FRS-Two-Way-Radio Reviews

I've been comparing FRS radios for some time now and found that what the manufacturer touts as five mile range is not always so. I am also an amateur radio operator and have been curious about how well the GMRS radios perform in the field. So far I have tried three kinds. The Motorola Spirit (1 watt) the Cobra PR 900 and now the Cherokee GR715. The Motorola Spirit has a good range for 1 watt as well as some handy features. I do think that this one will provide at least twice the range as FRS radios. I've been able to talk to a friend while in the country as they were driving in town say (3-4 miles). The Spirit is GMRS only so don't expect to chat with your FRS buddies.

The PR 900 had many features such as vox and scan and BIG lighted display. However, the range did not seem any better than my Ranger Plus FRS radios. Dissapointing. They were returned.

As to the Cherokee GR715 I performed the following tests. Bench testing with digital watt meter into a dummy load showed the GR715 putting out more than 4 times more power than one of my other 500 milliwatt radios. The GR715 battery pack consists of 6 Nickle Metal Hydroxide batteries which yeilds around 8 volts. Alkaline batteries would yield 9 volts. Frankly this is a BIG deal. What most people overlook is the fact that you cannot expect a full two watts out running on 3 or 4 AAA batteries. It is possible to get it but the trade off will be a huge drain on batteries. This is based on the flow of current formula P/E=I. So it is no shocker to read reviews of combo FRS/GMRS radios which sport tiny battery packs that don't live up to the range promises. There's just not enough voltage and current to deliver the wattage output ExI=P. Look at most commercial radios as well as amateur handhelds. The recharge power packs are BIG. That's no accident. The bigger the battery tank the more juice to transmit and longer standby time. I found the GR715 range increase over my FRS easily twice the distance. Also be aware there are other considerations when buying a GMRS. Is the antenna removable? (FRS radios are not allowed to have removable antennas) If you antenna does not unscrew then there is a good chance the radio was built for FRS not GMRS standards) Also there is a 500 MW power limit on FRS radios. Actually licensed GMRS users can legally run as much as 50 watts of transmit power. There are also some outstanding prices on this radio. I suggest looking around. For the money I could not pass this radio up. I spent the same amount on each one that I spent on my first Motorolla FRS when they first entered the market. I still have more field testing to do on this rig but so far I think it's a keeper. There are other GMRS radios that are reported to have slightly better range such as the Motorolla Distance Plus (2 watt) but for the price,features and ease of use the GR715 is hard to beat.

I have used the product for about one month. Range is better than standard FRS units but not as good as professional GMRS models. Build quality so far is good and the features are nice. I tried a few add-on antennas (Pryme RD-9 was one)to see if I could increase the range. So far, the antenna that comes with the unit does the best job (I am no radio engineer so don't take my results too seriously!). I also have the Audiovox GMRS 1525. The Cherokee is the much better choice (but I would still recommend the Audiovox over a FRS-only model as the range is better). It has better range, better batteries and offers more features and build quality. Remember, your 2-way is only as good as the weakest 2-way in the group so be sure to buy two!The GMRS frequencies are the way to go as the FRS-only ones get too crowded. However, be sure to follow the FCC rules when broadcasting to keep the frequencies uncluttered.

The GR715 is a very appealing, compact and solid-designed radio! External buttoms easy to use and set. Transmission performance, is limited to about 1 mile. In the city the range was about one mile, very clear up to that point, then static and choppy audio. In the field (Liberty State Park, Jersey City NJ) the range was somewhat greater! However, reading most ads-"range up to 5 miles"- is an exaggeration! Would an extended range antenna be a solution?

These FRS radios worked ok but have a terrible, very hard to see display. The LCD backlight color is RED. Very poor contrast and hard to see display functions. Also since buying them I have seen many other brands with many more features for less money.

This walkie talkie is great! I just got it a couple of days ago and the quality of the sound is clear. It's also smaller than I expected. It could easily fit in your pocket. One great option about the T6200 two-way radio is that if you have more than two people on the channel you can set an individual ring so when you call someone they know its you. The walkie talkies are well worth the price and if you don't want to pay too much then these are good for you.

I had a pair of older motorola talkabouts. I was pretty happy with those, but I decided to up grade to the T6200. I'm really glad that I did. Overall this product is great. I have tried it both inside and outside of the house and on the road. I have found that I can't get the whole 2 mile range, but over all it's clear and easy to understand the other person. They are pretty lightweight and the looks arn't bad. These things are a great buy. It was cool

Big Truck

You are required to have a FCC GMRS license (extra $...) before you can use the GMRS channels. Some cell phones provide walkie-talkie type capability locally and I think Nextel is going nationwide with their walkie-talkie type service soon. Nationwide is a lot farther than the 5 mile max. for these units. You might have a recurring need for a pair in which case the rating would probably be higher. As for me, my need is limited and I have returned the units.

Weather feature is great.
Very Compact.
Most features used and neccessary-not like higher models.
Great scan feature.
Very easy to use.
I love the easily detachable clip feature.

Motorola no longer builds this radio. Buy it used here if it's available. Motorola really blew it by not continuing to make this item. Cobra and Audivox quickly moved in to fill some of the voids left by the exit of this item from the market. Maybe Motorla thought it had other customer information on the features that most people want. The result: every other Motorola consumer 2-way radio, except for the t7200 (much more expensive), has fewer features, is much bulkier, and in most cases, inferior, to this unit. For example the t5950 has NOAA weather channels, but no alert for severe weather bulletins. Why take away such a basic complementary feature? I don't get it.

I preface this review by stating that I purchased this radio primarily for its weather radio feature (not many others have it) and I use it only on FRS channels so far.

This radio has an unparalleled wealth of useful features for its price. I have found the following features useful, and you'll have to pay more to get them on another radio.
--Voice scrambling: Good but it takes time to adapt to it.
--Scanning: An awesome feature; scans all 22 channels quickly.
--Weather radio: Excellent. I get three channels in the Chicago area.
--Range (FRS): In an outer-suburb setting you do get 2 miles.
--Vox: Hands free does work but it takes time to adapt to it.
--Batteries: Uses 3 AA batteries. Other manufacturer's comparable radios take 4 AAA, thus representing a bigger expense over time for batteries.
--Size: Comparable radios from other manufacturers are much larger than this unit.
--Shortcomings. Battery case does not seal totally, but it has not fallen off during my use. The PTT button is on the front, though it has not been as much of an inconvenience as I thought it would be.

I upgraded to this from the Motrola 5420 (sold in pairs), itself an excellent FRS radio. I have found this unit to be equal or superior in all comparable respects (except for the PTT button on the front, and battery lid sealing), and I have yet to upgrade its use to GMRS--the license costs $75.00 per household for five years.

It is not as good as i hoped. Bottom line, too much batteries, (batteries are expensive) and it goes through them like a fat woman through chocolate.I will write a review on batteries as soon as i find them and boy will they get theirs.Motorola is not the best walkie talkie company. Its range is only 5 miles that five miles can make the difference between life and death when you are lost in a vietnamese jungle during the rainy season.And it is too quiet and their are not enough channels. And when you are playing mission impossible in the heating vents the range is reduced to like, 30 feet more or less. And shortly after mission impossible it ran out of batteries.

This is my first radio, I bought it last week. Used it over the long weekend in Lake George, NY. It was really useful to talk to my friend to find parking or ordering food. As cell phone coverages was not good as you go 3 to 4 mile north from village, this radio helped us a lot. I bought a AA battery model because I have bunch of NiMH (not NiCd) rechargable batteries (used for my digital camera). NiMH is FAR Superior than NiCd batteries.

Okay...forget what you've heard. FRS/GMRS is very limited range. You 'might' get 3-5 miles over water or open terrain, but typically much less. 1/2 mile is quite typical for ANY 500mw, 1 or even 2 watt radio. Due to the small antenna, wattage is not much help. In fact your position is the key factor, not power! Other external factors can effect range, which is why one person can't get range, while another can. Here in Queens, NY I get 1/2 to 1 mile. My friend's radios get the same. Over water on my sailboat I get MUCH more range and that's what I wanted them for. The range advantage using GMRS is small, compared to my set of regular FRS radios.
Included nicads are nice but a bit tough to get out when you want to switch to standard batteries. The charger allows you to charge just the nicads...nice. The display is hard to read when you look directly at it for some reason. Angle the unit and it's fine. These are not the smallest units around, but fit well in an adult hand and appear to be sturdy. Overall, very good units at this price point.

I am stationed in IRAQ and thees radios work great.

I SHOPPED AROUND FOR WALKY TALKIES AND FOR THE PRICE I PAID ON AMAZON THEY ARE WELL WORTH THE MONEY. WE USED THEM WHILE CAMPING AND THEY ARE A GREAT ITEM TO KEEP TRACK OF THE KIDS WHO WERE NEVER AT THE CAMP SITE UNTIL WE CALLED THEM ON THE RADIO. BEATS THE HECK OUTTA HAVING TO DRIVE UP TO WHERE THEY WERE TO TELLEM IT'S TIME TO EAT!!!

These are terrific little units with awesome range.

I keep a pair in every car I have for trips to Costco, the Mall, Seaworld or wherever.

My only complaint if the NiCAD batteries. They do get a memory if you don't use them a lot. NiMHD would have been a better choice considering the way you'll likely use them. The batteries will lose their charge whe sitting unused so they are less available for last minute emergency use.

I have used both Motorolla and VTEC. And the COBORA had the worst range of all brands. Very staticy at even 100 yards.

I bought one of these mainly because of the built in radio to use at the gym and it of course also doubles as an frs radio. Only drawback is the lack of ctss codes and the roger beep cannot be turned off. Does have a call button. If these aren't a problem and you want a dual purpose radio, these are fine.

Used it up in the mountains (washakie wilderness) with lots of trees to interfer however that was not a problem, it had better then a two mile range, Once I was in the creek bottom and was able to talk to the others at camp a good 3 miles a way and the camp was surrounded by trees

The Cobra 1000 is a basic and reliable 2-way radio. It could be better with the addition of some other useful functions like a scan mode or privacy mode. As a receiver, it lacks sensitivity at times to catch the faint signals but in the trasmit mode, it really sounds very good. My only major problem with the radio is the design of the battery compartment. It is a "snap" cover which doesnt really snap that well and which will be a problem as the radio is used more frequently. I already have to use a rubber band around one of the radios to keep the battery in place.

I recently purchased 2 of these radios, first thing I did was get rechargeable batteries, a recharger and DC car adaptor. I then went to my local professional radio shop and purchased 2,6 inch, 1/4wave rubber antennas cut for 460 mhz. I also purchased 2 mobile magnet mount antennas cut for the right frequency. All antennas and accessories improved radios peformance dramatically, especially the two mobile antennas. It was no problem for my brother and I to talk 15-20 kilometers (roughly 9 1/2 to 12 1/2 miles) with our two vehicles through our hilly, vegetation terrain here in Atlantic Canada. My next step is to purchase a base antenna for the house and the Audiovox 2000 GMRS Base Station.

I bout a pair of cobra PR1000 at officemax store. They put out 2.0 watts on high power and 1/2 watts on low power.They have a high/low RF power output.They are a good gmrs and frs radio. Channels 1-7 are frs channels 8-15 are gmrs frequencis not frs.Up to a 5 mile range. I haven't test them out yet to see how far they go for a range on these radios. Can someone give me a range how far a 2 watt radio goes.

Bought a pair, from circuit city, and it didn't even work. FYI, made in China.

I was a little hesitant to purchase a pair of GPX FRS100 radios because of the low price and no previous experience, however they have lived up to the billing. I was pleasantly surprised at the range they work at. In my testing, I could communicate up to 2 KM (from inside our home to the inside of my office building with a large two-storey structural metal building in between). I read the review about sturdiness. It's housed in a plastic case but one of my kids dropped one on the sidewalk and it's still kicking with no ill effects. There's only two channels, but in my area that's plenty. After all, you can only use one channel at a time anyway and if the kids inadvertently switch channels, there's only one other channel to try to reach them.

This product is great! If you are looking for a 2-way radio to use with your family or friends, this is the one. It is not to take to sports games because it only has 2 frequensies, but otherwise it is the model radio. Great for events where many people have to communicate because it costs only $22. The "monitor" function that blocks out noise and background is great. There is NO static at ALL! You need new batteries because any that have been partially used will not work correctly. This gave me crystal clear reception from a mile a way.

Very convenient for vacations. It is good rule of thumb to have a radio anyway.

The batteries last up to 30 hours (I actually got about 35 out of them.)

If you are concerned that these are not made well they are so cheap, I tell you that I had the same concern. However with other radios costing up to $50 each, I had no choice. Now I realise this was the correct way to go!

We bought these so we could keep in contact with our kids at the greenbelt just down the street from our house. They worked great and the sound quality was good. Our only problem was my kids were there when the sprinklers came on, so they were playing in them. You guessed it, the unit was pretty soaked, so we let it dry out but it still doesn't work. The next pair I look for will be water resistant.

I had to return a set because one radio display was bad. The replacement set has one radio that doesn't display the transmit and receive signal indicators. I kept this pair because of the range and price but quality control of the display could be better.

therese are the best and their cost effective in the frs two mile range these are number one avoid others it will take two weeks to learn to use them!!!!!!!!!!!!

We bought these so we could keep in contact with our kids at the greenbelt just down the street from our house. They worked great and the sound quality was good. Our only problem was my kids were there when the sprinklers came on, so they were playing in them. You guessed it, the unit was pretty soaked, so we let it dry out but it still doesn't work. The next pair I look for will be water resistant.

I had to return a set because one radio display was bad. The replacement set has one radio that doesn't display the transmit and receive signal indicators. I kept this pair because of the range and price but quality control of the display could be better.

therese are the best and their cost effective in the frs two mile range these are number one avoid others it will take two weeks to learn to use them!!!!!!!!!!!!