cobra frs two way radios

[snapper]

I was looking at getting a set of these radios with the rechargeable batteries and desk charger.. I have never had good luck with these bat packs.. I was wondering if you had any expierence with the battery packs in radios?? How long have they lasted?? Is the run time pretty good?? What ever..

Thanks!!

 

[Dozernut]

We have four of the Cobras with charging stands. The batteries hold up very well for us. We carry them all day in our deer stands and they still have a charge at the end of the day. As the battery pack gets older the run time will go down. These are pretty good little radios but they don't do well in metal buildings or hilly terrain where the signal gets blocked.
We have the Cobra Micro Talks that have a two mile range. When not used with hunting we use them as an intercom system when the wife is in her shop or I am in mine. This saves a lot of miles on the legs. Hope this response was helpful.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

This might be a bit off point OR it might be a big help so, here goes. Around my neck of the woods at least one cellular phone provider is offering unlimited calling between their phones on certain plans. If something like that is offered in your area and you each have a cell phone anyhow, that might be worth looking into.

 

[Dozernut]

Something I forgot to mention, our radios have a plug for an earphone jack. This is handy when you need to be quiet or want privacy.

 

[RanchMan]

Can't speak to Cobra radios, but I have several Audiovox radios that work very well with their rechargeable packs. I will not get non-rechargeable radios again as they will eat up regular batteries too quickly if you have them on all day long.

Something you should consider is perhaps stepping up to GMRS radios instead of FRS radios. (I have both types.) I initially got the FRS, but with the terrain of my spread, the don't work that well (and cell phones only work on certain areas of the property as well).

Anywho, GMRS has a 5 mile range vs. the FRS 2 mile. I've been very happy with mine. Now the downside - /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

1) cost,
2) regulation.

The GMRS radios generally cost a bit more (although prices are coming down significantly). The real pain is staying legal with the FCC. No tests or anything like that - just filling out paperwork on their web site and sending in a payment of an extra $75 or so.

There are LOTS of people who just pick up GMRS radios at Best Buy and use them with out getting a license. I haven't heard of anyone getting arrested for this, but doing such is illegal. Here are a couple of links for you to check out regarding this...

Illegal radios

Getting a license


Look to the attachment of this message to see a comparison in size between the two types. (again, these are just a couple of examples, you may find smaller ones in both flavors.)

Anyway, more info than you requested, but hopefully worth reading. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[MikePA]

Some of us remember when you had to get an FCC license to use a CB radio. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Some of us remember when you had to get an FCC license to use a CB radio )</font>

Yep, I threw mine away several years ago. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Mosey]

I don't know which particular model you're looking at, but I have some FRS 105 radios, which are OK for the money (I got them on sale for $35). But, the location of the talk button and the button to change the channel is a poor design. They're on opposite sides of the radio, so it's hard to push the talk button without changing the channel. Little kids have trouble with it. Adults have trouble if they have gloves on. I finally used JB Weld and formed a plastic cover over the channel button so it can't move. I never needed to change the channel anyway and when they're turned on they always start on channel one. Now they're easy to use for kids and adults with gloves on!

 

[GaryM]

Here's my take on radios with rechargeable batteries:

If you are using the radios a lot the rechargables are the way to go, particularly if there is a drop in charger that makes it convenient.

If they are only for occasional use, rechargables are not as good for two reasons. If they are not in the charger, they'll be dead when you want to use them, and if they are always in the charger and not being used, the batteries may suffer from overcharging. A lot of the later depends on the quality of he charger, but in an inexpensive set of FRS radios you are not going to get a good charger.

Also radios with NiMH or Li-Ion batteries are going to work better than radios with Nicads.

I'm an amateur radio operator, a GMRS license holder, as well as a FRS user, so I have some experience.

And as posted earlier, please get a license if you go the GMRS or FRS/GMRS route.

 

[rlk]

Snapper, another radio to think about is marine vhf. I have two Uniden Atlantis handhelds that have NiMH rechargeable batteries. Have had them for about a year now, and no battery problems. The range is also great. Wife got in the car and drove about 3 miles before we lost signal.

No license needed, plus you can use them on your boat.

Mine cost $99 each. More expensive ones are available, but for us, the price was great and the range is more than we need.

They come with rechargeable batteries and charger. You can also put in 6 AA batteries, or plug directly into cigarette lighter.

They also have NOAA weather alert, and receive several weather channels; all USA, Canadian and International marine channels; 1 Watt / 5 Watt transmit power (1 watt really saves the charge on the batteries); Memory channel scan; Waterproof; and a 3 year warranty.

I just realized this sounds like a commercial.

Good luck with whatever you decide.