Customer Reviews

XACT Communications XFR102 2-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio

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

 

 

Bought 3 of these to call my children when they are in their bedrooms. Works great, no more yelling! I leave them on and I don't get any static.

I cannot for the life of me imagine how this company can, in good conscience, claim that these radios have a range of up to two miles. OK, maybe if the two people using them are in a flat, empty field with direct line of sight. Maybe.

In my suburban neighborhood, these radios have a range limit of one block, which is about a quarter mile. It doesn't matter whether you use the FRS or the GMRS channels -- the results are the same.

I was attracted to these radios because they have voice activation (VOX), but even when it's set to the maximum sensitivity, you have to either speak unnaturally loudly or hold the radio up to your mouth to get the voice activation to pick up your transmission, so you're not getting a hands-free operation that way. The way around this is to purchase a headset, which is $9.95 + shipping.

The reviewer who is using these as an intercom system in his home has probably come up with the cleverest and most appropriate use for these, since their range is so limited. Of course, unless you want to be replacing batteries all the time, if you wanted to keep them on all the time, you'd have to use an adapter which is -- you guessed it -- sold separately for $9.95 + shipping.

To be fair, these radios are incredibly cheaply priced, so what can one really expect? But at the same time, I think it's fair to expect that I would be able to communicate farther than just across the street.

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UPDATE: I was so dissatisfied with these radios, I attempted to return them to the manufacturer. Manufacturer would not take them back. They told me that the radios have a "limited range" when near buildings. So unless you plan to use these in a building-free zone, don't waste your money!

We have several of these little communicators, and we love them. When my husband is outside or in the hangar, I can talk to him when I'm inside the house. We also use them when we're both inside. It beats yelling when we're on separate floors. We have additional sets at our weekend cabin where we sometimes have quite a distance between us. I have no idea if they actually reach 2 miles, because we don't use them in that capacity. We have owned several other communicators, and this is our favorite for our particular use. They don't eat up batteries like some of the others did either. I would definitely recommend these to someone whose needs are similar to ours. They're excellent for that use.