RE: Whats the Best FRS Radio?

[The Overmans]

 
Hello,
 
 Wife and I are thinking of buying a couple of FRS Radio s.  Wife said to ask Popup
 Times (smart girl).  The radio s would be for the kids or wife and I to keep in touch etc when we are split up doing activities.  I m looking for ruggedness (3 kids, you know why), ease of use and not to pricey.  All replies and ideas would be appreciated.

[Ab Diver]

 The Overmans
We went with the Motorola FR60 " Talkabout" --- 14 channels, 38 security codes (39 if you count *0*), pretty rugged, call feature, monitor, headphone plug-in, belt clip, 2 mile line of sight range-- although we ve actually reached over 2 miles in some locations. Great for camping, mall-ratting, flea markets...
 
 ... and especially for simultaneously perusing different *His* and *Hers* RV s at the shows: " Honey, come over to the (insert brand name here) display, you GOTTA see this!"  []

[tlhdoc]

 The Overmans
We also have Motorola radios, the Talkabout 250s and the Talkabout 5200s.  We have had the 250s for about 5 years.  The kids do use the radios and they have worked fine.  We put them in a zipper freezer bag when it is wet out.  You should look for a radio with the subcodes.  If you don t have the subcodes you will have 14 channels and hear everyone that is using the channel you are on.  If you have subcodes you can block out hearing everyone on your channel, unless they are on the same subchannel you are on.  Be advised though anyone with a radio with or with out subcodes can listen to what you are saying.

[RamblingWreck]

 The Overmans
We have a pair of the Panasonic KX-TR325S that we purchased several years ago and have been very pleased with them.  They have the privacy channels and lots of bells & whistles, etc.  I purchased them online from some place near Austin, TX.  
 
 At the time, these were less expensive than comparable Motorola units.  Motorola prices have dropped a lot since then.
 
 My hunting buddy has a pair manufactured by Cobra that he likes.  These are inexpensive, no privacy channels, bare bones units.  I think he got them at the Sports Authority.
 
 We have noticed that the Panasonic s seem to have a little longer range.  He uses rechargeable batteries and I use long life alkaline batteries.  If you test the batties with a battery tester you will see alkalines have more strength which equates to a longer transmit and receive range.  
 
 While shopping you will notice that the radios are typically powered by AA or AAA batteries.  The AA batteries seem to have about twice the life thus cutting your consumable cost to operate the radios in half.

[Taoscop]

 The Overmans
We bought a pair of cobra two channel radios about 4 years ago.  They were priced pretty high then because FRS radios were fairly new.  They work great and are pretty rugged.  I think all the ones out now are pretty much the same and are much lower priced .  The only option you may think about is if you want rechargeable batteries.  That will increase the price.  I would reccommend against that though,the regular batteries last pretty long...Just anothers opinon!!!!!!![][][]

[tlhdoc]

 The Overmans
We went with regular batteries.  We usually dry camp so there isn t any place to charge the batteries.

[midwest_camper]

 The Overmans
We went with the Kenwood FreeTalk UBZ-LH14 radio s. Got them three years ago before we went to Disney. They have all the bells and whistles but the most important feature is that you can turn on Privacy mode which encrypts the conversation. Of course this only works with Kenwood radios and it does cut down the reception distance.
 
 
 The Krugers
 2000 Astro
 1999 Jayco Eagle UDK 12

[wynot]

 The Overmans
One that does not eat batteries.
 
 We have 3 BellSouth FRS radios and we use them both as marriage savers and a way to let our daughter wander around and still be in touch.
 
 Even with religious turning on and off of the radios, these things will still eat batteries.

[Redwolf]

 The Overmans
Motorola Talkabout 6320 s....batteries last forever in them.   My original Talkabout s ate the batteries...the 6320 seems to just lightly sip the power, savoring it s fine electrical juices, while working just as hard as the other models.  :-)
 
 Moto s radios are tough and long lasting.  My original pair is four years old, have been on a lot of trips in the wilderness and on the water, and work flawlessly.
 
 Mike
 

[CAPEd CODger]

 The Overmans
Buying FRS radios to me is like buying a VCR or a DVD player. The cheap one will do ALMOST everything the high $$$ one does. Motorola tends to be a little more pricy than some of the " no-names"  like SouthWestern Bell or whatever. We picked up a set at Sam s club a couple years ago and they work great. I can t remember the brand name , but it wasn t Motorola.
 I guess the bottom line of my rant is ......DOES NOT MATTER..... They are ALL built to the same specs set forth by the FCC for power out, etc. All you really get is the " bells and whistles"  for your extra money.

[mortjv]

 The Overmans
The price of FRS radios has really come down since the release of the GMRS units. A radio with the the 38 security codes is a must.  Otherwise, they are virtually useless in any public area.  These used to run $50 to $60 each.  I purchased a pair of Kenwood units on clearance at Dunham s for $15 each in November.  I used them during hunting season and they performed well.  They actually seemed to work better than some of the Motorolas that were in camp.  I stopped in to Dunham s before Christmas, and the price had been reduced further to $10 each.  Needless to say many friends and relatives received FRS radios as Xmas presents.