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Just saw some two way radios in Aldi for 50$. What do you guys think? any good?

 

3 walkie talkies per pack

External recharge pod that can charge 2 units at the same time

Voice activation (VOX)

Scrambler for privacy

Massive 5km range

Automatic level control

Duplex/Repeater function for extended range

Baby Monitor function

CTCSS functionality

Dual watch

Stop watch

LCD backlight

NiMh batteries for long life usage

Mic input

 

downer is the aussie plug so I'd need to buy an adapter for 12$. all done would be 62$aussie so 5000yen

 

yay or nay

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Hey Kuma, hows the holiday?

 

I paid a standard London rip-off price of 100 GBP for my Motorola set. So yours sound very inexpensive.

 

As a back country tool these thoughts come to mind:

 

- you carry them often and use them infrequently.

- when you do use them, they are very handy indeed, way better than mobile phones.

- 99.9% of usage is related with camera work of some type.

- although not heavy, they weigh more than you might expect. And they take up more room in your pocket than you would expect.

- batteries go flat pretty fast, or struggle at -15C

- having a radio pocket on your jacket upper arm makes using them far more economical on effort.

! - get a pair that has a transmit cut-out function It is really easy for the transmit button to be accidentally pressed and waste battery transmitting nothing for 5 minutes.

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they wont go over the mountains and will be point to point. a good radio will work say all over happo but a cheap one wont. if you plan on using them just for flimming then they are great but they arent good for much else.

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Wattage controls the maximum range of the signal and is the only reliable source to get an idea how powerful your transceiver is. Wattage is a measure of the energy that the transmited wave caries. The more energy it caries the further the transmited wave will propagate before it gets completely attenuated from multiple reflections, atmospheric anomalies etc. Even the walkie talkies that you can buy from ToysRus can ideally have a 5 km range if you operate them in a flat area without many obstacles. Still this doesn’t make them good for outdoor activities because they are underpowered.

You might be able to receive signals from stronger transmitters but you wont be able transmit back a signal to them.

If you want my opinion go for an amateur transceiver so that you won’t have to spend again money in the future. Anything from 3 watt and above would be ok and won’t add more than 200 gm in your pack.

STANDARD is a very popular Japanese transceiver maker, but if you look in the internet you will find many other generally popular ones like Motorola etc. I have a standard VX-6 5 watt transceiver and I am happy with it. Friends that have the 3 watt VX-2 model seem also to be satisfied with it.

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xxx, Aldi is a German brand of supermarkets that has only super duper cheap goods. I think the two Aldi brothers who own the company are some of the richest people in Europe. They are spread all over europe (even in my hometown!!!)

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  • 3 weeks later...

hey, while we're at 2-way radios... what brands should i get that i can use in japan as well as in any other [skiing] country, ie., NZ, canada, switzerland, etc. such that i wouldnt need to get a license, etcc.?

 

or is there ever such one?

 

thanks!!

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You need an armature radio transceiver license here in Japan, but I know very few people that own a transceiver that actually have taken the exams.

The brand doesn’t really mater I think, because you can tune your transceiver freely to any VHF/UHF frequency.

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 Quote:
Originally posted by tsondaboy:
You need an armature radio transceiver license here in Japan, but I know very few people that own a transceiver that actually have taken the exams.
The brand doesn’t really mater I think, because you can tune your transceiver freely to any VHF/UHF frequency.
as for me, i was under the impression that in japan there are some radios you can purchase without having to get a license
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 Quote:
Originally posted by WantToSki:
 Quote:
Originally posted by tsondaboy:
You need an armature radio transceiver license here in Japan, but I know very few people that own a transceiver that actually have taken the exams.
The brand doesn’t really mater I think, because you can tune your transceiver freely to any VHF/UHF frequency.
as for me, i was under the impression that in japan there are some radios you can purchase without having to get a license
hey, this is my 100th-post...

well, compared to some who are already in the league of thousands, it may be a small numbber... but at least...

;\)
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 Quote:
Originally posted by WantToSki:
as for me, i was under the impression that in japan there are some radios you can purchase without having to get a license

That goes for the ones that have 10-20 already preset channels and you can’t pick the broadcasting frequency freely.
Don’t worry about the license, you can buy a radio in Akihabara without it.
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If you don't intend to follow the rules, you can buy any transmitter and use it anywhere you like until the day you got caught by the local officials. Your transmission might cause some problems to the local people; but you never know what trouble you made because you don't know the rules and why they exist... \:o

 

If you want to follow the rules, you do need to buy the right transmitter to use in Japan. A transmitter doesn't need license if it carries a certification label (for Japan) and its wattage is under 0.01W. eek.gif

 

See below notice from official about use of transmitter in Hokkaido.

 

http://www.hokkaido-bt.go.jp/2006/Englishfrg.htm

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Thanks for the links LoveToSki. thumbsup.gif

 

I admit that you are right about the things you say. In the same way you don’t drive your car without a license, even if you are the best driver in the world, you are not supposed to use radio equipment without a license.

 

I didn’t bother up to now to go to get the license because I am using my transceiver very few times a year and in a legal frequency. Going through the Japanese exams system process was too much of a hassle for me and didn’t have much time to spare last year. I will try to go and get the Amateur Fourth-Class Radio Operator , that is needed for the type of radio I am using.

 

Still, even a foreign made transceiver won’t get you into any trouble if you are using it in a frequency that is designated as Amateur radio frequency in Japan. What you need to know is which frequency band is designated as amateur and which not, and that knowledge you can get it from the internet, without having to get a license for Japan.

 

Warning pdf files!!!! :p

http://www.tele.soumu.go.jp/e/search/myuse/use0303/30m.pdf

http://www.tele.soumu.go.jp/e/search/myuse/use0303/335m.pdf

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  • 1 month later...

Just check if your transmitter is able to transmit inside the range of the above mentioned frequencies (check the PDF`s). Theoretically you should be able to transmit at any FM-AM frequency, unless your transmitter has a bandpass filter set by the manufacturer in order to comply with the Amateur radio frequencies in your country, (OZ). You should be able to find at which frequencies you are able to transmit form the specifications or the manual of your Transceiver.

If your transmitters range doesn’t cover the Japanese Amature frequencies don’t bring it over. You might cause problems to other people and in return get your self in trouble.

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