My gf, myself and another couple will be heading to Disneyworld (Florida) and like all good tourists, we were thinking of getting a pair of the FRS/GRMS radios so we could get in touch with each other if we decided we wanted to go do different things around the parks.
So I went out and got a set of the latest Cobra FRS/GRMS units I could find. Here's the 3100's we actually got 3150's which are virtually identical (3150's come with a NiMHbattery pack and a desktop charging stand). I recognized Cobra and Motorola as some of the best, I just liked the look of the Cobra units so I picked them.
I got home, charged them up (well for 2 hours anyways.. I was anxious) and with the gf at home in "talk" mode (let an mp3 play on repeat), a friend and I drove away to see what kind of distance we could get. Basically as soon as I turned off my street and put a house between us and the other unit, that was it, no signal (approx 1/4 mile away). We drove back past my house and to the other end of the street. Again as soon as we rounded the corner the signal dropped (about the same distance again). We were aware of the few overhead wires and thought this must be the culprit so we went to the friends house (no overhead wires). Again as soon as there was no line of sight, the signal quickly dropped. Keep in mind that when I say the signal dropped that was when the signal was gone and there was no longer any noise from our in car unit. What this means in usability terms is at approximately half that distance we could no longer understand the words of the song.
I did some reading on the net just now and found out that you will not get over 1/2 mile range out of ANY these FRS/GRMS units except in an open unobstructed area (open field or over water) and likely you can still see the other person. Even then, don't expect more than a 1 mile range and still be able to understand the conversation, there's usually too much static and distortion at that range.
I must admit that I for one got taken by the bold claims of 8 mile range, and it's too bad too, I was really looking forward to using these. And I really wasn't expecting to get an 8 mile range anyways, I was really only hoping for a 1-2 mile range, guess not. So I guess we'll do exactly like we did last time and just rely on the cell phones... last time a single 30 sec. call to the other couple cost me over 3 bucks on each phone bill (roaming charges suck)!
Needless to say the FRS/GRMS units are going back tomorrow and that'll be $140 back in my pocket. I find it very disconcerting that in today's marketplace that scams of this nature still exist, I'm just glad I had enough sense to buy the pair of FRS/GRMS units from a major retailer that likely won't give me any hassle returning them.
So I went out and got a set of the latest Cobra FRS/GRMS units I could find. Here's the 3100's we actually got 3150's which are virtually identical (3150's come with a NiMHbattery pack and a desktop charging stand). I recognized Cobra and Motorola as some of the best, I just liked the look of the Cobra units so I picked them.
I got home, charged them up (well for 2 hours anyways.. I was anxious) and with the gf at home in "talk" mode (let an mp3 play on repeat), a friend and I drove away to see what kind of distance we could get. Basically as soon as I turned off my street and put a house between us and the other unit, that was it, no signal (approx 1/4 mile away). We drove back past my house and to the other end of the street. Again as soon as we rounded the corner the signal dropped (about the same distance again). We were aware of the few overhead wires and thought this must be the culprit so we went to the friends house (no overhead wires). Again as soon as there was no line of sight, the signal quickly dropped. Keep in mind that when I say the signal dropped that was when the signal was gone and there was no longer any noise from our in car unit. What this means in usability terms is at approximately half that distance we could no longer understand the words of the song.
I did some reading on the net just now and found out that you will not get over 1/2 mile range out of ANY these FRS/GRMS units except in an open unobstructed area (open field or over water) and likely you can still see the other person. Even then, don't expect more than a 1 mile range and still be able to understand the conversation, there's usually too much static and distortion at that range.
I must admit that I for one got taken by the bold claims of 8 mile range, and it's too bad too, I was really looking forward to using these. And I really wasn't expecting to get an 8 mile range anyways, I was really only hoping for a 1-2 mile range, guess not. So I guess we'll do exactly like we did last time and just rely on the cell phones... last time a single 30 sec. call to the other couple cost me over 3 bucks on each phone bill (roaming charges suck)!
Needless to say the FRS/GRMS units are going back tomorrow and that'll be $140 back in my pocket. I find it very disconcerting that in today's marketplace that scams of this nature still exist, I'm just glad I had enough sense to buy the pair of FRS/GRMS units from a major retailer that likely won't give me any hassle returning them.
Or get some big clunky portable CBs
