Shouldigo12
Well-Known Member
If you don't want a smartphone you can just pick up one of thosw prepaid ones, like someone else mentioned. That would surely be cheaper than buying walkie talkies for everyone in the group.
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Walke Talkies
- Thread starter Dendog76
- Start date
Funny thing is, now that most everyone uses a cellphone, some family using walkie talkies probably wouldn't have those problems anymore. I'm almost convinced to take them and try them on the next trip now... At the very least I wouldn't have to worry bout the kids losing their cellphones or ruining them on a wet water ride.... Or playing games endlessly instead of trying to open their eyes to the things around them.
Try it and let us know how it went.
ninjaprincesst
Well-Known Member
They still are pretty useless with all the cell phone an ipads and such they are constantly losing signal and have interference. It was a great idea but for us it worked no better than it did before cell phones.
DisAl
Well-Known Member
We used the a few times back in the days when you still had to pay for texts if you went over your limit. There may not be nearly as many people using walkie talkies since everybody and his brother has a cell phone now, but if you look at the numbers you will probably still be sharing any given channel with dozens if not hundreds of other users. The "privacy codes" don't help either because there will also be quite a number of people using any given "code" number. The privacy code is a misnomer too; there is absolutely NO privacy. All the privacy code does is keep YOU from hearing other people on the same channel using a different code, but if they are using it the channel is still busy even if you don't hear them talking. If you don't have a privacy code set you will hear EVERY conversation on the channel.
It is also hard to hear a walkie talkie in the noisy park environment. And remember too that if you can hear it so can just about anyone else within 15 feet.
And finally, most of the FRS radios won't reach from one side of the MK to the other. When they say they have two mile range that is if you are each on a hilltop and can actually see each other. In general you can't expect more than 1/4 mile in an urban environment.
It is also hard to hear a walkie talkie in the noisy park environment. And remember too that if you can hear it so can just about anyone else within 15 feet.
And finally, most of the FRS radios won't reach from one side of the MK to the other. When they say they have two mile range that is if you are each on a hilltop and can actually see each other. In general you can't expect more than 1/4 mile in an urban environment.
correcaminos
Well-Known Member
The poor coverage was our biggest issue. I'm not sure that part will have improved at all.
I'm not sure I follow your thinking though, why would a walkie talkie be better about being destroyed or lost vs a cell phone. Our cell phones are easier to hold onto than a walkie talkie IMO.
Just depends on the quality of the walkie talkie, we were able to reach each other throughout a park as long as we were in the same park... and the reason I wouldn't care if the walkie talkie got destroyed is the cost. I can buy a walkie talkie for $50... If they kill their cell phone it will cost me 4 or 5 hundred dollars.. if they had one of the new iPhone it would be a thousand dollars down the drain... I've already had one cell phone killed from playing submarine and I would have been much happier if I had only had to pay 50 bucks to replace it.
correcaminos
Well-Known Member
LIke I said our issues were reaching each other across the whole park. MK never worked for us so we gave up.
I don't buy my kid a $1k phone. No kid needs that (heck I don't). He gets my hand me downs and I shop for deals with mine. Recently ours have been IP67/8 rated so water or such won't even kill them. Cheaper and more reliable than a walkie talkie in the park
If you can show her were to buy iphone 6,7 or 8's for 50 bucks, I would love to hear about it, but I"m not sure if even one of the new iphones could have survived being in the pocket of a kid that was pushed into a swimming pool.LIke I said our issues were reaching each other across the whole park. MK never worked for us so we gave up.
I don't buy my kid a $1k phone. No kid needs that (heck I don't). He gets my hand me downs and I shop for deals with mine. Recently ours have been IP67/8 rated so water or such won't even kill them. Cheaper and more reliable than a walkie talkie in the park
DisneyRealist
New Member
Zello requires Wifi or a data connection, which means you are just as likely to have a cell connection. Even if you couldn't make a call, you could use FaceTime or Skype or any other app. Lots of people mistakenly believed it could work offline.
correcaminos
Well-Known Member
Who said anything about an iPhone? Not all of us are stuck on that brand. In fact if my husband's work didn't pay for his, we wouldn't have one at all in our house.
I can easily find decent androids for low prices. Heck I got mine for $100 new on a special sale - and it was the LG flagship at the time. IP68 rated so yep, would survive a pool. But really they work in the parks. As I said, our walkie talkies didn't - which was my point all along.
Just remember while the wi-fi isn't always great, it is an option in the parks and resorts.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
I think when you said "IP67/8" he took that to mean "iPhone 6, 7 or 8" not the Ingress Protection rating of the phone.
Keep in mind though that when something is rated for say 3m, that does not mean it will necessary survive all depths of up to 3m. It will survive the pressure at 3m, but if you generate that same pressure by falling into the water (by being pushed) it could breach the housing at a much shallower depth.
When you said, "Recently ours have been IP67/8..." I assumed the IP was for iphone... And no I'm not stuck on an iphone brand, we have androids but even they cost a lot more than a walkie talkie. As for getting a good one for 100 new., did you have to commit to a long term contract for it?
correcaminos
Well-Known Member
Oops, sorry then. And truly please read my previous post as lighthearted, not mean. Just wanted to clarify that. I'm a jokester but i do not believe in giving my kid the latest and greatest phones
IP means Ingress Protection in this case. It's a dust/water rating system. IP67 means dust tight and slight immersion. IP68 means dust tight and protection against continuous water immersion. As for the phone I got myself, no I did not. It was actually IIRC a Best Buy Friday deal of some sort. Stupidly cheap and like I said flagship of LG at the time. No extension of contracts or anything, just bought the phone. Not a lease either which I like. It's mine outright. If you don't mind slightly used, swappa.com is a place to get fantastic deals on phones. A lot of people who like to buy the latest and greatest sell the old there.
I think when you said "IP67/8" he took that to mean "iPhone 6, 7 or 8" not the Ingress Protection rating of the phone.
Keep in mind though that when something is rated for say 3m, that does not mean it will necessary survive all depths of up to 3m. It will survive the pressure at 3m, but if you generate that same pressure by falling into the water (by being pushed) it could breach the housing at a much shallower depth.
This is true, but I don't worry bout my IP68 rated phone at all. I've seen enough tests to show how tight it really is. Doesn't mean I try to abuse it, but I don't worry about it by a pool or such.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
I am sure that most IP 68 phones do just fine. But it is possible to meet the standards of IP68 and then have it fail in unexpected ways. I have worked with a number of certifications in telecom. Not so much IP work, mainly NEBS certification, but some other stuff too. Most vendors will go beyond the bare minimum to meet the standard, but some do just enough. Unfortunately, it is a pass/fail rating for the consumers. Just wanted people to be aware that not all IP 68 devices are created equal.
correcaminos
Well-Known Member
Totally understandable. I even go as far as seeing actual attempts to destroy phones to see how they really hold up. I admit I love how people try to see how far they can test phones. We did that at one job I had when looking for an official sponsorship of a specific computer part. We did it to see how well they worked for an average install, but of course we went above and beyond. It's fun to test durability