Customer Reviews

Cobra MicroTalk FRS250 2-Mile 14-Channel FRS Two-Way Radio (Single) (Blue)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a nice middle-of-the-road unit in terms of features, and beats most of the competition hands down in terms of price. Got mine for $68 each. Most radios in that price range don't have the CTCSS tone features, while this does. (The Kenwood unit which is close in price and features doesn't offer the full 500mW output.) The private call scramble isn't spy secure, but keeps casual listeners out.

After buying a pair or Motorola Talkabout 280 and spending $250, I was dissapointed in the sound quality - even at short distances. So I returned the Morotola's (Amazon returns/customer service was great) and purchased a pair of the cobra's with the rechargable batteries and charger (spending only $150) and found the sound quality and the ease of use (talk button is on the side, rather than in the middle as the motorola) were outstanding. A great value...Motorola could learn a lesson from Cobra.

I got a pair of these radios for 125 bucks, which is hands down the best deal anywhere, local stores and internet included. These radios have the standard, 14 channels, 38 subcodes, but they also have a scrambling option which isn't foolproof, but keeps most people away. This radio has many options, you can turn all the beeps on, (talk confirmation tone, button press beeps) or all of them off or any combination, the lcd display is well lit, despite what is said at Cobra's website from the dirt and road review. The retractable antennea makes this unit extremely portable, when it's down, the radio is little bigger than a pager. All in all, the best radio out there save two or three VERY HIGH PRICED MODELS, (microtalk3, kenwood, cherokee, each at least 100 a peice.) So, go with these radios if you want a compact, clear radio with more than the basic features.

I just bought the Cobra Microtalk2 about a week ago and already, I am extremely impressed! The quality of the product is superb and the range is very good!

Features on the radio include: Auto-squelch, Auto-power saver feature, button beep confirmation, battery power level, Voice scramble(very nice feature), 14 channels and over 532 subchannels, a retractable antenna, a backlight display, and a couple more features.

The voice scrambling feature is awesome on the radio. If you have a home scanner and listen to the radio with the scramble ON, you could not tell what the radio is saying. Anyways, very very nice radio all around, good for just about any activity you want to do in fairly close proximity.

The full range of the radio is based primarily on line-of-sight communication if you want to reach the 2-mile mark. This radio can reach a 2 mile mark, but again, only if there isnt many obstacles in the way. However, I live in a very heavily forested area and the microtalk2 reached up to 1.5 miles with slight static.

The Cobra Micro Talk 2 performed well. I was pleased to find out that it had a 1 1/2 mile range in town. That is very good considering most only get 1/2 to 1 mile range. It is a great all around radio and its accessories are good.

We bought two of these as a family Christmas gift to use at the beach next summer. Of course we "played" with them to test them. My 9 year old got the hang of it in just a few minutes. The talk confirmation tone is very handy. The clarity is unbelievable for the price. The range seems fine. I just ordered a third radio because we are so please with the product. They don't seem to eat up batteries like some other electronics products do. We have used the radio's for the past week very regularly and we haven't needed to change the batteries. I am ordering the battery pack just to make sure we have a fresh pack available. These are fun, easy to use 2 way radios that really are alot clearer than I expected. For years I used a regular 2 way radio communication system in my business. The clarity of these radio's were just as good! Great product for a great price! Great way for you to have the ability to communicate to your family from a short distance whether on a trip to the mall or just in the neighborhood. The are compact and will fit in a pocket or purse.

After playing around with other brands and several trips to the discount stores, I've settled on the Micro-Talk 2. Car to car on the freeway, I get about 3/4 mile range (pretty good for 500mW). I get about a mile from the car to the house. Compared to a 4Watt hand held CB, this kicks butt.

I purchased 2 FRS250s for a family vacation to the Adirondak area of NY state. The main purpose of having these with us was to permit car-to-car communications on the trip. The radios worked great. We were able to keep in touch through all the different environments we encountered on the trip including city, suburbs, and mountains.

The cabins we rented had no phones, so when we arrived, the FRS250s permitted cabin-to-cabin communications throughout the stay. My only regret is that we did not purchase the rechargable batteries. But even here, the radios performed better than I expected. Over a 10 day stay, we needed to replace the batteries ony twice even though we kept them on for up to 8 hours a day.

I was surprised to find that the published range of 2 miles was real. I was able to make contact from my boat on the lake to the cabin, a distance of about 2.6 miles. Of course the voice quality wasn't so good, but we were able to communicate.

In all, the FRS250 was a good value. It served us well and performed better than I expected.

I had the opportunity to compare Cobra 280s with Motorola Talkabout 200s. In the end I returned my Cobras and I'm hoping to find some available Talkabouts. Here is why.

#1 Transmission is clearer on Talkabout. No background noise. Cobra's had a background buzz - but you could still understand everything said. #2 Transmission Distance - was almost the same. Talkabouts worked about 50 feet further. However the Antenna factor is important in getting maximum distance out of the Cobra - see #3. #3 Antenna Position - If you don't have the Cobra antenna extended AND pointed in the direction of the transmitting unit - you don't get comparable distance to the Talkabout. #4 Confirmation Beeps - Cobras had 'em. Wish the Talkabouts did. #5 Vibra Alert - Cobras had it - wish Talkabout did.

I paid $89 each for the Cobra 280s. My sister's Talkabout 200s cost her $60 each. In the end, I returned my Cobras and plan to buy some Motorolas because I want the maximum distance (without having to deal with maneuvering the antenna) and the clearest transmission.

I recently purchased a set of these little radios for a camping/hunting trip and they are great! I used them to communicate with my friends while out in the woods and there are very handy. They have a very good range 1.5-2 miles depending on the terrain and the signal is very clear with no interferance or static! they have many useful features such as 14 channels with the 38 sub codes a rodger beep tone that can be turned off if you wish and a privacy(voice scramble) mode. We used them while driving to and from the woods and campsite and basically anytime we weren't in ear shot of each other. I would highly reccomend these radios to anyone I now have several pairs