I bought these radios to take kayaking and sailing...anything around water. We had some splash resistant Motorola MT350 that leaked the first time we took them kayaking (class I,II waters). The MT350 was really only designed to be resistant to light rain/sprinkles, so I wanted to find something that was actually submersible, floated, and was rechargeable using a USB cable.
For me, the features on these radios are great, pretty much had what I was looking for. I thought the 20 second rewind was a nice feature and it worked as advertised. A minor nit was the "roger beep". I usually use it, but on these radios found the somewhat longer two-tone beep annoying. I was used to the very short MT350 "chirp".
The deal breaker for me was a recent 11 hour drive with three vehicles, each with a walkie talkie. The Cobra CXT 1035R radios performed poorly. The sound level coming through to the others when transmitting from the Cobra was too low. It would probably be fine for quiet area, camping, etc, but we found it too low in a vehicle.
On the receiving side, the speaker sounded tinny and hard to hear clearly, somewhat like one of the old small AM radios. The MT350 had clearer sound and the volume could be turned up more than on the CXT 1035R. We wondered if there was a waterproof membrane covering the speakers that affected the sound level/quality.
I didn't test the range, as the vehicles were never more than about 1/4 or 1/2 mile apart. I wouldn't guess these are any worse or better than all the other radios in their price range. The listed ranges the manufacturers give are ridiculous anyway.
I would have loved to keep the radios, but due to the sound quality, I returned them to Amazon. Now the search is back on.... for a truly waterproof walkie talkie that (hopefully) can be charged via USB.
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| Customer Rating | (89) | (2412) | (1821) | (11578) |
| Price | Unavailable | $84.64 | $119.00 | $79.99 |
| Shipping | — | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details | FREE Shipping. Details |
| Sold By | — | Amazon Warehouse | Amazon.com | Midland Radio |
| Item Dimensions | 1.5 x 2.4 x 7.5 inches | 7.52 x 2.2 x 1.28 inches | 7.78 x 2.4 x 1.5 inches | 7.9 x 2.4 x 1.5 inches |
Mic clarity fixed. Model difference explained. Read for details.
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2015
My radios are actually the 1095 model, not the 1035. The only difference between the two is that the 1095 does not have the repeat last transmission feature and is replaced by a high medium low button. The 1095 is actually built on the 1035 circuit board and a 9 was written over the 3 with a sharpie by the manufacturer. This was done obviously to make a cheaper product for stores like walmart for the same price range. Cobra doesn't even list the 1095 model on their website.Ok, I'm going to start by saying that I had a nice pair of midland camo radios until my 3 year old got ahold of one of them. Now I have one really nice Midland camo radio. That being said, I did not purchase these radios because of their waterproof rating. I purchased them because they were BRIGHT orange, not camo. So I am really not worried about the water proof factor. I would rather have my radios function!If you have ever replaced a screen on a cell phone, you will have no trouble with this mod. If you can use a screw driver, you will still have no trouble. Tools you will need:Small #1 Phillips screwdriverDental PickRazor Blade or scissorsCredit card or guitar pick or similarRemove the back cover and batteries. Use the dental pick to remove the four rubber plugs in the corners of the back side of the radios. Remove the 6 screws(2 in the battery compartment) with the #1 phillips driver. Using a credit card, guitar pick or similar tools, pry the front and rear of the radio apart at the seam. You will see the microphone on the circuit board. If you do not see the rubber cover on the mic, look in the slot on the front panel of the radio. Remove the rubber cover and you will see a transparent rubber membrane over the center the rubber shield. After trying to cut it with a small razor, I wound up just turning it inside out and cutting it with a pair of scissors. Put it all back together and your mic will sound 100 times better and louder.You still have to talk up into the mic hole on the front cover. For my needs it is fine. If you want to get creative, you could cut some of the front cover around the hole and make it slightly larger(which I will likely still do)All in all these are great radios for the money. People need to understand that due to them being water tight, there are just going to have to be audio issues. I for one happen to like that these are bulkier than any of the other radios in this class that I own and the bright color will make them much more difficult to be lost by my toddler. Being able to use rechargeable or standard alkaline AA batteries is a huge plus in my book. I can charge them via the dock or plug my standard micro usb cell charger to it to charge it. Huge Bonus!!Hope this helps you guys out. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them.
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2015
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