Texting through radios

whiteley91

Hey, is there any radios out there that have a keypad an allow a user to text another user? Maybe something that would be legal in the US. It would be very handy when on holidays to just bring a small radio with text capabilities instead of being like a spy agent with a radio listening out for the other party to transmit! Ha iv seen the tsx300 but the reviews are hit and miss! And would ideally like a stand alone device to leave the phones in the safe. (So that rules out gotenna and beartooth)

martinedwards

they're called mobile phones.......

whiteley91

martinedwards wrote: »

they're called mobile phones.......

No need to be a smart ass, was only asking about alternatives when out abroad on holidays out of interest

martinedwards

Ok, fair enough, but my answer stands.

A mobile is a radio that sends texts.

I've not come across anything else that does the job.

Other option is buy a handful of Nokia 3310s

whiteley91

Well I have found some that do it but they are fairly pricey at about 500sterling each. It's the Motorola sl4000 and hytera x1p. Lovely looking and do what I want but there fairly pricey

deaglan169

on dmr network you can send text messages with moto radios anyway i assume hytera also

GekkePrutser

I believe some dPMR446 models have SMS features and they're license-free. It's a bit like DMR (different protocol though) but license-free. DMR is only legal for licensed business users and HAMs.

But the dPMR446 sets are not legal in the US as they don't have the 446 band there.

But really I agree with martinedwards, you can buy a cheap sim-free Nokia brand new for 20-30 euro in the "Chinatown" part of Dublin (between O'Connell street and Jervis Shopping Center), it will definitely be cheaper than dPMR handsets. And local sim cards are cheap. Plus they last a week on battery and have unlimited range And they are legal everywhere. I always bring one when I'm on holidays, I'm not taking my iPhone to the beach.

thelordgod

GekkePrutser wrote: »

I believe some dPMR446 models have SMS features and they're license-free. It's a bit like DMR (different protocol though) but license-free. DMR is only legal for licensed business users and HAMs.

But the dPMR446 sets are not legal in the US as they don't have the 446 band there.

But really I agree with martinedwards, you can buy a cheap sim-free Nokia brand new for 20-30 euro in the "Chinatown" part of Dublin (between O'Connell street and Jervis Shopping Center), it will definitely be cheaper than dPMR handsets. And local sim cards are cheap. Plus they last a week on battery and have unlimited range And they are legal everywhere. I always bring one when I'm on holidays, I'm not taking my iPhone to the beach.

A cheap phone (old Nokia etc) is unlikely to be quad band and will not work on the states. But I would imagine there would be a China man in new York who would sell you one. Another alternative is the Mydel Hamfone which is sold by one of the uk dealers. It is a 70cms handheld and android phone in one. They can be got much cheaper from the likes of aliexpress (around $150). Also the OP hasn't stated if they hold a license of any sort.

Capt'n Midnight

what range ?

two old android phones in wifi ad hoc might work if you have line of sight
€30 tops and that's if you don't know someone with one in a drawer


a mifi router on a hotel balcony overlooking a beach , but not much use if wandering around town


is the 900MHz band still usable in the US for PCMCIA cards in a ipaq ?
course apart from the technicalities there is the problem of getting such obsolete kit

DECT phones ? again the high frequency will kill range and obstructions



if there is free wifi then piggyback on that assume everything is public so use old android phones , wipe and setup with disposable email address