Walkie Talkies

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by BlueHaul

One thing I should note though is that when Bassdogs said, "For the record, they don't care about CB's or VHF either" I have to disagree with the latter.

A license may be required for VHF [marine] radios but unless you are a commercial user or an off shore boater, almost no one has one. Marine radios are used on all houseboats on our lake and it would be the exception to the rule for anyone to have a license. To my knowledge after 20 years of boating, I know of no one who has ever been challenged for not having a license for a radio used on a private boat. With that said, I and my friends are all lawbreakers in this regard. My point to the OP was simple, don't sweat having to license your personal radios for use while RV'ing.

[BlueHaul]

Ah, gotcha. You definitely do not need a license to operate VHF marine frequencies if you're on a recreational boat. The FCC only requires a license for commercial or large craft. I was thinking VHF frequencies like 144.0 - 148.0 which would be in the 2meter Amateur band. Sorry for any confusion!

[annie oakly]

I love that (Radio Police)
When I get to a site, If the guys are there They take right over, All I do is unhook the truck, and someone drives it away.
If it is just me and a friend's wife, we have no problem backing that trailer up, leveling it and unhooking it.
I have the rug out bbq set up and table out and the Coleman stove all set up
But it is still to early to have a glass of wine

So how do you get the spell check?

[KiltDog]

Thanks for the info. Honestly, I just wanted to get some walkie talkies to screw around with the kids. I think they would get a kick out of it. Hello kitty is more our speed than studying for a ham radio license. I will look for walkies that do not us gmrs frequencies. Appreciate the knowledge.

[Paintinfool3]

Motorola here for wife to talk me into site that's about all I use them for but they work fine ... and only certain channels are the high power ones .. we just use the low power it reaches fine from truck to back of trailer lol

[Mpking]

Wow, talk about learning something new. I busted out my FRS cheapies, and they too run on dual FRS/GMRS.

You're right the manual does not make that clear. I'll probably move to channel 8 then, since I not really looking for range. I just pulled them out, and I was using channel 10, So I was apparently following the law I didn't even know about.

[Bassdogs]

I do not advocate breaking the rules or disregarding laws, but I have to speak out when those same rules or regulations are mistakenly scaring law abiding RV'ers from enjoying their camping experience. In this case, we are mostly not violating any laws, and where we are, there is no reason for a camper to fear LE circling their campsite and demanding that they throw down their unlicensed radios.

Think my radios are set on channel 4 but just pick one that doesn't have any traffic and enjoy.

[DocBrown]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

I do not advocate breaking the rules or disregarding laws, but I have to speak out when those same rules or regulations are mistakenly scaring law abiding RV'ers from enjoying their camping experience.

Mistakenly scaring someone?

Who's scared? Its a clarification of how things work. That's what makes these forums educational and why most of us are here.

[vboyd]

I think that the bottom line here is that radios bought at your local retail store do not require a license.

[cekkk]

We've had at least three sets, the most expensive having rechargeable batteries that always managed to run down when you couldn't recharge them. So we prefer disposable battery types. All brands have performed about the same and all were not up to the grandkids.

We live in an area where cell phone signals are iffy and annually travel a 2-day route where there are long stretches of no service. Of course, that problem is compounded by the fact that we have ATT "service" instead of Verizon.

[DocBrown]

Originally Posted by vboyd

I think that the bottom line here is that radios bought at your local retail store do not require a license.

Correct for Canada. Not for the US. GMRS frequencies require a license in the US. Yes, even for those cheap bubble pack radios sold in retail stores.

[eldermike]

In 2010 the FCC floated a proposal to remove the license requirment from GMRS if the hand held was under the common wattage found in most sets in use today. The requirment comes from a range of wattage that goes up to 50 watts and hand helds should have never been in it in the first place, but they are. They have not changed anything to date but hold on because 5 years in government is like a week to the rest of us. So they might work on it for a few weeks.

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by DocBrown

Mistakenly scaring someone?

Who's scared? Its a clarification of how things work. That's what makes these forums educational and why most of us are here.

Kind of beating a dead horse aren't we? Think the OP and others got the info they needed, and you're info has been noted. I'll be glad to send a charity of your choice a $ for each purchaser of a bubble pack set who spends $50 or more to get a license if you would send in a nickle for those who don't.

Scared may have been the wrong term but then you knew what I meant.

[eldermike]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

Kind of beating a dead horse aren't we? Think the OP and others got the info they needed, and you're info has been noted. I'll be glad to send a charity of your choice a $ for each purchaser of a bubble pack set who spends $50 or more to get a license if you would send in a nickle for those who don't.

Scared may have been the wrong term but then you knew what I meant.

It's funny, if you research the 2010 proposal to remove the requirment it's based upon the very very low number of requests for license against the very large number of radio's sold. The FCC knows full well most people never read the fine print and manufactures always put this requirment in the fine print.
My 2 watt radio is not going to take over the air waves anytime soon. And they are set on channel 8 which takes me down to 1 watt or less (most of the time).

[DocBrown]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

Kind of beating a dead horse aren't we? Think the OP and others got the info they needed, and you're info has been noted. I'll be glad to send a charity of your choice a $ for each purchaser of a bubble pack set who spends $50 or more to get a license if you would send in a nickle for those who don't.

Scared may have been the wrong term but then you knew what I meant.

Oh goodness. Really? Who's beating a dead horse?

[SouthCo]

We have motorolas and they work great. I'd have to post the model number later. They have the GMRS channels but we just use the FRS channels and have good range.

[cekkk]

Wow. This thread went 3 pages too long!

[Threebutchers]

i just hollar out the window

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Threebutchers

i just hollar out the window

This weekend we had to go back to this primitive method, batteries were dead...

[Hattie]

Searched the forum - didn't find a comparable suggestion for an improved back-up experience. We just got a new TV with all the bells-and-whistles, including pairing with smart phones for hands-free. How about the spotter dialing-in to the driver so the call goes to their TV speaker then 'talk them into' the spot? Heading off in two weeks for our first outing with the new TV so will try this out because our problems with other solutions include [1] Walkie-talkie: never remember to test it ahead of time; [2] Yelling: forget to open the window (especially in bad weather) and really don't want the campsite neighbors to overhear what may degrade into bickering and sniping after a stressful drive; [3] Hand-signals: not always visible in rear mirror and you can guess which gesture becomes our favorite.