Are Radios and Walkie Talkies Worthwhile?

[Goofmeister]

On our next trip we are anticipating splitting up and decided that we should invest in some of those radio/walkie talkie things.

What brand?

Rechargeable?

Channels, subchannels, and supersecret channels?

Tips and advice?

Thanks,

:happy1: :happy1:

 

[disneyatl]

I haven't used mine yet other than testing them in the neighborhood but I got a real good deal at Best Buy. They are Cobra walkie talkies and I paid $17.99 for them. But the best part is the rebate for $15.00. So actually I paid $2.99 for them. I bought two sets for that price. They did not come with a charger but they work really well for the cheap price. Since you have such a long time to look, I'd watch Best Buy for rebate deals. They have them all the time - even on more expensive models. Especially with the holidays coming up, I'm sure they will have some good deals. I've heard mixed reviews on these things working well in the parks but I figured for such a small investment I won't lose much $$ if they don't work very well.

Good Luck!

 

[ILuvTinkerbelle]

disneyatl thanks for the info, we weren't going to get some but for $2.99 how can you beat that. Can I ask what the radius for the signal is on those? There are some rides my younger son will not or cannot go on and I will go with him to do soemthing else, not too far away from my ds and dh but range would be good just in case. Thanks!

 

[disneyatl]

ILuvTinkerbelle,

They are only up to 3 miles but so maybe not quite as good as the 5-mile range but still a great deal.

 

[WhispyPixie]

we have done the walkie talkie thing and they are nice, but i really hate the "mom",,,"mom"..."mom" things..always wondering if it is my child asking for me! We only use cell phones now! Perhaps you will have better luck than ours. We had real expensive ones that my DH used hunting.

 

[disneybred]

We use motorola and they are great. We usually don't have a problem with hearing other people's conversations. We got a good deal on them from Walmart about a year ago. They became Christmas presents for everyone who went on vacation with us.
we use the motorola talk-abouts. Ours use batteries but they have them now with a charger. Im not sure what the range is, but my cousin who was in Japan in Epcot got a hold of us in our room in the BWV so its pretty good.
our group splits up alot and these were a really good investment. Having a belt clip is grea too.

 

[Mark P.]

If you're a member of BJ's, try looking there...

Our local BJ's had a package deal of two Motorola radios. They are the 5 mile kind, and come with the rechargeable batteries & charger. I think I paid around $45.00.

We have used the 3 mile ones in the parks, and they worked great for us.

 

[mbb]

as long as every one remebers to turn them on LOL!!

We use them everywhere...airport (my dad arrived on a different flight from us), WDW, and now if we're driving in separated cars.

Enjoy!

 

[ABCMom]

They work for short distances if you are trying to make connections with someone. Just realize that there will be a number of other people using the same frequency as you and it's sometimes hard to get through.

 

[mickeysaver]

We bought a set of Cobra Micro Talk walkie talkies for our trip last year. You definately need the subchannels. There are so many different frequencies being used by the staff and guests that it's just about impossible to use the basic channels. We had some good range on these too. I think they were rated for 5 miles, but that is in the middle of nowhere flat land kind of range.

We took extra batteries with us. And they came in handy. Mickey

 

[shaws2003]

I am also looking to take some with us and asking freinds and co-workers that have them,all suggested the ones that take batteries, not rechargable mainly because the charge doesnt last that long, and if you had an emergency and a dead battery, at least you could change the batteries. Just a thought, hope it helps

 

[mmiller711]

TAKE EXTRA BATTERIES!!! I had to buy some in the MK and they are really expensive.

 

[FatCow]

I've just received my package of Cobra GMRS handy talkies. GMRS is a more advanced version of FRS.

I paid US$50 including ear-pieces with PTT button, rechargeable batteries (nimh), and the recharger stand.

I've just tested the unit and in real life situation we can be 3 miles apart and talk with extreme clarity.

It also comes with 21 channel and 38 sub-channels for each of the 21 channels.

Also, GMRS is relatively new so much less number of people will be using the GMRS band.

 

[dj2]

We didn't get clear communications when we tested the range of some 2-way radios at home and opted to get pre-paid cell phones from

www.tracfone.com

Tracfone gives you a free reconditioned phone with the purchase of a 60-minute pre-paid phone card ($24.99). you also get about 20-30 minutes free upon starting your new service. depending upon when you redeem the 60 minute card, you'll get between 2-4 months to use up all your minutes (more minutes and activation time can be bought from their 800 #, or at stores like wal-mart, 7-eleven, best buy, etc.). there are no other monthly fees.

If this interests you, buy one phone first, then as a customer, refer your spouse/friend, whomever you're traveling with, for a second phone, because tracfone runs a deal where if you refer someone you each get 60 extra minutes added to your phones.

 

[FatCow]

Believe me, try out the GMRS radio (don't buy the FRS), you don't have to pay for air time and the sound quality is great.

Everybody in my family own a cell phone too, but we opt to use our GMRS radio instead.

 

[ILuvTinkerbelle]

Well I went to Best Buy to get those that were $17.99 with the $15 rebate and they told me that was over a long time ago. I did get 2 sets ( one for my kids and one for friends going on their first trip in Feb) however for $5 a pair. They are made by Audiovox, 2 mile range, GMRS but they run on batteries. For myself I got a great deal at BJ's club on the Motorola Walk Abouts, I paid $40 and got not only a pair of radios, but face plates, 2 ear pieces and the charger. We are going to try all of them out tonight or this weekend to see how well they work!

 

[FatCow]

I strongly recommend you to return the purchase. A GMRS radio should be in theory work between 5 miles to 8 miles radius (with real-life application of between 3 miles to 6 miles).

A GMRS radio with a theoretical 2 miles radius is more like FRS.

Please also bear in mind that using regular battery will empty your pockets sooner than you can imagine.

The farther you're apart, the more RFI/EMI in the area, the more battery guzzling these radios become.

I used to own a Cobra FRS (2-mile) using regular battery. For a 3-day period, I "finished" 2 sets of batteries (one set for each handset).

By the time you use 6 sets of batteries (total of 9-day usage), you might as well buy the Cobra US$50 GMRS 5-mile system with rechargeable battery and recharger included

 

[ILuvTinkerbelle]

Thanks. I got the Motorolla for myself and the other as a kind of gag gift. For $5 I am not going to worry about it. Thanks anyway!

 

[FatCow]

Stupid me, I didn't realize you got it for $5. When I wrote what I wrote, I had the $17.99 price in my mind.

At $5, anything goes!

 

[ILuvTinkerbelle]

I know! ain't it great!!!