Two-Way Radios Reviews

can anyone tell me the range of this CB radio

The range of any cb depends upon the antenna. A $30 cb on a good antenna will have considerable more range than a $150 cb on a cheap antenna. Inexpensive cbs do have less sensitivity and features of more expensive cbs, but if you are just starting out, I would suggest an inexpensive cb with a good antenna such as a Wilson 'Lil Will' magnet mount. If you purchase the antenna at a cb shop, normally they will be more than happy to install and tune the antenna for you free of charge. The antenna normally runs around $30 and is one of the better entry level antennas out there. I have ran a cb for 10 years and I still use one as a back up. But remember, the secret to range is in the antenna system.. not so much the radio. But whatever you choose.. do not get one of those 'through the glass' or a 'rubber magnet mount' antenna. These are poor antennas with very limited range, usually less that a mile. Get something with a steel whip equal to or over 36" in height.

The previous review that mentions antennas are key to a good CB setup is correct. For a normal CB user I would recommend either the Wilson lil' Wil or the Wilson 500 antenna. Both are magnetic mount antennas. The lil' Wil antenna is a relatively small antenna and it's only around $39.00. Actually any Wilson CB antenna will be fine. Also, to do a good job at setting up your antenna you should purchase an SWR meter. They are not expensive. You only need the meter connected inline between the radio and antenna when you are adjusting the antenna. Once you are done adjusting the antenna you can take the meter out of the connection and connect the antenna directly to the radio. Don't be fooled by cheap ordinary CB antennas like you will find at radio shack. Do not settle for anything less then a Wilson antenna. Cobra and Uniden both make fabulous CB radios so either make will be fine.

An electronics fan from New York State USA They are not good radios! they do not function right and always break. I'm from a company who rates diffrent dadios do not come out on top. Out of 350 radios tested it can out as 310th it is a waste of money!

We've been using the FRS250 radio for about three years now with no major complaints.

The radio offers the 14 FRS channels, and can optionally use the 38 "privacy codes" to suppress communications from other radios (assuming that they aren't using the same privacy code as you). By setting the privacy code to 0, you hear everyone's transmissions, regardless of their privacy codes.

Battery life so far has not been an issue. Though we haven't measured how long you can listen or talk on a channel before the batteries die, we have yet to run into a situation where a fully charged set of batteries has run out on us during use. A fresh set has lasted us a week at Disney World, for example, with moderate use (a few minutes of communication about a dozen or so times a day). Still, rechargeable NiMH batteries would be a wise investment.

Some of the more interesting features:

1. This model does voice-inversion scrambling (referred to as "voice privacy"), which reduces the likelihood of eavesdroppers: only other users with a Cobra radio and the "privacy" feature will be able to understand your conversation.

2. There is a "squelch suppress" button that will allow you to hear faint transmissions that would normally be silenced by the radio. Note that you'll hear tons of static too, so only use it when you need to.

3. A lock button, to prevent accidental changes in your radio's configuration. This is more useful than it sounds, particularly in environments where the radio can get bumped around.

Some caveats:

1. Cobra's marketing refers to the privacy codes as "sub-channels", which is a misnomer. The radio only has 14 channels, and these 14 channels are set by the FCC for the Family Radio Service. There is no such thing as a sub-channel. See the FRS FAQ for information on privacy codes and what they do.

2. The voice-inversion scrambling offers privacy only from casual listeners. People with Cobra radios or that have equipment to invert the voce signal will be able to hear you. It is a very nice feature, but it does not offer enough privacy for things that you do not want others to hear (your credit card number, etc.)

Overall, we've been satisfied. It would be nice if the headphone and microphone jacks were combined into a single jack, but this is a minor nit. The unit is less expensive than the equivalent Motorola models, and performs well enough for general use.

These radios are the best that I have ever used. They feature 14 channels and 38 sub channels, that makes 532 different channels so even in the most crowded areas there is no problem finding an open channel. In the rare case that someone wanders onto your channel they will not be able to listen in on your conversation because this radio encrypts or scrables your voice. The radios have a tremendous range of two miles considering how small they are. At this price you can't afford not to have one.

It's pretty disappointing when you think you are going to get 2 radios and only get one. It would be nice if it said exactly how many you would recieve. What point is it to only have one radio anyway.

when i was looking for a radio i found this one but i think ,the price is too cheap ots going to be very bad but today i get it and is the best radio and very cheap ernesto

GOT THE PRODUCT QUICKLY AND THEY WORK GREAT.

This item only goes two miles.They mite say they are good for skiing and hiking but the trees reduce the miles. thank you for reading this!

do not bye them

These radios are pretty robust, solid, and do their job well. They even work with headsets for Talkabout 250s (but don't try to use the VOX feature). An excellent value for the price.

I purchased these radios a month ago. The range of these radios is outstanding. The clarity is superb. The call feature is useful and so is the scan button. There are two buttons on the side this can be confusing. The top button is used to talk and the bottom is used to turn the squelch off. (So you can monitor very weak signals) At first it was hard to get used to, but after a while it becomes second nature. Extremely great value for the price.

For an FRS unit, it is not bad. My only problem with this unit is that you have no channel lock. If you accidentally bump the channel changer, you will not hear anyone trying to contact you.

I bought these because I was splitting the package with one of my friends. when we tried them, since we don't use them at very far diatances, they worked great! where I live, there are a lot of buildings and trees, so for the distances we use them for, it is great! one of my other friends got the ones that has a charger and batteries for him and his brother, and the distance between us, they work with minimal to intermediate static, so they are fine. so, basically,they are the best to me.

This radio sounds good at first, but you will need to get an FCC license to operate this radio legally. Most people in the "FRS" market really don't need the extra power, cost and hassle of GMRS. So I'd label this radio "don't try this at home", unless you are a serious GMRS user.

We have purchased Motorola, Kenwood and now like the Midland 75-440 best. Best channel selection, call feature.

The four units I purchased served the intended purpose just fine. Easy to use and set up. We were on the road 600 miles, three vehicles, one being a 26 foot rental truck. Keeping in touch was a must and they worked just fine. However, the claim of a 10 mile range is ludicrous to say the least. Uniden must have tested the range with one on top of Mt. Everest and the other on another nearby mountain top. Battery life is poor to ridiculous even on low power. Smart move is to carry an extra 20-pack of AAA's.

AT THE TIME THAT I BOUGHT THESE, IT CAME OUT TO 12.00 PER UNIT (24.00 FOR THE PAIR) VERY GOOD DEAL...AMAZON ADVERTISES THAT IT COMES WITH CHARGING UNITS AND IT DOES NOT. BE VERY CAREFUL. I HAVE COMPLAINED AND IT STILL SAYS IT ON THE WEBSITE FOR 2WEEKS NOW. APART FROM THAT -ITS A PRETTY NICE UNIT, RECEPTION IS FINE (NOT 10MILES THOUGH) ABOUT 1-2 MILES ON A BUSY HIGHWAY..BATTERY LIFE IS POOR.. WITH CONSTANT USE, YOU CAN GET ALMOST 1 DAY OUT OF IT. 4 AAA BATTERIES. THE RECHARGABLE UNIT IS A MUST..BUT FOR 12.00 PER UNIT - NOT MUCH ROOM TO COMPLAIN.

I cannot for the life of me imagine how this company can, in good conscience, claim that these radios have a range of up to two miles. OK, maybe if the two people using them are in a flat, empty field with direct line of sight. Maybe.

In my suburban neighborhood, these radios have a range limit of one block, which is about a quarter mile. It doesn't matter whether you use the FRS or the GMRS channels -- the results are the same.

I was attracted to these radios because they have voice activation (VOX), but even when it's set to the maximum sensitivity, you have to either speak unnaturally loudly or hold the radio up to your mouth to get the voice activation to pick up your transmission, so you're not getting a hands-free operation that way. The way around this is to purchase a headset, which is $9.95 + shipping.

The reviewer who is using these as an intercom system in his home has probably come up with the cleverest and most appropriate use for these, since their range is so limited. Of course, unless you want to be replacing batteries all the time, if you wanted to keep them on all the time, you'd have to use an adapter which is -- you guessed it -- sold separately for $9.95 + shipping.

To be fair, these radios are incredibly cheaply priced, so what can one really expect? But at the same time, I think it's fair to expect that I would be able to communicate farther than just across the street.

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UPDATE: I was so dissatisfied with these radios, I attempted to return them to the manufacturer. Manufacturer would not take them back. They told me that the radios have a "limited range" when near buildings. So unless you plan to use these in a building-free zone, don't waste your money!

Bought 3 of these to call my children when they are in their bedrooms. Works great, no more yelling! I leave them on and I don't get any static.

Great radio but I got .3 miles flat land with trees range.

I though more of moto
oh well

Beware !!!!!!!!!!!

The range is actually 1 Mile only.Its not 10 Mile Range that has mentioned on the product.we were disappointed.

The price is a bargain for the spec (Standard GMRS/FRS channels + NOAA weather radio, vibrate, earbuds/PTT mic, battery packs and charger). They're rugged looking units, and work on 3xAA size batteries, which gives a potentially longer operating time than radios with AAA's.

However, my main gripe with these things is the quality of the audio output when receiving transmissions from another walkie talkie. Just terrible, in my opinion. Compared against my cheap-o 'Columbia' FRS units ($30 for the full kit), speech from the Mot T6510s is just about unintelligible. I keep having to ask people to repeat what they said and put my ear right up against the speaker. Using the earpiece doesn't improve matters much.

Transmitting from a T6510 to another brand is fine, so it's not the microphones. Receiving NOAA messages is also quite audible; but that's a clearly spoken, recorded message. I think the problem is that the AF section seems to only chuck out a very high, squawky, mid-range tone whereas my other units have a much flatter, softer response. If I didn't like the look and features so much, I'd have taken them back for a refund long ago.

The other thing I don't like is the rotary volume control, protruding from the top (same as most Motorola radios). I find that when worn on the belt clip, clothing makes the knob rotate back to the 'min' position and I find myself continually checking that the volume's turned up while on a walk. The vibrate feature has come in handy there.

I will be returning the radios. They both worked well the day I purchased them. The next day one unit would not pick up the signal.The batteries also get low quick.

I picked these up as you couldn't beat the price, and they have a nice set of features. The range is not great, as others have said. The biggest problem I have is that the large orange button in the picture is the power switch. When I throw them in a daypack or travel bag they would often get accidentally turned on. I have to take a battery out to avoid this.

However, for limited range use around the house/campsite, they've been really handy. The page feature is nice and the small size makes them easy to carry.

I purchased these radios a couple of years ago and plan to purchase another set. Taking them camping is great and they function well within the stated 2 mile radius. At about that point the sound is fuzzy, but expected. They work great between cars on the road, at amusement parks, or even at home. My son loves to take one to the park and that way I can still keep tabs on him. When I want him to come home, I just page him. Definitely a good buy for the money.