What brand FRS radios??
- Thread starter gahill2
- Start date
Cheap
I have had good luck with the Motorola Radios back when FRS first came out. I prefer those.
But overall, I have discovered that I will physically destroy a radio before it ever "goes out". Either it gets run over, or dropped in water, or dropped out of a tree or some other similar fate. With this in mind, I would suggest just getting the cheapest you can find because of these reasons.
If you decide to get a FRS radio, I would suggest going ahead and getting one that is GMRS compatible. That is probably best in the long run.
Max T.
I have had good luck with the Motorola Radios back when FRS first came out. I prefer those.
But overall, I have discovered that I will physically destroy a radio before it ever "goes out". Either it gets run over, or dropped in water, or dropped out of a tree or some other similar fate. With this in mind, I would suggest just getting the cheapest you can find because of these reasons.
If you decide to get a FRS radio, I would suggest going ahead and getting one that is GMRS compatible. That is probably best in the long run.
Max T.
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Off Road Disco
Guest
LR Max said:
Keep in mind that GMRS needs a license from the FCC. However, that license will cover your whole extended family (not cousins). And yes GMRS is a better way to go. The smaller the radio the harder it is to hear since the speaker is generally a compromise. I use commercial mil-spec radios that are programmed to the GMRS frequencies and these radios work much better than the cheap blister pack radios that are so easy to break. Plus real GMRS radios let you use external antennas to extend range.
I own two pairs of GRMS/FRS handhelds. One set is Cobra and the other is Motorola.
Keeping in mind that these are both mid grade models, the Cobra's have noticeably better battery consumption and greater quality and clarity of sound at farther distances.
Check out epinions.com, bizrate.com, and Amazon.com for reviews.
I personally don't recommend getting the cheapest radios. Invest your time and money and get something decent that will hold up. You don't want to be the one on the trail who can't transmit because you got cheap. Unless of course you know you'll break it, then get the cheapos. Look at ebay and I'm sure you'll find a bunch of radios for auction.
Keeping in mind that these are both mid grade models, the Cobra's have noticeably better battery consumption and greater quality and clarity of sound at farther distances.
Check out epinions.com, bizrate.com, and Amazon.com for reviews.
I personally don't recommend getting the cheapest radios. Invest your time and money and get something decent that will hold up. You don't want to be the one on the trail who can't transmit because you got cheap. Unless of course you know you'll break it, then get the cheapos. Look at ebay and I'm sure you'll find a bunch of radios for auction.
Off Road Disco is right. Anything without an external antenna generally sucks.
I have a combo FRS/GMRS handheld by Uniden. I connect it to an external antenna, which helps me hear weaker signals. However, since I"m the only one with the external antenna, I usually just shut it off and rely on the CB.
I have a combo FRS/GMRS handheld by Uniden. I connect it to an external antenna, which helps me hear weaker signals. However, since I"m the only one with the external antenna, I usually just shut it off and rely on the CB.
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peterca
Guest
"Off Road Disco is right. Anything without an external antenna generally sucks."
Depends on your use. If you're just using it around camp or short line of site, there's nothing wrong with most any FRS.
Does anyone have teh Rino from Garmin that includes GPS? I'm wondering how well that works.
On the Motorola FRS/GMRS I have, only the first 7 or 8 channels are dedicated to GMRS, so you can still operate on the other channels with just FRS if you are lazy like me and haven't taken the test yet.
Depends on your use. If you're just using it around camp or short line of site, there's nothing wrong with most any FRS.
Does anyone have teh Rino from Garmin that includes GPS? I'm wondering how well that works.
On the Motorola FRS/GMRS I have, only the first 7 or 8 channels are dedicated to GMRS, so you can still operate on the other channels with just FRS if you are lazy like me and haven't taken the test yet.
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Off Road Disco
Guest
peterca said:
If you get a radio with a removable antenna you can use a mag mount and then put the duckie antenna back on while in camp if you want. Some of the cheapie radios don't give you that option. This includes the Rino.
The Rino is fine as an FRS radio, okay as a GPS, poor as a GMRS and silly as a GPS transmitter. Two miles in such a radio with built in antenna is wishful thinking unless you have a clear line of sight then what's the point of needing to transmit your location? But if you want a hand held GPS and FRS radio and don't like the clutter then it's a good setup. The fact that it holds up in some water is a bonus. I would consider one myself if I needed another GPS to take out on the kayak.
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peterca
Guest
Thanks for the feedback Off Road Disco. Have you had a chance to use the Rino much? It'd be nice to get my hands on a demo to see how well it really worked. I'm thinking of use just within maybe 1/2 mile of a camp hiking or off-roading. It'd be nice to see where people are when they ask me to come out and see something.
I've used the Motorola recharable type of GMRS/FRS using the FRS band with a range of about 4nm while on a ferryboat. Granted, I was about 15' above the water, but the distance was still impressive. I have yet to use them in a kayak but suspect you'd get more than a 2 mile range. I think they'd make a great addition to a paddling trip especially where you may have a lot of nooks and crannies to explore.
I've used the Motorola recharable type of GMRS/FRS using the FRS band with a range of about 4nm while on a ferryboat. Granted, I was about 15' above the water, but the distance was still impressive. I have yet to use them in a kayak but suspect you'd get more than a 2 mile range. I think they'd make a great addition to a paddling trip especially where you may have a lot of nooks and crannies to explore.
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Off Road Disco
Guest
I like Vertex (Yeasu's commercial arm) myself. They also have a very nice FRS radio out too. I've also been very happy with the commercial ICOM stuff. And most of these radios have nice remote mount units that are easier to fit in our vehicles.
On the question of the Rino, I've used one a couple of times but I don't own one. Both times it was on a kayak and on the way to the water while in the vehicle. Remember that UHF (FRS, GMRS) is line of sight. While higher power may let you bounce signals off rocks, building and the high frequency lets your signal get out of a cage like a vehicle better than CB none of these traits help on the water. In a 1/2 mile range in camp and since most of water activity will be line of sight the Rino may fit the bill. It will work behind nooks and crannies on coastal areas but if these pockets get too big the radio will have nothing to bounce the signal off and the low power of these hand held Rino's won't help much even if there was a rock ledge in the way. But as I said, if I wanted to replace my eTrex GPS and have to carry only one piece of gear rather than bring a GPS and a FRS radio then this would be my option. But if I was looking for a GPS or (not `and') a radio then I would look elsewhere.
I've also been very happy with the commercial ICOM stuff. And most of these radios have nice remote mount units that are easier to fit in our vehicles. On the question of the Rino, I've used one a couple of times but I don't own one. Both times it was on a kayak and on the way to the water while in the vehicle. Remember that UHF (FRS, GMRS) is line of sight. While higher power may let you bounce signals off rocks, building and the high frequency lets your signal get out of a cage like a vehicle better than CB none of these traits help on the water. In a 1/2 mile range in camp and since most of water activity will be line of sight the Rino may fit the bill. It will work behind nooks and crannies on coastal areas but if these pockets get too big the radio will have nothing to bounce the signal off and the low power of these hand held Rino's won't help much even if there was a rock ledge in the way. But as I said, if I wanted to replace my eTrex GPS and have to carry only one piece of gear rather than bring a GPS and a FRS radio then this would be my option. But if I was looking for a GPS or (not `and') a radio then I would look elsewhere.
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peterca
Guest
Just my observations with the frs radios. I have a few Motorola's, some cheap and some not. The biggest variable is terrain and weather. I have had good reception up to 8 milles on the cheapest radio but that was clear line of sight across the Saline Valley. Another time I was skiing at Mammoth Mt. on the the back side and my wife was in town with the mountain seperating us. We had great reception but I think it was due to a overcast day and the signal bouncing off the cloud layer. The next day when the weather was clear we tried it again and had no reception. I know very liitle about weather effect on radios but it seemed that the clouds acted as a relay. Other times I have been a few blocks away with trees and houses in the way and had no reception at all. Just a few observations.
I have Motorola and Audiovox. Motorola is better, and Sams Club carries a pair for like $79. But it really doesn't matter which one cuz ya can't understand a word Garrett mumbles on EITHER radio. CB still rules.
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Off Road Disco
Guest
If you must have FRS only try this one...
http://www.icomamerica.com/frs/ic4088amain.asp
CB is for 8-track listening Jeepers.
http://www.icomamerica.com/frs/ic4088amain.asp
CB is for 8-track listening Jeepers.
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AndrewClarke
Guest
I recently bought a set of Motorola T5720 radios and the sound quality is much worse than my $15 ebay special CB radio. I have to have the volume on the Motorolas up all the way and have it up to my ear with the windows wound up to even have a hope of hearing what someone in another vehicle is saying. I don't know if this is specific to these radios or endemic to handheld FRS/GMRS radios in general. Did I just get the wrong ones?
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Devin W
Guest
I have the Rino and I think it works reasonably well as a handheld unit and integrates the functions of GPS and radio pretty well. If you want a "real" GPS unit, you won't be happy with it and it's an expensive radio. I purchased one along with a few friends and I like to use it when riding my dirt bike because in addition to seeing where I've gone, it allows me to keep a log of distances , speed, and all the other stuff (since my moto only has a manual odometer). The added benefit is that I can see where some of the people I'm riding with are and communicating with them, too. I can use the same handlebar mount for my mountainbike if so inclined, but I think the unit is a bit heavy for that. It does handle the vibration and such without a hitch, though.
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Off Road Disco
Guest
96Rover said:
I have a couple of older Motorola FRS radio and they're okay even in a roadster with the top down. But the Vertex radios I have are much better in the audio department. I have seen some Kenwood and Motorola radios that are about as bad as it gets when it comes to the sound that comes out of that small speaker.