Nextel Walkie Talkie feature????

[QuasiTova]

Has anyone used Nextel phones walkie talkie feature on the ship?

 

Someone on another thread said they had, but then never came back on the thread to answer the questions asked afterwards.

 

I have a teenage daughter and I want to be able to communicate with her on the ship PRIVATELY. I do not want everyone with walkie talkies to hear me say "I will be in the spa for two hours" and her reply "ok, I will just hang out by the pool". She is 15, and I really do not want people (i.e. predators) knowing she is alone by the pool for two hours.

 

I considered buying TracFones, until someone suggested Nextel because "supposedly" you do not have to activate service in order to use the walkie talkie function... but you can still talk privately.

 

I found a pair of these on eBay and bought them... but I cannot seem to figure out how to make them work...

 

I have read online that you have to enter an ID number for the phone you want to connect to, but where do I find that number?

 

I want to test these things BEFORE we get on the ship!

 

(I bought a pair of Nextel i530 phones)

 

Does anyone have any experience with Nextel phones?

[blindrid]

I'm think you still need a service plan. Here's an excerpt on how they work:

 

Nextel phones offer a service called Direct Connect that allows you to push a single button and connect with another Nextel user. This service is typically free as long as the other user is in the local coverage area. You can even specify a group of Nextel users (up to 100) that you can connect to all at once, similar to a dispatcher's radio like police or taxi companies use. This makes Nextel a very popular provider for companies with a workforce that can be spread out, such as construction work.

 

The digital two-way radio service uses a half-duplex signal. A normal cell phone call uses two separate frequencies, one to send and one to receive, for each call while a Direct Connect call uses only a single frequency. Direct Connect relies on the proven technology of Push To Talk (PTT), commonly used in dispatch radio systems. PTT requires the person speaking to press a button while talking and then release it when they are done. The listener then presses their button to respond. This way the system knows which direction the signal should be traveling in. To enable Direct Connect, Nextel configures your phone to use the dispatch call service to reach the person or persons you specify. This person (or group) must use Nextel's service also. When you make a Direct Connect call to someone, here's what happens:

• You hit the Direct Connect button, which is configured with the number(s) of the person (or group) you are calling.
  
• Your phone establishes a session with the Nextel iDEN-based network.
  
• The network determines that this is a dispatch call (Direct Connect) instead of an interconnect call (a normal cell phone call).
  
• The network then determines if it is a one-to-one or a group call. If it is a group call, the network duplicates the digital voice packets for each phone in the group.
  
• The network routes the packets to the phone (or phones) of the person (or group) you are calling.
  
• Their phone alerts them that they have a Direct Connect call.
  
• They answer the call by pressing the Talk button. Whoever is pushing the button, whether a one-to-one or group call, is the speaker.
  
• The call is completed and everyone disconnects.

As you can see, the Direct Connect feature still relies on cellular technology to connect to the recipient(s). A normal "walkie talkie" style two-way radio will only operate if the radios are within a certain distance of each other. Systems using the Direct Connect feature can communicate anywhere within the service area specified by Nextel, typically a large urban area or even an entire state.

 

Hopefully somebody can help you witha better solution......

[Mommytofour]

We have those and here is my long experience:

So we have the walkie-talkie features on our phones (nextel). Whenever we use them there are no minutes used up, so it's great. Dh has one phone and I have another. So I called Sprint (Nextel) and asked them if they had the same feature and could we use it for our cruise. They said they had something called International Walkie-Talkie (or something like that). The fee would be $10 per phone per month (or however long we wanted-I just called them yesterday to take it off since we came back 4-6). So for a total of $20 we got that feature on our phones. I was really happy about it. Well, once we are on the ship (Voyager-RCI) we try to get in touch w/my mil who is at home w/the kids. She kept one phone and we took another and we were going to do the direct connect.

IT DID NOT WORK! For pretty much the whole cruise we had no service. Not until we got to Cozumel (went to Jamaica and Grand Cayman) did we finally see that we had the ability to call home.

I figure for what you want, it'll probably not work. I don't know anything about walkie-talkies but maybe someone can tell you how you guys can communicate using them w/out anyone else eavesdropping on them. Good luck!

[phish tales]

i had nextel direct connect and i can tell you , you must have a contract and connect # for them to work. you can only get this by signing up with nextel and than you get a monthly bill. (approx. $40). my nextel never, ever worked on any of my cruises. and as soon as my 1 yr. obligation was over i got rid of nextel. they work great on shore for work purposes, like contractors. leave them at home, better yet get, rid of them...

[cvanhorn]

I considered buying TracFones, until someone suggested Nextel because "supposedly" you do not have to activate service in order to use the walkie talkie function... but you can still talk privately.?

 

 

TracFones don't work on the ships!! Most ships now have "cellular at sea" or something like it so most cell phones can be used to call home, etc. Unfortunately, what most find when they get home is a rather large bill from "Cellular at Sea" which charges in addition to whatever cell phone plan you have. This is why TracFones are locked out, they are prepaid plans with no way to bill you for that extra charge. Ships are not like airplanes that can be in contact with regular cell towers, ships have go though a satellite system, I believe. See:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/features/articles.cfm?ID=45

 

http://nextelonline.nextel.com/en/services/worldwide/cruise_ship_roaming.shtml

 

The roaming rates onboard are about $1.99-$2.49 a minute. I don't know how the walkie-talkie function ties into this.

[cb at sea]

Why not just have your daughter check-in with you periodically. The ship isn't THAT large that locating someone is too hard! Set up your schedule in advance (if you have a spa app't., she'll know where your are) and meet for a meal, or at the pool, etc...

Chances are you won't be able to get her out of the AO activities, anyway!

Just discuss safety issues in advance, and if you find out she's not abiding by the rules, a consequence (in the cabin for the day....) will go into effect.

Cell phones are quite "iffy" and costly at sea!

[QuasiTova]

Now I am really confused, as others on this board have said they used the Nextel Walkie Talkie function on their cruise (without a service contract)... and another said they used a TracFone.

 

I wonder if it matters if you are cruising to Alaska or to the Carribbean (we are going to Alaska).

 

I did call Celebrity, and asked about the towers they use, and they told me they connect to an ATT tower.... I then called ATT and they confirmed, and said that any cell phone would work on their tower... some with additional charges, some without, depending on the carrier and plan.

 

I then called TracPhone, who told me that their phones DO work, and that the per minute charge remains the same as on land...

 

*sigh*

 

Now, I have two stupid Nextel phones that I guess are pretty much worthless to me...

 

Not sure who to believe about the TracFones, or whether I should take a chance and buy them...

 

I think I will still buy a pair of Walkie Talkies as a back up (just in case)... I really do not like being out of contact with my daughter.

 

We rely heavily on our cell phones to stay in touch every day... but I know for sure that our plan willnot work on the ship because we have Metro PCS and it only wrks int he metroplex.

 

Any other suggestions or comments wil be greatly appreciated.

[blindrid]

We just do things the old fashioned way (or pre-electronics way, whatever). Have someone check in or at least let us know where they'll be - works fine on a cruise, it's not like the ships are that big to lose someone for very long.

[LonW]

Now I am really confused, as others on this board have said they used the Nextel Walkie Talkie function on their cruise (without a service contract)... and another said they used a TracFone.

 

I wonder if it matters if you are cruising to Alaska or to the Carribbean (we are going to Alaska).

 

I did call Celebrity, and asked about the towers they use, and they told me they connect to an ATT tower.... I then called ATT and they confirmed, and said that any cell phone would work on their tower... some with additional charges, some without, depending on the carrier and plan.

 

I then called TracPhone, who told me that their phones DO work, and that the per minute charge remains the same as on land...

 

*sigh*

 

Now, I have two stupid Nextel phones that I guess are pretty much worthless to me...

 

Not sure who to believe about the TracFones, or whether I should take a chance and buy them...

 

I think I will still buy a pair of Walkie Talkies as a back up (just in case)... I really do not like being out of contact with my daughter.

 

We rely heavily on our cell phones to stay in touch every day... but I know for sure that our plan willnot work on the ship because we have Metro PCS and it only wrks int he metroplex.

 

Any other suggestions or comments wil be greatly appreciated.

 

Nextel does have a phone that will work without a cell tower.

Use Direct TalkSM off-network push-to-talk service to keep in touch with others even when you're far beyond wireless coverage or when regular phone lines are unavailable. Communicate with others within up to six miles¹ using our Direct TalkSM capable phones. Model i580 for instance.

To find your Nextel Direct Connect number, perform the following steps:

1. Press the Menu button.2. Select My Info.3. Scroll to Direct Connect or DC. Three sets of numbers, separated by asterisks (*), appear. The first set of numbers is your Area ID, the second set is your Network ID, and the last set is your Member ID. These three sets of numbers together, including the asterisks, represent your Nextel Direct Connect number, for example, 111*222*3333.

[cvanhorn]

Now I am really confused, as others on this board have said they used the Nextel Walkie Talkie function on their cruise (without a service contract)... and another said they used a TracFone.

 

I wonder if it matters if you are cruising to Alaska or to the Carribbean (we are going to Alaska).

 

I did call Celebrity, and asked about the towers they use, and they told me they connect to an ATT tower.... I then called ATT and they confirmed, and said that any cell phone would work on their tower... some with additional charges, some without, depending on the carrier and plan.

 

I then called TracPhone, who told me that their phones DO work, and that the per minute charge remains the same as on land...

 

*sigh*

 

Now, I have two stupid Nextel phones that I guess are pretty much worthless to me...

 

Not sure who to believe about the TracFones, or whether I should take a chance and buy them...

 

I think I will still buy a pair of Walkie Talkies as a back up (just in case)... I really do not like being out of contact with my daughter.

 

We rely heavily on our cell phones to stay in touch every day... but I know for sure that our plan willnot work on the ship because we have Metro PCS and it only wrks int he metroplex.

 

Any other suggestions or comments wil be greatly appreciated.

 

I have been on 3 recent cruises and my TracFone WILL NOT find service while at sea. Yes, if close enough to land it works, but on the ships at sea it will not connect to their "cellular at sea". If cruising Alaska you are probably close enough to shore most of the time to connectto a land based cell tower.

[dadof6]

Has anyone used Nextel phones walkie talkie feature on the ship?

 

Someone on another thread said they had, but then never came back on the thread to answer the questions asked afterwards.

 

I have a teenage daughter and I want to be able to communicate with her on the ship PRIVATELY. I do not want everyone with walkie talkies to hear me say "I will be in the spa for two hours" and her reply "ok, I will just hang out by the pool". She is 15, and I really do not want people (i.e. predators) knowing she is alone by the pool for two hours.

 

I considered buying TracFones, until someone suggested Nextel because "supposedly" you do not have to activate service in order to use the walkie talkie function... but you can still talk privately.

 

I found a pair of these on eBay and bought them... but I cannot seem to figure out how to make them work...

 

I have read online that you have to enter an ID number for the phone you want to connect to, but where do I find that number?

 

I want to test these things BEFORE we get on the ship!

 

(I bought a pair of Nextel i530 phones)

 

Does anyone have any experience with Nextel phones?

Please forgive any faux pas, as this is my first post on any forum. I'm more of a reader than a writer. My wife and I plan to take our first cruise this summer on Majesty of the Seas, on July 21st. In my research I came upon this question about the "Nextel Walkie Talkie feature" and thought that I might could help shed some light.

 

It seems as though (as many do and I once did) Direct Connect and Direct

Talk (also known as MOTO-Talk, see:<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOTO_Talk>) features are being confused; they are not the same thing.

 

First, Direct Connect (DC) is the typical PTT (Push To Talk) system used that everyone is familiar with. It requires the Nextel network for it's use, and is generally nation-wide. It is usually person to person (unless a talk group has been setup) using a DC ID Number, i.e. "012*345*67890", for each device.

 

Second, Direct Talk (DT) is a PTT application that is NOT generally person to person, but more like typical handy talkies (HT's), such as the Family Radio Service (FRS) radios. Direct Talk does not require any network for it's use. It was designed for continued communication when outside of the network area (like a family camping in the wilderness) or during a failure of the network (as occurred during the Katrina disaster).

 

Like all simplex type HT communications, DT has a limited range between devices (advertised as 6 miles). DT has 10 "channels" and 15 group codes (used in a similar manner to sub audible or PL tones used on analog HT's). So every device in DT mode, close by each other, and on the same channel and group code can talk to each other.

 

Unlike typical HT's, DT uses the same digital spread spectrum (frequency hopping) technology as when on the network in DC. Also the phone has to be rebooted into a DT ONLY mode to use Direct Talk. In the DT mode the phone won't do anything else but DT, it is disconnected from the network, and will be rebooted again upon exiting DT to go back to being a phone. This mostly secures your conversation from anyone else that that doesn't have a Motorola Nextel phone, isn't in DT mode, and isn't on your selected Channel (actually a hop set, a pseudo random sequence of transmission frequency changes from the transmitting device and simultaneously the identical pseudo random sequence of reception frequency changes from the receiving device). To intercept your conversation, a device owner, in DT mode, close by, would have to know what frequency you had selected, and know when you were transmitting (or monitor this frequency continuously). Of course if he has 10 phones for monitoring, this WOULD be possible.

 

I have also read that there is a way to have a completely private conversation through DT if your phone has a telephone or DC ID number from the network on your SIM card (i.e. a current Nextel Customer), but I don't have that much hands on experience with these phones. Evidently you put your phones in DT mode, select a channel for both, and select the group code of "Pvt Only" (Private Only), push the PTT button and the phone should ask for you to "enter number or select contact". Evidently phone 1 will enter phone 2's telephone (or maybe DC ID) number, phone 2 will push the PTT and enter phone 1's telephone (or maybe DC ID) number. The conversation between these two phones now, evidently, can not be monitored by ANYONE.

 

To enter DT mode on a Motorola Nextel phone (directions specific to an i580 I have, but all of these phones should be similar): enter the phone's main menu, select Direct Talk, choose "go to Direct Talk" (this will cause your phone to reboot into DT mode), choose "edit", select "Channel" and choose one, select "Code" and choose one, set the other phone(s) the same way; now you're ready to talk!

 

I hope this helps, and isn't too confusing.

[QuasiTova]

Please forgive any faux pas, as this is my first post on any forum.

 

I hope this helps, and isn't too confusing.

 

 

Actually, your post seems very enlightening... however, I am still not sure whether I will be able to use them privately or not.

 

I have read online that you have to enter an ID number for the phone you want to connect to, but where do I find that number?

 

You seem very knowledgable in this area. In your opinion, is there ANY way I can make these two phones work for what I want without getting the service?

 

I cannot seem to make them do anything...

but then again, I am somewhat "electronically challenged".

[dadof6]

I hate to be the one to have to inform you of this, QuasiTova, but upon further checking (I looked up the i530's users manual online) I found that the i530 isn't one of the Motorola/Nextel phones that has the Direct Talk feature. The only phones listed as having Direct Talk are the: ic902, i880, i870, i850, i760, i670, i580, i560, ic502, ic402, i355, i325is, i275, and M710. Sorry.

[rfws]

Just a quick idea from our last cruise - my parents were in one room my brother and I in the next, we called and left voicemail's on my parents room # whenever we were doing something and they did the same for us. On that cruise I think we could even remotely check the messages (dial the rm# and enter an access code), so it worked out really well for us. Not sure if all cruise lines would have that feature, but I would *think* all would have the ability to leave voice mail.

 

Good luck :)

[dadof6]

QuasiTova, there is a new type device out (released January 2007) that might work for your purposes. It is called Extreme Radio Service (eXRS), but is available from only one company so far; two different models. One has 10,000 "frequencies" (actually hopsets) to choose from and the other 1000 (which should be plenty for you). It is a Digital Spread Spectrum Frequency Hopping device (like the new cell phones and military radios) operating in the 900 mhz bands. Just do a search on eXRS. It looked like you could get a pair of the less expensive ones for around $50. It can't be monitored unless someone has the exact same radio set to the exact same frequency.

 

I hope this helps, good luck, and happy birthday to your daughter.

[QuasiTova]

QuasiTova, there is a new type device out (released January 2007) that might work for your purposes. It is called Extreme Radio Service (eXRS), but is available from only one company so far; two different models. One has 10,000 "frequencies" (actually hopsets) to choose from and the other 1000 (which should be plenty for you). It is a Digital Spread Spectrum Frequency Hopping device (like the new cell phones and military radios) operating in the 900 mhz bands. Just do a search on eXRS. It looked like you could get a pair of the less expensive ones for around $50. It can't be monitored unless someone has the exact same radio set to the exact same frequency.

 

I hope this helps, good luck, and happy birthday to your daughter.

 

Are these private, or do other people nearby hear what is coming through the handset?

[dadof6]

These are very private, electronically, as in, no one with a scanner is going to be able to even know you are talking, much less what you are saying. Audibly it will be just like any other hand held device. You will need to turn down the volume and/or step away from others once communications are established, before any sensitive information is discussed. The more expensive eXRS device said that it could send and receive text messages between these devices, then all you have to worry about is someone reading over your shoulder (and they said they were water resistant, too). I don't think this device is like a Nextel, if that's what you are asking. But, even with the Nextels, people around you both are going to hear what is said into your phone (half of the conversation). If it were me, I already had a pair of walkie talkies that work, and I didn't want to purchase a new device, then I would work up a prearranged code phrase, word, letter, number or combination thereof. Then I wouldn't have to worry about electronic or audible eavesdropping. I would at least have a duress code worked out like I have with my 14yo daughter, so that if this particular thing is ever said in conversation, then I (and my wife) would know that something is wrong and that she can't speak freely. You can also add disinformation to your conversation, if you want, to throw any listeners off, if you both prearrange it.