GMRS-FRS-Two-Way-Radio Reviews

I have a set of 12 and i use them when we go hiking in Australia with my friends. We have got the radios wet and dropped them onto rocks but they still work like new. I could get 13km out of them on SIMPLEX!!!

I have used a pair for about 2 yrs. Outstanding units. Problem have you ever used a cell phone in a crowded environment? i.e. Ballpark? Amusement Park? The Fair? etc.. Not a very good choice, very hard to hear your party on the other end. But not with these. For the Small size, but mil-spec rugged, these have the best audio. 500mw more than ample. Their loud and beefy. They just sound cool. I used them at the local Fair and talked to a family member at home 15 miles away, repeater assisted. I use simplex and repeater frequencies. Go to your local radio dealer and get these programed or for those with more savvy get the hardware and software on the internet. Save yourself programing costs...

We have used these radios for two days now, and we are very impressed with the 15 channel capability. We were also impressed with the ability of this radio to outperform several Motorolla models that we have here. The 2 watt Kenwood TK3101 transmits and recieves farther than our 4 watt Motorolla radius radios. In fact, we have been able to communicate through 6 inch thick aluminum walls of a stability chamber with the other handeld being over 200 yards away. We do not know of any other radio with that capability.

Tested them out and its true. Took my boat out in the ocean and they work great at 5 miles. Haven't tested them yet in mountains.I'll be doing that soon. Very happy with this purchase from walmart. Everything is cheeper there. Well i been testing them and there a great radio. In the woods you get about 1.5 to 2 miles distance, depending on conditions. In around the wires and house in town about a mile. In open areas 3-4-5-6 miles. Yep i like it.

I tried Cobra 3 years ago (FRS) and the power management was horrible. The batteries were expensive and they didn't work after 2 years! Than we tried Audiovox 1 month ago and we took it back because of the range which was supposed to go 6 mi. But it didn't go even a quarter of a mile going through some trees.

Then I got these Uniden and they are the BEST I have ever had. The menus and the buttons are just perfect. Unlike the others this one had a separate menu to change the channel instead of being in the same menu as the vox, lock, privacy, etc. It's rating is 5 mi without boost and 8 mi with boost. And w\o boost it went three times as far as the audiovox which is rated 6 mi. Then with the boost I got another mile going over hills. And I love how it comes on instanly. Oh and the belt clip is very sturdy. I can't even force it off unlike the audiovox. Also not as alkward to have it on.

I usually am quite a critic and probably never gave a 5 star review but Uniden deserves it they definitely exceeded my expectations.

p.s. I never tried the motoral but after I looked at the reveiws I didn't want one. I Hope this helps you decide!

These radios are exactly what my son and I need so I can keep track of him when he's off playing. I wasted money on the last ones I bought, but these, with the ability to recharge the batteries, are an excellent deal. They have so many channels, there's no interference or "traffic jam" on our channel. The sound is loud and clear; the range is excellent. I'm proud of my shopping selection with these two-way radios and would recommend them to anyone.

I havent bought this yet so I might be one of another. I thought it was going to be pretty bad but from the reviews this sounds awesome. If you have a brother or something an your at a football game he should get one so you can stay in touch!

This is by far the greatest walkie-talkie ever made! It even surpasses regular ones! I thought the range would be just ok. Once you see the range with the tiny little antenna, you will freak! The range is awesome. If you use the GMRS frequencies without a license, you cannot speak, only hear. But channels 1-14 (the majority) are FRS, which is free. Buy this, trust me!!!!!

This is the perfect radio to strap onto you kids when you need to be able to recall them, or just make sure they are doing fine. We use it around the block and camping. Most of the time our higher power radios can reach them far away, but these can not always transmit back. At least they know it is time to come home. These have a great 'COOLNESS' factor and all of the kids want to try it. Have used them for about 2 months and they are still working, that is pretty good. Battery life has been better than I expected, but once it is drained, there is no spare and you are done for the day. Sound quality is also better than I expected out of a small unit, but it is still not as clear as a good Motorola. The kids will have LOTS of fun!

I never thought Cobra would make a decent radio but they have with this one. A big advantage over Motorola is the superior voice clarity! A host of other goodies such as a compass and weather radio are useful extras. The selectable power settings on GMRS is good. The range is good, I don't think any of these radios give you 5 miles and the best radio in terms of range and clarity were the original Motorolas FRS Talkabouts of the late 90's. Unfortunately, they ate batteries. I recommend this model of Cobra.

I researched GMRS radios for several weeks before recently purchasing the COBRA 1100 WX. I wanted a radio that would be useful in town and in the woods on runs and while hunting.

I selected the 1100WX for its claim of a 5 mile range and the NOAA alerts. I also had been advised that Cobra produced a reliable product. I found the manual very easy to read and quickly had the radios programmed for my use.

For several days I tried the radios on the way to work and back on the opposite side of town. I didn't have much luck after approximately 1.5 miles from home but this area is very hilly and there are industrial sites in town. This limited the range.

I tried them away from town. First on a 4 mile country run. At the 1/2 way point of 2 miles reception was difficult in the lowland but once I cleared the hill the reception was fine.

Next, I tried the reception at 5 miles to the parking lot at the state game lands. This was over very hilly terrain. The radios picked up a very clear signal. I ran up the mountain on the access road which is approximately 2 miles up to the top of the mountain. The signal was even better.

I would strongly recommend these radios for distances in town of l - 2 miles and outside of town from 2.5 - 5 miles. The voice activation option takes some getting used to, however, once programmed, they are simple enough for a 5 year old to use.

PURCHASED ON CLEARENCE FROM TARGET=I AM TOTALLY HAPPY WITH THE PURCHASE. THESE ARE CLEARER THAN MY MOTOROLA SP21s PROs. THE SCREEN IS THE BRIGHTEST I HAVE EVER SEEN=PERFECT PLUS LARGE AND EASY TO READ. SIMPLE TO OPERATE NEVER READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. WELL CONSTRUCTED AND PERFORMED VERY NICELY. RECOMMENDED HIGHLY. COULD USE A FEW MORE DIFFERENT RING TONES NOT THE SAME OLD ONES. HAS WEATHER ALERT=WONDERFUL. GOT 3 MILES IN THE BURBS WITH THESE. THATS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. AGAIN ONE OF THE CLEAREST AND CLEANEST SOUNDING RADIOS I EVER HAVE HAD. WELL BUILT AND CONSTRUCTED. I HAVE TESTED ALOT OF THESE FRS AND GMRS RADIOS. THESE ARE THE BEST I HAVE FOUND FOR THE BUCK. RECOMMENDED

I wanted to get something with better range than my basic FRS radios. I went ahead and got the FCC license for these online at the FCC site while I was waiting for them to arrive. If two or more of us were driving on a trip, I wanted something that was clear up to at least a mile. I tested them the other day and I walked about 1 mile down the road. The area between me and the other person was solid trees and they were on top of a mountain and I was down below. At about one mile, we could still talk fine, but the Boost button was needed. That was about the limit thru the trees. I would expect it to be much better in a more open environment. There are only two minor annoyances and the first is you have to wait about 1 second after you push the talk button before speaking. I think this model has the handfree option where you can just start talking, but I don't care for that. The second thing is they feel a little slick on the sides to me. They are not real heavy, but I felt like I had to squeeze a little harder to hang onto it. They do have another model that is the same thing, but has a rubbery outside case and I think it would be a better option. If I order another set, that is what I would get.

I took these radios out this Memorial Day weekend. Went out to the Mojave Desert and used them while we road our quads. We used these radios and were able to hear perfectly clear and we were about 6 miles away from the campsite without using the boost. These radios were very handy. I know that if im out riding and something happens I would be able to get a hold of someone. I recommend these radios for anyone who plans using them in open terrains, where there is not allot interference. Runs on four AAA batteries.

First, these radios don't have a great range (we get about 1/2 mile or so in our neighborhood). They use little AAA batteries. They don't have privacy codes, etc. But, I rarely have one away from my side.
Our old house has an intercom system which probably hasn't worked since the Bradys were happily married. Replacing it would have cost over a grand. FRS to the rescue.
We bought the pair, as well as 12 rechargeable batteries and a charger, and now we just put in the batteries and clip them to our belts or drop them in our pockets and go about our business. The next day, we swap out the old batteries, and they are good for another day.
The squelch works great, but rarely, we get mild interference, so we switch channels. (To be honest, I doubt we do that more than once a week.)
The bottom line is that they are small enough, that you forget you have it on until the other person needs to reach you.
Get a charger, you wouldn't want to have to feed these things batteries.

The unit uses AA batteries so they are cheaper and longer lasting than AAA. It has a battery strength indicator.

The unit is feature rich with NOAA weather channel, 22 chanels and subcodes, and even several ring tones. You can turn off the subcode feature to be compatible with older radios. It is compact. It has a keypad lock feature so you can put it in your coat pocket or purse and still receive transmission.

The only drawback is the belt clip should be tighter. It can drop if you bend down to pick up a child.

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I purchased a pair of these radios a few days ago ... and have been very pleased with them... I was still very pleased with the performance and range of these units. We seem to be able to get ~1 mile range through some fairly heavy forest without any real trouble, and quite a bit further depending on terrain. The sound quality is quite good, with the person on the other end remaining clear out to the very extremes of the radio's range. The auto-squelch is also nice, although it would be useful to be able to turn it off (which you can do on more expensive Uniden models) as I am convinced that I could get a bit further range that way. These are also really, really small; the entire unit fits in the palm of my hand. For comparison, it's only 2/3 the size of my Nokia 3360 cell phone.

I would have to recommend these radios for the casual user. If you need 5+ miles range under all conditions, you should re-evaluate your price range. If you need some walkie-talkies for family use a few times a year, I don't think you will find a better product. Frankly... if we ever need better radios, these will make great toys for the kids!

I purchased two of these units for use in shopping centers and on cruise ships. My wife and I had previously used a pair of older Motorola FRS radios, which were just not powerful enough to transmit through all that steel. We used the T7200 units today for the first time and they worked as advertised. We had complete coverage anwhere throughout the Mall of George, in Atlanta (a VERY large multi-level mall). Transmissions were strong and crystal clear (MUCH better sound than our older units). The weather channels also work very well and we listened to them all the way back to North Carolina. My only complaint with the T7200 is that the volume of the call tone is keyed to the level of the position of the volume button on the radio. If the volume level is accidently turned down (which happened to us once), the call tone cannot be heard when the unit is inside a pocket book or bag. This is a minor complaint and should not stop someone from buying the T7200. When it happened to us, my wife did not hear the call tone, but she did hear my spoken message, while the radio was inside her purse. Just be careful if you're not carrying the unit in the supplied belt holster. The T7200 is a great radio.....very functional and built like a tank! I would have given the T7200 4 1/2 stars, but the choice was either 4 or 5.

I purchased these radios for use in a heavily wooded, hilly state park in West Virginia that has no cell service. They performed very well up to about 1.5 miles. After that the performance varied depending on terrain. Each of three families had one yellow radio in their cabin and we kept them on continuously for one week (much of the time in the charging cradle).

These radios can be used in voice activated mode without accessories, and hence can be used as a reliable baby monitor, for eg (although going 1.5 miles from your sleeping child may not be such a good idea). Turning off the tone-coded squelch (interference eliminator codes) seems to increase the range a bit since you don't miss weak messages. In rural areas you will be alone on the channel anyway. We also have a pair of motorola T5820 1 watt radios. Those radios, while smaller, had a range that was about half of the T7200s and had inferior sound (although more then passable). The T5820 did not have the eavesdrop reducer code feature so we turned that feature off on the T7200s as well.

Battery life on the T7200s using NiMH is as advertised (13 hr or so in standard use). The charging cradle works well for these radios. you can charge the radio while it is still in its belt holtster and you can leave the radio on so you won't miss messages. Note that w/o the charging cradle, you can't charge the radio and leave it in voice-activated mode turned on because you charge it through the headphone accessory port and that cuts out the speaker. So the cradle is really needed for extended use.

The main limitation of these radios is figuring out a use for them. In most places cell phones work better (if a little less fun) and are much smaller. we used the T7200s while tandem driving and that was fun. i think a headset would make them even better for that use (we did not have headsets).

In terms of size, they are definitely big enough that you are aware that the radio is hanging from your belt. I was able to play golf with the radio in the belt clip, however, without any problem.

I'm a communications officer for an Army aviation battalion currently located in Baghdad, Iraq. When we first got here soldiers (to include myself) were purchasing the smaller Motorola radios to augment communications. After a few months though, the unit was able to purchase 118 of the 7200s with operational funds. It was a good investment. There are plenty of channel presets available to avoid crossover with other units using similiar radios. The 5900 series radios, while also listed as "up to 5 miles" were never up to the task. They would barely push 2 miles on fairly open terrain. This radio, however, does seem up to task. The 5900s would give me about a day on a single charge. This radio, the 7200, gets me a little over two 12 hour work days. I haven't seen how far it can go but it doesn't have a lot of problems cutting through the the large metal hangars scattered throughout our area. Now that we've used this radio no one wants to go back to the other smaller Motorola radios we have. There's really no comparison in range or quality.

*One note though, none of the radios on the US FRS or GMRS bands (roughly 460-470 MHz) are compatable with the European unlicensed radio bands. Those run about 440 MHz.*

This is a good radio for a flight line or other open work site and the rechargeable batteries are key to keeping operating costs down.

Its hard to beat the price. Most radios would cost more without a charger! But there is a catch. The radio output is 0.5W. Far less than the 2.0W allowed by GMRS. So this radio is only as good as a FRS radio with 7 extra GMRS channels.

But bare in mind that using GMRS radios require a license. If you are buying this for a child and not getting a license. It is like teaching him it is okay to break the law. And if you know what you are doing, why bother breaking the law for a half-baked GMRS radio?

What a pleasant surprise! Because these were so inexpensive, I was skeptical as to whether they would work for our intended purpose. We purchased these radios so that my husband could contact me from his workshop which is separate from our house. Except when he was running his power equipment, these radios came in loud and clear through several thicknesses of walls. The only reason I didn't rate these a "5" is because the instructions are terrible and took both of us to decipher. I'd recommend these to anyone.

I've wanted a pair of 'shopping radios' for a long time. They needed to be rechargeable and come with batteries and charger. They also needed to be the slightly more powerful GMRS radios, not the weak FRS. These fit all categories.

What I was not prepared for was the price. I found these on a shelf below the GMRS peg wall at Wal-Mart, with no price indication. All the other GMRS packages with batteries and chargers were priced at $59.99 and above. I took this package to the register to ask what it cost. When the man scanned it he said, $20.

Needless to say, I bought them. Now whenever my family goes anywhere--to the park, to the mall, wherever, I have one of these and my wife has the other. They have no problem covering an entire mall while remaining intelligible. Outdoors, they are even better. There is absolutely no way any other brand new $20 product can touch these.

Sure, you can spend hundreds and get GPS or greater range, better clarity or longer battery life (these are actually very good in the battery-life department) but will it be a hundred dollars better? Only if you have to have GPS. In that case sure.

If you are like the other 98% of us, these radios will satisfy you in all the ways that matter, and any extra money you spend on fancier versions will be wasted.

I was very impressed with the range of these radios. Other radios I tested also claimed to have a 5 mile range, and while they ALL failed to reach even four miles in perfect conditions, these radios managed to reach a respectable 3 miles while maintaining understandable transmissions. I was also impressed with the voice clarity of these radios. I was able to transmit without over exaggerating my speech and pronunciation. I had already bought different manufacturers radios and was highly disappointed. I had almost decided to give up on hand held radios all together until I found these puppies. I am very happy with this purchase, however, there are some things that could be improved upon. I would have preferred some kind of rubberized body to help protect against dropping or banging the radio, however they are pretty sturdy compared to most. I would also have preferred a charger base as opposed to plugging each individual radio into a separate wall outlet. Setting them in a charger base looks more professional than having radios lying everywhere charging up. Overall these radios are well worth the money and will give considerably higher priced GMRS radios a run for their money.

We just rec'd the radios via UPS and couldn't wait to try them out. Aft. putting in the battaries and reading the instruction manual, I went out around the neighborhood while my wife stayed in our apt. I was very impressed w/ the clarity of these radios. I had bought a diff. brand last yr. at Wal-Mart for hunting (in WV Natl. Forrests). They also had a 5mi. range. We were lucky if we could understand each other at 100yds and these were a major brand. Our older 2 channel Cobra Walk-abouts were better than those. Needless to say, I returned them for refund. These new Cobra's are incredible and loaded w/ features. The only thing that has me puzzled is that there's no place to clip the wrist straps that came w/ the radios. These I'm sure, will prove to be a great investment. Thanks Cobra!
Be blessed!
SN

I must say I was very impressed with the 950DX Radio. This is the first radio I have had where I did not get excessive static while talking. I tried another brand, instead of sticking with Cobra, and I will never do that again. I live in a woody and hilly area and the reception is still good, even from a couple miles away. I would definitely recommend these radios to anyone.