Branners Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 One of the venues I work for use walkie talkies to keep in touch on different floors. I know Argos do some fairly cheap ones but I think TomS has some that have better quality and range. Anybody recommend any particular make and model? No spangly features required, just the ability to talk to everybody else on the walkie talkies. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 we use icoms at work, not as cheap but they are good, over a km range Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aero-M Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Maybe worth asking tony tt. He has a pair and they work really well, and weren't to expensive. I can't remember what they are, but we used them to keep in touch on a long drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ripped_fear Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 we use binatone and cobra ones at work at they are both god awful avoid like the plague! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie1985 Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 I've tried a few binatone ones (friend of the family provides us with test units) and they are good but only if you are about 30 feet away, anything longer and they are useless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creative Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 try and pick up a couple of motorola GP300's. Used widely within the door industry, very robust and can take a knock, easy to get programmed and very good at what they do! Boils down to how much you want to spend really. You could probably pick up a couple for about 100quid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom S Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 John, mine have a 15 mile radius, and are really good. Will post up a link along with everything else I have to do later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave17 Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 try and pick up a couple of motorola GP300's. Used widely within the door industry, very robust and can take a knock, easy to get programmed and very good at what they do! Boils down to how much you want to spend really. You could probably pick up a couple for about 100quid. Yep these are good, we use these for our town centre patrol unit where police radio is crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 try and pick up a couple of motorola GP300's. Used widely within the door industry, very robust and can take a knock, easy to get programmed and very good at what they do! Boils down to how much you want to spend really. You could probably pick up a couple for about 100quid. GP300 were pretty much a standard. In a former life, I was radio tech for a UNHCR ERT and these were standard issue along with the 500 repeater. I have installed networks covering huge areas using these all over the world. Bear in mind though they are all at least 10 years old now and come in a variety of models, ie. low, high band 12.5 & 25KHz BW so be carefull if you decided to go for some second hand 300s. Also, you need an old, old pc to programme these as the last time I was involved with GP300s the software wouldnt run on anything newer than 98. But by now I am sure someone has written a patch or replacement software as that was in 2002. Motorola also make a PMR446 model and although more expensive than the usual crap work quite well. I will see if I can find the details. Tom, 15 miles is quite a claim. Not saying I dont believe it, but in what terrain and what frequency/power was that? Cant see it on 446 tbh without going through a repeater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 CPC do a good range of Motorola 446 devices. The spec on these looks ok. They do others too. http://cpc.farnell.com/motorola/xtr446/xtr446-pmr-radios/dp/IT44993?Ntt=it44993 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 We just use BT Freeways, low range but fine for internal in a building and cheap as cheap things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Here is the Motorola one we use, XTN 446, the other is a Uniden and that was cheap compared to the Motorola and seems to be fine. If you want to borrow to evaluate either let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adnanshah247 Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 i use mobile phones...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonytotheB Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Operating a mobile phone while driving is illegal. Using a Walkie Talkie isn't, as far as I know I bought the £13 ones from Argos when I was moving down South to stay in touch with my mate who was driving the Rabbits hire van. Great for convoys if you are all close. If you get lost, stop and use a mobile phone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 i use mobile phones...... Try using it at TN11 9PT;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Operating a mobile phone while driving is illegal. Using a Walkie Talkie isn't, as far as I know I bought the £13 ones from Argos when I was moving down South to stay in touch with my mate who was driving the Rabbits hire van. Great for convoys if you are all close. If you get lost, stop and use a mobile phone Only if you hold a radio licence or the Company you work for has a PMR licence. Bit of a grey area anyhow, recently I read about a guy who had a charge of using a mobile phone against him dropped as he held a radio licence. The wording in the licence allows the use of radio telephony equipment while mobile and of course a phone is that. My guess is that soon that wording will change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Only if you hold a radio licence or the Company you work for has a PMR licence. Bit of a grey area anyhow. Not really that grey. 2. The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986(1) are amended by inserting after regulation 109— “Mobile telephones 110.—(1) No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a road if he is using— (a)a hand-held mobile telephone; or. (b)a hand-held device of a kind specified in paragraph (4). -------------------------------- (4) A device referred to in paragraphs (1)(b), (2)(b) and (3)(b) is a device, other than a two-way radio, which performs an interactive communication function by transmitting and receiving data. -------------------------------- (6)(d)“two-way radio” means any wireless telegraphy apparatus which is designed or adapted—. (i)for the purpose of transmitting and receiving spoken messages; and. (ii)to operate on any frequency other than 880 MHz to 915 MHz, 925 MHz to 960 MHz, 1710 MHz to 1785 MHz, 1805 MHz to 1880 MHz, 1900 MHz to 1980 MHz or 2110 MHz to 2170 MHz; So a 446MHz walkie talkie is classed as a "two way radio" and is therefore excempt from the regulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Not really that grey. So a 446MHz walkie talkie is classed as a "two way radio" and is therefore excempt from the regulation. Oh right. So do you know when that ammendment was made? I will have a quick look through the journal I read it in when I get a mo and see when this case was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 2003 apparently: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2695/regulation/2/made Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 2003 apparently: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2695/regulation/2/made Right, I know time flys by but it's certainly since then that I read the article. Will see if I can find it just out of curiosity now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Maybe he had a different type of radio that's within the frequencies above, so classed as a mobile phone in the regs or something? Don't know how having a radio licence changes that though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Maybe he had a different type of radio that's within the frequencies above, so classed as a mobile phone in the regs or something? Don't know how having a radio licence changes that though. Think the article was in Radcom so he would have been a licenced radio amateur I guess. Just googled it and found this, not directly related but interesting: http://www.policespecials.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=99565 Sorry for the thread hijack JB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Can I suggest two cans with some string attached? Works very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adnanshah247 Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Try using it at TN11 9PT;) is that a number plate? its not release yet! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 is that a number plate? its not release yet! lol No its a post code where there is desperately poor mobile phone coverage and thus the reason we use walkie talkies there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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