5 replies to this topic

[ramblinboy]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UE6MI...ASIN=B001UE6MIO

[Elkhartjim]

And your point is? You buying, selling or asking if they really only receive about 300 yards.

[ramblinboy]

The point is anybody have suggestions based on their experience. I've done a bit of digging anyone else care to add theirs.
Maybe you can keep the ball rolling

Elkhartjim, on Nov 20 2010, 08:14 PM, said:

And your point is? You buying, selling or asking if they really only receive about 300 yards.

[chucknewman]

For the price they are a bargain. Particularly with the addition of the NOAA channels. Granted, you may not use them but again for the price the radios have all the amenities of more expensive units. Keep some things in mind for these units or any similar on the market:

1. They won't do anything close to 23 miles unless you are on a mountain top talking to someone via line-of-sight in the valley. And then, more often than not it will not work. There are just too many factors in radio engineering to get it to work. They just don't have the power output and optimized antenna. They say that in their marketing because they performed a test with all the environmental and engineering factors optimized to the max, and got an audible signal. For practical use, figure a mile or two at best, most of the time.

2. The "privacy code" element of these models is the same as most. But most people don't realize so-called privacy codes keep you from hearing someone else's transmissions on the same frequency. It does not keep your transmissions "private" from someone listening with a scanner radio.

3. iVOX is only usable in an environment with little or no background noise, unless you have a high quality noise canceling microphone -- which none of this class of radio has.

For the use they were designed for, and the available functions, they are about half the price I paid three years ago. And the reviews are favorable, one of the most important factors in buying anything today.

[ramblinboy]

Excellent advice from a user! Thank you very much Chuck! Rb

chucknewman, on 07 January 2011 - 08:24 AM, said:

For the price they are a bargain. Particularly with the addition of the NOAA channels. Granted, you may not use them but again for the price the radios have all the amenities of more expensive units. Keep some things in mind for these units or any similar on the market:

1. They won't do anything close to 23 miles unless you are on a mountain top talking to someone via line-of-sight in the valley. And then, more often than not it will not work. There are just too many factors in radio engineering to get it to work. They just don't have the power output and optimized antenna. They say that in their marketing because they performed a test with all the environmental and engineering factors optimized to the max, and got an audible signal. For practical use, figure a mile or two at best, most of the time.

2. The "privacy code" element of these models is the same as most. But most people don't realize so-called privacy codes keep you from hearing someone else's transmissions on the same frequency. It does not keep your transmissions "private" from someone listening with a scanner radio.

3. iVOX is only usable in an environment with little or no background noise, unless you have a high quality noise canceling microphone -- which none of this class of radio has.

For the use they were designed for, and the available functions, they are about half the price I paid three years ago. And the reviews are favorable, one of the most important factors in buying anything today.

[skyking8]

FYI. Operation in the GMRS radio spectrum requires an FCC license. I don't know anyone who bothers to get one, but it is a requirement. http://wireless.fcc..../generalmobile/

There are close to 500 GMRS repeaters thru out the country. Those provide the capability of receiving a signal and retransmitting it to a great distance. Having a license would be a requirement to use them.