Two-Way Radios Reviews

I work at a university in California as a maintenance worker. My boss and I have to keep in touch in order to best meet the needs of our housing residents. Before we used the Cobra Micro Talk 1 we relied on our campus pager system. This was not an effective method since we had to find campus phones and wait until the other person responded to the page. With the Micro Talk 1 we are able to connect quickly and effectively. We can now communicate in seconds instead of minutes. The battery life is long because of the stand-bye feature, we have been able to use them for several weeks before the batteries run low. The only down side to the Micro Talk 1 is that we sometimes have to deal with other radio traffic because of the two-channel limitation.

These things are awesome. Me and my friend wanted communication to his house because his dad didn't like him on the phone. So we bought these talkies and we have crystal clear communication 1 1/2 miles away. Buy these then are awesome.

I bought these radios, because of the first factor I had: They were inexpensive. I wasn't expecting much for the money I invested, but I was most definately surprised at the quality and value I recieved. I took them to "A popular resort park in Orlando" and experienced my first problem: FRS is a heavily shared frequency, and it was very hard to communicate with my party. I did have fun talking to other guests, though. My next trip was to the mountains. Here, they proved invaluable. Noone else was apparently using FRS in the area when we were there, and it was excellent for confirming rendezvous times and places. The range is superb. Somewhat surprising. My voice, and the person I am talking to can easily be heard sometimes up to a mile away over hill, dale, and wadi. The features are easy to use. My 5 year old has no problem using it (no, he dosen't go out alone). The page feature is good to have, as well. The size of the unit makes it easy to slip into purse or pocket, or attach to a belt with the clip. It is a breeze to use, and great fun to have. I will never regret buying mine, and I don't think you will either.

When I received this radio I was a little wary, but after some initial tests, I found this to be one great radio. The range was spectacular, and the clarity was outstanding. I have tried many radios, but have never experienced one this great. Get the optional battery pack, you will not be disappointed. I use this ATVing every weekend and it makes communication very easy.

This is a great set. The 4W on GMRS is nice (remember to get a license) as well as the standard FRS (no license required). The units are smaller than I expected for a 4-AA radio. The headset is great. I turned of VOX operation and manually selected the push-to-talk on the unit or on the strap from headset to unit. Very pleased with them.

Used it in the timber out hunting. It reached more than a mile in deep thick timber back to camp. I plan on buying another set. Easy to use. BE SURE TO GET FCC LICENSE. $75 for license OUCH!! Eventually you will be checked by fish and game or law enforcement for the license.

Some of the reasons why this offering from Motorola is nearly the best bang for your buck:

(1) Sleek, compact design and pamperingly light-weight
(2) Tone singalling...a tone indicating either party is done talking
(3) Talk button on the side for easy reach
(4) Easy to open battery compartment
(5) A quick release belt clip that snaps into a built in socket, seems more reliable than the Nokia style clips
(6) A water-resistant plastic casing and a changeable faceplate feature (redwood or black)
(7) Apart from the standard 14 channels, 38 privacy subchannels to help keep outside chatter from interrupting your conversations
(8) Built-in support for voice-activated transmissions
(9) Excellent signal, great up to nearly one and a half mile range
(10) Astounding battery life, close to 30 hours nonstop for me
(11) Sensibly designed charger with two bays that will either take the radio itself or the battery pack with an included spacer
(12) And most importantly, an un-ignorable price!

You may also want to consider one of Motorola's vox accessories for hands-free communications -- their handsets are crystal clear, perhaps best on market in terms of quality, but just a LITTLE pricey.

Anyway, this radio comes highly recommended from me if you are in the market for one of these thingies.

I used these radios for two purposes: to stay in touch with my firends on the mountain when skiing, and to talk to people in the other car on the road. In both cases, they worked perfectly. In the past, I had experience with similar radios without privacy codes, and it was a nightmare at a big ski resort because all channels were busy most of the time, and you had to listen to all that chatting to make sure that you do not miss a call from someone from your party. As you can imagine, skiers and boarders use such radios quite often. The privacy codes which this radio is equipped with eliminate interferences with other people completely and reliably - better than I could expect. You still share the same 14 channels with the other people using the principle "only one radio can transmit at a time", but you do not hear the other people talking unless they use the same privacy code as you do. The only way how you know that the channel is in use is blinking on the display. Setting the privacy code to zero enables you to communicate with people with the older radios without the privacy codes.

The radios are compact, and have long battery life. Typically, a set of 3 AA batteries lasts 3-4 days. The reception is clear and loud. The settings of the channel and subchannel can be locked, which is great because this prevents inadvertent switching to another channel when one or another button gets accidentally pressed in your pocket. If this happens, the most difficult part is to recall what setting you used before! The radio also has a "scan" function which I never used and find useless because it is good only to get out of the radio noise and conversations of the strangers. The range of the radio is decent (Motorola claims up to 2 miles in an open area), although it may not to work if you get separated from your party by a mountain ridge. A longer range can only be reached if you use more powerful radios which work in GMRS frequency band and require a government license (which costs, I think, about seventy bucks per year). The last but not least, these radios are weather-resistant and will not get damaged by sweat and moisture accumulated inside of your jacket.

It is my understanding that different brands and models of FRS radios use the same standard, they are compatible, and they all have the same basic features. They difference is only in (a) weight, (b) size, (c) sound quality, (d) weather resistance, and (d) availability of privacy codes. This Motorola is not the cheapest radio on the market, but you get a good value for the dollars paid as it is a well-built compact weather-resistant radio with a good sound quality.

I bought these as a Christmas gift for my husband. We moved into a house and he's been doing a lot of work outside. It's much easier to just radio him than searching all over the place for him!

for the price, can't beat these little guys. i feel like they are just as good as the name brand batteries that probably cost twice as much (if not more)...

i'm sold on them... !

An amazing price for this many batteries. And they power things, just like they should. Seriously though, sans any sarcasm, they are definitely worth it.

All the things I own (digital camera, cd player...) eat up batteries really quickly. I'm psyched to finally find AA for cheap!

These are good quality radios. The sound is clear and the functions are easy to use. The range is good on open ground and very adequate in the woods. I especially like them when I let the kids go to the neighborhood park or when they are outside with their friends. They are also water-resistant so you can use them during inclement weather and they have a 2-year warranty; the best warranty in the business. Highly recommended.

These have to be the best walkie talkies ever. The range in great! I think that it emits the highest power signal allowed by law! Plus, the reception is great. The faceplates are great. There are so many to choose from(Not to forget that with the silver faceplates already on the walkie talkies, they give you two extra). The layout is so easy to use! Don't forget that you get 2 walkie talkies. Now it seems like everyone has one of these. If you ever have gone to the mall and got seperated from the group, you know what it feels like. But with these, you can keep in touch wherever you go! These are so useful. Buy one!

These were just what I was looking for! They sound great. They're easy to use, so my kids won't have any problems staying in touch on our next trip to Disney World or family camp-out. The price from Amazon can't be beat and what they don't tell you is that you also get TWO extra SNAP fronts with this sweet little deal. The radios have a lit display so you know what channel you're on... something my old Motorola Talkabouts did not have. The call tone is a great feature, too. I know my family will get a lot of use out of these. I liked them so much I bought two pair.

I take this radio fishing and the temperature reading is really nice. Great reception and loud crisp audio. I use NIMH rechargeable batteries with this radio and they work great.

My first experience with this radio was a used one I bought in an auction. There were no instructions and I had to figure out all the features. It wasn't that difficult, but contrary to the description by Amazon, this radio does NOT have the scramble feature. I liked this radio so much I bought a new one. Armed with the instructions, I found features I didn't know existed. The GE 35840 is one of a handful radios that have programmable memory. You can set up to 10 different channel/CTCSS tone combinations. Another feature not found in many FRS radios is the memory scan. Now this may not seem important but it does provide a bit of security to your conversations. I programmed both my GE 35840 radios to scan 4 different channel and CTCSS tone combinations. When I transmit on one, a random selection from the 4 memories I have programed is selected. While scanning the other radio picks-up the transmission in about 1/2 second. What this does is make it difficult for anyone trying to listen in on your conversation to keep track of you. You are talking on 4 different channel/CTCSS combinations at random. They may hear bits and pieces of your conversation, but that's all. Also, when scanning all channels the GE 35840 will sync to the CTCSS tone when it senses a signal. This happens in about 1/2 second. Another nice feature is the temperature display. Along with the temperature, this radio will also receive NOAA weather transmissions. Battery usage is very good and this radio takes 3 AA batteries for a long battery life. The speaker/mic external connections works great with ICOM/Radio Shack speaker mics. You will not have to buy a high-prices model that only the manufactorer sells. Range and sound quality is very good. I have about 7 different brands of FRS radios and this one is my favorite. If you can pickup a couple, do so!

Randy A. Hefner...

The clarity of the hearing of this item is amazing.

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.

I have hardly any experience with this type of radio, so I read some reviews and took the plunge...and I am very happy with the Kenwood. The radio can be put in FM or FRS or a combination FM/FRS mode, in which you can listen to FM, but be contacted by someone else. Neither FM nor FRS requires the use of the headphones, but I think the headphones probably improve the communications (and without them, the FM is mono). I thought the in-ear headphones might be a pain, but I prefer them to the conventional type. These are small, attractive radios and the controls make sense, although it is necessary to read the manual. Although I'm sure there are lots of other good radios, this one is an excellent choice.

This is probably my tenth radio I have owned (I usually lose them when the snow season is over) Its compact enough that it fits in my jackets poket while im snowboarding. It has very clear sound, I have owned the Motorola radios and this is by far better sounding and the receprion on the mountain isnt 2 miles but its good enough to keep in contact at Heavenly (big resort)

The Fm radio feature is great when I'm on the lifts or sliding down the slopes it totally relaxes me for a better ride. I will be sure not to lose these this year.

I added a pack of these batteries to the shopping cart on a whim, just the push up the total cost to qualify for free shipping. I didn't expect them to have much staying power, but, for the price, it would be no big loss if these turned out to be short timers.

Surprise, surprise! They're as good as any widely advertised brand of alkaline battery. We've been using them about 5 months now in various portables, and have been absolutely impressed with their performance.

I think they're an equal match for brand-name batteries at a fraction of the cost.

These batteries won't exactly make you taller, but other than that, they'll be perfect. Cheap, useful, and with the ability to make electronic devices of all sorts whirr...

This hand-held UHF radio has been very functional for me. I recommend it as a beginners ham radio

I use this radio for both ham (70cm band) and GMRS. It feels good in my hand and has plenty of power to reach the two local repeaters in my area. When clipped to my belt, it is small enough that I can sit comfortably with it on. I highly recommend this radio for community emergency communications coordinators who need to bridge ham (ARES/RACES) and local neighborhood communications using FRS/GMRS. (By the way, see http://emcomus.org/commwp.html for more information about emergency communications for neighborhoods and communities.)