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2-way radios

CamoMan

CamoMan

New Member
I have been looking at getting 2-way radios, and there are a lot of choices out there. I was at Sam's Club the other day, and they had a pair of Motorola T5950 rechargeables for just under $60. They also had a pair of Cobra TR2960 rechargeables for thirty some dollars. I looked up some reviews on these two sets, and they seemed okay.

I would like some input on what radios you guys use and like. I want rechargeable ones with the Vibra alert feature, and I don't want to pay a lot. (Not over $80 if possible). They have a lot of different ranges available - I don't know how far a 6-mile radio will actually work in Iowa fields & timbers. Your ideas and input will be much appreciated. And, yes, I know they can't be used to aid in hunting situations. They are mostly for me to keep in contact with CamoKid when we are bowhunting. We will also use them for car travel situations a few times. I think they will be very handy when CamoKid and I go on our hog bowhunt this fall.
 
i have a pair of cobra ones, dont remember the model, sposed to be a 2 mile range, and i believe it too. my friend and i used to use them when we were walking out of the woods, because only one of us would drive but we were hunting a few miles apart. one day, probably the farthest we used, them i bet was around 2 miles, and he radioed me and said he got my truck stuck in the snow. and that walk took a good hour in the deep snow to get to him through the woods. so i dont know what brand works the best, but the cobra ones i had werent too bad, the only thing i didnt like about them, is after you quit talking it would beep, made it annoying.
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Go with the long range. I have two pair of 5 mile radio's. One pair is larger and is rechargeable. I use these most of the time. They are just better radio's. The smaller one's I have work okay, but are not built quite as well. They are plastic and seem to quit working in the cold weather. They don't have quite the range either. Terrain really plays a part in how far you can range. In vehicles they don't seem to range all that well either - especially if you are in rugged terrain. Think you can get external antenna's for them. Friends have had motorola talkabouts - different models and they seem to really like them. Both sets of mine I can turn off that darn beeping sound that LIV is talking about. They both also vibrate. I like the call feature. You can work it out with your hunting buddy that the first person to make contact has to "call" and if you don't get a response it means shut up I have something close.

When I get home I will try to look and see what models I have.
 
Hey Liv, sorry if I'm wrong but I think most of them have a way to shut that beep off. Don't know for sure but all of ours do
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yeah that stupid "rodger beep" is ANNOYING. most (but not all) can shut that off. its a little beep that tells you the other party is done talking. we use the 2 milers, but i have been thinking about getting the long range ones. one thing i have learned from watching other people, is that motorola is the ONLY brand i will ever buy.
 
The only problem with the longer range sets is that they require an fcc license to take advantage of those longer range channels. Last I looked the licenses were $65-75 every 2 years. All of these radios are FM based and line of sight, so cars and terrain are going to play havoc with them. My two milers I got from audiovox are better used to throw at each other to get attention to yell your questions. Wish you luck.
 
Motorola model T6220, I have 3 of them. This model has several different ringer type's including the vibrator setting. This happens to be the only ringer type that I use. I have had then for three years now and I must admit that I just the other day realized after reading the manual again that you could TURN OFF that beeping sound that imits when transmitting and receaving. As far as transmitting and receaving distant the book on this model says 2 miles. I have talked many times for distances excending 4 miles with them. They have never failed. Even at this distance the transmission is loud and clear. I have used them in some really cold tempetures and they have never failed to operate. Check them out....good luck.
 
Thanks for the info. Question - how many miles of range is allowed before the license is required ? Also, does anyone use rechargeable AA batteries instead of the battery packs? The reason I ask is because many of these models uses NiCad batteries instead of the NiMH batteries. Since I wouldn't be using these all that much, I think the NiMH would last much longer. Also, I would still like to hear which 2-way radios the rest of you are using. I may be overkilling this issue a bit . . . but hey, I'm a programmer - I'm trained to do that. Thanks !
 
We have three older Motorola Talkabouts and I do use rechargeable NiMD AA. These have been very reliable and at this point don't owe me anything. We have definitely gotten our moneys worth out of them. At Cabelas you can even talk to security with them.
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It's the GMRS frequencies that require the licence. FRS frequencies do not. The licence is 75.00 for 5 years and is good for up to 6 radios per household. Phone # is 888-225-5322 or go to www.fcc.gov for more info.
 
Okay - based on your input, I decided the Motorola T6220 would be a good match for what I want. Started pricing them, and found the green ones for $19.95 on the Motorola site. Found the same price on ebay, but shipping was a bit higher. Looks like I can get a pretty good deal on the better AA rechargeable batteries, so I'll be buying 3 radios and the batteries today. Thanks again for your input. It's great to be able to get reviews from people who use the radios in similar in-the-field situations.
 
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