Nikkai Radios

[Ray]

We were out with friends on their boats over the weekend and wanted to keep in touch with them using our Nikkai two way, licence free radios. We couldn't.

 

We've had ours for some time - probably about 6 months, although they've hardly been used as we've not done too much cruising. When we tried to use them the other week, we found one wouldn't receive. The following day they both worked OK! Its a bit annoying because I seem to recall that I paid a bit more for them in the hope that they'd be a better quality product.

 

We had a similar problem this weekend which meant that we couldn't communicate with our friends who appeared to each be using a different make. We then managed to get a cheap Argos set delivered to us on Saturday evening and could communicate over fairly short distances - about a couple of hundred yards, but no further. However, the boat travelling with us was able to communicate with the boat one lock away while we couldn't hear anything! We were all using the same channels and tone settings according to our radios.

 

Two questions. Firstly, we can't remember when or where we bought the original Nikkai radios and wonder if anyone else has a pair and knows where they got them. Secondly, it looks like we'll need to by another pair - we can get a refund from Argos. What models do others use and would they recommend them.

 

Ray

[carlt]

We were out with friends on their boats over the weekend and wanted to keep in touch with them using our Nikkai two way, licence free radios. We couldn't.

 

We've had ours for some time - probably about 6 months, although they've hardly been used as we've not done too much cruising. When we tried to use them the other week, we found one wouldn't receive. The following day they both worked OK! Its a bit annoying because I seem to recall that I paid a bit more for them in the hope that they'd be a better quality product.

 

We had a similar problem this weekend which meant that we couldn't communicate with our friends who appeared to each be using a different make. We then managed to get a cheap Argos set delivered to us on Saturday evening and could communicate over fairly short distances - about a couple of hundred yards, but no further. However, the boat travelling with us was able to communicate with the boat one lock away while we couldn't hear anything! We were all using the same channels and tone settings according to our radios.

 

Two questions. Firstly, we can't remember when or where we bought the original Nikkai radios and wonder if anyone else has a pair and knows where they got them. Secondly, it looks like we'll need to by another pair - we can get a refund from Argos. What models do others use and would they recommend them.

 

Ray

Not sure what make they are (Technika ??) but I got a pair of cheapy ones from Tesco Extra and they're great. We've tested them to over a mile with good (if a bit scratchy) reception.

[Alan Saunders]

. . . Two questions. Firstly, we can't remember when or where we bought the original Nikkai radios and wonder if anyone else has a pair and knows where they got them. . .

I think Nikkai is a Maplin brand.

Alan

[Ray]

I wondered about that. Hopefully, I bought them on the card - why use cash when you can borrow someone else's money temporarily - so I should still have the receipt.

[NB Willawaw]

I use Entel EuroWave, which are very good.

Entel make quite a few professional radio products and the quality of the

EuroWave is in the same mould.

 

http://www.entel.co.uk/products/licence_free/euro-wave.htm

 

TTI are good also:

 

http://www.tti.uk.com/products/proddetail.asp?pc=PMR-505TX