- 28-mile range, submersible/floating GMRS 2-way radios
- 142 privacy + 143 group codes; 22 total channels
- Silent mode with vibrate alert; Direct call with name display
- Mossy Oak New Breakup camo pattern
- Includes two radios, two NiMH rechargeable batteries and dual-bay charging cradle
The features are what sell this radio, but the cons will make you think twice about it. I recommend downloading the User's Manual PDF from Uniden for more specifics about these radios.
CONs -
I'm going to primarily talk about the cons of these radios since that is why you are reading this review.
1) They are larger than you think. If you intend on using these in a park or on the slopes, be advised that they are longer and thicker than most radios. My kids did not like to carry them for that reason, and it was not easy for me either, with such a long (rubber coated and flexible to a degree) antenna poking you in the side constantly.
2) They are also heavier than most radios of this type. I suspect that is due mostly to the type of construction given their water resistant nature.
3) The overall construction is solid, and has a good feel to it, but I would have to say the weakest link is the detachable Belt Clips, which are included. The good news is they're replaceable if you break or lose them.
4) The speaker is small, and in my opinion too small. Sounds distorted like you are in a deep hole.
5) We ended up repeating ourselves a lot due to the poor sound quality, especially with any real distance or background noise. The Volume settings are 0 7, and the MAX volume 7 is poor and is hard to hear in places like amusement parks. Although it does have alert and call tones that can punch through the background noise, the poor quality, distortion and minimal volume at max can be a real negative, and requires a the user to compensate with slower more pronounced speech, or hold the unit closer to your ears.
6) These units do not have ear bud or VOX features, again due to their water resistant construction, and it's a tradeoff to consider. It probably would have been a nice feature for Hunters.
7) The Radios are only usable with the factory battery packs. I highly recommend spare batteries if you don't have a way to recharge them in the field.
8) Unfortunately the Charger is slow, and they are not a smart charger, and will eventually cook the batteries over time if the radios are left in the charger too long.
9) The Battery Condition Monitor is a joke. The Batteries have a capacitive nature, so under light use, the indication shows Full due the batteries apparent voltage appearing higher than when under load and pulling the voltage down to its real state of charge. This becomes a problem when you think you have good battery capacity remaining, and then with a few minutes of use, the indication rapidly drops to Low Battery Warning, and then it starts Beeping to warn you that you only have a few minutes of use remaining. The Batteries last about 1 ½ days on a charge with light use, and a day with heavier use depending on what power level you Transmit at.
10) Transmission Distance is the usual overrated manufacture Hype. In an average residential area, I got good clear transmissions at about ¼ mile using 1 watt transmissions, and about 1 ½ miles using the 5 watt BOOST mode, after that, it drops off rapidly in quality. My best transmission distance (understandable but not real clear) was 9 ½ miles as-the-crow-flies over open salt water from about 200 ft above sea level from hilltop to hilltop across a bay including about ¼ mile of land on each end as measured by Google Earth. Not bad, but I was expecting better, especially over water given the 28 mile hype.
11) The screen is adequate, but some of the smaller lettering can be difficult to see in bright light.
12) I like the Missed call Alert, but I think Uniden missed the boat when they limited the various ways that feature can be used. I does have its plusses, but I think they could have done better with this feature given that these radios will be purchased primarily for their outdoorsmen features.
13) If there are other radios in the area using the same frequency, it can really affect the performance of the radios. This is true of any of these type of radios, since the privacy codes, are really an automatic Squelch control to help keep you from hearing unwanted radio conversation from those outside of your desired users. As an example, while at Disneyland, two local (outside the park) Radio Hams were using Base Stations on our channel to chat. We didn't know this until a period where we were trying to talk, but their radios were overwhelming ours, and garbling our transmissions to the point where we used Cell Phone Backup. At the time we were not in the "GROUP MODE", so I was unable to switch the other radios as mentioned below.
14) The CALL feature works great, but functions differently between the "Group Mode" and the "Standard Mode" because the Group Mode is designed to be able to single out a single user in a group of 16 or less users, rather than the "ALL CALL" in standard mode. This can be confusing to users in the GROUP MODE who are not Techno-Junkies, and get confused easily. If everyone in the GROUP understands how to use this feature, it's great. On the other hand, it can lead to someone thinking they have used the CALL button to page everyone with a single push, but in fact, the first push asks WHO in the Group you are paging, ALL or 1-16 by pushing a series of buttons, or at least pushing the CALL button twice for everyone. In the Standard Mode, one push does the job.
PROs -
1) They float and can withstand minor submersion for 30 min with no ill effects I have not tested this feature, but it's nice to know that if you do drop it in water, you will probably still have a working radio.
2) The Group Features and especially the ability to change every radio in the group's Channel Number to a different frequency from a single radio is GREAT Well done Uniden.
3) The Radio has a selection of Tones for Paging and other features. Enough that it should meet most needs.
4) I also like that you can turn the Roger Beep OFF. Some radios I have used can't do that, and that can be annoying after a while.
5) The Menu System is fairly easy to use, and there is a Key Lock feature that should help prevent unwanted changes. Some keys are still available such as Volume Control when the Lock feature is active.
I have 35 plus years of experience with industrial radios including commercial grade radios for Fire Service and in industrial Power Plant settings. As a radio hobbyist, I have used most types of non-commercial radios from walkie-talkies, & CB's up thru the current range of FRS, GMRS & MURS radios. These Uniden Radios transmit over a reasonable distance for non-commercial radios, but that is a function of Terrain and Obstacle dependent as is true in the commercial world too.
Overall, I like these radios for their specific features. They are a decent value, but like most radios in this class, they have their pluses and minuses. If you have a realistic understanding of what affects transmission distance, you will find these radio's adequate for their intended purpose i.e. use around harsh or wet environments. If you're looking for radios to use in normal dry conditions, there are much better values out there.
Buy Uniden GMR2875-2CK 28-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Waterproof Two-Way Radios (Camo) Now
waterproof, but a little big. wanted to put it on a helmet, but may be too big for that. headphones jack would be nice too, but that would probably affect waterproof-ness. otherwise, as good as advertised.
I bought 3 of these to power 3 12v DC fans. This is my first experiment in using electric solar power. If I were to rebuy the collectors I would buy slightly larger ones for more power output. That is not a product issue. It is a my inexperience issue. The collectors do put out the power advertised. I could just use a bit more for more RPMs. My one manufacturer complaint is that they did not provide info about weatherability of the collectors and worse did not reply to my email requesting that information. I believe that I could increase power output by relocation but the panels would then be weather exposed.
