Motorola MR356R, Opinions wanted

[Kutter_0311]

Motorola MR356R 22-Channel 35-Mile Two-Way Radios

Saw these in the Bug Out Gear Deals thread, and wanted an opinion on them from the Comm Jedi here at ZS. I know enough about radios to know I'll never get the 35 miles they list, but the reviews I read on Amazon that sounded like they actually knew anything were pretty solid. I mostly need some radios for car to car comms on convoys, or team comms for tactical/scout ops. Ability to use a remote ear-bud and PPT mic would be handy, but are not deal breakers.

A) For $51 (shipped), is this a good value with the ability to fill my needs?

B) Are there accessories that are available for these that will make using them in a bug-out/extended tactical environment easier and more effective/efficient, like spare rechargeable batteries, external antenaes, solar battery chargers, etc.

C) How water resistant/proof are these? How rugged? Will they tolerate a heavy rain, or should they live in a ziploc bag?

[nacho]

I'd just get the MC225. FRS sucks, but should work ok for convoys as long as you are within a 1/4 mile of each other. I see FRS radios as expendable tools, kinda like zip ties and para cord, so I'm more of the mindset of buy them cheep and stack them deep.

The MC225 radios do what you need, PL tones, accept speaker mics, etc, they don't do NOAA, and I guess they aren't as rugged as the other ones, but if I can't run a radio over with my Jeep and have it still function I don't really consider that rugged.

You should also be able to find them at WalMart, but maybe not in cammo. Also I'm not sure the 350's will take Alkaline batteries, something the 225's will do.

[zommoz10]

You asked if this will meet your needs but you don't really go into detail as to what those needs are.
FRS radios are consumer grade. The audio quality is shit. They make annoying overmodulated roger beeps after each transmission to let the whole world know you're using a toy, they're in cheap plastic cases, they don't have metal chassis on the inside to protect the components.They're not waterproof and they're not mil-spec. They're meant to be a way for parents to keep in touch with their kids at the amusement park, not for any tactical purpose.

Just because they may say Motorola on them, doesn't mean they are in any way, shape or form, consistent with the durability of their other equipment. Probably not even made by motorola. Probably made in china by foxconn or some factory that makes frs radios for uniden, cobra, midland and the rest of them.

If you're looking for the cheapest way to communicate from one car to another, that's probably it. As for your other needs however... who knows.
I wouldn't keep anything you value in a zip lock bag

[TacAir]

Motorola MR356R 22-Channel 35-Mile Two-Way Radios

Saw these in the Bug Out Gear Deals thread, and wanted an opinion on them from the Comm Jedi here at ZS. I know enough about radios to know I'll never get the 35 miles they list, but the reviews I read on Amazon that sounded like they actually knew anything were pretty solid. I mostly need some radios for car to car comms on convoys, or team comms for tactical/scout ops. Ability to use a remote ear-bud and PPT mic would be handy, but are not deal breakers.

A) For $51 (shipped), is this a good value with the ability to fill my needs?

B) Are there accessories that are available for these that will make using them in a bug-out/extended tactical environment easier and more effective/efficient, like spare rechargeable batteries, external antenaes, solar battery chargers, etc.

C) How water resistant/proof are these? How rugged? Will they tolerate a heavy rain, or should they live in a ziploc bag?

I see by looking at the reviews these radios are the typical "Hecho en China" consumer grade stuff. In the review section there are more bad than good reviews.

You can buy higher power battery packs, earbuds - which may or may not work, and different color faceplate. No external ant possible, there are FRS compliant rigs.

That said I have a pair of Motorola T6200 that have tak'n a licking but are still talking. These for tracking spousal unit inside of large box stores.

I'm not going to flog the ham vs all other Services thing, but as a general rule of thumb, I think you will be much happier with a radio with:
A removable antenna, to allow for external ants on your autos and
At least AA (6 or 8 or 10) batteries to allow for reasonable talk time.
You should look for 2 watts output to allow a decent range on the road.
A speaker/mike is a real plus as it can be clipped you your seat belt near your ear, good for a noisy mobile environment.

Good luck mi amigo.

[crypto]

I've found the Midland GMRS units are about as nice of a blister-pack radio as you'll find. they're dunkable-waterproof. IE, dont go swimming with them, but I've dropped them in hte water before with no ill effect.

Here's my basic advice on GMRS. Jerkoff HAM people telling you to get a license or repurpose a business-class radio should probably stop reading at this point.

Instead of telling you that their made-in-china HAM radios and business class radios are better technology than your made-in-china GMRS radio (some are), that you should spend $500 on radios and a big time investment learning how radios work (meh) and that you should get amateur licenses for your whole family as well as everyone you know (meh), I'm going to assume that you're a grown-up who has evaluated all your options, and come to the conclusion that you have no interest in fucking around with radio technology and just want a tool to get a job done. That job is "small team communications within a range of 0-2 miles." and nothing more.

If that meets your use case, then read on:

Motorola and midland both make reasonably good $40 radios. Yes they're plastic, but they're the best of the blister-pack radios, for sure.

Motorola has a technical advantage over midland in that they build a few GMRS radios that can use a GMRS repeater. Midland doesn't. I say 'technical' advantage because there are very few actual GMRS repeaters out there, and you need permission from the station owner to use them, and 99.9999% of all GMRS radios cant use repeaters anyway, so its not that big of a deal unless you specifically know of a repeater you want to use.

Midland advertises their radios are "50 channels". Dont believe it. They have 22 actual channels, like everyone else. The other 'channels' just re-use the same 22 but force a squelch tone before the transmission so that other Midland radios dialed to the same channel setting replay it. This bit of false advertising pisses me off more than the vastly overinflated range estimates everyone makes, for some reason. Channels 23-50 only work with other Midland radios.

Midland recently started making a $130 GMRS radio that is up to business-class radio specifications. It's got a metal chassis, and is pretty awesome for a GMRS radio, but $130 is simply too much to drop in a radio of that type for me.

http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products ... -5000.aspx There's a link for you.

When selecting your radios, I would pay attention to the "IPX rating" on them. IPx is a rating for dust/dirt and water resistance. You will see numbers like "IP66" or "IPX6" or stuff like that.

IP stands for "Ingress Protection". there are 2 fields for digits after IP. The first is for dust/dirt ingress, the second for water. If the manufacturer hasnt tested their unit against dust, they will just put an X in its place.

IP66 means a rating of 6 against both dust and water
IPX7 means a rating of 7 against water, and no rating against dust

You can read more about the IP ratings here: http://www.lakemartin.com/BoatingWaterproofSpecs.asp You really want IPX6 or better in any radio thats going to be outside for very long.


GMRS vs FRS


GMRS is a superset of FRS. GMRS is a higher-output radio system that requires a FCC family license to use, and that almost no one bothers to get. It's like $75 for a 3-year license. If you use a GMRS radio on the GMRS-only bands without a license, you're in violation of a FCC regulation for transmitting without a license. FCC currently has about a dozen field inspectors for the entire continental US, so with that kind of enforcement level, and 10 million GMRS radios sold every year, you're bound to get caught eventually.

[NoAm]

I have found when it comes to the FRS radios, not all claims of mileage (area) are correct. You have a lot to think of (terrain, waves, etc.) I would say consider what you need and double it, or take what you can get and be happy with about half of what they claim.
As far as ham, that isn't always an option for everyone.
I think in this case the OP is about a communication tool for shorter distances.
I realize that Ham isn't always an option or concern, so let's try to keep the Ham discussion within the applicable threads please.

[zommoz10]

I have found when it comes to the FRS radios, not all claims of mileage (area) are correct.

Have you found ANY to be correct?
They're more than incorrect. They're deceptive.

[NoAm]

I have found when it comes to the FRS radios, not all claims of mileage (area) are correct.

Have you found ANY to be correct?
They're more than incorrect. They're deceptive.

Exactly! That's why I suggested doubling your desired area. The whole 2 is 1 and 1 is none

[zommoz10]

Midland advertises their radios are "50 channels". Dont believe it.
(SNIP)
When selecting your radios, I would pay attention to the "IPX rating" on them.

If you can't trust the packaging to tell you the actual number of channels and
if you can't trust the packaging to tell you what kind of range to expect,
why would you trust anything it says?

Jerkoff HAM people telling you to get a license or repurpose a business-class radio should probably stop reading at this point.

Oops I guess I failed to follow the instructions.

FCC currently has about a dozen field inspectors for the entire continental US, so with that kind of enforcement level, and 10 million GMRS radios sold every year, you're bound to get caught eventually.

That's cute but you don't realize that GMRS, much like the Amateur radio service is pretty heavily self-policed. If you're transmitting without a license, anyone could file a complaint and submit evidence to the FCC. They can investigate it right from a field office. Just because you can't hear one another beyond a city block doesn't mean other people can't.

[crypto]

FCC currently has about a dozen field inspectors for the entire continental US, so with that kind of enforcement level, and 10 million GMRS radios sold every year, you're bound to get caught eventually.

That's cute but you don't realize that GMRS, much like the Amateur radio service is pretty heavily self-policed. If you're transmitting without a license, anyone could file a complaint and submit evidence to the FCC. They can investigate it right from a field office. Just because you can't hear one another beyond a city block doesn't mean other people can't.

I told him to get a license because he was going to get caught, what part of that was unclear?




I see that someone has already reported my last post, and I apologize for using the term jerkoff.

I'm a ham too, but not an evangelical one. I understand that some people don't like fucking with radios, don't enjoy radios as a hobby, and just want a simple tool to perform a desired function. Many hams dont. They will push FCC Part 97 as a panacea for all problems. They fail to understand that MOST PEOPLE JUST DONT WANT TO FUCK WITH RADIOS. Most people DONT WANT TO MAKE RADIOS THEIR HOBBY. They want a tool to perform a specific task, and the simpler the better.


Many hams, specially on ZS, are really bad about turning every single radio thread into a discussion about why ham radio is better than any alternative. I'm truly getting tired of it. It's getting as bad as gun forums where some dude asks what people think of a glock and then gets dogpiled by a bunch of people telling him he needs to hand-build a 1911.


Anyway, I'm answering his question about GMRS radios. Thats what he asked about.

[kmcdon3960]

I'm not going to debate licensing here, but I would suggest looking at the motorola ms350r radios. They're basically the same thing as the OP radios, but they're 'waterproof' and they float. They take AA batteries if your rechargeable packs die.

They're repeater capable, but that doesn't matter to you. It just, to me, means that it's a slightly higher-quality radio for a bubble pack. I have both the ms350r and the mr350r, the latter is basically the same thing as the ones you posted, and the MS version feels much, much tougher then the MR version. just my opinion though.

edit:
I just re-read the specs on the radios you posted, op.
it seems to me that they're probably almost the exact same circuitry as the ms350r, just in a non-waterproof casing. I for one choose water protection whenever possible, because when the shtf you're going to really appreciate being able to have your stuff get rained on all day, and not cause a problem.

[Kutter_0311]

Thank you all for your valued input. It's pretty clear that these are NOT the droids I'm looking for!

As Crypto noted, I need a tool to get the job done. As with the never-ending AR vs AK debate, AK ALL THE WAY!

I'm not a comm bubba, or I wouldn't be asking this kind of question. I'd have started out reading books and manuals and magazines(like I did with guns and motorcycles, which are the hobbies I love), and I would have my own firmly entrenched views(ZRX1200R/AK/Glock).

And thank you, kmcdon3960, for pointing out the MS's rather than these MR's.

For another few dollars, I'm buying the waterproof floaters!

Yes, I plan to get the family license.

[KJ4VOV]

I'm a ham too, but not an evangelical one. I understand that some people don't like fucking with radios, don't enjoy radios as a hobby, and just want a simple tool to perform a desired function. Many hams dont. They will push FCC Part 97 as a panacea for all problems. They fail to understand that MOST PEOPLE JUST DONT WANT TO FUCK WITH RADIOS. Most people DONT WANT TO MAKE RADIOS THEIR HOBBY. They want a tool to perform a specific task, and the simpler the better.

When you walk into a hardware store looking for a tool, and you describe a big fwonking hammer to the guy behind the counter, should you be surprised if he tries to sell you one? If what you need is a sledge hammer he's not doing you any favors if he tells you to buy a tack hammer. You may not like the price of the sledge hammer, or the weight, or want to learn how to use it, but if it's the right tool for the job don't get pissed off at the guy for trying to sell you one.

[zommoz10]

I told him to get a license because he was going to get caught, what part of that was unclear?

It came across as sarcastic....
Be sure to get a license because there's 10 million radios sold a year and 12 people to enforce the rules.

I see that someone has already reported my last post, and I apologize for using the term jerkoff.

Well it wasn't me. I didn't take it personally and I don't believe in heavy moderation of forums. I believe if you're going to make a comment on the forum, you've got 10 minutes to change your mind and after that it's etched in stone as a permanent record for all the world to see.

Many hams, specially on ZS, are really bad about turning every single radio thread into a discussion about why ham radio is better than any alternative. I'm truly getting tired of it. It's getting as bad as gun forums where some dude asks what people think of a glock and then gets dogpiled by a bunch of people telling him he needs to hand-build a 1911.

That reminds me of the pickup truck blogs and forums. Lots of my brand is better than your brand.
I can see how that might get irritating, but isn't everyone entitled to post their opinion? You posted your case for a particular radio. I didn't see anyone criticize you or complain about the the people that suggest FRS or CB services as alternatives to the ARS.

Anyway, I'm answering his question about GMRS radios. Thats what he asked about.

There's lots of radios that are certified for GMRS. There's a large number of them that I would recommend for the OP. But they aren't sold at Amazon or Walmart.

And when the OP's avatar is wearing a military uniform and is asking for a "solid" radio for " tactical/scout ops" and that "ability to use a remote ear-bud and PPT mic would be handy", the absolute last thing that comes to mind is a blister pack radio.
I wasn't trying to sell him on any particular radio service as without more information, it sounds to me like all of them would be inappropriate. Being "tactical" and whatnot.

[spotdog14]

Ill throw my two cents in on this. I purchased these radio's about two years ago for a skiing trip because I didn't want to bring my cell phone with me. I have used a lot of Motorola "talkabouts" in the past so I was expecting these to work like those. They didn't, they DO NOT like the cold at all, they stop working under 30* and have a very limited range when traveling in a convoy.

[crypto]

Blame that on your batteries.

Performance problems in cold weather is almost always a battery chemistry problem. This is one of those circumstances where alkalines and Ni-MH batteries fall short, and the crazy-expensive Lithium AA's really shine.