By John R. Ghysels, Special to Technology-Report.com

You are in the wilderness, sneaking up on game with senses 1000x more powerful than your own. Or, you could be preparing your own highly trained squad of paintball commados to assault the enemy stronghold, or simply trying to rally your family at Epcot. Either way, cheap toy-grade walkie talkies hardly give you the edge in today’s digital world.  Yet, cellular signals stop in rural areas and the big monthly fees for Nextel or regular cellular can really add up once you get a few units going. In keeping with our usual fugal sensibilities here at Technology-Report, we suspect that, for a single work site or family outting, these nifty rigs may fit the bill for both the sensible cheapskate and smart small-business person alike. 

These are TriSquare’s latest and most powerful Digital eXRS two-way radios. We spotted these impressive Walkie Talkies at CES, and spent a bit of time interviewing the company president and the friendly, knowledgable team who came in from Kansas City for the show. We plan on some extensive, and challenging, comparison field tests soon. 

“Text Me”

So far, we’ve seen that these WT’s are built well, with surprisingly advanced technology. These unique radios bring cellular features to the Walkie Talkie market, without expensive cell fees, all for a price identical to most conventional 2 way radio units. Intriguing features include texting between units, offering silent, reliable messaging for fun as well as stealth.  They also incorporate real privacy by utilizing “frequency hopping” digital signals, just like most of today’s cellular phones. The bottom line is that these things are impossible to eavesdrop on by typical yo-yo’s with radio scanners, like, say, the staff at TR (and we’ve heard plenty on the open frequencies used by conventional radios).  

Like new, Digital (HD) TV, the digital signal is said to be robust and comes punching through even in crowded conditions. It would be nice to be able to get through reliably on the impossibly congested channels TR’s users have encountered in theme parks, large public events or even within the tourist areas of cities like Las Vegas and San Francisco. There, the simple “privacy codes” of conventional radios can’t cope, forcing frustrated communicators to channel hop while fighting through interference. 

Military (likely) Grades these an “A”

What’s really surprising is that these radios are nearly military grade in their ability to protect privacy. In a way, it’s a shame we didn’t see more of them during the dark, early days of Iraq (they may have been there, but we didn’t “see” them on the newsreels).

Many folks back home noticed that, during the first couple of years of the conflict, service people quickly and quietly adopted civilian walkie talkies for official convoy work and security details, in place of non-existent and non-issued military gear. 

Military commaders became concerned when it was reported that once Soldiers and Marines started sporting FRS Radios on their tunics, many enjoyed them greatly and became noisy chatterboxes, just like us civilians. Radio scanners soon appeared in many AQ hideouts, as the bad guys tracked American convoys and patrols.  These inexpensive TriSquare rigs could have easily met soldiers’ needs for security, as many commanders banned the handy, but insecure, conventional GMRS radios, even if it meant using nothing. 

Today, the military has finally issued its own digital radios. Still, privacy continues to be a serious consideration in the peace time world for many parents, companies, security firms and others. 

No Licence required

Which brings us to another interesting point with these rigs. They require no licence, and the FCC regulations for these channels place no official retrictions on their use, unlike standard GMRS radios. Many folks don’t realize that GMRS radios are limited to family and private, personal use only, and require a $80 licence from the FCC. While many ignore the requirement, it will be a comfort to some, particularly commercial users, that the licence, and its fees, are waived when using these 2-way radios.  

We are really looking forward to working with these rigs in the field soon, and will pass along what we find to our readers.

John Ghysels, 01/22/09

Like barrels of oil, good pairs of long range Walkie Talkies continue their plunge into and even under the $50 dollar range. It’s good to keep an eye out for bargains, even when you are not thinking about outdoors family adventures just yet. 

Motorola T9500XLR

This radio has decent power and the audio to get out. I highly recommend radios with good power like these for the outdoors, rather that weak .5 watt FRS radios, with are better than toys, but frustrating to use in challenging conditions. I found these units larger than many in this class and a bit under powered at only 2 watts max, but OK.

However, it should be noted that this walkie talkie tends to show up in the “remanufactured” sale list quite often. I suspect this as something to do with the audio problems that others have commented on, or it could be something else. If lots of any electronic product gets returned and resold, it usually means something is systemically wrong with either the design or manufacturing process. In any case, buy with caution.

John Ghysels, 12/20/2008

We’ve already offered plenty of advice on the best Walkie Talkies. More than ever before, consumers have the same power as professional users. However, professional units often cost $300 and up, per unit, while consumer units can now be had for $40 to $80, for a pair.  

The surprising thing about what’s out there for consumers, however, is that the higher prices don’t necessarily buy you extra range or durability.  All the units here are all rated for about “30 miles”, the maximum range you can buy. Here is a quick round up of some of the very best buys: 

Max Power, for about $50, US.

These Midland GXT-720VP3 radios retail for just over $53, USD, at the the time of writing, a significant bargain over more expensive units that offer no more power.  Indeed, the extra features of the pricer models in this line offer only minor enhancements that few users would ever use or appreciate.  However, if you do want something just a little more impressive, you could consider these units:

Camo Fun, for about $60.

The Midland gxt-775vp3’s add a Camoflage finish, with a few extra features that are fun for kids and hunters alike, including “animal” sound calls and a silent vibration mode for calling other radios discretely.  However, if you want something that stands out a little more in the wilderness, and has the impressive Motorola brand name, you could consider the following:

The Motorola 9500XLR is available for about $70 for a pair. It has a bold look and rugged exterior. However, some users have reported quality issues with these units and quite a few are available in the refurbished market.  Still, it is hard to beat Motorola, who manufactures most the radios used by fire and police.  These no non-sense rigs should do the job for most.

If you are a hardcore hobbiest with a bit of technical knowledge, however, you may want to consider the next step up value priced radios: 

Hobbiest Radio, PX777

This Chinese made radio goes for the surprisingly low price of about $62, for a single unit. For those with technical knowledge, this provides the flexibility to operate on Ham Radio and commerical frequencies, as well as GMRS channels. For those with the licenses and knowledge to use them legally, this is a remarkably flexible unit for a very low price. 

Whatever you decide, there is little reason to overbuy in consumer walkie talkies. Go for maximum power and range, and stay with the features you understand. Most people rarely use the high-end features of the most expensive units. $50 now buys some excellent radios that will entertain you and your family for years to come. 

John Ghysels

Tech Advice Column

By John R. Ghysels, Special to Technology-Report.com

When it comes to Walkie Talkies, many folks get confused by claims of manufacturers about range. It probably would help if someone cleared the air on this, to help out those trying to sort out the ridiculously high claims of range on many Walkie Talkies.  The chart below will simplify things for most folks:

Range Claim         Power             Actual Urban Range      Minimum Range

8-12 Miles           1 watt                  1/2 to 1 Mile             200 Yards

18-20 Miles         2 watts                 1 mile                       500 Yards

27-30 Miles         4 Watts                2 miles                     1000 Yards

Keep in mind that challeging radio environments will quickly cut your range to the minimums seen here, or to something between this and the urban limits. Only lots of height will get you to the maximums claimed by manufacturers.  In any case, I’m told the manufacturers test their radios under decidedly unrealisitic conditions, using facilities in the unobstructed flatlands of Florida equipped with elevated testing platforms.

Discussion on 2 way radio power:

First off, it is important to remember that the maximum legal power for a GMRS walkie talkie is 4 watts. This is a lot of power, considering that most digital cell phones these days operate on about 300 milliwatts or less, most of the time.  However, cell phones use a near invisible network of “cell” sites all around us, on high building corners, hills and mountain tops, so they seldom have to reach up and out farther than a few hundred yards. For a walkie talkie, which has to do things the hard way, without the help of a cell site, you need lots more power. Also, four watts will drain a battery quickly and requires slightly more expensive, larger and heavier internal compentents to handle the extra energy.

Having said this, anyone who has spent time in the field with these things knows that reliable communications is key. Some settings, such as using radios car to car, on urban streets or in heavily forested areas will cut the range of even the most powerful radio from miles to a few hundred yards. ”Line-of-site” is the rule for radios like this, so if you have height, your range will be greatly extended.  With obstructions, signals may be absorbed or reflected away.

The rule of thumb, even for someone just having fun with these radios, is the more power the better.  That’s why I always recommend spending the extra $20 or so and getting something that uses the legal maximum. Those extra watts will help in punching your signal through metal tinted car winows, through wood frame houses and around concrete structures.  In the wilderness, trees and rocks form similar barriers to radio signals, but as a safety device outdoors the radios really need to perform reliably so the max power makes for more peace of mind in tracking kids and hiking partners. You can always dial down the power to conserve battery juice for when you need it.

Thus, unless you really need the 5.5 inch size of the above Cobra LI5600 radio, you may want to go for the increased power of the LI7020, below.

Radios are inexpensive fun for the whole family. When in comes to range however, keep your expectations realistic. Read your instruction manual, keep your settings as simple as possible and go for it in the both real and urban jungles!

John Ghysels, 12/07/2008

Midland GXT900vp4

Product Review: High Power, but unexpectedly  cuts off chatter boxes. 

By John R. Ghysels, Special to Technology-Report.com

On paper, these Midland GXT900 Walkie Talkies should be the finest, most powerful Walkie Talkies made. In fact, they exceed the features and power of most commercial sets selling for much more. Sadly, in actual performance, they have a fatal flaw that impairs their performance in the field. 

Note that radios like these with digital (DCS) and analog “privacy codes” (CTCSS) would make them a good choice for Disneyland, Las Vegas, (such as during CES) and other public, RF soaked hotspots, where other users can interfere on the regular channels.  This particular model also allows the user to switch in regular AA cells for the rechargable battery pack, which is a real help when you drain your batteries or forget to top off your rechargeables before a trip.

2 way radio: Safety and Fun

These are great safety tools too. The author knows from experience that more families and groups should use them outdoors. Rangers appreciate smart campers and hikers that bring them, and some backpacking groups now require them. Someone getting ‘lost’ from a group is a common reason for search and rescue.

Fatal Flaw:

2 way radio is way fun on the road, and powerful radios really help get beyond the limitations of the basic toys sold in most stores. However, in the final review, the engineering flaw of these Midland radios keeps Tech-Report from offering it’s coveted “recommended” rating.  It seems that in their haste to hit the price point, Midland did not build the radio to withstand the “high power” setting for more than a few seconds. The unit overheats internally and quickly and quietly shuts off your signal about about 5 seconds, leaving your listeners baffled and frustrated.  This can be solved by setting the radios to the mid-power setting (about 2 watts), but what fun is that!? (Max is 4 watts). In any case, TechGhy thinks that Cobra outperforms Midland radios in field tests anyway, in both transmit and reciever performance. 

Let’s see if Midland corrects this error in the High Power setting in future models.

John Ghysels, 11/15/2008

LI7200-2WXVP

Product Review: Check out these CES award winning 2 way radios, and our challenging field tests. 

By John R. Ghysels, Special to Technology-Report.com

Speaking of CES, these latest Cobra 2 way radios, model number LI7200-2WXVP, captured last year’s CES design and performance award. This is amazing for devices that simply allow people to communicate, verbally, (remember that?) with a relatively low-tech push to talk button.  But, these devices are growing in popularity and it is perhaps a sign of the times. Every day, more people push out into the hinterlands of cellular coverage, while simulanteously seeking ways to escape the multiplication of high fixed monthly cellular fees and unpredictable roaming charges. With simple 2-way radio you can talk away without cell charges, just like the “good old days”, when the air waves were free. 

The author tested similar Cobra models while in Europe last year, comparing Midland, Kenwood, and other brands under very challenging conditions involving multi-car caravans and lots of clueless family members fumbling with equipment in decidedly urban environments.  Hands down, the Cobras came through, punching their signals through cars, around tall buildings and out Cathedral windows to amazing ranges, all while avoiding those hefty “one dollar per minute” overseas cellphone charges. 

Further, “push to talk” is simply way more fun than flipping open a cell phone while traveling with others. Pushing that button becomes your on-the-road chat room in sharing your travel or outdoors experience with others in your group, all while adding to safety and convenience by staying in touch. 

Some have faulted Cobra for using a Nimh battery pack, which must be recharged, rather than allowing the use of optional AA cells. However, I found that recharging was a breeze, even in Europe, and a easy habit to get into. With nominal usage, the charge lasted at least a couple of days of heavy touring in any case, likely due to the built-in battery saving features that Cobra includes.  The rechargable also keeps the design of the radio smaller and much sleeker than those which must accomodate bulky, disposable AA’s. 

Overall, these radio champs leave similar models in the dust, yet are priced affordably for the family, hunter, traveler or outdoors enthusist. 

As always, forget those published ranges of “27 miles”, however. Most of the time your radios will reach out for a couple of miles, at best, depending very much on the terrain around you, since they don’t bounce signals off of cell towers.  But the high power in this model will maximize whatever range could be expected, under whatever circumstances you find in your adventures.

John Ghysels, 11/15/2008