these units (the 5 watt type) you will find a application for an FCC license in the box and specific instructions on what they can/cannot be used for. The manufactures need to clearly mark the outsides of the boxs regarding what you are buying, but few do. <BR>These 5 watt units share about 5 frequencies with the more common smaller FRS units. <BR>You do not need any license for the FRS units you see on the ships. Just make sure when you buy any radios they say they are for FRS or "Family Radio Service" use. The 5 watt units are illegal to use for this purpose.