All those people using their FRS radios in business to talk back and forth with robots better stop!
So getting a GMRS license (your original advice) is unneccessary because it has the same exact limitations as FRS transmissions do. Also, the rules could preclude use as part of employment because that’s what “for hire” means to you, but you really have no idea, even though the rules clearly state they can be used for business activities. Crystal clear. This very valuable unsolicited advice was definitely worth you coming into a woot! thread to make sure we all know.
Sounds like a pretty good endorsement for not getting a license. Was that what you were trying to convey?
You sure do know a lot about things that sad hams like to do with rule breakers (beyond their number one activity - posting on internet forums trying to scare people that they think are rule breakers).
I know. That’s why I said it doesn’t make any sense why you would be posting about those radios in a thread about Motorola FRS radios and provided you a link to a woot! thread for one of those radios.
Specs say Maximum distance 25 miles. When you read the paperwork that you get with the units, you learn that you only get 25 miles when one party is on top of a mountain and the other is in clear view 25 miles away. Also, mine came in a beat up and retaped box, although the units appeared to be new.
The specs do list that for the maximum distance, but you are correct that you will essentially never get that distance in real world use. For people still looking into buying these and wondering about distance, here is a link to the datasheet from Motorola with an little infographic on the bottom right of the 2nd page showing the useful distances.
There is an online app called Police Scanner that I use on occasion, I use the free version and I her fire/EMS only because my county does not allow police calls to be broadcast.
The level of nerd in this thread is awesome, but I have a practical question. Can I use these or something like these aboard a cruise ship? I’m looking for a means to stay connected with the kids without the risk of them burning through data on a cell phone.
They are best for off ship when traveling abroad with no data plan. While on the ship during cruising days, it will vary depending on how deep you are inside the ship. If everyone is outside on the same side of the ship, it will work with no problems.
It is still cheaper to just buy one for everyone than pay for a cruise’s Internet plan. This way, if say, eight people each have walkie talkies, there will be more of a chance for at least one person to receive your message and relay it to others who might be closer to them than to you.
Or do it the old school way and just buy everyone a cheap watch and say, “Meet here at this hour or else!”
It’s nice to not have Internet once in a while though.
I second what @nadoka says about them not working through the bowels of the ship. For a one time use situation where you don’t know how well they will work, for a similar amount of money (or less), you could buy cheap Baofeng GMRS radios that have a little more power with bigger antennas than these off Amazon and hope for the best. (Since you will be in international waters, I don’t think the FCC will send their white vans after you for using them without a GMRS license.) These are antiquated (they use rechargeable NiMH batteries while everything else being sold right now uses lithium) and are more expensive because of the motorola name. They look rugged, but don’t offer any IP54 or IP67 rating.
I think I’ve been talked out of these. Our cruise is just over around Hawaii, so the FCC and their vans is still a possibility, and the kids do in fact have phones… well one of them does and the other probably will by then. I should have paid closer attention to the spec sheet as I missed the NiMH battery and that’s pretty much a deal killer. I didn’t even consider looking for that fancy newfangled ingress protection.
In the interest of full disclosure, anyone interested in buying should read what the package says there down in the bottom left corner. Personally, I love Woot and this is not a deal breaker for me(obviously, since I didn’t decide to return mine), but these are important details a potential purchaser would probably want to know. One mile range intercity? I knew it would be less than the stated 25 mile range but didn’t realize there would be that big of a range difference intercity(or “neighborhood”). Still worth the price in my opinion though. But I would keep in mind that the T200 surely has even less than a 1 mile range intercity/neighborhood. Something to consider. Sorry, Woot. I love ya all and am still glad I purchased a couple of these.
What’s the take on using these for weather updates and alerts. Given the weather channels and option to use aa batteries it looks like a good option to me.
Know The Weather In Advance: Keep Updated With Real-Time Weather Conditions By Turning On One Of 11 Weather Channels Or Initiating Weather Alerts. NOAA Radio Service May Not Be Available In All Areas
Power Through Your Adventures: There Are Two Ways To Power Your Radio: Use The Included Nimh Rechargeable Batteries For Up To 10 Hours Or Use 3 AA Batteries For Up To 29 Hours
These would be decent for on the go weather alerts. It will alert any time NWS issues a warning anywhere in the broadcast area of each transmitter If you are looking for a home weather radio, try a MidlandUsa brand. It can be set to alert for just your county(a transmitter can cover multiple counties, not good being woke up for some 75+ miles away). I know a discount code for midland if you want. I can answer more questions about weather radio if needed.
