Two Way Radio

CurlyDave · Nov 13, 2008

I need recommendations for a good FRS/GMRS radio.

We use them for hunting and they are quite useful, but I seem to have very bad luck.

There are three criteria I have is that it has to run on AA batteries, replaceable, not rechargeable. Anyone who has ever been hunting for 2+ weeks knows that electricity is hard to find in the field.

And it has to not be camouflage color. I have never seen the usefulness of that -- put it down for a few minutes and you can never find it again.

Plus it has to work with other brands.

The Midland one I had was pretty nice, except that it quit working in the cold--say 15 degrees or so.

I had a Cobra, but it was not particularly reliable and had not much range.

The last one I had was a Motorola -- big one, almost a big as a can of spray paint. The problem with the Motorola was that whenever someone else let up on his transmit button it gave out the loudest burst of static I have ever heard. Otherwise it was pretty good.

All of these come in two packs, and I always try both of the ones in a package, so I am certain it was not just a sample defect.

So, any recommendations?

smitty9266 · Nov 13, 2008

I have been a HAM radio operator for many years and worked with several search and rescue groups and CERT teams. Most that are not using HAM radio use either the ICOM F21GM for GMRS or the ICOM 4088A FRS. The Difference between GMRS and FRS is

GMRS... higher power level allowed, 7 available channels shared with FRS, requires a license

FRS... no license, more channels, lower power

Radios that say GMRS-FRS are really GMRS radio that require a license to operate at full power output, they will out put full power on GMRS channels and are hard coded to output lower on FRS.

to stop the squelch burst use a privacy code along with every one in your group

Good Luck

Jeff

SnowRidge · Nov 13, 2008

We have a pair of Kenwood "Free Talk" UBZ-LH14 FRS radios. They weren't cheap, but they work perfectly, with crystal clear audio and very good sensitivity. I bought them because I knew Kenwood built quality radios and not consumer junk. They are several years old and may no longer be available.

Brands I will never buy and don't trust: Cobra, Midland, anything sold by Radio Shack, Ray Jefferson, Hawk something or other.

Motorola is a company in deep trouble. They can and do make superb communications equipment, but they also make consumer junk. They are diluting their brand. Whoever writes their manuals is lousy at it.

Icom makes good products. Icom and Kenwood are both good brands. Both also make commercial equipment.

CurlyDave · Nov 13, 2008

...to stop the squelch burst use a privacy code along with every one in your group...

We were using a privacy code and I still got the static.

smitty9266 · Nov 14, 2008

my guess would be it was someone Else's radio making yours do that.... The Privacy code (CTCSS in radio lingo) by design should eliminate this problem. The CTCSS should stop transmitting milliseconds before it unkeys, so that the other radios stop receiving the tone and go mute on a carrier wave with no sound being transmitted instead of dead static. Yours could have been more sensitive to the timing or had a slow tone gate or you had CTCSS transmit on but receive off, you can do that on the Motorola, but not the cheep radios. You would never no to look for that problem if you did not know you could do it. That means you would unsquelch their radios with code on and they could unsquelch your radio even with with CTCSS receive off. There are several reasons why you would want to set a radio to do that.

That is if all is as should be

Jeff

CurlyDave · Nov 14, 2008

I agree it was someone else's radio that was the primary cause. The reall issue is that almost everyone else's radio did it to one extent or another. Some guys had particularly bad actors, but no one else's radio had that problem.

So, since I am the one who has the only radio with a problem, I am the one who has to get a new one.

I looked at the ICOMs on the internet. Pricey, but worth it if they work.

No one sells Kenwoods on the internet, but I should probably look at them before I buy.

F-I-T · Nov 14, 2008

I bought a set of Motorola Talkabouts for under $50 on eBay, not yellow but black, including shipping, nice charger, holsters, etc. They work really well. My daughter takes one on her trail rides, we used them between the house and tractor hooked to the generator during hurricanes, the grandkids toss them around playing in the woods, and they always work well. I have/had Icom HF gear, Kenwood 2M gear, plenty of vacuum tube stuff ( I just renewed my license and see that this is my 40th hamming year...DANG! Time flies!) and that stuff is really nice, but for the price, these things are pretty darn good, and if you drop one or lose one, you won't cry.

This particular model has been discontinued, so I do not know what the "newest" ones are priced at, but I bet you can get it done for under $100.