Walkie talkies (1 Viewer)

[whereru]

I quite often tour together with my parents in out vans and we have discussed if Walkie Talkies would be useful for communication, I think they would work while parked but I am not sure if they would work while we were following each other, would the engine interfere with the signal. Has anybody tried.

 

[barsteward]

Use them bike to bike and for the most part they work fine, see no reason why they shouldn't be ok in mh.

 

[Spanishsteve]

I used walkie talkies with another couple in a car in Florida about 10 years ago, the only issue we had was when the distance between cars got too far. The W-Ts nowadays have 5 mile distance, digital channels etc so probably a lot better. On another thread somebody said they use theirs between husband and wife when reversing the MH, which I thought was a good idea and what I will do when I buy a MH

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[daveandsan]

Have used them to keep tabs on grandchildren when out playing on caravan park and used them when following friends in motorhome, no problem if the distance isn't to great.

 

[Movinon]

They're OK for a couple of kilometres providing there are no mountains in between. Handheld communicators have rather weak output. The engine should be OK but the bodywork could reduce the range.

 

[Mr Ed]

Yes used them this year when daughter and son-in-law +granddaughters were over from Australia and hired a m-home were really usefull when we all did a trip to Wales made conyoy driving much easier. Martin

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[SUGGY]

We used them a lot in Morocco , got them from Lidl,s £25 ,worked ok for us in convoy and when in the soukes to find each other ,
Chanell number 5 is what the 2013 /2014 Funster trip used then we could call any time to each other also to ask if anyone was in the area or on a campsite when we arrived ,
just dont use them in front of the Police ..

 

[Baycott]

We use them with great success with a couple we travel with. The only problem we encounter is in the larger towns you get a bit of interference from other people using them on building sites and the like. Over all we found them very useful.

 

[Cal54]

Yes they are very handy. We use them all the time when 3 of us are in convoy. However as mentioned previously the range they cover when being used inside a MH is significantly less than the stated distance.
I have been assured that 2 way radios can be used whilst driving and are not subject to the same regulations as mobile phones.

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[Chris]

We use them all the time and I think they are great.

The best bit is when you are tuned into the same channel as other (unconnected) people so they can hear your conversations and vice versa.
I was in a grumpy mood stuck in traffic on the Pont De Normandie in the Summer and said something derogatory about the French drivers to my brother who was travelling separately

Next thing a very posh sounding English lady came on air and said " Oh Dear Darling, I think its time we switched to Channel 2".

 

[Peter & Elaine]

Same as suggy
But if before you buy Google PMR 446 tweaks you can find certain models you can easily
Tweak to get more power for extra range and extra channels

 

[MattR]

We use them for lots of activities, including our mh trips. Cobra models seem reliable and pretty well designed. Go for ones with the longest range but do not expect to get anywhere near the published range - ours are supposed to have a range of 8km but even on a flat beach, we haven't managed 1km.

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[Scout]

Same as suggy
But if before you buy Google PMR 446 tweaks you can find certain models you can easily
Tweak to get more power for extra range and extra channels

you need the intek 5050, great bits of kit, I bought 6 the year befor last for a long road trip with my daughters and sons in law, we had three units on the road, good contact on motorways probibly up to 5 miles in open county less were hilly or in town. But well recomended if a tad expensive. I might consider selling a couple if the price was right

 

[SuperMike]

Tweak to get more power for extra range and extra channels

The Intec 5050 is an excellent unit and very easy to tweek. The extra channels are great, but the extra power is not worth a jot. Remember, it's logarithmic, so 40w is twice 4w, and tweeking usually will only get you up to 10w at best. Also watch your batteries drain away with extra power.

 

[reader]

We use them "in convey" for the lead van to spot laybyes for brew stops. The licence free pmr sets are not intended for long distance. If you mess with power or deviation the only thing you will gain is less battery life as SuperMike says(apart from breaking the law that is)

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[Jaws]

I used walkie talkies with another couple in a car in Florida about 10 years ago, the only issue we had was when the distance between cars got too far. The W-Ts nowadays have 5 mile distance, digital channels etc so probably a lot better. On another thread somebody said they use theirs between husband and wife when reversing the MH, which I thought was a good idea and what I will do when I buy a MH

Unsure where you got the idea wt of today have such a range.. but sorry to say unless you are using equipment you need licences for ( or either have a commercial use licence or pass exams ) the most you can reasonably expect to get from a pair of 446PMR radios would be maybe a kilometre in perfect conditions, but more likely about 500 metres

They have a maximum output ( ERP ) or 500mW..
To put that in to context for those who have used a CB radio.. A CB puts out 4 watts.. Yes, there are loads of stories of amazingly long distance contacts but take away all the odd things and the average for a decent CB set up is 4 or 5 miles and THAT is on a decent external antenna.
446PMR hand helds are more usually used with their own antenna built on to the side of the radio and is far from efficient !

If you wish taking a fairly big chance and use something illegal then look at what Kenwood, Icom and a couple of other mainstream manufacturers offer .. They do 5w output devices designed for commercial or amateur radio use ( licenses required ) but can be programmed with the 446PMR channels etc


OK, all that said, we used a pair of cheapy ( they were just old tat, one off of fleabay was £4 and the other from a local boot sale for £2.00 but as all units have to conform to the same minimum spec it makes no odds really ) hand helds during the summer while touring with Nemo and Zoe around Europe
In general they did a spiffing job and kept us in contact with each other 80% of the time

 

[Peter & Elaine]

We could get a general frequency license registered to funsters
If I remember correctly
16 channels VHF or UHF for about £30 and 3 years
Could be handy now considering size of rally's for Marsheling
I think I have some UHF motorola and icons knocking round I would give to Jim for events

 

[BobtheBass]

I use ours when I go fishing. A quick call to Sue back at the van and she brings me a cup of coffee and sandwiches to the lake..........

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[Jaws]

We could get a general frequency license registered to funsters
If I remember correctly
16 channels VHF or UHF for about £30 and 3 years
Could be handy now considering size of rally's for Marsheling
I think I have some UHF motorola and icons knocking round I would give to Jim for events

Seriously good idea that !!

 

[golly]

We have a couple of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002HXWG5K/?tag=mhf04-21
Used them between vehicles, as stated range is limited but worked for what we wanted.

 

[Tootles]

We bought a pair a couple of years ago, but somehow they didn't work properly. When I talked to my wife, even over a short distance, she didn't seem to hear me, however, when she shouted at me, I could hear her without the use of the radio. Eventually, we gave up on them, and went back to the simple whistle commands that she uses to either get my attention, tell me to lie and wait, or run in a big circle.

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[Larrynwin]

If of interest I have two Intek MT 5050 which I bought new April last year and have not used but have kept batteries charged.
In boxes with mains chargers and instructions.
I am asking £95 the pair incl postage.

 

[lorger]

We used them on a trip to France with another couple and they worked fine as long as we stayed close, the best bit was the kids playing eye spy from different Motorhomes kept them amused for hours.

 

[Scout]

If of interest I have two Intek MT 5050 which I bought new April last year and have not used but have kept batteries charged.
In boxes with mains chargers and instructions.
I am asking £85 the pair incl postage.

Thats a really good price for two radios. They sell for a lot more on feabay

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[Larrynwin]

Thats a really good price for two radios. They sell for a lot more on feabay

Ta, have you read my post

 

[whereru]

Thanks for all the info, I will have to investigate the best for my needs. Are there any traders I can go to, the internet is great for price if you know what you want but I prefer face to face if it's something im unfamiliar with.

 

[makems]

We use handhelds for reversing. I get out and direct Gwen (she does all the driving) and it's helped us get into some quite tight parking spots and out of a few tricky situations.
Also used them the last couple of years in Morocco in convoy and we do seem to get a far greater range than Jaws is suggesting.

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[Jaws]

If you are using legal units Mike then they will have 500mW output and no matter what, 'ye canna change the laws of physics cap'n !'
Mind you, is Morocco nice and flat ?
A signal with nowt to stop it such as buildings, bends and hills will travel quite a long way !

 

[Peter & Elaine]

When suggy Canopus and I were out on flat roads in Moroccan desert you would hard pushed to get much over half a mile on a good day

 

[Jaws]

Which is actually pretty darned good going to be fair.. Conditions must have been quite favourable

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