I have not been paying much attention lately to the various choices available in the U.S. for either license free, or easy of obtain license, communications choices. Both my wife and I are licensed amateur radio operators, BUT neither of our sons have shown much interest, so I will rule that out for now. Anyway, I just want to do a re-cap here, just in case something else is out there that I am unaware of. I am mainly focusing on something for an upcoming cruise, but these may be used other places as well. This is what I am currently aware of:
-Citizens Band (CB): I used it 35 years ago. I am not a big fan of AM.
-49 mHz: Is there ANYTHING here any longer? Was it all junk?
-Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS): I like this. I think 2 watts on VHF-FM may be a good option.
-Family Radio Service (FRS): I think 500 milliwatts on UHF-FM is okay, but too many other nuisance users when I have tried it. Both PL and DPL help, but only so much.
-PMR446 (Private Mobile Radio, 446 MHz): Can these be legally used while on the high seas and in some ports in the Caribbean? I suppose I could legally use these as a ham radio operator here in the US, but I don't recall if they are in the right part of the 70 cm band here in the US.
-General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS): I like that it allows more power, but much like FRS, there seems to be too many nuisance users. Again, both PL and DPL help, but only so much.
-900 MHz ISM License-Free Band: I think there are more choices today than ever. The Motorola DTR650/DTR550/DTR410 look interesting. It looks like TriSquare is still around, as well. I have several old Motorola (Nextel) units now that work on Direct Talk (AKA: Moto Talk and LINC Around)
-2.4 gHz ISM License-Free Band: It looks like European Motorola DTRT2430/DTR2450 has very low power! Just out of curiosity, does anybody happen to know if these could be used legally in the US? Not that I would want to, mind you, but I am just wondering. I assume that they could be since it is a legal, license free band here in the US, as well.
Anyway, that is all that I am aware of right now. From my perspective, I like the idea of MURS because if I get the right VHF unit, it could legally be used for amateur and MURS. However, when it comes to going on a cruise, I think MURS is for the US only.
Similar to MURS, I like GMRS, since the proper transceiver could be used for amateur and GMRS. Again, when it comes to going on a cruise, I think GMRS is for the US only.
So, I guess by process of elimination, that suddenly narrows the choices to Direct Talk. I guess I am not completely certain that they can be used legally while at sea or in port, but I guess from the standpoint of not "sticking out like a sore thumb", using Nextels may blend in a bit better than traditional walkie talkies.
http://www.trisquare.us/images/media/press/10-FeatureDigitalTwo-Way.pdf
http://www.trisquare.us/tsx300.htm
http://www.trisquare.us/images/SS212920508-300 Trisquare.pdf
Even though it is too expensive for my blood, the Garmin Rino 655t, which is both a 5 W FRS/GMRS radio AND a GPS, looks really sweet! https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=146&pID=82799
Motorola r765IS Nextel iDen Cell Phone Two Way Radio - Intrinsically Safe # | eBay
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/17/motorolas-r765-and-r765is-could-crush-your-phone-with-their-bar/
http://www.motorola.com/web/Business/_Documents/Specifications/Static Flies/R765_Spec_Sheet.pdf
-Citizens Band (CB): I used it 35 years ago. I am not a big fan of AM.
-49 mHz: Is there ANYTHING here any longer? Was it all junk?
-Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS): I like this. I think 2 watts on VHF-FM may be a good option.
-Family Radio Service (FRS): I think 500 milliwatts on UHF-FM is okay, but too many other nuisance users when I have tried it. Both PL and DPL help, but only so much.
-PMR446 (Private Mobile Radio, 446 MHz): Can these be legally used while on the high seas and in some ports in the Caribbean? I suppose I could legally use these as a ham radio operator here in the US, but I don't recall if they are in the right part of the 70 cm band here in the US.
-General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS): I like that it allows more power, but much like FRS, there seems to be too many nuisance users. Again, both PL and DPL help, but only so much.
-900 MHz ISM License-Free Band: I think there are more choices today than ever. The Motorola DTR650/DTR550/DTR410 look interesting. It looks like TriSquare is still around, as well. I have several old Motorola (Nextel) units now that work on Direct Talk (AKA: Moto Talk and LINC Around)
-2.4 gHz ISM License-Free Band: It looks like European Motorola DTRT2430/DTR2450 has very low power! Just out of curiosity, does anybody happen to know if these could be used legally in the US? Not that I would want to, mind you, but I am just wondering. I assume that they could be since it is a legal, license free band here in the US, as well.
Anyway, that is all that I am aware of right now. From my perspective, I like the idea of MURS because if I get the right VHF unit, it could legally be used for amateur and MURS. However, when it comes to going on a cruise, I think MURS is for the US only.
Similar to MURS, I like GMRS, since the proper transceiver could be used for amateur and GMRS. Again, when it comes to going on a cruise, I think GMRS is for the US only.
So, I guess by process of elimination, that suddenly narrows the choices to Direct Talk. I guess I am not completely certain that they can be used legally while at sea or in port, but I guess from the standpoint of not "sticking out like a sore thumb", using Nextels may blend in a bit better than traditional walkie talkies.
http://www.trisquare.us/images/media/press/10-FeatureDigitalTwo-Way.pdf
http://www.trisquare.us/tsx300.htm
http://www.trisquare.us/images/SS212920508-300 Trisquare.pdf
Even though it is too expensive for my blood, the Garmin Rino 655t, which is both a 5 W FRS/GMRS radio AND a GPS, looks really sweet! https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=146&pID=82799
Motorola r765IS Nextel iDen Cell Phone Two Way Radio - Intrinsically Safe # | eBay
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/17/motorolas-r765-and-r765is-could-crush-your-phone-with-their-bar/
http://www.motorola.com/web/Business/_Documents/Specifications/Static Flies/R765_Spec_Sheet.pdf
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