Two way radios

[bahama97]

Dh & I want to buy a set of 2 way radios for the cruise. Are they allowed on the boat? Also, we saw they have 2 mile range or 5 mile range. Will the 2 mile be sufficient enough - even though the boat is not 2 miles long, we thought maybe with all bulkheads etc on the boat that it might not be enough. Thanks for any info you might have

 

[Hans Solo]

Hi Bahama97

We have a set of Motorola 6210 (2 mile range) radios which we bought for our Christmas 2001 cruise on the Wonder. They worked out great. We had very little trouble getting a hold of each other but I guess it depends how many decks are between the radios. We were in a Cat 6 so we could walk out to the verandah to increase the range. Hope this helps you.

 

[cathy59]

We had a set of Motorola's with a 2 mile range and 14 sub-channels. They were invaluable to us! It made it so easy to find each other.

Others had recommended to me to get multi-channel ones, because some channels can be crowded. That was the case, and we just switched to a different channel. Definitely get the muti-channel type.

Have fun!

 

[RellingTwin]

I bought a cheap pair last time and they were worthless I guess you get what you pay for! This year I just bought a pair of Motorla TalkAbout T6220, based on advise from this board. They retail for 49.99 each, BUT I bought a brand new PAIR from e-bay for 36.00. I am looking forward to trying them out at Hilton Head in 2 weeks. If they work well, I may buy another pair so each of us has one.
I spent WAY too much time last year looking for the kids. I knew they were safe, but just wanted to know where they were and what they were doing. Also I "lost" DH a few times when we were getting off the ship. It was very frustrating. I hope this trip the radios will help.

 

[AnnMorin]

As DS will be ten now and able to sign himself out. So some questions:
1- Cost I see them on sale from a low of like 19.99 up to 89.99. What is the difference and what should I expect to pay for ones that work?
2.- range- which do I need, I don't get this subchannel thing vs. 14 channels are the subchannels the security channels I read about in the add?
3.- Can they buzz like a beeper instead of making that sound? I would hate to be in Palo and interrup someones lovely meal with that squeely sound they make to tell you someone want you. Do they have text messageing?(ya I know I am probably dreaming on that one)

 

[RellingTwin]

Check out www.motorola.com
You can find range, and features of all of their current models.
The sub chanels just allow you and your group to be on the same chanel without others.

 

[john59]

Hi Glenda

I just posted somewhere ; like AMEX, don't leave home without your 2 way radios.

We have a set that we bought last year for the Eastern Cruise.

Just got done packing them. Doing the Eastern again 2/22/03.

We have Motorola T289's Talkabouts. They are multi channel, so you can avoid bumping into someone else. Cost was $39 at Radio Shack.

They worked anywhere on the MAGIC. Range 2 miles. Got about 3 1/2 miles where it was really flat.

john59

 

[AnnMorin]

ok were they 39.00 a piece? How many did you need? Were they the 14 channel or sub channel? (Aren't I nosey? )

 

[john59]

They were $39 for a pair ; on sale. You had to buy at least 2.
2, 4, 6, 8 and so on.

Yes 14 channels with sub channels (they call these other sub channels, codes). The combinations are endless.

Hope this helps you out.

john

 

[AnnMorin]

Thanks John!

 

[Stewblue]

I was wondering if using the radios created a problem for other people who weren't really part of the conversation? I keep picturing people shouting into a radio / cell phone during a show for example! Do the radio's have a vibrate or "silent" notification?

 

[Hans Solo]

Hi AnnMorin

I forgot to mention that my Motorola have the sub- channels as well which you definitely need whenever you go to a event and/or place. The sub-channels expand the number of usable channels to select. Also, my Motorola 6210 has a vibrating alert feature in case you are in quiet situation like a movie or show.
As for price, you should expect to pay $45 - $50 range. Let me know if you have any more questions.

 

[kajohn]

We just bought a set of Cobra brand yesterday (had a gift certificate for $50 from american express for staples, and that is what they had in stock). They have the 14 channels with the 38 subcodes. They came with an earpiece you can use when in the shows.

I know some of the other radios have a vibrate feature, but the ones I bought don't, so I could use the earpiece when in a show if necessary.

I saw a few being used last summer on our Alaskan cruise by kids, and it was kind of annoying, they spoke much louder than necessary etc.

Is this a problem on DCL? I would assume there are many more people using them on DCL than our trip last summer because there are so many more kids.

 

[dizneykids]

yes, they can be annoying if being used in an annoying fashion by normally annoying folks.

that said, we have used ours for 4 or 5 years now. our first pair (we're on our third iteration) were a mother's day present. i thought them an incredibly stupid mother's day gift, but once again, dh knew better. we used them the following month at wdw and they allowed us to separate with the kids to meet conflicting preferences and then join back up together without a fuss. they also allowed me to take our then infant to the room for a nap and rejoin him and the older boys at a park by "calling" him when i returned the agreed upon park.

on last march's 7-day, the radios allowed us to go into st. thomas and st. martin and still be able to communicate with the boys on the ship. not that we needed to, but we did have the boys radio us once we were in town to make sure they would work...and they did.

my dh is the king of all things electronic. we have the newest motorolas with the 5-mile range, lots of channels and subchannels, and all the bells and whistles. imho, all that's not necessary, but it makes him happy.

go look at the motorola website. when we bought ours late last year, they had a rebate going. and...office depot had a free gift card on top of the rebate, so basically we got one for free. i think i paid $75 each, but got back $40 from motorola and $50 in gift cards from office depot. if you've got the time, keep your eyes out for these types of deals. they happen more than you'd think.

 

[HappyGilmore]

Has anyone used the Disney Adventure,classic, or Princess radios while on the ship and if so how did they work.

 

[Zurg]

We have a bunch of these we use for WDW.
Then Motorola came out with the Disney ones and the are so cool we hade to get even more of them.
There were a big hit at DIS Con. Had a blast playing on the radios with JayPD,


ok it may have been Jay.