walkie talkie

[cubbear]

suggestion good set walkie talkie so I don't get devoriced

[WeRJuliian]

Originally Posted by cubbear

suggestion good set walkie talkie so I don't get devoriced

A little more details, maybe?
What are you hoping to use these WT's for? Between vehicles on the road?
To avoid shouting while backing up?
To stay in touch in a CG?

Your intended use will affect your choice, and price.

[cubbear]

all the above

[Siamese]

If you have cell phone reception, a cell phone is the far better choice for backing the trailer. You can put it on speaker phone, so you have both hands free to control the vehicle.

Push to talk is a pain in the rear compared to using a cell phone. My wife is intelligent, but for some reason I couldn't get her to keep the darned button pushed down when she was talking. And that's a huge problem if she failed to push the button while saying, "look out for the tree!". Or, maybe I'm pushing the button to talk just as she's warning me about something. I was sure that walkie talkies were going to be the best solution, but no.

Oh, and you included staying in touch in the campground and communicating between vehicles. Problem with both of those is that both units must be on, and when they're on, the batteries are draining. You're going to be replacing batteries often, and they're going to run down at the worst possible moment.

We had what I would consider good walkie talkies, but when a cell phone is an alternative, there is no good walkie talkie.

[WeRJuliian]

Originally Posted by cubbear

all the above

Well, that certainly narrows it down...

Assuming that you don't need a lot of range (pay no attention to the "30 miles' claims on the packaging, the choice comes down to how much you want to pay, the quality you want to pay for and how long you want them to last.

If it's just a single-trip use, then get the cheapest you can find from Walmart.

Or, if you want to move up a little, look for "brand" names like Motorola or Cobra. Both make acceptable low-end WTs

As with so many things, the more you pay, the more bells and whistles you get... many of the FRS radios will double as weather service receivers, for instance, which can be useful.

Do you want simple hand-held, push-to-talk, or an earpiece/mic so you can use it while driving? Readily available, but you pay more.

Keep in mind that these things are not private, so watch what you say... and expect to be interrupted by everything from amateur DJ's to "get off this channel, it's mine!" (no, it's not, but it's not worth arguing)

Two very important features... well, OK, personal biases :-)
A good volume control, and a "squelch", to avoid waking your neighbours...


Have fun !

[WeRJuliian]

Originally Posted by Siamese

If you have cell phone reception, a cell phone is the far better choice for backing the trailer. .

Agreed, but there are so many places where you don't have coverage, so a backup is no bad thing

[RetiredOne]

Originally Posted by Siamese

Push to talk is a pain in the rear compared to using a cell phone. My wife is intelligent, but for some reason I couldn't get her to keep the darned button pushed down when she was talking. And that's a huge problem if she failed to push the button while saying, "look out for the tree!".

So get her a voice activated, hands free, VOX model, problem solved.

Or, maybe I'm pushing the button to talk just as she's warning me about something.

That same issue happens with speaker phone if you try to talk over someone.

Oh, and you included staying in touch in the campground and communicating between vehicles. Problem with both of those is that both units must be on, and when they're on, the batteries are draining. You're going to be replacing batteries often, and they're going to run down at the worst possible moment.

Actually, current models will stay charged in standby mode just as long as a cell phone will, and battery life is equal or better than many phones before needing recharging.

[Screwby]

I know it sucks that the FCC makes you pay $75 to have a GMRS license but without going to HAM radio it’s the best out there.

A nice set of name brand weather proof/resistant GMRS radios will do anything you’d ever want. FRS is ok for “I can see you” communication, but anything past the length of a football field and your losing signal, especially in the woods with trees and hills.

Now, that said, a lot of people use them without a license and there is no one out there slapping handcuffs on. I have my license both HAM and GMRS so I advocate getting licensed. Either way GMRS has way better built radios, and way more power. FRS is limited to .5 watts but GMRS is 5 watts and I’ve seen 8 watt models.

Name brands like mentioned above can get as fancy or simple as you want. Go to your local radio outlet or an REI type store and take a look.

[NewBlackDak]

We have a set of $20 walkies with headphone ports. I bought a headset that Is VOX activated, so I can back in hands free.
The spotter just used the button.

There is almost never cell signal where we go, and for some reason we can’t get any signal in my driveway. Bad for backing.