I have used both cell phones and 2 way radios at the parks.
Cell phones often can not get a signal, or drop calls when you are in the actual parks... I geuss it is to far from a repeater.
Two way radios are absolutely wonderful.
There are a 2 major things to consider when you buy your radios... How many channels and how many subchannels it has.
The more the better.
Do not waste your money on any radio without subchannels! You will hate them. You will hear everyone and their brother on your radio all the time!
Subchannels filter most of this out. In fact the only people you will hear is anyone on the same channel and subchannel. Most times, you can find a channel and subchannel that no one else is using.
If you have a large group, I recommend that you all have the same type of radio. Different brands program differently so channel 12 on one radio can be channel 3 on another, and even the subchannels are this way. However if this is unrealistic, with a little determination, you can figure out which channels will "talk" to each other... this just becomes very confusing when you need to change a channel due to traffic on it.
Sometimes you will have to change your channel when you are all seperated...
You may find an annoying kid butting into your conversation. Someone may be saying inappropriate things, or there may be to much traffic.
For security reasons, you really dont want to say "Hey Joe, switch to channel 3 sub channel 8..." because after all, the person you are trying to get away from will just follow you.
Personally, we used dates that were significant to all of us. We started on channel 8 subchannel 11... my nieces birthday... and eventially switched to channel 7 subchannel 18, my aniversary.... We communicated this by saying, Switch to Celia's birthday, or Switch to Laura's aniversary.. Everyone would know the date, and change channels and automaticly check in. That way if someone didn't get the message, someone could switch back, and keep trying to get ahold of the person who missed the first communication.
Batteries are an issue... I changed mine twice over 10 days. I always kept a freash set in my fannypack to change with. I also always kept the radio off when we went into our hotel room. However my mother kept leaving hers on and replaced batteries several times... My sister used rechargable batteries with alot of success. She had two sets one would charge during the day, and she would use the other ones. She would switch them every night.
Also, most FRS (Family Radio Service) radios are very easy to use... We taught my techo-phobic parents how to use their radios in about 10 minutes... (If we could only teach them to keep it with them!)
Personally we found radios to be a life saver... it allowed us to seperate, with no fears of not finding each other. We would go onto different rides, take the kids to the bathroom and someone else could shop rather than wait. My parents like to sleep in, so this allowed them to get to the parks whenever they wanted, and the rest of the group was not tied down to waiting for them. They would just radio us when they got into the gate, and we could set up a meeting place. They allowed us a freedom in the parks we did not have in the past, along with peace of mind. For once, no one got lost... not even my speed demon mother on her electric scooter which we would have to pratically jog to keep up with!
YOu do not have to spend a fortune for a good radio. The deals are out there... I personally have a set of Cobra's which cost me $29 after $30 rebate. Radios can cost over $100! My personally opinion is buy the best you can afford, but dont go overboard... I never used my earpiece, (I found it annoying) The different rings were kinda cool to play with, but that is it, you cant mistake it when your radio rings...
I hope this helps all of you!
Below is a link to a great page with alot of information on FRS radios.
|
