8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Good radio, so-so shape.
Date of Review: Sep 20, 2001
The Bottom Line: Good quality radio, poor case design which makes it hard to hold.
Cobra generally makes very good electronics; I have one of their CB radios bought in 1976 which still works fine. This radio has good innards but leaves something to be desired in shape. Whether this is a problem for you, you'll have to decide.
My family of four often skis on the big mountains here in Colorado, and it's easy to get separated. FRS radios are an easy way to keep track of each other; they also let one group stay at the lodge while the others go skiing.
We determined early that 14 channels would not be the way to go - not enough room for all the traffic which we'd encounter in an area like a ski hill, so we went for the units with 42 channels. The Cobras were on sale 2 for $68 at Best Buy. Based on my experience with their electronics, we grabbed a pair.
Range between units was a mile or more, but I should point out that this was on ski slopes which were basically open. Range in a city environment with buildings could be quite different - take all claims of range for two-way radios with a LARGE grain of salt! We also found it easy to change channels when traffic built up on the one were were using, and we had to change more than once. The 42-channel radios were a good idea indeed, as there was a lot of FRS traffic.
Overall, we were very pleased with the radios and will use them again whenever we go out to places where we might be separated. Here's a summary of our findings:
The pluses:
- Contrary to another review, our experience was that the controls were easy to master. I really liked the ability to lock the channel so it could not be changed accidentally, and we had no problems in this regard.
- The radios turn on and off with a specific tone, and it takes about a three-second press of the power button to turn them on or off. This is plenty long enough to avoid accidental power on/off problems, and we had no problems of this type.
- The power saver circuit worked beautifully for us. Battery life was basically untouched after a full day of skiing and a number of uses.
- No one in the family, including me, my wife, and two teen daughters, had any problem understanding the radio's operation or controls. They're clear and easy to use.
- If in doubt, read the manual! Any adult should be able to use these radios with no problem. Children can use them if properly instructed.
Cons:
- The rounded radio's shape works MUCH less well than it looks. The radios are hard to hold without slipping in your hand. They slide into a ski parks pocket easily, but there are no corners to hold when pulling them out. I may add traction tape to help.
- The "holsters" for the radios are useless and a joke. As they come, they don't hold the radios in during any significant movement. Also, they are bulky and have too many corners, so they catch on things - which will spring the radio out. They are really useless, and I can't see any way to modify them to improve them. If you want to carry them on your belt (which would be handy), buy an industrial glue-on belt clip designed for cell phones from a discount store (Wal-mart has them) and attach it to the back. Otherwise, plan on carrying the radio in a pocket and just throw out the plastic holsters.
An update to the review - I solved the problem of keeping the radios in place. Wal-Mart sells slide-on belt clips with industrial adhesive; they're designed for cell phones. I bought a pair and stuck one on the back of each radio. They're still a bit slippery to the hand, but the belt clip makes them much easier to secure over a belt or pocket inside a coat.
