Walkie Talkies

[bs1313]

I was thinking about brining walkie talkies over to Europe. I could have one and my girlfriend could have the other. I figure we could just put them in our daypack and if we get separated we would be able to find each other. The question is...will walkie talkies work over there? I would think so because the frequency is between them not off of a tower or anything right? I wouldn't want to bring them all the way over just to find out they don't work. Anyone know?

[crystal]

I would wonder more about the distance they can cover and whether they would really be useful. I imagine that the area they can cover is not huge (although I'm no expert). I find it useful to pick a well know prominant land mark and arrange with my fellow travellers to meet there if we become separated.

[Eagle]

bs1313, a few points to mention regarding the use of "Walkie Talkies" (FRS?) in Europe. First of all, as Crystal mentioned you may find that the effective range isn't really that great. Usually manufacturers specify "line of sight" range to express the maximum distance these will reach with a fully charged battery. In reality where these are used in cities and around building, the range will be much less. One thing that occurred to me is how often during the trip are you and your girlfriend going to be separated?

The other (and perhaps more important) point is that the frequencies used for FRS radios in North America are different than those used for the equivalent products in Europe. It's possible that the N.A. versions might operate on frequencies that are reserved for emergency services or whatever in Europe. The authorities would probably take a less-than-favourable view towards anyone interfering with emergency communications. You may wish to read en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Radio_Service, specifically the part on Europe for further information.

I normally use a Cell phone using text messaging to keep in touch, but I'm not sure whether this is a realistic option for you?

Cheers!

[bs1313]

Yah we can't bring our cell phones because Verizon doesn't seem to let us use our regular phones over there. I was just thinking if we got separated, I don't think we would walk 2 miles, we would most likely figure out we were separated pretty immediately. But in a big crowd it can get stressful trying to find one another. I will do some more research and try to find some information. Thanks for the help.

Bret

[pointofnoreturn]

You might consider the fact that street authorities might find you suspicious if they see you talking on a walkie talkie....

Cell phones are a good bet.

[bs1313]

well I looked them up and American walkie talkies are illegal in Europe. Oh well, guess we just won't get lost.

[Eagle]

Bret,

Yah we can't bring our cell phones because Verizon doesn't seem to let us use our regular phones over there.

The problem isn't that Verizon won't "let you" use your regular phones in Europe, but rather the fact that they use CDMA technology rather than GSM (which is used by about 85% of the world). Therefore, Verizon phones will simply not operate there as CDMA phones are not compatible with GSM networks. In the U.S., AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM providers so if your cellular plans are due for renewal, you could always switch networks.

A couple of avenues you might pursue:

1.) I've heard from other travellers from the U.S. that Verizon has a program to offer GSM rental phones to their customers. I don't know the details of this or the costs, but you might speak with the Verizon customer service agents.

2.) You can probably find a couple of unlocked GSM quad-band phones on E-Bay. When you get to Europe, you can simply buy a couple of PAYG cards at the nearest mobile shop, and you'll be set to go.

3.) You could look at either buying or renting a couple of Euro GSM phones from a firm such as Cellular Abroad or Mobal. Again, I haven't checked their pricing recently, but if you're mostly going to use SMS, it should be fairly inexpensive (usually SMS / texts received are free!).

4.) You could upgrade your present Verizon phones to dual-technogy models such as the Motorola A840 or Blackberry 8830. At the moment I don't have any information on whether these work well on GSM, but I believe Verizon sells those models.

5.) You could buy a couple of inexpensive phones on a PAYG plan when you arrive in Europe.

Good luck and hope you find a solution.