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Admin
| | Posted on Friday, November 30, 2001 - 9:55 pm: | 
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The Cobra FRS-110 is a compact radio that measures approximately 6 3/4" H, 2 3/8" W, and only 1 1/8" D. It is a 14 channel handheld FRS radio with 8 step volume control, that is controlled by a push-button switch on the front of the radio. While adjusting the volume the radio beeps with each step, and displays the level of volume from 1 (the lowest) to 8 (the highest).
The radio also features a back lit LCD display which shows you which channel you are operating on (1 through 14) and also has an icon which tells the user when the radio is transmitting or receiving a signal. There is also a button that allows the user to illuminate the LCD display when pressed. Press the button and the display lights up, and stays lit for 10 seconds. The button that activates the light for the display doubles as a squelch that can help you better receive broken up transmissions that are not quite making the trip to your radio. If a transmission is broken up, simply push and hold the light button for a one second and this opens the squelch on the radio allowing you to better hear the transmission you are trying to receive. Press and hold the light button for five seconds and the radio stays squelched until you press the button again. I warn against keeping the radio squelched for long periods of time for the sake of battery life. But more on that topic later.
The Cobra FRS-110 also features, like most other FRS radios, a call button. Pressing this button allows the user to send a tone to all other radios receiving on the same frequency to alert them of an incoming transmission. This feature, to me is for all intents and purposes, useless, and annoying. It can also be abused and completely clog up all hopes of communications within the 2 mile range the manufacturer claims this radio is capable of. Transmitting this tone for greater than ten seconds is also a violation of FCC rules governing the FRS.
Of course this radio has a PTT button which works like any other push-to-talk button on any other radio or microphone. Press to talk, release to listen. When you release the PTT button the radio sends an End Of Transmission tone, commonly known as a Roger Beep, which can be nice, or can be the source for a migraine during heavy bouts of transmissions. . Every transmission from the Cobra FRS-110 ends with a multi-toned roger beep. Roger Beeps have their purposes, as anything else, but it would be nice if you could turn the thing off. You can't with this radio.
The antenna is about three inches in length and somewhat flexible. The antenna is NOT removable. This is the case with all FRS radios, as the FCC rules state the antenna of an FRS radio must be an integral part of the radio.
There is a speaker-mic jack on the top of the radio where you can affix a remote speaker microphone. Cobra sells this and other accessories, but I was using the radio shack version, and it works well. It's also much less expensive.
Out in the woods, I found myself hanging the radio from a tree while I was sitting to get the maximum height out of the radio, and allowing the speaker-mic to hang down near my face. This way the radio is as high as possible and I can still use it through the speaker-mic. The radio I purchased came as a set of two, with a desktop charger, NiCad battery pack, belt clip, and charger jack. This setup can be had for around $60. Very affordable compared to other FRS radios on the market. I will say the NiCad batteries did not perform as well as I had hoped. After a full charge the batteries only lasted four and a half hours. Using regular alkaline batteries, this radio should last about 24 hours on a new set of four AAA's. (Not Included). Battery consumption should not be a problem if you are using the radios conservatively, but if you like to ratchet jaw a lot, you better bring along an extra set. I had the unfortunate experience of standing of a dead buck with dead batteries, a mile from camp, and no way to call for help. Not good. But a lesson learned for next time. Bring more batteries, or don't rely on the rechargeables.
The radio is simple, and no-frills. It lacks a very important feature that I will definitely be looking into before I embark on my weekend hunting pilgrimage next year. That being, a radio with CTCSS tone capability or commonly called quiet codes in the world of FRS communications. This substantially cuts down on interference from other users that happen to be on the same frequency as you are. How the "quiet codes" work, is when programmed, the radio will only receive transmissions from another radio, if the other radios is transmitting those codes. The same way repeaters keep unwanted transmissions out. If my radio is setup on channel 13 for instance, with a quiet code of 20, my radio will only receive a transmission coming from a radio transmitting on channel 13 and with a quiet code of 20. This can keep your "group" receiving only the radios you want to receive and keeps all the other riff-raff of other users on the same frequency out. Your transmissions are not private though, any radio, can still receive what you are transmitting, so be careful what you say. Keep it clean anyway, this IS the Family Radio Service.
There are dozens of FRS radios on the market, with features to numerous to mention like, scan, dual channel watch, compasses, FM radios, thermometers, altimeters, baby monitor functions, VOX transmit capabilities, and a whole lot more. The Cobra FRS-110 is a simple, inexpensive radio, and lacks ALL of those features. That's just fine for most users though.
I guess you are waiting for me to mention how these radios actually worked in the harsh terrain I spoke of in the beginning of this review. They worked great. There is no other way to describe how these radios worked except for great. The FCC allows for a maximum RF output of 1/2 watt in the FRS system, and I had my doubts when I ventured out into the darkness at 5:30 in the morning, but the Cobra FRS-110 is a darn good radio. I was lucky enough to be able to talk to a buddy of mine who was a mile and a half back in the bush from the porch of our hunting camp. I conversed with him, and everybody in between on the hill. No problems whatsoever. The transmissions were loud, clear, and had a just a touch of static mixed in, but not enough to affect communications at all. A mile and a half is surely not the maximum range of this radio, as it performed, like I said before, great! Building penetration at this range is poor. We had to go outside to talk to the guys way back in the bush, but that's okay with us.
I would have to say that the Cobra FRS-100 is an excellent investment for fun and safety, and will give you hours of enjoyment. No, this radio does not have all the bells and whistles of its newer counterparts, but if reliable short range communications is what you're after than definitely check out the Cobra FRS-110! |
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