Walkie Talkie

[stewey]

I am thinking of getting a 2-Way radio as we have found that our mobiles often don't get any signals on parts of the canals (thanks O2!)

 

The latest Lidl catalogue has the following set shown therein:

 

PMR Twintalker 2-Way Radio £19.99

 

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c....2-Way_Radio.ar1

 

Has anyone had any experience of this item?

 

Or does anybody have any other 2-Way radio that they would recommend at around the £20 price range?

 

Thanks for any help

 

Stewey

[alan_fincher]

The following is a remark about this type of Walkie-Talkie in general, not these specific sets.

 

Forget the nonsense about 5Km range. You wouldn't get that if you were at the top of two hills separated by 5Km, with a big valley in between.

 

On canals, in my experience, it's a few hundred metres at best.

 

Perfect for talking to someone one lock ahead up a flight, but not for several locks ahead, unless there are few obstructions.

 

Try using them down the Farmer's Bridge flight, and unless you can actually see the person with the other set, it probably will not work.

 

With those restrictions in mind, what about these sets?.....

 

Good point: They use rechargeables. (Transceivers tend to flatten disposable batteries very quickly). Rechargeable is good, at this price.

 

Possible bad point: They say 8 channels. Although only 8 channels are available more expensive sets also add "privacy codes", which means unless two sets are set up with the same channel and privacy code, each can't hear the other. It's not true privacy, as someone can select the same codes as you, and you may still have interference if someone else is using same channel, but different code. In practice so few people use these things, and the range is so short, that you are unlikely to be troubled by other users on the same channel.

 

The Lidl deal is not particularly cheap.

 

You can buy something similar at Maplin, (who have a wide selection with different features).

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=218003

 

You might get more product suport at Maplin than Lidl, (then again, perhaps not!...)

[stewey]

Alan, many thanks for your thoughts on the subject.

 

Clearly I will have to consider whether it is worthwhile to pursue the Lidl option with the inherant problems you have outlined, or consider a more expensive set.

 

Does anybody know of any sites that do reviews of Walkie Talkies?

 

Stewey

[bottle]

This is not very helpful but there used to be one called www.446user.co.uk, it does not appear to be now available.

 

Note: these 'walkie talkies' are also known as PMR 446.

[Justme]

We used to use them (similar of ebay) round the smallholding. Good for a range of about 1 mile not line of sight or flat either.

[Chris J W]

I've a pair of Binatone ones from Currys (er, about £30, IIRC) and they as much use as a pair of tin cans with string in between. (In fact - the tin cans and string would have probably more use when going through the Llangollen Narrows!)

[alan_fincher]

If you are serious, it's worth reviewing these two posts for some actual user experiences.....

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1425

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=10037

 

The second quotes a model that somebody replaced some existing sets with, and got far better performance, and which seem to be about £30 per pair in Argos or John Lewis. Probably a better bet than £20 for something without the "security code" feature on the channels.

 

(EDITED: After I found that the recommended set are only £30 per pair).

Edited September 6, 2008 by alan_fincher

[Hazza]

I use them. Fairly standard pair of units for about £50. Really handy. I can recommend. Probably don't do the 5K distance as said above but do far enough between boat and "lockeeper". For £20 go for it.

[5thHorseman]

We use tti kit - the 505TX which have a good range and you do not get cross talk interference. They are very light and thin and you can hang them round your neck on things you get at shows which contain your entrance details. Which makes them canal proof. Sea searchers do not to find radios or mobiles that come out of your pocket or off your belt, (sigh) I know

 

see here http://www.tti.uk.com/products/proddetail.asp?pc=pmr-505tx

 

With Li-ion batteries they last a long time and are rechargeable. tti can supply you with a cigarette socket charger for a few pounds more so we do not have to remember to take batteries home for charging. When 446user website was working they had a pretty good write up

 

HTH

 

5th

Edited September 6, 2008 by 5thHorseman

[stewey]

This is not very helpful but there used to be one called www.446user.co.uk, it does not appear to be now available.

Note: these 'walkie talkies' are also known as PMR 446.

Thanks for that info, Bottle. By using PMR 446 I was able to "google" the following site which includes reviews & a forum. The site is a general one covering CB radio, Ham radio etc:

 

http://www.transmission1.co.uk/index.php

 

What a shame the www.446user.co.uk site no longer exists.

 

If you are serious, it's worth reviewing these two posts for some actual user experiences.....

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1425

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=10037

 

The second quotes a model that somebody replaced some existing sets with, and got far better performance, and which seem to be about £30 per pair in Argos or John Lewis. Probably a better bet than £20 for something without the "security code" feature on the channels.

 

(EDITED: After I found that the recommended set are only £30 per pair).

Many thanks for those postings, Alan which I have now read with great interest.

 

We use tti kit - the 505TX which have a good range and you do not get cross talk interference. They are very light and thin and you can hang them round your neck on things you get at shows which contain your entrance details. Which makes them canal proof. Sea searchers do not to find radios or mobiles that come out of your pocket or off your belt, (sigh) I know

 

see here http://www.tti.uk.com/products/proddetail.asp?pc=pmr-505tx

 

With Li-ion batteries they last a long time and are rechargeable. tti can supply you with a cigarette socket charger for a few pounds more so we do not have to remember to take batteries home for charging. When 446user website was working they had a pretty good write up

Thanks for that 5thHorseman. These radios look great but probably cost a tad more than I want to pay! Many thanks for your post.

 

I will go and have a look at the radios tomorrow at Lidl and see what they look like "in the flesh", as it were.

 

Stewey

[bottle]

Stewey

 

Thank you for the new link.

[twocvbloke]

I've just been into lidl (for those gel cushion sole things) and looked at the PMR radios, and they do indeed have the sub-channels of higher-priced radios, so if I were you lot I'd get my backside to lidl before they're all sold out!!!

 

I already have some though, just need to replace the charging base's PSU (the cable seemed to break it's outer sheath at that grip thing protruding from the top) and they'll be working again...

[stewey]

I've just been into lidl (for those gel cushion sole things) and looked at the PMR radios, and they do indeed have the sub-channels of higher-priced radios, so if I were you lot I'd get my backside to lidl before they're all sold out!!!

 

I already have some though, just need to replace the charging base's PSU (the cable seemed to break it's outer sheath at that grip thing protruding from the top) and they'll be working again...

Great information!! I am going into Lidl tonight after work so if they still have one then it will be mine!

 

Thanks again

 

Stewey

[twocvbloke]

Great information!! I am going into Lidl tonight after work so if they still have one then it will be mine!

 

Thanks again

 

Stewey

 

No probs, I hope you got them...

 

I really should dig out my Binatone PMR radios, they can use bog standard AAA batteries aswell as the rechargeable pack, and I have some rechargeable AAA batteries...

[stewey]

No probs, I hope you got them...

 

I really should dig out my Binatone PMR radios, they can use bog standard AAA batteries aswell as the rechargeable pack, and I have some rechargeable AAA batteries...

Yes, I purchased a set at Lidl, Clapham Junction. Looks like there is a good supply available, if this store is anything to go by, as there were more than twenty still available.

 

Interestingly this set also has a rechargeable pack but can also take the good old standard AAA batteries as well. Could be a very useful feature if there is no power available for charging them.

 

As you mentioned in an earlier post the radios do have the sub channels. From memory (I am at work) they have 34 CTCSS codes available.

 

I certainly hope they perform better than the binatone radio Chris J W purchased from Currys, which he described as " tin cans and string would have probably more use when going through the Llangollen Narrows!"

 

Stewey

[twocvbloke]

Yes, I purchased a set at Lidl, Clapham Junction. Looks like there is a good supply available, if this store is anything to go by, as there were more than twenty still available.

 

Interestingly this set also has a rechargeable pack but can also take the good old standard AAA batteries as well. Could be a very useful feature if there is no power available for charging them.

 

As you mentioned in an earlier post the radios do have the sub channels. From memory (I am at work) they have 34 CTCSS codes available.

 

I certainly hope they perform better than the binatone radio Chris J W purchased from Currys, which he described as " tin cans and string would have probably more use when going through the Llangollen Narrows!"

 

Stewey

 

Good to know, my local Lidl only had 2 boxes left on display, what has come to be known as "raped" boxes (the boxes had been poked, fingered and torn open!!!), they looked pretty good, but looks are nothing compared to performance...

 

My Binatone radios, when I last used them at a distance, worked pretty well, even through houses and over hills, not quite the quoted 3kM on the boxes, but still impressed me...

 

One thing I like to do though is listen in on other people's comms, you can sometimes hear some "interesting" conversations!!!

[RobinR]

I have a pair purchased some years ago. They are excellent in and around the boat eg between the stern and inside the boat to request another beer or cup of tea. Also from boat to lock. Ours take 2 AA batteries each which last over 2 weeks of heavy use. My wife, younger daughter and myself hold amateur radio licences facilitating boat to supermarket communication and beyond.

[Tinally]

I've been using a pair of Binatone Terrain 550 Long Range Two Way Radios daily for about a year now.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000OUT...=cm_cr_thx_view

 

This is my Amazon review of them:

 

Having used a pair of these for about a year now, I have been quite pleased with them. The range varies according to the terrain - I've had over 6 miles from a hillside across a flat landscape, but less than a mile in an urban landscape. Sound quality is clear. The rubber buttons are wearing well, though do now show signs of use as my sets are in daily use. The batteries hold enough charge for the day, but I don't know how they'd hold up if you were transmitting all day long!

 

Setting sub-channels is simple ( please remember to set a sub-channel other than zero !! ) and the only drawback I have found ( and it really annoys me )is that when you press the "call" button, the calling handset bleeps as well as the receiving one. If anyone knows a way to disable this I'd love to know how.

 

Dick

[Roger Gunkel]

Tescos have been selling the PMR radios for some months and I noticed two different makes this week. One was the Binatone at £14.99 and the other I didn't notice the make, but did notice that the price was £9.99 for a pair!

 

These radios are all basically legally limited in maximum power, so will all give a similar range performance of about 3Km under 'Ideal' conditions. This in practice means a few hundres metres, which is what I have found on the two diferent types I have. The sub channel models tend to cost much more, and in my opinion, are only really worth considering for heavily populated areas. With such a small range, the lack of sub channels on the canal useage shouldn't really be a problem.

 

I would spend as little as possible and see how you get on.

 

Roger

[carlt]

Tescos have been selling the PMR radios for some months and I noticed two different makes this week. One was the Binatone at £14.99 and the other I didn't notice the make, but did notice that the price was £9.99 for a pair!

I have the £9.99 Technik ones (though I think I paid £12.99 for them) and they are excellent.

 

They don't have built in chargers but I use rechargeable AAAs which I have on constant solar charge.

 

Great for shouting out instructions, when picking up a mooring buoy, finding where swmbo has wandered off to, while I'm in a rally beer tent and updating the shopping list, while I'm in Tescos.

[stewey]

The excellent PMR Twintalker 2-Way radio will again be available from Lidl on Monday 6th April 2009.

 

More information here:

 

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c....2-Way_Radio.ar1

 

Stewey

[blueprince]

I've wired a doorbell intercom up for fore/aft refreshment orders to the slaves.

 

The only use I've found for walkie talkies is the fact that quite a lot of marinas use them and there is a lot of scope for amusement in confusion. The transmission quality is generally so poor that you can get away with pretending to be anyone.

 

You can also be safely away before fecal fan impact occurs.

 

I really must find more things to occupy myself with.

[jelunga]

B4 you decide, check out the warranty from both. I have experience of Lidls warranty for electrical items. It is usually for a much lomger period than most. I had a SW/MW/LW/FM radio which ran from either internal batteries or a mains adaptor. The mains adaptor failed after two years. It had a five year warranty. I had lost the receipt. Lidls provided a "proof of purchase", the maker sent me a brand new radio and mains adaptor, so I now have two working radios!!1

 

I can recommend Lidls for customer service. Maplins - well they say they offer this and that but the staff at my local branch are not happy actually sticking to their promises. Also all the Maplins kit I have bought is almost junk, except for the portable Satellite receiver kit thing. Go for Lidls - German efficiency and honesty, even though they bombed our chip shop in t'war!!!

 

Keith

 

The following is a remark about this type of Walkie-Talkie in general, not these specific sets.

 

Forget the nonsense about 5Km range. You wouldn't get that if you were at the top of two hills separated by 5Km, with a big valley in between.

 

On canals, in my experience, it's a few hundred metres at best.

 

Perfect for talking to someone one lock ahead up a flight, but not for several locks ahead, unless there are few obstructions.

 

Try using them down the Farmer's Bridge flight, and unless you can actually see the person with the other set, it probably will not work.

 

With those restrictions in mind, what about these sets?.....

 

Good point: They use rechargeables. (Transceivers tend to flatten disposable batteries very quickly). Rechargeable is good, at this price.

 

Possible bad point: They say 8 channels. Although only 8 channels are available more expensive sets also add "privacy codes", which means unless two sets are set up with the same channel and privacy code, each can't hear the other. It's not true privacy, as someone can select the same codes as you, and you may still have interference if someone else is using same channel, but different code. In practice so few people use these things, and the range is so short, that you are unlikely to be troubled by other users on the same channel.

 

The Lidl deal is not particularly cheap.

 

You can buy something similar at Maplin, (who have a wide selection with different features).

 

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=218003

 

You might get more product suport at Maplin than Lidl, (then again, perhaps not!...)

[Nickhlx]

As we have a Lidls on the doorstep, I bought a pair of these for evaluation / tests this morning.

 

I can confirm they are well-built ( as far as these things go - but not bad ) and do have "all the features". This includes the CTCSS ( codes / sub-channels) variable squelch, Vox, baby monitor function, different calling tones, ability to switch off the "roger bleep" someone was being driven mad by above, they are rechargeable with batteries and dual charging base included, but can also take 3 AAA cells of your own.

 

Performance / range tests will take place tomorrow, after a full charge today, but so far I reckon they are some of the better sets I have seen - with the 3 year warranty, and costing £10 per set, they only need to be average in performance to be the best value sets I have seen.

 

Nick

[Dutch]

As we have a Lidls on the doorstep, I bought a pair of these for evaluation / tests this morning.

 

I can confirm they are well-built ( as far as these things go - but not bad ) and do have "all the features". This includes the CTCSS ( codes / sub-channels) variable squelch, Vox, baby monitor function, different calling tones, ability to switch off the "roger bleep" someone was being driven mad by above, they are rechargeable with batteries and dual charging base included, but can also take 3 AAA cells of your own.

 

Performance / range tests will take place tomorrow, after a full charge today, but so far I reckon they are some of the better sets I have seen - with the 3 year warranty, and costing £10 per set, they only need to be average in performance to be the best value sets I have seen.

 

Nick

We purchased a pair of these from Lidle last year and have proved reliable and good reception

Mick