Communications at the Fest

Kamakiri

The New Dynamic
I had what I thought might be a good idea.....

Last year we were all trying to play long-distance cell phone tag trying to keep up with each other and find each other at the Fest, and many including myself didn't know where to find anybody from AK when they checked in....or if anyone was around.

So here's my idea...

Each of us that wants to buys the same personal communications handheld thingy (like a walkie talkie), and we have a certain channel set as a standby frequency for the Fest, for when people have questions ranging from "where are you guys?" to "what are we doin tonight?"

Good idea? There's got to be a deal we can all pick up on on the net that wouldn't have us spending more than $25.....which paled in comparison to my roaming charges ;)
 
I've got a pair of these basic ones, they work great, however, lots of people have them and in an urban setting can be crowded with other people. I'd suggest getting the more expensive ones with sub-channels.

X
 
Yep, we're going to need something with at least 10 channels I'd figure, in case of interference or other usages......time to surf for a deal.....
 
The basic ones have 14 channels, the more expesive ones have sub-channels under each of 14 channels so it gives you like a 140 channels.

X
 
Why not just print up a sheet w/ names & phone #'s? Pretty inexpensive, too. Doesn't everybody have "anywhere/anytime" minutes, anyways?!
 
Because while we were there, there were reception problems inside the hotel with cell phones, and everyone was trying to play tag with each other. I just figured this way everyone that wanted to do this could stay in touch easily.

Remember, this wouldn't be mandatory.
 
remember the so called sub channels are nothing but ctcss
thats tone squelch for the radio impaired.
does nothing for interferance or congestion.
and some of those cheapies are pure junk.
you can be out of range while still in throwing distance.
most under 25.00 per radio are a crapshoot.
 
its noisy out there..

FWIW, I just returned from a week-long family trip to Disney in Orlando, and found that the FRS frequencies were very busy with lots of chatter.... almost unusable, even when away from the Disney crowds, just driving around the Orlando and Kissimmee area. ( I realize that this is probably a worst-case scenario. )

We had a group of twelve people travelling in 2 vehicles, and fortunately 3 of the radios we had with us were FRS/GMRS units that use 22 channels, and also offer 99 "privacy codes" on each channel. They happen to be Motorola units, models T5920 and T6500 I think . We also had a couple of plain Uniden 14 channel FRS units with us as well, but without the use of the privacy codes the garbage on the airwaves made it impossible to communicate effectively.

Some brands/models offer 38 "privacy codes", but our Motorala models happened to support 99 codes. Using a channel and privacy code combination at the upper end of the available ranges (i.e. ch22 and code 95) was very effective at filtering out the unwanted traffic.

Apologies if this sounds like a sales pitch, but in any kind of densely populated area this could be a significant issue. These units have a potential range of up to a couple of miles, so there can be many interference sources. However, if the hotel is in an isolated area, this may not be a problem.
 
I have a set of some Uniden 4 mile jobbers. I cant get more then 2 blocks from my house and they are useless. They are great if your within that range.

Also the city I live in is a black hole for radio signals and cell phones. That could have lots to do with it.
 
Okay, everyone.......we're going to be using this particular model at the Fest. Anyone that would like to buy them can feel free, this is how we're all going to keep in touch while there, convenient if you show up at the Hotel on Thursday or Friday but don't know if anyone's there or where we are :)

We won't have any extras to lend out, so please, if you want one, stop by your local Best Buy and pick up a pair. Hook up with somebody there and split the cost if you like :)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?j=1&type=category&id=cat06017

These are the Motorola T5500AA FRS/GMRS 2-Way Radios.
 
I went ahead and ordered a pair figured they would come in handy for other uses also.

Craig
 
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