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View Full Version : 2 way radios in theme parks



Susie Dismom
03-07-2002, 12:57 PM
First of all are they allowed? Second, I know this can vary, how bad is the interference?

Jillpie
03-07-2002, 01:01 PM
Yes, they are allowed. You will see them everywhere, they are very popular and fantastic! They help in keeping in touch with your party at all times. I have never had any interference at DW, others have had a problem with this. Motorola Talkabouts work great, the ones with subchannels so you can change to another channel if interference occurs. Any more questions, please ask.

Figment!
03-07-2002, 01:05 PM
Wellm while I have seen other people use them semmingly fine, on our last trip the ones we got had interference and static terrably on many channels. However I did not exactly get the highest quailty ones either graemlins/blush.gif , my suggestion if you are going to do this you may want to make a semi-serrouis invetment to insure the quality of them.

andywicks
03-07-2002, 01:07 PM
We used them for the first time this year with no problems.

Although there is only 4 of us, it's easy to spilt up, so they are great for keeping in contact.

Also, we gave our eldest son one when we went to watch a show with his little sister. That way he could ride TOT whilst we were watching Beauty & the Beast with no worries.

We're from the UK, so we had to buy our radios in the USA as Europe ones are illegal for use there. Yet another excuse to keep going back to WDW!!!

MKPlutoGuy
03-07-2002, 02:57 PM
I would reccomend using an instant messaging service provided by some wireles phone companies..that way there won't be any interference, and there won't be 10 different people talking at once on the same channel. smile.gif

Of course, if you don't have that service, the two way radios work fairly well, the ones we have work up to 2 miles and have several different channels.

CHESIRECAT
03-07-2002, 03:59 PM
Keep in mind...since others are using the radios also, you may get some jokester graemlins/thedolls.gif on your channel which answer your call as your party but which are not. This can cause confusion. :confused:

Since our cell phone service includes in area long distance, we just us our cell phones. It's more secure and you don't have to worry amount range limitations.

mmdestin
03-07-2002, 04:59 PM
We brought our kids 2way radios but I was so worried about getting separated that we decided to use our cel phones. We have some in our group that wont go on some of the rides so it was a very secure way to have fun separately but still hook back up when the brave ones got off their thrill ride!!!! graemlins/mickey.gif

disneykim
03-07-2002, 05:45 PM
I tried using cel phones on my last trip to the world. We had a lot of trouble getting a signal so the phones turned out to be a waste of time.

nygiants56
03-07-2002, 07:00 PM
I'd just use the two way radios

Patrick Carroll
03-07-2002, 07:22 PM
I agree with the use of Two Way radios (Like the Motorola FRS Radios) at WDW. I live in the Orlando Area, and always take my Sprint PCS phone with me to the park. However, it is difficult most of the time to get a good singnal at most places in the park, even out in the open sometimes. I see a lot of people using the FRS (Family Radio Service) radios with fewer problems then you will get with a cell phone.

Susie Dismom
03-07-2002, 08:04 PM
What is FRS - is this something offered at the park?

KenB
03-08-2002, 12:30 AM
I was originally thinking of just using our cell phones, but someone above mentioned not being able to get much of a signal... is that true??? I have a SPRINT PCS phone, if it matters.

And, does anyone know how much these two-way radios cost ... including ones with multiple channels???

Thanks.

mmdestin
03-08-2002, 07:01 AM
We had absolutely NO problems with our cel phones!! I just felt more secure with them over the phones but it is certainly a personal preferance. If you have both you could test them out at the hotel down there and see which one you feel more comfortable with. We have Cingular cel phone service so your provider may make a difference. Sooooo many variables down there always. Good luck with whatever you decide to go with!! graemlins/mickey.gif

Jillpie
03-08-2002, 10:13 AM
KenB, the Motorola Talkabouts have come down 50% in price in the last year..they are about 45.00 now at Best Buy for a set of two.

Marker
03-08-2002, 10:20 AM
Cell phones are only useful if enough people in your party already have them. You wouldn't want to make the commitment to cell phone service only for use on a vacation trip.

Having said that, on our trip in 2000, we used our PCS phones with great success. Admittedly, at least when we were there, PCS service had a lot of holes around WDW. But that was not that much of a problem because we just used voice mail. If you're party didn't answer, we left a message. With the radios, if they don't hear it because of surrounding noise level, or because they're on a ride or whatever, you just don't get through. At least with the cell phone, we could leave the message.

GrumpyFan
03-08-2002, 11:08 AM
Here's some more info for you in another thread:

http://www.intercot.com/boards/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=006899