UV-5R 4watt handheld programmable radio HT walkie talkie $42.50 FS amazon

I am not going to have 10 min conversations on these. Its just to keep a handle on where the kids are... "Where are you?" ; "By the pool" ; "Meet us on the main deck for lunch" . Stuff like that. I just want to make sure its strong enough where I don't lose contact with them.

And on a cruise, we will be in international waters most of the time anyway.

Quote from TonyF666 : I am not going to have 10 min conversations on these. Its just to keep a handle on where the kids are... "Where are you?" ; "By the pool" ; "Meet us on the main deck for lunch" . Stuff like that. I just want to make sure its strong enough where I don't lose contact with them. And on a cruise, we will be in international waters most of the time anyway.

I understand what your purpose is, however, intent does not matter. If you press the transmit button even once, you have violated federal (and international) law. The fines are very harsh: $7,500.00 to $10,000.00 a pop. Plus your equipment is confiscated.

It does not matter that you are in international waters - the governing body for the airwaves is the United Nations (and in the US, is enforced by the FCC - each member country has its own enforcement arm) - all of the applicable laws apply to international waters as well. Most amateur radio operators are very strict with this - they WILL report you if they hear you.

As an alternative, you should consider "FRS" radios instead. FRS radios use the unlicensed band and are limited to 0.5watt.

I'm not sure if you understand just how powerful 4-5 watts is. 4 watts will reach out SEVERAL miles (as much as 25-50 miles depending on obstructions). You will probably have NO problems talking to your entire family on the cruise ship using a 0.5watt FRS radio.

If you choose to go the other route, that is your decision....I'm just trying to help you to understand what is at stake.

Good Luck, and I hope you have a blast on your cruise.

Thanks for the info. You seem well informed.

All the replies from professionals are very helpful to our newbies. The UV-5RA is splash and shock proof, more like a sport edition. Still debating which to buy Midland or UV-5R*

These are not for the beginner/family to use. I wondered about using them for a group I'm with, but they're just too complicated - which is a shame since they're cheaper than less capable radios. And, of course, to use them legally you have to be licensed, which would be a PITA for my group. That said, it's easy to get licensed. You no longer need to know morse code, just memorize multiple choice answers.

Quote from samwathegreat : It makes me sick thinking about people using these as walkie-talkies, contaminating the airwaves with non-licensed rag-chewing.

Yes, you need to take a $0-15 test and know how to calculate watts/ohms/volts/amps using Ohms law to contaminate the airwaves with rag-chewing. And a neck beard, I think - or maybe that's just a bonus (or side effect?).

Seriously, though, there are MUCH easier to use radios for family outings. If you're worried about getting lost or needing comm in an emergency - this is a cheap, short range radio. Remember - if it's an emergency, you don't need a license to operate this (though if a neck-beard catches you, you may have to defend your definition of "emergency" to a federal judge).

Edit: I have one of these, and it's a nice unit though I'd hate to have to program much into it manually. I got a cheap USB cable and used this site: http://www.miklor.com/ to get it up and running. I use mine mostly to gather data from my GPS trackers I put in high powered rockets, and acoustically couple it with my iPhone for APRS data decoding and search/recovery. Not sure how the 5R+ and 5RA vary, and if there is as much support in the community for them.

Quote from thegreatfixer : does it come with the USB cable for programing or is is just a regular cable like mini or micro

Nope, you need to buy the programming cable and software, it's under "What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?"