8 Best Walkie Talkies For Cruise of 2024

You cannot call or text your cruise buddies while you are at sea or in jungle, so a walkie talkie is a necessary tool when being in the wild. It can save you in some situations.

Here are the best walkie talkies for cruise (Apr 2024 Update):

• Best Overall: Cobra MRHH350FLT
• Most Affordable: Uniden Atlantis 155
• Best For Ocean Kayaking: Standard Horizon HX870
• Most Versatile: Uniden MHS75
• Most Durable: Radioddity Voyage RV6
• Best Overall: Motorola T100 Talkabout Radio
• Best Entry-Level: Professional Rechargeable Walkie Talkies
• Longest Range: Midland GXT1000VP4

VHF

VHF (Very High Frequency) is from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. VHF waves can travel in a medium distance, which is about several tens of kilometers and up to more than 100 kilometers. So, the common uses of VHF are FM radio broadcasting, television broadcasting, two-way land mobile radio systems, medium to long-range data communication, amateur radio, and marine communications.

Best Overall: Cobra MRHH350FLT

Cobra MRHH350FLT

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Cobra MRHH350FLT is my first pick as it has all the necessary features for a great walkie talkie.

First, it is durable and waterproof. The floating design and orange core make it easy to retrieve from the water. With STANDARD JIS7, the walkie talkie would be okay even if it is submerged for 30 minutes in 3ft/1M deep water.

Second, it has a great connection. Cobra MRHH350FLT works in the 156.050 - 163.275 Mhz frequency band. It works with all USA, Canadian, and International channels. Moreover, you'll have instant access to all NOAA weather channels 24 hours a day and audible tone if an emergency or threatening weather is nearby. With tri-watch, you can monitor 3 channels at the same time.

Third, the battery run time. You can adjust the output wattages to 1, 3 or 6 watts according to the distance between you and your buddies. Per full charge, the battery runtime is about 16 hours at 1 watt and 8 hours per 6 watts

Most Affordable: Uniden Atlantis 155

Uniden Atlantis 155

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Uniden Atlantis 155 is a decent choice for your budget. Despite being an affordable walkie talkie, it has a floating compact design with JIS7 Waterproof just like Cobra MRHH350FLT.

The sound and connection on Uniden Atlantis 155 are also good. It receives all Marine Radio Channels, including all USA, Canada, and International Marine VHF channels, and receives all NOAA Weather Channels with weather alerts.

The downsides that Uniden Atlantis 155 exchanges for its affordability are the max output watts and battery runtime. You'll have 1 and 3 output watts and 10 hours runtime at the minimum watt. This is not really a problem since you won't need 6 watts in most of the cases, and you properly have a power bank on your boat/kayak.

Best For Ocean Kayaking: Standard Horizon HX870

Standard Horizon HX870

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Anything can happen while you’re at sea, so Standard Horizon HX870 would not be an overpriced piece for what it can do. First, it meets the IPX8 waterproof standard for the ability to withstand 1.5M/4.92 feet underwater for 30 minutes. And it floats on the water.

Then, Standard Horizon HX870 works in the VHF band with 6 output watts, which means you can send and receive signals at a very long distance. Moreover, the most valuable feature on the walkie talkie is the internal GPS receiver displaying your position in a compass or numerical style. Via HX870, you can share your GPS and request GPS from others, which would save your life in some cases.

Other great things to name are the intuitive and easy-to-use menu, the noise-canceling function, the DSC group position call. Also, Standard Horizon HX870 is great at other functions, including receiving all USA, International, and Canadian Channels & Weather alerts.

Most Versatile: Uniden MHS75

Uniden MHS75

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Uniden MHS75 is JIS8 submersible waterproof rated for withstanding 5ft underwater for 30 minutes. Like other walkie talkies, it receives all USA/International and Canadian Marine Channels, all NOAA weather channels with weather alerts.

Uniden MHS75 allows you to quickly switch among three main modes: normal, scan and weather mode. The normal mode is for monitoring and talking on one channel. The scan mode is for monitoring all the channels you have saved. The weather mode for monitoring the selected weather channels. The Tri-watch allows you to monitor channels 16 and 9 for a signal while listening to the currently selected channel. And you can add up to more than 100 saved locations.

To add more convenient, Uniden MHS75 allows you to select the output power among 1, 2.5, and 5 watts. In most cases, you’ll want to set it to 1 watt as it is more than enough and saves energy more a bit.

One limitation is the battery runtime, at the minimum output power, Uniden MHS75 can run for about 10 hours.

Most Durable: Radioddity Voyage RV6

Radioddity Voyage RV6

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Radioddity Voyage RV6 is the most durable walkie talkie at a reasonable price. It has a rough design that will last for years. The waterproof is not so impressive, just IP67 Waterproof, however, I think it is sufficient. Besides, it has a vibration function to drain water when water gets into the speaker's grill and muffles the audio.

Other functions and connection ability of Radioddity Voyage RV6 are pretty standard compared with above VHF walkie talkies.

FRS/GMRS

General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and Family Radio Service (FRS) are land-mobile FM Ultra High Frequency (UHF - 300 MHz to 3 GHz) radio services for short-distance communication. The transmitting distance of UHF waves are much shorter than VHF waves, however, they can go through normal walls or thin obstacles. So, UHF waves are preferred in cities. GMRS/FRS walkie talkies are also less expensive than VHF walkie talkies; they are ideal for short cruises where are near cities.

Best Overall: Motorola T100 Talkabout Radio

Motorola T100 Talkabout Radio

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If you are looking for a couple of walkie talkie for cycling cruises, Motorola T100 would be the ideal choice. It’s budget-friendly, simple, compact, easy-to-use and has all the features you need for a walkie talkie on land.

Motorola T100 receives communication from all FRS/GMRS two-way radios, supporting up to 22 channels. The battery runtime is great - up to 18 hours with three AAA alkaline batteries. When batteries are running low, there will be flashing alerts to remind you. Transmission distance up to 16 miles from mountain to valley, up to 3 miles at open water, and up to 0.5 miles in neighborhood.

Only one drawback that makes Motorola T100 imperfect is the lack of water-resistance. However, the walkie talkie is not likely to be damaged immediately when being exposed to a bit of water or rain.

Best Entry-Level: Professional Rechargeable Walkie Talkies

Professional Rechargeable Walkie Talkies

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Another choice for biking and hiking camping travel excursions. Professional Walkie Talkies has more smart features than Motorola T100, which is helpful for those new to walkie talkies.

Like Motorola T100, Professional Walkie Talkies receives communication from all FRS/GMRS two-way radios and supports up to 22 channels. As an advantage, Professional Walkie Talkies has the 121 CTCSS DCS Code that gives you up to 2,662 channel options to mute other users who are on the same radio frequency but using a different CTCSS tone or no CTCSS.

Professional Walkie Talkies supports Micro-USB Charging which is compatible with smartphone chargers. It has Flash Light to remind you charging the batteries, Auto Power Save Circuitry to protect the internal circuitry from being damaged, and Easy Voice and Sound Activation Transmission (eVOX) with 3 sensitivity levels for hands-free operation.

Another advantage compared with Motorola T100 is that the transmission distance of Professional Walkie Talkies is a bit longer. It is about 6.2 miles at sea, 3.1 miles in woods, and 0.6 miles in town. You have to pay about 10 bucks more than Motorola T100, and I think it is worth if you often take long biking and hiking cruises.

Longest Range: Midland GXT1000VP4

Midland GXT1000VP4

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Midland GXT1000VP4 is the most advanced GMRS walkie talkie on my list. It supports up to 50 GMRS Channels, along with NOAA Weather Scan; Midland GXT1000VP4 will automatically scan through 10 available weather band channels and alert when there is a risk of severe weather near you.

Midland GXT1000VP4 has superior transmission distance among GMRS/FRS walkie talkies; it’s about 36 miles in open areas with little or no obstruction. Like Professional Walkie Talkies, Midland GXT1000VP4 has privacy codes to block other conversations. However, Midland GXT1000VP4 provides you with many more options - up to 3,124 channels. The Easy Voice and Sound Activation Transmission (eVOX) with 9 sensitivity levels let you operate hands-freely.

Midland GXT1000VP4 meets JIS4 waterproof standard that prevents splashing water from having any harmful effect on it.

How To Choose The Best Walkie Talkies For Cruise?

How to choose the best walkie talkie for cruise?

• Are you going to take a land or ocean cruise?
• For an ocean cruise, especially a long trip one, you’ll want to gear up yourself and your buddies with a VHF walkie talkie since it receives and sends signals from a long distance (tens of kilometers). The walkie talkie also needs some necessary features, including NOAA Weather Scan and Alert, compatibility with all USA, Canadian, and International channels, as well as floating design. GPS is also a desired feature.
• For a land cruise, the criteria are lower. A common GMRS/FRS walkie talkie would be enough.

Which Brands Make The Best Walkie Talkies For Cruise?

Cobra

• Cobra is a subsidiary brand of Altis Zenus Group, which is a Hong Kong company focusing on innovative communication and outdoor electronic products. Cobra was established in 2016 with the mission of distributing FRS/GMRS and VHF two-way radio globally. Cobra is one of the leading brands in the United States, Canada, Europe and throughout the world.

Uniden

• Uniden was founded in 1966, in Tokyo Japan. Now they have regional headquarters in Irving, Texas and Sydney, Australia. They develop high-quality consumer electronics all over the world. Their product lines range from car dash cameras, security cameras to marine radios and walkie talkies. When it comes to Uniden, you are assured of quality and durability.

Midland

• Midland is the to-go brand when you need an affordable FRS/GMRS walkie talkie with good quality. For more than 50 years, Midland has been the leader in two-way radio technology, introducing CB radio and 14-channel FRS radio technology. They are famous for their sound quality, weather alert radios and an innovator in emergency radio technology.

FAQs

Conclusion

Cruising is always a refreshing experience. It is even more fun when you are with friends. So gear up with a good walkie talkie and go on a cruise with your buddies.