By Gail Marsh
You may have tossed them aside once you outgrew “playing spies.” Or perhaps you quickly lost interest when that first cellphone landed in your hands. Whatever your reason, they remain a must-have for RVers: walkie-talkies! This low-tech wonder performs even when your cell signal drops. Walkie-talkies provide nearly instantaneous communication and can keep you connected no matter where you roam.
On the road
Here are some ways that walkie-talkies can help as you travel to your next destination:
• Roadway leader. I sometimes lead the way in our car while my husband follows with our fifth wheel. We use walkie-talkies to communicate when cellphone reception is unreliable. The walkie-talkie lets me alert my husband about debris in the road ahead, a narrow bridge, or any other road hazard so he knows to drive accordingly. We love the immediacy of communication—there’s no waiting for the call to go through—which is a great safety benefit!
• Caravan connector. When friends or extended family go camping with us, we make sure each vehicle has a walkie-talkie that’s been tuned to the same frequency. That way we can communicate with each other as we travel. If someone needs to take a break, s/he can alert others in our caravan. The lead vehicle can also alert others about upcoming turns or highway interchanges.
• Pass the time. Children especially love using walkie-talkies. Long trips feel shorter when you can communicate between vehicles. We frequently challenge players in other vehicles to trivia or other games using our walkie-talkies.
At the campground
Don’t leave the walkie-talkies behind once you reach your RV destination. Here are useful ways to use your walkie-talkies at the campground:
• Efficiently explore. Exploring unfamiliar places can be challenging. With walkie-talkies, your group can divide and conquer. While some RVers check out the campground, others can scope out nearby hiking trails, and still others can search out local attractions or points of interest. All the while, you can communicate with one another and quickly learn the “lay of the land” more efficiently.
• Keep kids connected. Arm teen pairs with a walkie-talkie and allow them to explore the campground together. The walkie-talkie assures that they can contact you if necessary, and you can get in touch with them, as well. No cellphone needed.
• Protection. I like to carry a walkie-talkie while taking my daily walk. In more remote camping areas, cellphone connectivity can be iffy at best. I feel safer knowing that I can talk to someone back in the RV. I let them know where I’m walking and if I feel unsafe for any reason, they will know immediately and arrange for help.
• Connect with other RVers. We use walkie-talkies to communicate with friends who may be parked a distance away from our rig. Communications may include things like: “Laundry machines are available,” “I need yellow mustard. Anyone have some?” or “Bring your own spoons and bowls to site #34 for homemade ice cream tonight at 7.”
In the age of cellphones, walkie-talkies may seem outdated or maybe a throwback to your childhood days. To me, however, the walkie-talkie has become a “must-have” as we RV. What about you? Do you use walkie-talkies while RVing? Tell me about it in the comments below.
Suddenly finding yourself wanting a pair of walkie-talkies? As always, Amazon has you covered.
We use our walkie-talkies for directing when backing into a campsite. It sure beats waving arms and yelling.
Agreed…nothing like a DW waving arms and strutting like a turkey so the driver cannot decipher her.
DW never ‘gets’ if she can’t see me in a mirror, I can’t see her either. And she doesn’t get the mechanical linkage at the hitch. Tells me to ‘turn’ in a direction but flips between turning the TT and turning the car with no differentiation. Gave up. I installed a backup camera on the TT AND built a collapsible target to see both my TT width and my aim via the camera. Add to that a curved leveler and LevelMate Pro and I can do it solo. Still nice to have DW talking to me but I can figure out what she means based on what I can now see. Saves damage to the TT and fights.
Perhaps an extended discussion covering FRS, GMRS, and the leader of the pack, Amateur Radio.
I have the small Dewalt walkie talkie and dislike them. Has anyone used their Apple watch walkie talkie? Is it any good?
We have a set to use for backing in to sites where there is no cell service.
Just use your cell phones if everyone has one. It is a sunk cost (already paid for), can have everyone on the same channel (like a conference call), and isn’t limited by distance from each other.
We have different cell phone services in case of ‘no service’ available to one or the other companies. We have been in several areas where either only one of us, or neither of us, has service. Walkie Talkies to the rescue.
Cellular is great when you’re in town but pretty useless out in the wild so we default to our mounted and handheld GMRS radios for parking, hiking and exploring.
They’re relatively inexpensive, clearer and less congested than a CB handheld with better distance. An additional benefit is NOAA broadcast signal scanning.
Unlike ham radios which require testing for the license with greater range, GMRS does require a license for user identification but not the completion of a test. FRS requires no license but has fewer channels and lower wattage (range).
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT RADIOS
FCC GMRS RADIO INFORMATION
MOUNTED GMRS RADIO & MOUNTED ANTENNA KIT
HANDHELD GMRS RADIO
Thank you for all of the info, Vince! Much appreciated! Take care. 😀 –Diane
Most important… use them when backing.
Thank you, Gail! 🙂 We bought them for our Alaska trip. DW’s parents had one and we had one. That is how we knew they had run off the road and wrecked leaving Valdez over the Thompson Pass. Have not used them since. Guess we better make sure before we leave for Alaska next spring. Thank you for the reminder! 🙂 Have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Wifey and I got Technician ham licenses 30 years ago, specifically for 2 meter FM walkie-talkie use (HT’s in ham lingo). If you hit the right repeaters you can reach out hundreds of miles, or just use them between each other with the 5-watt power. I have this year upgraded to a General license, spent tons of money (ahem) on new radios and antennas, and now talk to the world. I can tell a guy in Japan that I need help in Yellowstone NP. 😀 😀
At least a pair of personal portable radios are a good addition to your RV supplies but have reasonable expectations when it comes to useful range.
IGNORE the range claims of the mfg. Their miracle range numbers are accurate only when boating over open water such as a lake or when one radio is at significant elevation (mountain top). In a wooded campground when trees are in bloom expect no more than a 1/2 mile and that assumes over flat ground. The fewer the trees or buildings the greater the range but no more than 1-1.5 miles under optimum conditions.
We were given a nice set as a present when I retired and we got our motorhome. We’ve never used them. I’m really good at hand signals and have never had to “yell” during our parking, etc. We haven’t traveled with a group that we needed to keep track of, so just haven’t needed them. Always felt bad about it. Still have them though…just in case!
I buy the kids walkie talkies on Amazon for less than $10 a piece. Work just as well as the adult ones. Skip the chargers and use disposable batteries. I run RV caravans and this is what we use.