GMRS and foreign travel

[GreggInFL]

(Couldn't find an existing thread...)

Considering travel to Japan, Taiwan, mainland China, S. Korea, Australia and New Zealand.  Should I bring a radio?

[OffRoaderX]

Just now, GreggInFL said:

Should I bring a radio?

Jeezus...  WHY in TF would you want to do that?

[SteveShannon]

1 minute ago, GreggInFL said:

(Couldn't find an existing thread...)

Considering travel to Japan, Taiwan, mainland China, S. Korea, Australia and New Zealand.  Should I bring a radio?

I wouldn’t for gmrs. 
That’s something that ham radio operators frequently do and the regulations in many countries support foreign hams operating while visiting, BUT many (perhaps most) countries do not have such reciprocity for any other service. 

[WSCH851]

CHINA!

Personally, I would not carry.

[WRXB215]

Seems like they would be fine in China. That's where most of the come from anyway. 

[WRDJ205]

39 minutes ago, WRXB215 said:

Seems like they would be fine in China.

I might have a Baofeng for you to drop off... at the factory.  

[nokones]

You need to check with the RSO (Regional Security Officer) for each country you are trying to enter with a radio device. GMRS freqs in the USA may not be for civilian use in other countries. I know some countries have cooperative agreements with the USA for some freqs but regardless if they do you will need a permit/license or some station authorization from the other country regardless.

The only international agreement that I remember is for some 800 MHz freqs known as ITac channels only to be used by government entities.

Oh, by the way, most of those countries business hours are normally when you will be sleeping. As a citizen, good luck in getting in contact with the RSO.

 

[WRPG745]

Have you considered burner phones or travel sim cards for your own cell?

check your carrier for international sim cards to use for roaming, you might need more than one for all the places you want to go (Japan vs China).

[nokones]

Are the SIM cards accessible on the newer cell phones?

[WRPG745]

9 minutes ago, nokones said:

Are the SIM cards accessible on the newer cell phones?

eSIM...

my t-moble account has a $100 a month service for unlimited international on 2 phones. (i believe it covers both eSIM and SIM)

I'll bet a set of burner phones would be similar in cost, but even if more, you don't have to worry about losing them!

[Hoppyjr]

Jeezus...  WHY in TF would you want to do that?

^ This.

Enjoy the vacation, see the sights, leave the radios home.

[GreggInFL]

Oh, burner phones are on the buy list.

54 minutes ago, Hoppyjr said:

^ This.

Enjoy the vacation, see the sights, leave the radios home.

We cruised Rome - Athens - Istanbul last year and the marine VHF came in handy.  Had this amusing conversation with a crew member:

Me: What frequencies are used in this port?

Him: We don't use frequencies, we use channels.

[WRYJ977]

You trying to release your radio back into the wild? Lol

[WRXR255]

3 hours ago, GreggInFL said:

...Him: We don't use frequencies, we use channels.

That makes perfect sense.

[Hoppyjr]

Oh, burner phones are on the buy list.
We cruised Rome - Athens - Istanbul last year and the marine VHF came in handy.  Had this amusing conversation with a crew member:
Me: What frequencies are used in this port?
Him: We don't use frequencies, we use channels.

If you do take the radio, be sure you wear it on your belt.

[Lscott]

I would be VERY careful taking a two-way radio to most countries. While it's "safer" to take Ham gear you can still run into issues. You get stopped for inspection the custom agent is going to ask a lot of questions about why you have it. Without proper documentation you might end up getting your radio confiscated on the spot. In some countries it's not even legal to "monitor" communications you're not licensed to use! One example is the UK.

https://www.monitoringtimes.com/html/mtlaws_may04.html

I wouldn't even consider taking a radio to Mexico. The police might think you're a cartel member. Any cartel member seeing your two-way radio might think you're an under cover cop or rival cartel member. Either way you could get shot.