FRS-Two-Way-Radio Reviews

I own two of these. We live in a fairly flat area. They are out of range in about a mile, contrary to the claims of a 2 mile range. Otherwise, very nice & sturdy piece of equipment.

Some companies are very, very, proud of the name. Sometimes you can buy two products of a different brand which would work just as good as this one, and still have enough money left to buy something else.

I think somebody made a boo-boo. The T6310 sports the FM radio, not the T6320. Within the last year I have owned every Motorola FRS radio out there, and I have had the T6310 for six months (at the time I wrote this) and wear it everywhere I go. I bought it for use at work and just cant seem to leave home without it (sound familiar). The radio has been dropped, smacked around and just plain abused, but it still works great. Some people dont care for the swivel clip, but I think it was a great idea. If you ever sat down with anything hooked to you belt and felt that auwful jam in your side, you will appreciate the swivel clip. But anyway, any of the T6300's are great. Just remember if you want listen to some jams while your yacking away, the T6310 is what your gonna need..........:)

I already own a couple FRS, the Motorola 289, & these are the best available.

I bought the FR540 for my kids. I like the fact that I can communicate w/ my wife where ever we go someplace. But I started thinking that when we go to amusement parks or anywhere there are large crowds, that I can't communicate w/ my kids. At one time, we lost track of them & let me tell you how nerve racking that was.

I've looked at most models of FRS here on Amazon.com, that I considered would be perfect for kids. I decided & bought the 540's since they are very compact units. Not too heavy for the kids to carry around. They are also very easy to use, I set them to the channel(s) I want to use, channel lock them, & viola, we can keep in contact.

Only real gripe I have about the FR540, I can't seem to find carry cases for them, like the Body Glove cases I have for the 289's. What's nice about having a case is, they usually supply them w/ neck straps. I don't feel comfortable having the kids just clip them to there packs or shorts. It seems that it would be easily lost. I've rigged my own carry strap, but it doesn't protect the FRS, which is another reason I like having carry cases for them. So if you use this item, & have a carry case that fits the 540, please let me know. Last gripe is these take 3 AAA batteries, compared to the 3 AA the 289 uses. It would be nice to have just one type of battery to buy. Oh well, can't have everything, can we? Lastly, I am a bit concerned about the fold down antenna. It doesn't seem as sturdy as some other models, I hope I am wrong about this.

I am only giving these FRS a 3, since they have not been field tested as of yet. Audiovox claims a 2 mile range, that I would like to check out. Even if it's just a mile or so, that is fine w/ me. As long as I can stay in contact w/ my kids in an amusement park or similar situation, then my money was well spent. But it sure is nice that I can use a different brand of FRS, set the channels, & we are all in contact.

These are very nice FRS, if you are looking for a pair that are very compact, easily carried, & have many features found in the more expensive models, then this is for you. Sound quality is also good, now I need to test its distance.

Finally had chance to really use the 540. First of all, they work wonderfully w/ the Motorola 289's I have. I can communicate w/ the kids, no problem. Only realy problem is keeping the kids from playing w/ them, oh well.

Here's some afterthoughts........the 540's work good w/ the antenna folded down, you can walk some distance while in the down position. But, you need to have the antenna upright if you want to have a strong signal, so you can't have the antenna down when you are far apart.

Reception is good, a bit of static comes in when the battery wears down, don't know if this is apparent w/ other FRS. As stated it's very easy for kids to use, I channel locked their 540's, so all they have to do is press the talk key to communicate.

Fairly durable, one of my kids went tumbling down a hill w/ the radio around her neck. It took the punishment, works well, but have some minor scratches. The radios almost got soaked when the kids went to pet the dolphins.

I did find a couple carry cases w/ neck straps. Amazon.com sells a Case Logic carry case in their radio accessories section that fit the 540 nicely. Only gripe is, it's not a real snug/secure fit, but it works. I really needed a carry case w/ a neck strap & this model you can cinch them some, so the radios are not dangling low on your kids.

I still think that the 540 is a good radio. If it just had the same performance as the Motorola 289, I would give it 5 stars. I did get the extended warranty on the radios, I just don't know how durable or long lasting the 540's are.

I like this product because it is very useful. THis could help anyone for working in the yard or skiing or snowbaording when you are on the mountain so you dont get lost.

I used this radio for a long time. The reason I finally got rid of it was that it could not automatically switch between the walkie talkie and the fm radio. If a call came in, you heard a tone and had to manually switch to frs. The earphone jack is a mono jack, not stereo. The screen is rather hard to see, changing functions can be very confusing, and the volume goes from rather soft to louder than desired. WHAT VOX?

I just bought them yesterday,a and it worked great. When I tried it around our house this afternoon, it worked flawlessly. I can hear my partner very clearly. The FM radio is a great feature, so is the fold-down antenne. The only cons I have with this radio is the volume for the FM radio. When I used the included earphones, it was too loud, and when I listened to the radio again, using my own headphones, that I had for a long time, I can only hear the sound from the left side of the headphones. I didn't do that much research on this product, but it was the first time I got a good deal with our a lot of research.

i purchased two last week and used it for the 1st time this weekend. i tell ya, this is one heck of a radio. i split up with my wife at the mall and we were able to contact each other all day long with no static. at opposite extreme points of the mall we were about .5 miles away from each other and the radio performed flawlessly. between our calls we were able to listen to the built in FM radio via the supplied earphones. very good reception too. on the way home we tested the radio's range. at 1 mile reception was clear with a litle static. at 1.5 miles there was more static but it was good enough to communicate. at 2 miles a lot more static but stll decent clarity. not bad for a busy location with lots of 4-6 story buildings between us. buy it, you won't regret it.

After receiving the Sony U655, I was so disappointed with its range and sound quality I obtained a Motorola 280 to compare. I didn't know if the poor quality was the Sony or all FRS 2-way radios. The Sony transmission was broken-up even at close range. The Motorola was nice and clear. I need a radio that I can use while paddling in my kayak, so hands free is important. I visited the Sony web site and called their customer service to try to obtain information on any hands free accessory. Sony has a separate mic and ear plug, but it is not voice activated. The Motorola has Voice Activation capabilities. I will be returning the Sony tomorrow. Sony does not appear to be seriously in the FRS 2-way radio business at the present time.

This Sony radio is top notch. Not even worth comparing to panasonic, vtech or any other.

5 stars

I have tried almost every single FRS radio available, I sellelectronics... Here are my observations. I have personally tried and used all of the Motorola units that I sell, that is the talkabout 250, talkabout basic, talkabout 101, & 280 slk. I also sell the Midland Micro-II, Kenwood & Conair, these being the less expensive units and if you are considering something [that costs] less then the Kenwood is probably the best in that area. If your consideration is quality first, price second, then there is no comparison. The Sony is BY FAR the very best unit I have personally ever used. The clarity exceeds every other FRS out there, regardless of price. The 2 mile distance claimed by all FRS radios is very subjective. All frs radios are regulated to the same micro-wattage and therefore are basically the same in identical conditions. For instance, good low cloud cover will extend the range. I have used the Sony to speak with someone at just over 2-1/2 miles away one cloudy evening, I have not been able to do that since though. The Sony has every possible feature to compete with any other unit out there but let's face it, what matters is sound quality. If you can't understand what the other person is saying, then all of the buttons and gadgets in the world won't help. The Sony is by far the clearest unit out there when held properly, a few inches from your mouth, not IN your mouth which is the natural tendency of most people, including myself. I do not sell the Sony U-CEIVER but it is the only unit I will even consider owning. I own 2 by the way, bought 'em right here.

I bought one of these about three years ago and bought two others when they were discontinued about two years ago. I'm surprised to see these still in stock, so perhaps the new batch is different from the one I'm reviewing.

The push-to-talk button will wear out after about a year of daily use. The buttons wear out in the strangest of ways. It appears to transmit but doesn't transmit the subcode unless you really press the button down. Not sure what was going on there.

I highly recommend the GMRS version of this base station. It's much better and has a "bonus" removable portable radio. We're replacing the FRS1000 with the new version as their push-to-talk buttons break.

The battery life is very decent on the FRS1000--it lasts two days which is excellent for any FRS with subcodes turned on.

The configuration sequence is horribly confusing and the icons don't seem to represent anything in real life, so the manual should be kept close by.

We are in a rather noisy environment, RF-wise, so passing aircraft and vehicles with business radios will cause the unit to break squelch and emit a loud 1/2-second long blast of static and white noise. This happens even if you set the subcodes. Some ranges of subcodes false break squelch more often than others.

Transmitting audio is accompanied by an AC hum. The newer GMRS version has a quieter hum but it's still there. The power supply appears to be the culprit, as I have used ferrite cores to try and clean up the interference a bit and it doesn't have much affect.

If it's cheap, like twenty-five dollars, grab it. FRS base stations are very rare products that are much more useful than the basic home intercom system.

I just purchased the FRS-1000 Base station and I have to say I'm very pleased. It works fine with my BellSouth FRS Hand Held units. The station is small and compact, no larger than a standard intercom. The manual is a bit hard to figure out some of the functions but if you play with it, you'll get the hang of all it can do.
One function I especially love is it's ability to scan all 14 FRS channels, so I can monitor all channels for incoming signals. It also has a function whereby you can monitor two channels at once, if you have people using two different channels, you can hear conversations on both.

The NOAA weather function is a no-brainer, just press the button and you have instant weather information access. The unit also features a "Roger Beep", this is a short beep that is attached to the end of every transmission. (It can be turned off) I like it because it distinguishes when a transmission is coming from the base station. My hand held units do not have this beep so any transmission from base is clearly identified by this sound.

You can also sellect from 4 different "Call Tones". This allows you to define the type of call signal the unit emitts when signaling other units. If you have more than one base station this would be handy to differentiate them.
When they say "Two mile range" their not kidding, the unit belts out enough power to talk and listen somewhat beyond that. (a friend and I tested it, he on a bike with a hand held and me on the base!)
This unit could have many uses, I use it for camping and keeping up with friends hiking. It could be used in a factory too, or as a way to keep track of neighborhood kids. In fact, as I scan channels I often hear the neighborhood kids playing and talking. And with it's range, I hear other neighborhoods too.
I must admit it's fun to listen in on their play. Plus during the day I can hear workers who use FRS to talk to each other.
FRS is not as crowded as CB bandwiths, it's easy to find a clear quiet channel to use if you don't want distractions.
If you're looking for a unit to use for work or in a factory, I'd recommend you pick an odd channel like "3" or "6". Most units default to channel "1" when turned on and this is the channel that you'll hear the most chatter from the neighborhood.

The FRS-1000 is a great buy, it comes with rechargable batteries and they charge while the unit is on and plugged up with the supplied adapter. So you can use it portable or plugged in. It has a tall antenna that will swivel up or down depending on if you have it mounted on a wall or sitting on a table. The screen is backlit so you can easily read the display and you'll get used to the various display icons in no time. Look for other units like this to hit the market soon as FRS becomes more popular, this is really the way to go.

I did some research as the manufactuerers page didnt give much infomration.

Good -

1. Extremly chic looking
2. Digital compass
3. FM radio.
4. Thermometer.
5. Good GMRS range.
6. Water resistant (good for outdoor adventure use)

The Bad-
1. Costs 110$ for a pair.
2. No batteries or Vox kit included.

The ugly-
1. Batteries cannot be charged in the unit. Need a seperate charger and batteries!
2. The transmission power is fixed to 2 watts. Cant reduce it when required.

I got this radio to replace a motorola talkabout 250 which I used at work for three years and it works great and sounds good.
It has good range and I like the weather and fm radio.

I received the radio yesterday and I like its size and features. Unfortunately, the unit cane with a set of four AAA 650mAh NiMH batts whos general quality is extremely poor: on two of the batteries, the positive end is either not properly plated, or is already corroding. Worse, a third one is shorted and will not take a charge. I called warranty support to see if they would simply send me a set of new batts, but they refused. I talked to a supervisor, and she refused, I then talked to the supervisor's supervisor and she refused. They want me to return the entire unit (at my expense) for for repair/replacement (possibly with a refurb unit).

I put in a set of alkalines and all works well. I'm going to mail back the 4 NiMH's tomorrow and see what Audiovox does.

After using the FRS1000 base stations for a couple of years, this unit was an excellent upgrade. I am about to get another one when it goes on sale. The last time it was on sale it was less than fifty dollars--anything higher is just too much for a glorified intercom which is how I use these. The no-name NiMH batteries are useless, but don't throw them in the garbage--take them to the hazmat section of your local dump. The hand-held unit works great with new batteries.

The channels that are GMRS can each be programmed in low/high power modes but you have to manually do this for each channel. The unit sometimes takes a while to recognize CTCSS codes from other units (even the FRS1000 which is also by Audiovox) but this appears to be the fault of the signal coming from some of the other units rather than of this unit. The coverage is excellent and the sound is much better than other base stations. The antenna is shorter than the FRS1000 but seems not to make any difference. I wonder how the close-by hand-held's antenna might affect the propagation of the main antenna, but so far so good. No AC hum in broadcasting from this unit, either, like the older FRS1000 had.

I don't use the handheld terribly much but it is very basic carry-around that I use when working in the yard. If they made this unit with just a base station it would be a perfect product, but it's nice to have the hand-held right next to the door with the expectation that you will return it to the cradle when you get back inside. This is a major plus since you won't lose it! I don't recall ever hearing a low-battery alert and have returned from working long hours in the yard several times to find the hand-held unit dead on my belt.

Like another reviewer said the battery backup is just for the hand-held. Unlike the FRS1000, which continues to run the base station when the power goes out, the GMRS3000 does not run. You can be stuck without the intercom when the power goes out. If the hand-held is not in the charging cradle and the power goes out the settings on the base station are lost so make sure you store the hand-held in the base station at all times.

The weather radio has better coverage than some others. I don't recall ever hearing a weather alert on this unit so I recommend that you get a dedicated weather radio with a really long antenna for that purpose. I use a Radio Shack unit with SAME technology, something that none of the FRS/GMRS radios never have.

I'm always looking for good FRS and GMRS base stations. I'm puzzled how few there are, especially none from the "big" electronics companies and retailers who fought so long and so hard to create the FRS band.

Although I haven't much experience with 2-way radios, I have found it to be a most satisfactory device. It is very easy to use, and has excellent range. It is also very clear. The only things which might be considered faults are that it is not entirely water-resistent, and tends to act strangely in the cold weather. I found the multitude of functions quite impressive, such as the battery-level indicator and the temperature. The pager is also very handy, as is the ability to lock one's settings. I would definitely recommend this product.

The GE 35810 FRS radio has many features. First, contrary to the information posted on Amazon, this radio uses AA batteries. This is necessary to save money on power. Some radios use AAA batteries and cost a bundle to keep it powered.

The 35810 has all 38 CTCSS tones and they work great! Some radios don't do well on certain tones, but this one does. As an added bonus, there is a temperature display!

Only two minuses kept me from giving it 5 stars. One, the base is not squared to allow it to stand up on its own. Nothing major, but I do like a radio that stands up. Two, it scans channels but not CTCSS tones. Again, nothing major, but a nice feature to have.

Range and sound are very good. CTCSS tones are compatible with Motorola and Radio Shack radios as well as most other FRS radios.

These are rated at up to 2 miles. On testing this product it became clear that these 2 miles would have to be over VERY flat terrain. The terrain I tested them on was quite hilly and the signal was almost completely lost from about a half mile away, regardless of which channel was chosen.

So based on these tests, I can't say I was very satisfied with the product (2.5 stars), although, for the price (and at 462 MHz), I suppose I shouldn't have expected much more. You do get what you pay for.

IT HAS THE ABILITY TO HAVE TWO WAY TRANSACIONS

These radios work well and are clear, IF they are not turned up too loud. This brings up the big problem with using them in a noisy enviornment, such as a car. Whenever I use them between cars 90% of the conversation is asking to and repeating the intended transmission. So if you are on budget and plan not to use your radios between cars, get this set. Otherwise I recomend the Motorola 5200 (have not used, but assume it works well), or the Motorola 6200 series (Work great, never have to repeat a thing, tonz of features).
3 stars because it is so darn cheap

These are an incredible price and very clear