subject: Information about Walkie Talkies [print this page] It probably would help if someone cleared the air on this, to help out those trying to sort out the ridiculously high claims of variety on many Walkie Talkies. Steel cars are even worse, and tinted windows are only a little much better. In any case, the manufacturers test their radios under decidedly unrealistic conditions, utilizing facilities in the unobstructed flat-lands of Florida, using elevated testing platforms.
Discussion on 2 way radio power:
Initial off, usually buy a radio that says GMRS, or General Mobile Radio Service. This service is licensed for the maximum amount of power that the government permits; about 4 watts. FRS or Household Radio Service radios are automatically limited to only 1/2 watt; barely sufficient to get down the street. So stay away from FRS, unless you want to buy toys and don't need them for real communications and safety. Most better radios are billed as combined GMRS/FRS, but the walkie talkie automatically cuts power to 1/2 watt on the GMRS channels.
A GMRS radio (on a GMRS channel) can do a lot with 4 watts. This is a lot of energy, thinking about that most digital cell phones these days operate on about 500 milliwatts or less, most of the time. Cell sites use height and energy to boost variety of your tiny cellphone signal. Nevertheless, four watts will drain a battery quickly and requires slightly much more costly, larger and heavier internal components to handle the extra energy.
Getting said this, anybody who has spent time in the field with these issues knows that dependable communications is key. Some settings, such as utilizing radios automobile 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.
That's why I always suggest spending the additional $20 or so and obtaining something that uses the legal maximum. These are discovered on radios claiming ranges of "25 miles" or much more., and they all put out about four watts on GMRS channels. Those additional watts will assist in punching your signal via metal tinted car windows, through wood frame houses and close to concrete structures. You can usually dial down the power to conserve battery juice for when you require it.
Therefore, unless you truly require the little size of the 5.five inch Cobra LI5600 radio, you might want to go for the increased power of Cobra's seven inch (including antenna) LI7020, or LI7200.
Radios are inexpensive fun for the whole household. When it comes to variety however, keep your expectations realistic. Read your instruction manual, keep your settings as easy as feasible and go for it in the both real and urban jungles!
