Walkie Talkies

[perezkk]

Please recommend a walkie talkie system for DW. Any pros/cons for using them in the parks?

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

I see a lot of people using the walkie talkies that are on the Family Radio Service Frequencies. The pros of this system are that the radios are fairly cheap, I've seen pairs for less than $30. But, the downside is that the radios don't have very good range (They say up to 5 miles, but I've never seen a pair of them that could go even 1 mile), and in WDW, it will be hard to find a clear channel, because so many different people are using them.

It will cost significantly more to move up to business grade radios, but the business grade radios will have the range you need, and there will be far fewer people using them.

I'd look into the cell phones that have walkie talkie features built in. Nextel has the best system for this. (I believe Disney is actually switching to Nextels for their in-park radios). If you don't already have Nextel phones, and you don't want to have to sign a contract, they do have a pay-as-you-go wireless service called Boost Mobile. They offer walkie-talkie only service for as little as $1.50 per day. This may be your most affordable option for good coverage. (the issue, of course, is the cost of the phones ... looks like the cheapest model they offer is $60 each)

 

[md&d1026]

It is hard to find a FRS only radio. Now they are bundled with the GMRS channels that req. a FCC license for the family ~ $75 for 5 years. Marketing 22 channels looks better than the 14 FRS channels. These combo (bubblepack) radios are not much better as the antennas are shorter than sholud be for optimal performance (range). And the antennas are not interchangable to be compliant with FRS rules. Don't believe the ranges the packages market as they will not reach those distances in any place other than open water and large hilltops. Also, the power ratings are normally very optomistic. In DW there is alot of interference from a ton of other radios and all the buildings.

A GMRS only radio has a removable antenna that will allow you to use longer antennas i.e. a 6 inch vs. 2.5 inch, for better range. Also many GMRS only radios have much better quality receivers and batteries than the combos. Handhelds can run up to 5 watts. Expect to pay $130 and up for each of these radios that are close to commerical quality.

MURS is a license free VHF band service that is hardly known and rarely used. It has a 2 watt limit, but all radios that are capable of using this service are of commerical quality and do cost around $100 each.


There is alot more to this but I'll cut it short to not bore anyone to death. If you are interested in the latter 2 options, I can point you to more info and specific suggestions as these radios are not normally available in typical retail stores.

 

[Alaska Catdog]

Worked fine for us when we were there in November. We would use them when we split up. We heard other folks but it wasn't a problem. We stayed at the Contemporary and heard people in MK waiting for Space Mountain. We had to turn them off at night so early risers didn't wake us up in the morning.

 

[Rombus]

I remember hearing a pretty heated argument over a channel last year during my vacation.

If you use FRS here are some tips to make it better:
1. Use fresh batteries
2. Have a nice clean name you can use over the radio. Nothing to complex, The simpler and cleaner the better. Also uniqueness is good!
3. Remember alot of people tend to try to talk at the same time, wait for a break to try and contact your other group
4. Big thing: Dont hold the radio right against your mouth! Hold it about a foot or so away and speak slow and clear!

Hope this helps!