Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas

[derpotts]

I'm going on a cruise on this week and I would like to communicate with my family through two way radios. I have Retc two way radios vhf/uhf frq range 136-174mhz 400-520mhz. should I use vhf or uhf on the ship? where could I find frq that work on the ship? Does Harmony of the Seas have frq we can use?

 

[KK4JUG]

Not only do they not have frequencies you can use, they'll probably confiscate your radios.

 

[mmckenna]

I'm going on a cruise on this week and I would like to communicate with my family through two way radios. I have Retc two way radios vhf/uhf frq range 136-174mhz 400-520mhz. should I use vhf or uhf on the ship? where could I find frq that work on the ship? Does Harmony of the Seas have frq we can use?

I can tell you from personal experience that Royal Caribbean will very likely confiscate the radios when you go through the security check. They took my 2 meter hand held VHF radio when I boarded in Vancouver many years ago.
I got it back a few hours later.

A few things to remember….

The ship is private property, and when you purchase the tickets you agreed to abide by the lines rules. All of them.

If you are going outside the USA, then the rules in that country apply when you are in their waters/in their ports/on their land. Some countries are not as forgiving. Some countries have nasty little jails where people get left for considerable amounts of time.

Different countries have different band plans, so what might be an unused frequency in the USA, a license by rule radio service (ie; MURS) or radio services like GMRS, may very well not be in the other country. You could possibly cause interference to local public safety systems in other countries.

Since you didn't mention a license, and your frequency capabilities are well beyond the amateur radio bands and reciprocity agreements, you need to be really careful.


Some have successfully used FRS/GMRS radios on board ships with good results. UHF works pretty well on ships.

Others have reported really good results using 900MHz digital radios.

Some ships offer rental radios (often GMRS/FRS radios) or cordless DECT telephones for use on board.

Most ships have some sort of onboard repeater system. No, you won't be allowed to access it. You don't have a license to do that, and the ship won't want the customers on their internal system. They use it for security, medical, ship operations, engineering, etc. They will not want you interfering with that.

Here's the best advice I can offer:
Since you didn't mention being licensed for any radio service, you should avoid transmitting with the radios. period.

Stick with what works. Get a few low buck FRS/GMRS radios, the new ones allow 2 watts without a license. 2 watts on UHF will work well. If you lose one, no big deal. If they get stolen (it happens) you are not out anything important.

While I wouldn't recommend it, most countries near the USA, and especially ones that host a lot of US tourism, are generally forgiving about the FRS frequencies. Not saying it's 100% safe, but at least you can claim ignorance. Harder to do that with the dual band radio that you specifically have to program to those frequencies.

Don't take radios ashore. You won't need them. It opens up too many issues.

Go, have a good time, and don't let radios get in the way. Honestly, I found that tracking down family wasn't an issue. The idea is to relax and enjoy. If you are stuck on a schedule and coordinated activities, you'll miss out on the fun.

Listening in on the local communications can be fun, so that's an option. Marine VHF, shipboard stuff (look around 457MHz) etc.

 

[derpotts]

This if from Royal Caribbean. and i called to confirm.Guests are also allowed to have two-way radios, more commonly know as walkie-talkies, for onboard personal communications. Basic specifications are as follows: Up to 10-mile coverage range, Up to 5 watts power, Internal Voice, Operated Transmission, No external mounting antenna.

 

[derpotts]

I want to know what frequencies I can put in my radio to talk to family and friends. I think we will be good to bring the radio on.

 

[mmckenna]

I want to know what frequencies I can put in my radio to talk to family and friends. I think we will be good to bring the radio on.

What are you licensed for?

 

[mmckenna]

And, where are you going to be?

 

[TailGator911]

We took a pair of FRS radios, a Yaesu VX-7r quad-bander, and a TRX-1 scanner on a very recent cruise (Carnival) and they did not blink at my radios upon check-in registration. Never a problem. They did confiscate my sister-in-law's bottle of chocolate wine tho. hah she got it back when we disembarked in Ft Lauderdale.

EDIT: Our steward gave me a mimeograph copy of their communications policies, limited transmitting power (10 watts) and portable antenna limitations. He said they had just started doing this after several communications conflicts with amateur radio operators and passengers with FRS radios.

JD
kf4anc

 

[wx5uif]

I took my XPR7550 a couple years ago along with my Uniden 436. No issues getting on a RC ship.

 

[alcahuete]

The radios are not going to be confiscated. Been on almost every cruise line there is, and have yet to have the radios even looked at. I've had them in both carry-on and checked luggage.

The higher the frequency, the better, as far as ship communication is concerned. The 900 MHz DTR radios are by far the best radios I have ever used on a ship. Smashes the performance of anything else out there. The next best is going to be something in the UHF band, such as GMRS. However, in the tight confines of a ship, there is usually such a high amount of users and RF density in the FMS/GMRS spectrum, that the radios do not perform well at all.

The issue is that it sounds like you are using some Chinese dual band radio, are not licensed for any radio service, and the use of that radio on any of the license free services (FRS or MURS) is likely to not be legal. That said, UHF over VHF all day long.

 

[ecps92]

Taking Radios on a ship in the past few years has work and has not worked.
Some folks have gotten on-board with Scanners and others have been confiscated

Most of the Cheap [FRS] bubble pack radios do not get noticed and work well on-board

Reading between the lines, are you asking for a Ship-Board freq to use ?
Nope - you can not use the Ships UHF Radio System

I'm going on a cruise on this week and I would like to communicate with my family through two way radios. I have Retc two way radios vhf/uhf frq range 136-174mhz 400-520mhz. should I use vhf or uhf on the ship? where could I find frq that work on the ship? Does Harmony of the Seas have frq we can use?

 

[ecps92]

Well written and excellent advise

I can tell you from personal experience that Royal Caribbean will very likely confiscate the radios when you go through the security check. They took my 2 meter hand held VHF radio when I boarded in Vancouver many years ago.
I got it back a few hours later.

A few things to remember….

The ship is private property, and when you purchase the tickets you agreed to abide by the lines rules. All of them.

If you are going outside the USA, then the rules in that country apply when you are in their waters/in their ports/on their land. Some countries are not as forgiving. Some countries have nasty little jails where people get left for considerable amounts of time.

Different countries have different band plans, so what might be an unused frequency in the USA, a license by rule radio service (ie; MURS) or radio services like GMRS, may very well not be in the other country. You could possibly cause interference to local public safety systems in other countries.

Since you didn't mention a license, and your frequency capabilities are well beyond the amateur radio bands and reciprocity agreements, you need to be really careful.


Some have successfully used FRS/GMRS radios on board ships with good results. UHF works pretty well on ships.

Others have reported really good results using 900MHz digital radios.

Some ships offer rental radios (often GMRS/FRS radios) or cordless DECT telephones for use on board.

Most ships have some sort of onboard repeater system. No, you won't be allowed to access it. You don't have a license to do that, and the ship won't want the customers on their internal system. They use it for security, medical, ship operations, engineering, etc. They will not want you interfering with that.

Here's the best advice I can offer:
Since you didn't mention being licensed for any radio service, you should avoid transmitting with the radios. period.

Stick with what works. Get a few low buck FRS/GMRS radios, the new ones allow 2 watts without a license. 2 watts on UHF will work well. If you lose one, no big deal. If they get stolen (it happens) you are not out anything important.

While I wouldn't recommend it, most countries near the USA, and especially ones that host a lot of US tourism, are generally forgiving about the FRS frequencies. Not saying it's 100% safe, but at least you can claim ignorance. Harder to do that with the dual band radio that you specifically have to program to those frequencies.

Don't take radios ashore. You won't need them. It opens up too many issues.

Go, have a good time, and don't let radios get in the way. Honestly, I found that tracking down family wasn't an issue. The idea is to relax and enjoy. If you are stuck on a schedule and coordinated activities, you'll miss out on the fun.

Listening in on the local communications can be fun, so that's an option. Marine VHF, shipboard stuff (look around 457MHz) etc.

 

[ecps92]

Do expect different results at the Port Check-in
It will Vary, even after having called a Call center

This if from Royal Caribbean. and i called to confirm.Guests are also allowed to have two-way radios, more commonly know as walkie-talkies, for onboard personal communications. Basic specifications are as follows: Up to 10-mile coverage range, Up to 5 watts power, Internal Voice, Operated Transmission, No external mounting antenna.

 

[ecps92]

Having experienced the Confiscations first hand, YMMV and it will depends on Security, Port and even the local LE agency. I've had no problems and I've had confiscations where the radios are returned at the end of the Cruise

The radios are not going to be confiscated. Been on almost every cruise line there is, and have yet to have the radios even looked at. I've had them in both carry-on and checked luggage.

The higher the frequency, the better, as far as ship communication is concerned. The 900 MHz DTR radios are by far the best radios I have ever used on a ship. Smashes the performance of anything else out there. The next best is going to be something in the UHF band, such as GMRS. However, in the tight confines of a ship, there is usually such a high amount of users and RF density in the FMS/GMRS spectrum, that the radios do not perform well at all.

The issue is that it sounds like you are using some Chinese dual band radio, are not licensed for any radio service, and the use of that radio on any of the license free services (FRS or MURS) is likely to not be legal. That said, UHF over VHF all day long.

 

[m1bpt]

Method of Communication onboard ship

Hi l have a solution that will work on ship take a network PTT Radio such as the Shure F22 and use zello or IRN to link to a shore based repeater these can also be accessed via a smartphone. I did from the Eastern Caribbean to Manchester UK a QSO of 10,000 miles. This was Jan 2018

 

[ecps92]

If you want to pay the over-priced $$ for internet access.

Cruises are meant for powering down the phone and locking it in the safe

Hi l have a solution that will work on ship take a network PTT Radio such as the Shure F22 and use zello or IRN to link to a shore based repeater these can also be accessed via a smartphone. I did from the Eastern Caribbean to Manchester UK a QSO of 10,000 miles. This was Jan 2018