Walkie Talkies

[bigmurph]

We are thinking about getting some walkie talkies so that we can communicate with the kids while we are camping. This would be for internal campground loop distances. For instance if they were riding around the loop on their bikes or we were walking the dog and they were playing at the camper. I don't want to spend a fortune but I would like them to work in the woods. Anybody have a recommendation? When reading reviews online there seems to be no middle ground. The reviewers love them or hate them. Not sure if my expectations are realistic with an inexpensive set.

[maskins]

I bought a set of Motorola many many years ago. They have several different channels and they worked well. The kids now have cell phones so the walkie talkie just sit in the camper. We also used them for backing in, but now use cell phones for that too. I think the pair was $50.

[Dave Lyon]

We bought a set of Motorola "Talk About" a number of years ago and have been happy with them. Our model has been discontinued, but, I see online that T100 is available and they appear to be similar to mine.

We still use them occasionally if we're travelling with another vehicle in the US and don't want to use cellphones.

[jeff64]

The Motorola ones we have were about $60 for the pair and work pretty good. The grandson loves to walk around the CG at the SP. They work quite well just about anywhere in the park from the site. Ours have a weather radio on each one of them and that feature in itself is worth the price of admission IMHO. It will scan about 11 NOAA frequencies

[f5moab]

I have Motorola MR350R 35-Mile Range 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way used when off-roading and on long trips with multiple vehicles in a caravan so the range was quite good.

Due to distance we used them mostly on GMRS, but the FRS would be ok in a campground.

We could also use cell phones; however, out here in many places that is not an option.

[FFred]

We use them in Cosco or Home Depot or even a big grocery store to locate each other and speed shopping..

[Cowracer]

Go on amazon or EBAY and buy some Baofeng UV-5r. They are easily programmed to FRS or GMRS bands to work with the Motorola (or anyone's) FRS radios like you buy at Walmart. I got a PAIR of them, with remote speaker/mics and drop-in chargers for $45. They are much more robust than the Motorola units, and can do full 5 watts if you are on the GMRS frequencies.



Tim

[Cowracer]

Just to clarify some acronyms.

FRS is Family Radio Service. They are license free, and are limited to 1/2 watt power output. They are realistically good for about a mile in optimal conditions (flat ground, outdoors, etc)

GMRS is General Mobile Radio Service and requires a license. The licence is $65 for 5 years and one license covers an entire family. GMRS is good up to 50 watts however handhelds are limited to 5 watts. 5 watts will get you maybe 10 miles in optimal conditions.

Both transmit in FM which provides much clearer sound than AM (like CBs or those old kids 47Mhz walkie-talkies)

Both kinds also have "privacy codes" which is a misnomer. They do nothing to secure your privacy. If you set the privacy codes between 2 radios, anyone on the channel will still be able to hear your conversations. However, you will only hear conversations from radios with the same privacy code entered.

Tim

[seagrace]

I have a pair of Midland GXT1050, 50 Channels, 36-mile range. NOAA 10 channels, FRS/GMRS, waterproof, 4-star rating on Amazon. Don't really care about the range, since I only use them for close communications, i.e. launching the boat, parking the trailer, etc. They work as advertised for me, and they look cool with the camo.

[Oggie]

Just a thought if everyone in your family has Smart Phones you can use a APP called Voxer its free and turns your phones into a walkie. Several of our local Fire Depts and Police Depts use this APP it works great and its less to carry

[kdp1897]

We use Motorola radios - we have MT350Rs now and I am waiting for our new T460s to arrive. We added a lanyard for the kids' radios so they don't accidentally set them down and walk off. Works great and they have a ball with them. Plus you can call and ask where they are at anytime.

[rjshiflet]

Originally Posted by maskins

I bought a set of Motorola many many years ago. They have several different channels and they worked well. The kids now have cell phones so the walkie talkie just sit in the camper. We also used them for backing in, but now use cell phones for that too. I think the pair was $50.

My wife and I use cell phones for backing and all communication - and we gave the walkie talkies to the grandkids to play with.

[sgtlm17]

We use Motorola GXT 1030. Great quality. Cell phones don't always have service and find the Motorola's to work well for quite some distance.
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