On board walkie/talkie comms PBO article

Robin

Robin

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I read the article in this months PBO where a reader had adapted a pair of kids walkie/talkie headsets from Argos for deck communications with some interest. I had bought such a pair from Makro a couple of years back with the same idea in mind but the kids size meant they didn't fit SWMBO and I and we returned them.

The PBO article showed how to adapt the headband to adult size so off I went last night to Argos and bought a set! Then in a rare flash of brilliance I realised I could extend the overhead band very simply using a ladies hairband, one of those springy horseshoe shaped gizmos and a pair of really suitable ones were found for £1.99 each at Superdrug. All you need do is unscrew 2 screws on the (dummy) small earpiec, remove that end of the over-the-head band and replace it with one end of the hairband. The new band then lays over the existing and can be adjusted for size (no cutting needed) then the two simply taped together.

See pic below, they are not as bulky as the pic suggests.

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These are 2 channel speak and listen simultaneously duplex headsets with an 80m range and fitted boom mike. Cost is just £14.79 + batteries + hairbands. The idea is to replace our usual hand signals between wheel and foredeck when anchoring or picking up moorings, berthing etc with some more useful feedback than hand (or occasional finger) gestures can convey! A bit dorky I know but I REFUSE to use raised voices to communicate and this will help, such as when SWMBO is up front as we go down the rows looking for free visitor berths in places like Cherbourg and save the need to keep walking to/from foredeck to cockpit. I can also let the occasional bad word slip without the whole world hearing it...
 
How long is your boat for goodness sake? I used to work regularly on 20m + sail training boats and the only problem ever in communicating between the cockpit and the foredeck was getting other people on the boat to be quiet. Keep It Simple......
 
I'm reporting this post to the moderator. I want these things banned and banned NOW.

I pay good money for my marina berth and I consider it a basic human right to hear couples yelling at each other, blaming each other and generally failing to communicate.
 
Well done. I think headsets are great for on board communication. It's a pity we can only get kids sets at a reasonable price in Europe, the 'pro' sets starting at around £300. Adult sets can be purachsed in the USA at reasonable prices but unfortunately, because of the band on which they operate, are illegal here without a licence and CE mark.
 
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A pair of decent PMRs with vox op is under £100, use them for boating to keep contact between grownups on board and kids in tender.

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We had a pair of these but found that the Vox function was slow to kick in so the conversation wasn't normal. We used them however for trips ashore between shops and boat for example and they are useful. SWMBO dropped hers one day and it ceased to work, plus they were USA ones and not really for here but then SWMBO is a yank /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
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How long is your boat for goodness sake? I used to work regularly on 20m + sail training boats and the only problem ever in communicating between the cockpit and the foredeck was getting other people on the boat to be quiet. Keep It Simple......

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Simple is good and has been (mostly) good enough for 35 years on all sizes of boat. However that doesn't mean that sometimes a little technology cannot make an improvement.

As an example, we (just SWMBO and me) frequently do weekend runs to Cherbourg, usually arriving around midnight or 0100 French. We believe we should be able to find and enter a berth without waking up the boat in the next berth never mind the whole area, so silence is an absolute rule. We have a 41ft boat and not all vacant berths are wide enough for us if another boat is in the other half so a certain amount of discussion is often needed as to which slot is best. At present the rule is NO raised voices and therefore whoever is up front looking for a spot must keep coming back to the cockpit to pass information to the helm. I think using these headsets may well simplify the procedure and are certainly worth a try at under £20 per pair all up.

Of course if we had a full crew we could send deck runners to and from the foredeck but then as you found they keep chattering away, not the silent approach at all. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I've searched high and low for a set of headset mounted PMR446's and can't find anything at a reasonable price. There are many hand sets with headset options but the real trick is getting a set fully contained within the headset, like the kids versions.
 
That looks like a great idea and I'm off to Argos this afternoon followed by Superdrug! It does seem odd that this would be useful but we definitely experience communication problems from helm to foredeck. We have hand signals for anchoring situations as even if we are not worried about our sound levels it is difficult to be heard clearly especially with our very noisy windlass in operation. We have the same issues in Marinas as you and the foredeck gets to see the slot in advance of the helm and it helps to have early feedback on suitability or not of berth. So thumbs up to PBO and to you Robin for bringing this to the attention of the forum and those of us who don't read PBO.
 
I won't be going to Argos or Superdrug.
Y'see the only being on my boat apart from me is the dog. With the headset on the boom mike will poke him in the eye.
And he won't be able to work the controls.
And he's no good at helping on the boat... doesn't know the difference between a sheet and a halyard.
Stoopid mutt.
I'll remain a saddo and keep on muttering to meself.
 
I have a pair of Binatone PMR's with handsfree ..... used them once or twice ... fine ... but most often used while cutting grass sitting on my tractor !!

I also have the v cheap twin set of Cobra VHF's .... about 75 quid for a pair ... even better than the PMR's ..... as you can swap from on-board ch to other without changing set ... just have to get handsfree for them now ... range is much better as well ..... just in case crew decide to visit another .... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Headset as above ... yes - I can see advantages ... but would it get used more than my existing pmr / vhf's ?

Only problem I see ... with this I cannot "swear" to myself ... other would hear it !!
 
Was given a pair of adult headsets as part of my retiral present. A great idea, but unfortunately they are very prone to wind noise ( yes they were being worn on the cranium) which is when most of the shouting occurs. Best use we got was when I was up the mast. We left them on the boat for the next owner. Now, like Botheras, we have a wheelhouse and have (almost) mastered the art of mime. A shame the secondary handset for my Furuno VHF is so expensive, otherwise we would have a phone!
 
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A great idea, but unfortunately they are very prone to wind noise

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Did you try wearing them under a woolly hat?
 
Do you have the argo URL for the head sets

About 10 years ago when I was refitting out my previous yacht I looked for one of these to help when SWMBO was holding the nut (no not me) and I was screwing the screw /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif couldn't find on so got a PWR with vox but was not great. Would also help with comms when one is up the mast
 
You need to check the regulations in SA for the use of walkie talkies. You may be able to use American ones on 49.860 and 49.405 MHz without a licence. In that case the best I have ever seen are at www.cruisingsolutions.com.
In the UK our licence free band is 466.1 and 466.2 MHz (PMR466) and these sets have to be CE marked to show they conform. I have only ever found kids headsets at this frequency, or very expensive industrial units from Motorola and the like.
 
I don't have experience of the set Robin is talking about but as someone else said, the vox on PMRs can be slow to cut in making comms difficult. We don't bother using them now for docking (gave up after a couple of attempts and they are useless even when anchoring, we found) but they are quite useful up the mast when I am doing a long job.

We use them so rarely the NiMH batteries keep going flat as they turn off with an electronic switch that leaks. You could leave them on trickle charge but it isn't worth finding a home for them to be plugged in.

I wouldn't buy them again unless I had a job that really couldn't be done without them.
 
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Does anyone know if they would be legal to use in Greece? Could be useful on a flotilla holiday.

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Don't know what the current situation is but I took a couple of personal radios out to Greece in 2000 only to find out subsequently that they weren't legal. No one seemed bothered though.
 
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