Is it worth it to buy a two way radio for a trip to Walt Disney World. I was thinking this may be useful for keeping in contact with other members of our party in the park, but I’m not sure about the range coverage. Any thoughts on this?
Also if you think this may work, any recommendations on what kind of radios to get?
Thanks
Yes it’s VERY worth the purchase.
Most 2 way radios, aka Walkie Talkies, have range limits from a mile to 10 miles. I suggest purchasing a 6 mile or larger range since you’re headed to Disney World. While I’ve never been there & have been to the California counterpart, a 6 mile or larger range limit is ideal.
Bear in mind that you may not be the only one with 2 way radios in the park. Other people may have the same idea. Regardless of the brand you buy, you’ll have others’ interferrance on your channels. Some channels will have more people on them than others. The best thing to do is change channels every hour. Before doing so, inform your other party members first. Do NOT give out the channel number on the radio! For example, you could say, "There’s a lot of others on this channel. Let’s go up 2 channels." Check that everyone’s there, then say "Ok, now let’s go up 3 more.” Again, checking to make sure everyone’s on the same channel with a quick, "Everyone here?" This keeps the nosy listeners off your channel & harder to tune into your conversations. Also remember, these aren’t meant for extended talking on. They’re meant for quick location meeting confirmations of a lost/missing party member or to give details about where to meet, etc.
Some people will tell you one brand is better than another. I disagree. I’ve had Motorola, Uniden & Audiovox brands. They all worked pretty much the same. I currently have a Uniden set of 2 that I use with my son. Your best option is to buy enough sets for your party to have at least one or 2 people in each group to have a 2 way radio. For example, if you have 3 groups of 5 people, buy 3 packs of radios. They’re sold in packs of 2. The extra one can be given to another adult or saved as a back up.
When you first buy them, test them out around your home. Check the range out yourself before your trip to Disney World. There’s nothing worse than buying 2 way radios, going on a fun trip & not having them work properly. Charge ALL the radios on the chargers for the time suggested in the directions. Most radios will last for several hours in stand by mode.
Buy all the same brand, Motorola, Uniden, etc for your group. Most brands don’t interact with others on the channel’s frequency. So if you’re buying Uniden, buy 3 2 packs of the same radios.
They’re not waterproof or water resistant either. For going on water rides where you might or know you’ll get wet, ask someone else in your party who’s done on the ride to hold your radio for you. Even turned off it can still get water damage from the water ride through the speaker.
Have fun on your trip!
I do understand that it would have to get a license.(how do I get thouse by the way) That kind would go off a repeater right?(I think that’s what its called.)
In the USA, you will have to get a commercial license and contact a local radio dealer and they can set you up with a repeater frequency and the proper radios. Look under "two way radios" in the yellow pages.
If this is for personal or hobby use, you need to get an amateur radio license.
http://www.hello-radio.org/
Money is not an issue but I need something that will work a long distance and is reliable.
What do you mean by a long way. A hand-held radio will only work for a few miles. A vehicle mounted radio may go for 50 miles. It depends on frequency and transmit power. To cover a really long distance you will need a radio that goes through a repeater. There are commercial systems that provide this type of service. You should be able to rent the radios and pay for the service on a monthly basis. Check with 2-way radio dealers in your area or in the area you will be vacationing at.
I’m looking for a good "walkie talkie" radio to take skiing with me to communicate in the back-country. Any ideas? Range and battery life are the more important issues for me I think.
Any help would be appreciated!
If you are referring to VHF radios, not FRPs, I have used both for on-hill coaching, and have found the Midland to have better battery life. Range is determined more by terrain, Midland offers an extended antenna (about 28" long) which will increase your range dramatically. The only drawback to Midland, I find it hard to push the Mic button with gloves on.
what is maximum range of this Handheld two-way radio? i buy a 40 Channel Handheld radio with 4 watts of output power
Generally, assuming you mean CB frequencies, UHF is mostly line- of- sight. Occasional unusual atmospheric changes might enhance that to quite large distances. I think you have UHF transceivers.
The HF 27mHz CB frequencies can allow contact locally maybe up to 20 miles or so, depending, but in periods of high sunspot activity can potentially reach all around the world. We are currently at a sunspot minima. Nothing much doing.
why is my two way radio making a loud noise when recieving a transmition?
because the radios are too close together . get them farther apart and it will stop . it is called feedback . bring them really close for some goddam awful earsplitting sounds .
Im looking to buy a new works radio to replace my old one.. Does a scanning channel mean on that channel, it will monitor other channels as in a channel monitor button?
x
it stops at each channel that hasa strong enough fequencie for you to list to then if auto scan continues til you stop it
Someone already answered this question, but the links they gave me didn’t work. I’d like to just be able to send morse code messages through a motorola or kenwood radio.
Try this page it seems to have the info you are looking for.
http://www.n0hr.com/hamradio/30/10/ham_radio10.htm
* Have a Good Day *
~ Don ~
My wife and I shoot wedding photography together, we want a small radio which we can use to talk back and forth without yelling across the room. We like the small bluetooth headsets that everybody has for their phones, but the battery life of the cell phone is an issue, weddings can last up to +10 hours. The smaller the better, preferably without wires or long protruding microphones. We don’t want to scare people, just be able to communicate better. Thanks!
I don’t want to carry around a handheld radio. I want to have one little thing on my ear which is the radio.
I would suggest searching through online reviews of what is the best in the market now. I would suggest buying the Trisquare TSX300 or Motorola EM1000. Anyway good luck!
I am looking for a two way radio (I would prefer CB) that connects two automotive radios and a base over a range of 13 mile/20 kilometers wich is legal and under 120 bucks.
Using legal CB kit it would be unlikely you could get a reliable 20km range. A third of that would be more realistic for base-mobile communications. The only other option is to use more expensive PMR equipment.