GMRS, MURS and DTR Digital at Disney World

[redneckcellphone]

About 12 years ago my dad bought me some to use around the neighborhood and that same year we all got passes to d land(the one in anaheim). The only time I ever brought them there was too much radio traffic to even bother messing with them. Never brought them since

connor - wqnd300

 

[ke6lou]

I rarely have seen anyone wearing or using FRS/GMRS hand-helds anymore at Walt Disney World or Disneyland for years. I did take a pair about 3 years ago to give it a try. I didn't have any trouble finding a clear frequency, and had good propagation. The downside (and the reason I never took them back) was the noise. It is a very noisy place. Couldn't hear voice conversations on them unless you ducked into a store and found a place away from people and the overhead music. And when you got a reply, you had so much background noise it was hard to hear the other person. Most people I see text these days. Eliminates the noise issue. Can be done from either your cell phone or tablet. With all of the people using park apps or talking on their phones, the cell service has been improved in the park area (at both Disneyland and Disney World) so using cell phones (especially texting) isn't a problem anymore). I'd love to use my radios there but texting works better and I don't want to go around with an HT earpiece in my ear all day.

 

[cgwheeler]

We were pretty happy with how GMRS worked on simplex. We were there with extended family - wife's two cousins and their families - I think there were 14 of us there on one of the days. We used four radios and found it easier than texting.

The conference call effect: It's easier to use a PTT method when you are talking to more than one person at a time. Even if it's only my wife and me, I'd rather just be able to PTT than type her a text in some places.

We don't use the radio for general conversation on vacation, just logistics. Where we are, where we are going, setting up a meeting place. We can do that faster on the radio between four people than we can texting. We might be on the air a couple of times an hour for less than a minute, where getting 4 people to coordinate with text messages for even the simplest plan seems to take forever by comparison.

Don't get me wrong. I am not against cell phones and texting. But even my non-techie spouse thinks the radios are an expedient way to share short messages in certain venues. But for everyday around town at home we are texting fools.

 

[Reflex439]

Hmmm. I might take a call in Small World just as a distraction to keep that song from getting stuck in my head for the next several days.

"Its a Small World" is a wonderful ride. My wife and I rode it multiple times in a row on trip.

Why? Because its air conditioned (felt like 65 when we went), usually uncrowded with no lines, and you can take it back to back without waiting on very hot days to cool down. Its a very stale ride, but a great place to take relax and cool down for half an hour Just bring ear plugs! Same for the Carousel of Progress, you can cool down and even catch a quick nap.

 

[KA9JYO]

Disney

IMO the best is the old Nextel Direct Talk, it's on 900mhz and uses spred spectrum, private, interference free
And cannot be heard on a scanner. Good building penetration, even if it's only 1watt tax, is better than the 4watts UHF analog, and no static noise like analog radios.

 

[WB4CS]

About 12 years ago my dad bought me some to use around the neighborhood and that same year we all got passes to d land(the one in anaheim). The only time I ever brought them there was too much radio traffic to even bother messing with them. Never brought them since

connor - wqnd300

Could you please learn how to use the quote feature so we know what you're talking about? kthanksbye!

 

[Jakeportland]

Which channels are you using ?

 

[mformby]

UHF would be the choice there

However, GMRS requires a license, so use FRS.

The Disney parks themselves are not that big. Just a few hundred acres each. So the area does not seem to make a difference between VHF or UHF. The deciding factor in my mind is the buildings.

Buildings and such EVERYWHERE. And VHF (murs) does not have the same building penetration capability as UHF (GMRS) based purely on wavelength.

I would focus on GMRS if I were you.

Have fun,

WM

 

[dksac2]

Try to find a new or used set of "TriSquare" radios. They are no longer in production, are frequency hopping radios with 10 million different combinations and change channels 40 times per second. They have about the same range as the small GMRS radios and may do better around buildings because they are in the 900 Mhz range.
They work great and you will have zero interfearence. E Bay may still have the lower priced models which work great, they just don't have text messaging like the top model.
The top model sold for around $100.00 for a set with batteries and charger.

No body can listen in either unless they have rather expensive scanning equipment and then they have to be close to you. You will not hear another person and you can call just one person or the whole group.
I bought 5 of them before they stopped making them.

John

 

[jdobbs2001]

Try to find a new or used set of "TriSquare" radios. They are no longer in production, are frequency hopping radios with 10 million different combinations and change channels 40 times per second. They have about the same range as the small GMRS radios and may do better around buildings because they are in the 900 Mhz range.
They work great and you will have zero interfearence. E Bay may still have the lower priced models which work great, they just don't have text messaging like the top model.
The top model sold for around $100.00 for a set with batteries and charger.

No body can listen in either unless they have rather expensive scanning equipment and then they have to be close to you. You will not hear another person and you can call just one person or the whole group.
I bought 5 of them before they stopped making them.

John

The Problem with the Trisquares is the Synchronization issues. I heard the later versions improved on them but it is a gamble buying them now and not knowing if you got the dud version or the good version

 

[quarterwave]

Probably a little late in the game to mention, but the near-end of Nextel saw several handsets with Direct Talk...which was simplex digital 800/900. I have about 6 of them, rarely play with them, but I did take them on a 1200 mile road trip once, and they worked well.

 

[dksac2]

Yes, but no cell service, no signal to transmit. That's why radio is superior.
I don't know about the first versions of the Tri Square radios, by sync has not been a problem with mine, I think they are great within their limits.
You can have several thousand of them right by you and unless they have the common key and your number that you put into yours, they will not interfear at all with each other. Pretty darn cool. They may not be 100% unreadable, but it takes expensive scanners and they have to be very near you to copy what you are saying so for all intent, they are like having a cell phone only are radios. The work great at theme parks or any other place with in their range limits, about like GMRS give or take a little.
73's John KF7VXA

 

[quarterwave]

"Yes, but no cell service, no signal to transmit. That's why radio is superior."

If you are referring to Direct Talk, it was off-network, did not require a signal from the system. That's why they still work.

Direct Connect was on-network only.

 

[KB7MIB]

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (BREW; Opera Mini/6.0.3/27.2354; U; en) Presto/2.8.119 320X240 LG VN530)

Unlike the discontinued TriSquare radios, which used analog FM frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) in the 902-928 MHz range under Part 15 rules (I have one pair), the still manufactured Motorola DTR radios use a proprietary digital FHSS scheme in the 902-928 MHz range under Part 15 rules.
The DTR's are more expensive than the TriSquare's, but if anyone wants to look into having FHSS radios that no one short of the goverment can monitor, that's what you should look into.

 

[johnls7424]

Motorola DTR radios use VSELP. It's a much older format by Motorola. Which has been replaced by more favorable AMBE 2 vocoders ( for public safety). Still for a license free formatted radio on the 900 MHz band the DTR is an extremely secure digital formatted radio. Besides the FHSS benefits no scanner can decode VSELP let alone the FHSS

 

[matt131]

I was pushing my son in his stroller and randomly selected for screening. I had my vertex evx531 radio on me. Security and security supervisor questioned me about radio. Wanted to know where all my radios were. I said on stroller. I overheard them saying if my radios were Motorola they probably would have confiscated them.

 

[gewecke]

I was pushing my son in his stroller and randomly selected for screening. I had my vertex evx531 radio on me. Security and security supervisor questioned me about radio. Wanted to know where all my radios were. I said on stroller. I overheard them saying if my radios were Motorola they probably would have confiscated them.

. Maybe use a earphone or bluetooth and keep your radio out of sight? Security people don't like it when others are equipped as well or better than they are. :wink: 73, n9zas

 

[matt131]

They put me through metal detector so I had to take radio off my belt

 

[gewecke]

They put me through metal detector so I had to take radio off my belt

. Wow, sorry they put you through that. I've never been there, probably won't go now lol. I guess they thought your radio might be "loaded" :roll: 73, n9zas

 

[matt131]

Just don't bring any Mototrbo radios you will be fine. I gather they really looking for radios just like theirs Next time I bring nxdn