Slightly more expensive than the Aldi deal on a per unit basis but handy if you only need two. Also these are a model up.
Free click & collect or $5 delivery
Save up to 5% using discounted gift cards
My kids are allowed to go play down the road with these, and we can call them when it's time for dinner, I would say we have no problem with the signal and there are houses in the way, but the kids wouldn't be much further than 1.5km away.
Haven't tried 3km
Why wouldn't you just give them a phone instead? Genuinely curious, not being a dick lol
Because a phone costs several hundred dollars more, is far easier to break and requires a sim card and mobile plan.
@chepsk8: Lol that's exactly what I thought, but you've been negged. Have an upvote. FWIW we use these with the kids camping all the time, except we got the pack of four from JB. We lock them to one channel with the littlies and have never had a problem with range. I was at least 1.5km away from camp last week, and around a mountain ridge. Came across loud and clear when it was time to get the fire going and crack the esky!
Also, our youngest daughter takes one when she goes up the street to her friend's place (out of our sight). She lets us know when she gets there, that her friend is home and when she's on her way home. I know that she can be through to me in an instant if she has any concerns.
For <$20 they're a no-brainer for situations like that.
@MattyD: The one button instant connect must be a weight off your mind. When every second counts its quite hard to prevent a quick squelch and getting a word out. Stealing this for when I'm a parent.
@chepsk8: Fair enough, I had just figured with the cost of phone plans everyone would be giving their kids locked down phones in the event they needed to contact their parents.
Because they're too young to have a phone
Regarding range, UHF is excellent over line of sight, but rapidly becomes poor without it.
See my previous comment…
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/544673#comment-8854443
Are they legal in Australia or does it require a HAM license?
I buy ham at Aldi all the time, no license needed. But seriously, I'm not sure.
But that’s not Australian ham at Aldi.
Definitely not legal. These are 400 to 470 MHz. Australia CB is 477 MHz.
How big of a deal is this though considering the short range, are there lots of ham police patrolling the streets?
It's the number 1 best seller in two-way radios on Amazon Aus.
Hefty fines. If it interferes with a commercial licence or emergency service, someone might notice pretty quickly.
https://www.acma.gov.au/beware-two-way-radios-overseas
It's not that hard to get a Foundation licence for Amateur Radio.
https://amc.edu.au/industry/amateur-radio
CB Radio is cheaper and more accessible though.
I bought the Ansoko two pack last year. The ones i got were upto 480mhz which is what you want for use in Aus.
Note that you do need to reprogram them though. Will cost an additional $16 for the cable and 5mins of your time. Once reprogrammed no difference to local radios.
Not sure if they sell the 400-480mhz anymore.
@muzzy1907: 400-470 and 400-480 are 2 common ranges of Chinese commercial radios.
However even programmed to Aussie CB frequencies they are still illegal to use.
CB's still have a licence (called a class licence) and these units are not covered under that licence.
@virtual81: Can't disagree with your post. Begs to ask what your chances are of getting caught and charged if you're using the legal frequencies? Anything in your usage of the device that transmits it's a licenced/unlicensed product?
@muzzy1907: Chances of being busted on CB frequencies?
If you're not doing anything silly chances are pretty much zero to be honest.
If someone with the right gear wanted to find you it's actually incredibly easy these days with radiolocation / multilateration.
Chances they care about someone using a commercial radio on CB if no one makes a complaint are pretty much zero.
Chances they care if someone were to be transmitting just slightly under the CB band… they will care very very much.
Don't want to sound like I'm encouraging it, but if you're not an ass with the radio no one will care.
Absolute key is to ensure all emissions from the radio are well within the CB band.
It is an extraordinary big deal.
Hams are the least of your issues, they operate from 430 - 450MHz
The police and ambulance operating between 450 - 470MHz are not going to be too pleased.
Assuming the short range will reduce impact is also a poor thought, couldn't be further from the truth.
Radio to radio they might only cover a short distance, but emergency services repeaters are wide spread and in great locations, and even though you might barely make it around the corner in a dense area, the chances of hitting a repeater are almost guaranteed if your on it's frequency.
(edit for simplicity, Just because you cant hit your mate in a tin shed around the corner does not mean your signal is not making it to that repeater on a hill in the distance that you can't even see with a massive high gain antenna)
We're lucky in Australia to have the privileges of a decent amount of power and a wide number of channels on UHF CB, so why use anything else?
Add to that the Foundation licence for Ham radio that came out a few years back now makes getting a licence as easy as falling off a log.
Gets you access to UHF, VHF and HF bands.
A pain that it costs $50 a year (in some countries Hams are considered a community service, and thus licenced at no cost), but you get a lot of band options that way, and access to an incredible number of repeaters.
@virtual81: Sorry i am still not following if it is being reprogrammed into 477MHz how it is interference with other frequency?
@pembajak_sejati: The radios that were linked cant do 477.
Others can, but they're still illegal to use.
::edit:: If one were to choose a commercial radio that covers UFB CB, program the channels in and use it without being an ass i don't care too much.
Getting or suggesting something that doesn't cover the CB range, i care a great deal.
@pembajak_sejati: That Ansoko 888S might have spurious emissions / harmonics when transmitting on 477 MHz and cause interference on nearby frequencies.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xZN9k_QIHVU&t=4m35s
Modern UHF CB Radios should comply with AS/NZS 4365:2011
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2011L00863
Ask Ansoko if their devices comply with Australian regulations?
Don't worry about legality. Police aren't going to charge your kids for using radios. They certainly won't get a fine
That's a shit attitude.
It's not just about weather or not the kids get a fine, it's about interfering with emergency services which the linked radios are highly likely to do.
How long does the battery last on these?
The UH35 lasts 20+ hours which a very similar and same battery design.
3 X AAA batteries per walkie talkie. It comes with a usb charge cable if you use rechargeable in them. It does chew through batteries with constant use. These are very small in size and work well.
I haven't seen it mentioned yet but these are 0.5 watt, of anyone is wondering. They should work ok up to 1 or 2 km line of sight. Obstructions shorten the range.
For kids they'll be fine. But for any serious usage I'd get something with more power. 5 watt is the maximum allowed in Australia.
And aren’t legal.
But they can be reprogrammed to be legal?
@pembajak_sejati: I just went down the rabbit hole and I regret it..
From my understanding, A Legal CB radio needs a Device Compliance Day for that model where it passed testing for AS/NZS 4365-2011 by ACMA or whoever.
Like others have said you can program it to the standard and the majority would never notice but it isn't legal.
There are provisions for the ACMA to give approval in special circumstances.
I wouldn't buy anything under 2 watt. These are garbage.
I wouldn't buy anything under 5 watts. They are garbage.
@edfoo: 5w handhelds are not exactly plentiful. 2w is sufficient for most needs and these at .5w are ok for guiding someone over a challenging bit of terrain. Not exactly like you're going to be more than a few meters away is it.
@edfoo: Whilst here i am hitting a repeater on Mt Dandenong from 50Km away using 50mw.
I'd be more interested in the antenna than the power output.
I assume that since being 0.5w they wouldn't be useful for say a car trip between two cars?
Tried. Didn't work.
Worked ok when we tried last time. Not sure the distance before it starts breaking though, certainly less than 3km cited
Fine between 2 cars whilst line of sight is maintained, or distance is short.
Having an external antenna mounted on the car would however make a world of difference.
I once had a Uniden UH050XR, a 40 chan 5W unit with detachable antenna.
Just using a magnet base antenna on the roof made a massive difference in performance.
1W with the external antenna was better than 5W with the rubber duckie antenna.
Everyone talks about power, but there are better options (albeit sometimes more difficult) to increase range.
The one thing that will make the most difference is the antenna type and elevation / location.
Having a great antenna system at one or both ends can make worlds of difference.
I would do this, but i want a stealth look and i also want it to be portable too i guess.
Its for a performance car and long trips across Australia, not a 4wd haha.
Haven't seen them around for a long time, but there was such a thing as stick on window antennas.
They were a clear plasticy material similar to Learner / Probationary plates that temporarily stick to the inside of the windscreen.
They aren't exactly completely stealth, but they are also not permanent.
Buggered if i can find them currently though.
Magnet mount antennas are also an option, I'm on the fence with these as I'm paranoid they will crush dust between the magnet and roof panel.
I did use them with care and had excellent results, no scratches, but take good care of it, and don't borrow one from some old bloke who has an old busted one that has bits of metal filings stuck to the bottom of it, but new, they're cheap.
This can be removed in literally seconds, and having this antenna in a fleet of handhelds will make you king of the radio group.
Everyone will be struggling to hear each other whilst you can hear everything with you little 4.5db roof mounted whip.
Only catch is you need a radio with a removable antenna.
Can backfire on you, as you become the message passer when in a convoy.
https://youtu.be/Sd5ZLJWQmss
I'm a bit of a radio geek, whilst i might have multi thousands of dollars worth of radio gear i reckon these deserve an upvote still.
The fact they are so cheap, have a little torch, can use NiMh batteries and are micro USB rechargeable combine to make them a reasonably well thought out unit.
User replaceable batteries are a great plus, and being able to charge them from a USB source or power bank is even better.
I'd like to see a 1W model, with a less compromised antenna using 3xAA's, or as a bonus, a pair of 14500 of single 18650 user replaceable protected lithium ion cell(s).
Maybe even a replaceable antenna with stubby option for pocketing and range option for going some distance.
All the above except a swappable antenna would add little to the cost.
A 1w unit running an 18650 Lithium cell with a no compromise antenna should perform exceptionally well.
Can I get your opinion on these https://www.amazon.com.au/Ansoko-Handheld-Walkie-Talkies-16-…
I'm a bit confused how they can be the best seller on Amazon Australia and be fulfilled by Amazon but they are legal?
And cannot be reprogrammed to a high enough MHZ range to be legal.
I Do not want to interfere with medical or emergency services but how would the end user be responsible?
Wouldn't Amazon or more importantly the seller be responsible I don't see how the end user can be responsible when they jump on Amazon au and they are fulfilled by Amazon au
I just noticed these go to 480 MHz winner winner chicken dinner?
Yep these were the exact same ones i picked up and reprogrammed to Au frequencies via cable.
@muzzy1907: By any chance do you have a link to the programmable cable you purchased?
I'm not sure if all the programmable cables are the same they seem to have different chips or something or support different chips
@muzzy1907: Below is the email i received from the seller, they're pretty helpful if you need assistance:
The walkie talkies are preloaded with the US channels, you need to program the frequencies to Australian public frequencies if you don't have a license.
To program the walkie talkie, you need a programming cable to connect the radio to a computer and change the frequency settings through specific programming software,
You could download the software from the link below, the AU frequencies data file is included in the software folders:
http://download.ansoko.com:8080/BF-480%20Series.zip
For instructions on how to step by step to program the radios, please refer to the online guide below:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81TBkDPf5nL…
The programming cable is also available on Amazon.com.au, please visit the link below to order:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00FS8SSPS
If you are familiar with CHIRP programming software, you could find the Ansoko A-8S from the supported model list and program with CHIRP.
Is it legal now if it is programmed to 477MHz?
@pembajak_sejati: No, unfortunately not.
I can't condone it, but if programmed to CB frequencies at least you're not carelessly transmitting on unknown frequencies.
Amazon would shirk the responsibility to the seller. Sold by Ansoko AU and Fulfilled by Amazon Australia.
Sold by: Ansoko AU becomes Sold by: Shenzhen Qicheng Technology Co., Ltd.- LIJIAN when you go to checkout.
Someone could report the equipment to ACMA online.
Here is the hard part, it's not illegal to own them.
They're completely legal to use by an amateur radio operator if used within the terms of the licence the ham holds.
To be clear, legit UHF CB's are licenced at the device level by the ACMA.
You don't physically hold the licence, but they are still licenced.
The onus is on the manufacturer that the device perform correctly.
For a ham, the person operating the radio is licenced, not the radio itself.
In this case you get a shiny certificate from the ACMA for about $50 a year.
The onus is then on the licence holder to ensure the device is performing correctly.
Technically you can walk into a ham radio shop and buy a 50W UHF radio without a licence.
You're just not allowed to transmit on it.
I like it this way, but if too many people to stupid things this is an example of where new laws are made and people complain about being over governed.
It might happen one day if enough stupid people do enough stupid things.
It's already happening with regards to drone and other UAV use.
Sorry, completely missed this.
These would be able to be programmed to Aussie UHF channels, but only 16 of them.
Technically illegal, but if people are going to do it then these would be the ones to get.
The additional issues however are the low price point / quality of these at the power level they operate at.
Main concern are spurious emissions.
Tim Mc linked a video that shows how mad these cheap radios are in practise…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xZN9k_QIHVU&t=4m35s
A spurious emission is any signal transmitted from the radio other than the desired emission.
Harmonics are one example (extra transmissions a multiples of the original transmissions frequency).
They're normal, but filtered out on properly designed radios.
Feel free to ask any more questions.
Great price, I remember getting the Motorola talkabouts in the 90s and they were $140 USD a pair
Are these okay to take on the road trip to communicate between parties in two different cars? Are chances of getting caught using illegal frequencies increases in the bush?
Thanks OP - this is a good option if only needing 2 units.
Anyone able to comment on the 'real life range' of these? Specs say '3km direct line of sight', but would they work in a residential setting or is this magical 3km impossible with houses, streets in the way?