Convoy/Road Trip Communication

[Driving Park]

I'm not entirely sure where to put this (here or in Off-Topic) but since it's car related I figure it's best here.

Next Friday I'll be making an 11-hour road trip that I've done several times before, but this time it'll be in convoy with a U-Haul. We're (myself and the other driver) wondering what the best communication method would be to keep in constant contact (for both safety and entertainment (which also goes back to safety (not falling asleep (four parentheses, deal with it))) reasons) for the trip, while not being expensive.

So far we've thought of smartphones on speaker (I'm not a fan), walkie-talkies (would have to hold the button to talk and you can't talk at the same time as the other), or CB radios. Are there any other options you all could recommend?

 

[ilikewaffles11]

I'd say walkie talkies are the way to go, I remember my dad and the then new guy from work using them to keep in touch when going to a car show two hours away as the new guy didn't know the way down, and it worked out pretty well. Plus as far as I know they're not that expensive either.

 

[White & Nerdy]

I don't really know much. I have heard one thing about CB that might be problematic though - decades after its Hollywood-driven popularity, it's still fairly widely used, and truckers with illegal overpowered equipment will step on your signal from the next county.

 

[Murcie_LP640]

In our convoy situation last year (Mystery Box Rally) my team used a pair of hand-held walkie talkies, which worked quite well actually with the channel we were using them on anyway.

Some teams got UHF radios installed the night before and they had the clearest signal but that was the more expensive option.

 

[BKGlover]

If this is gonna be a one-time deal, go with the handsets. Anything else is gonna require some money and some installation headaches, though the phone deal could be used afterwards for daily life.

 

[Mikeybc]

Get a cheap set of FRS/GMRS walkie-talkies, maybe 30 or 40 bucks for a set of 2 with chargers....just a guess though on the price.

 

[JMoney]

Just get a couple cheap walkie-talkies, my dad and I used them on drives with the PCA. A CB radio WOULD be better, but there's no point in spending that much money on them when you only need them for one trip.

 

[Driving Park]

Thanks for all the replies! Looks like we're going to take the walkie-talkie route.