2-way radios - do I have the wrong kind?

[MelissaE1]

Here's a question for those of you with 2-way radio experience. I have noticed lots of people have taken them on the ship and used them with great results. We have a pair of Motorola Talkabout T5100's which we took to WDW on our last trip, and no matter what channel we tried we could hear every other family in the park except our own. I got to know one family so well I almost invited them to lunch! (grin).

Do we have the wrong kind, is there some way to avoid the interference that I don't know about, or are there just fewer people using them on the ship and therefore not as much competition for each channel?

Thanks for any info!

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

It <a href="http://commerce.motorola.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=228885&prmenbr=126"><font color=blue><i>appears</i></font></a> that you purchased a low-end model that does not have the privacy filters. It's not worth buying these radios unless you have the privacy filters. With these filters, you set your radio and your partner's radio to a "sub-channel". Every time you send a message, the sub-channel number inaudibly broadcasts along with the voice portion of your message. Your partner's radio remains silent for all conversations on the same channel except for the broadcasts that have the "sub-channel" code simulcast along with it.

The T5100 would be a good model for around the neighborhood, but you definitely wouldn't want to use it on the ship or at the parks because of hearing everyone else on the same channel. If you plan to use a FRS radio at the parks or on the boat, you will want to upgrade to the models with the sub-channels or privacy filters.

 

[atigeg]

I think we have the kind of radios that Dave is talking about...we have the subchannels and we only hear each other. If anyone else happens to overhear our transmission, it sounds garbled to them, and we do not hear their transmissions at all. We LOVE them!
I know what you mean about getting to know other parties well via the radios. We used to have the cheaper kind, and one day at Epcot there was an old man who kept answering my calls for "Tony" and who could not be convinced that it wasn't him I was looking for! He sounded like a really nice fellow...maybe we should have invited him to dinner too.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Carol RN]

Whatever you do, DON'T buy the walkie talkies they sell in the Mickey's Mates shop on the Magic. I believe they are Motorola brand. My brother-in-law bought a set while we were onboard two weeks ago and paid $90 for them! They are absolute junk! As previously mentioned, you could hear everyone and anyone who also was talking no matter what channel we switched to.

 

[westjones]

Could someone recommend some brands/types that work well. We tried using the ones we have but we heard several people too. If I am going to buy new ones, I want them to be good (but have no idea what to look for).
Thanks,
DJ

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by westjones

Could someone recommend some brands/types that work well. We tried using the ones we have but we heard several people too. If I am going to buy new ones, I want them to be good (but have no idea what to look for).

If you go with Motorola, you should consider the <a href="http://commerce.motorola.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=228890&prmenbr=126"><font color=blue>T6220</font></a> <i>($39.99)</i>, the <a href="http://commerce.motorola.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=215552&prmenbr=126"><font color=blue>T6300</font></a> <i>($69.99)</i>, the <a href="http://commerce.motorola.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=217254&prmenbr=126"><font color=blue>T6310</font></a> <i>($79.99)</i>, and the <a href="http://commerce.motorola.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=217256&prmenbr=126"><font color=blue>T6320</font></a> <i>($99.99)</i>.

All four of these models have the privacy sub-channels and the "Eavesdrop Reducer" feature that Barb mentioned... it scrambles your conversation. The pricier models have additional features that are gimicky and not required.

 

[MelissaE1]

Originally posted by Dave_from_Marietta
If you plan to use a FRS radio at the parks or on the boat, you will want to upgrade to the models with the sub-channels or privacy filters.

Thanks for the great info, Dave! That explains it. My dad actually bought these for DS (7 at the time) and I'm sure he didn't spend a lot of money on them. I will start looking around for some that have the obviously necessary privacy filter. Guess the ones we have are just cool toys for the kids.

 

[MelissaE1]

Originally posted by atigeg
I know what you mean about getting to know other parties well via the radios. We used to have the cheaper kind, and one day at Epcot there was an old man who kept answering my calls for "Tony" and who could not be convinced that it wasn't him I was looking for! He sounded like a really nice fellow...maybe we should have invited him to dinner too.

LOL Barb! Maybe Motorola should start advertising their lower end models as a "fun way to meet new people while traveling." They could designate certain channels as "singles" or "parents with children under 5" or "people named Tony" or whatever. Could open up a whole new market segment for them!

 

[lUVTOGO]

I was just on e-bay yesterday looking for the Motorola 6220's which they have plenty listed and brand new. I also just won a pair of binoculars to take along on the cruise also!!

 

[CRB#33]

One evening on our trip, I accidentally hit the "scan" button on the talkabout and it picked up every transmission. I couldn't figure out what was happening, but every time I looked at the radio during a transmission, it was on a different channel than what I had pre-set my radio to.

I figured out how to turn the scan off and then I only got one channel coming through, which I was lucky enough to be the only one on.

Check the instruction book on your radios to figure out if this is happening to you.

 

[MarkRG]

You can always get these: Motorola Disney Radios They do have the privacy codes, and are now available at Best Buy.

 

[phxjj05]

Best Buy actually has a great deal this week on a pair of Cobra's - They are 2 watt - 5 mile range - with FRS and GMRS channels - They also have the the privacy sub channels - any a lot of other features - We bought them and tried them out last night, they are awesome! The model number is PR950

The regular price is 89.95 for the pair, but you get a $20 GIFT CARD and a $10 rebate. I bought them and then used the $20 gift card towards the rechargeable battery accessory kit.

These were the highest end model they had - We will be using them next week - we leave Tuesday for our land/sea vacation.

JJ

 

[mcnuss]

I got the Cobras at Costco last year - FRS 220. We love them. We used them skiing last year and they worked very well despite the terrain. Our friends had the Motorolas and ours were much better. The buttons are in a better place and you don't hit them as often by accident. Also, ours came with rechargeable batteries and a base (it was a "special" Costco package deal) and I only paid about $60 after a rebate.

 

[Kindler5]

We have the Audiovox model #FR-560FM anyone know if it is worth taking these with us or not....Not sure what it all does either, my dd bought them for herself.

Thanks for your help

Lori

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by Kindler5

We have the Audiovox model #FR-560FM... anyone know if it is worth taking these with us or not?

Probably not. The <a href="http://www.audiovox.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/product_mainpage.d2w/input?prrfnbr=758"><font color=blue>FR560FM</font></a> is not one of the Audiovox <a href="http://www.audiovox.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/catalog_TwoWayRadios_FRS.d2w/input?cat=590"><font color=blue>models</font></a> with the privacy filters. You would hear everybody else's conversation with this model and would consequently keep it turned off.

 

[Mic]

We purchased the Cobra 310's 2 years ago when these radios were quite pricey(@$100 each). Since then, the prices have come way down. Last year, we needed to purchase 2 more radios because we were taking friends with us to WDW. We purchased the Cobra 2's(220's, I think). It turns out that the 2's could ring the 3's, but the 3's could not call the 2's(it was really weird). Both radios had the sub-channels, but only the 3's had the vibrating alert, which I like. My husband programmed each set to 5-6 different channel combinations, and we never had a problem communicating. This past June, we took several teenagers with us to WDW for my daughter's birthday, and needed enough radios for everyone to have one(just in case they got separated), and it turns out Circuit City was closing out a model by Uniden(ecotrek) for $10 each. My kids actually prefer these cheap ones, because they are so simple to use. They do have sub-channels and a vibrating feature(that is not as good as the Cobra 3's), without all the other useless features some models come with. At this point, the only advantage to taking our Cobra's with us is the re-chargeable battery packs(stocked up on these when K-mart went out of business near us). We plan on using our 2-way radios on the Wonder next week! My advice would be to figure out what features you must have(in WDW, sub-channels are necessary), then shop around on-line or around town at Wal-mart and/or electronics stores for a good deal. Since these are used quite a bit for camping, there should be some bargains this time of year.