Does anyone have these? Me and a buddy are considering them, but I seem to break every electronic device I take out on the trail. I know it will require a FCC license, but my concern is the outdoor elements and the quality of the sound. We were using FRS radios with a push to talk switch on the handlebar, but really didn't work well with our voice (used roger tones as a "morse code&quot, and they just broke.


Thanks,

Rainman

 

Our experience with the Chatterbox radios has been very good. We bought seven of the multi-sport helmet mounted frs radios about 2 1/2 years ago. They have been the best addition for peace of mind (besides my gps) that I could have purchased. When we first bought them, two of them had microphone problems. We contacted the factory, and they took care of us with no problem. Great customer service. Since then, we have proceded to literally abuse the radios on a regular basis. My son was involved in a wreck where his broke off of the helmet. I thought surely the radio was done for......but it turns out the mounting bracket was the only thing that broke, and the radio works fine. We have used them in the rain with no problem. Mud....no problem. Helmets falling off the quad and landing on the radio....no problem. They claim two miles range, but I think that's pushing it a bit. All frs radios claim two miles, but I don't believe it. In the mountains of Kentucky, I would guess we get 1/2 to 1 mile depending if you are in a creekbed in a valley...or on top of the mountain. I guess if two people were on tops of mountains two miles away, it might work.

I don't like the voice activated feature myself(on any radio, not just these), but it has proved invaluable for my five year old son. He doesn't have to concentrate on pushing a button to key the mic. He just talks to dad a little loud to get over the engine noise.

They have come out with a couple of new models that I haven't gotten to play with yet, but one of them is digital with more channels and has a five mile rating. I have three friends who have bought them recently, but I haven't had the chance to see them in real life situations yet. If they turn out as good as the ones I have, I'll probably add two more to family. I believe in them that much.

Sorry for being long winded, but I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, just e-mail me at Barnettcrew@yahoo.com.

Good luck.....

 

I have heard good things about Chatterbox, BUT. If you want to spend very little money on bike-to-bike radios, go with FRS. I bought 2 radios and 2 earbud/mic sets for $75. at Walmart! They do well, even in the foothills of the Appalachian Mtns.(S.E. Ohio-WNF)!

 

Do you have the URL for FRS as i need to contact them directly as I am based in South Africa...

 

FRS stands for Family Radio Services - It is a government alocated frequency spectrum. You may need to talk with your government to make sure they are permitted in your country. Again, this is a US specification.

I have a couple of FRS radios, Kenwood Freetalks, that I got from Bill's 2 way and have been very happy with them. This place seems to have good prices. Also check out the new Cobra GMRS radios, better range and you can get the onew with weather alerts.

 

Raptor,
Sorry to burst your bubble but Chatterbox radios aren't GMRS. General Mobile Radio Service. GMRS radios function between 460 and 470 mHz. The few different models they make are either 49 mHz and the 900 mHz. Obviously, the 900 mHz give better range.

As the wife bought me a couple of GMRS radios a while back, I remember reading something about they are only legal here in the states. The other day, I was previewing 2 way radios at Amazon.com and came across this note from the electronic evaluators they have on staff. Please take note its from their mouth, not mine. So I can't vouche for authenticity.

"You can't use FRS radios outside of the United States or Canada--other countries use FRS frequencies for emergency or other, noncivilian uses. If you're caught broadcasting illegally on those frequencies, the penalties can be severe, so leave the devices at home if you're vacationing outside North America"

I'm sorry about the delay as I remember reading this forum awhile back, and reading the above snippet recently, it just finally clicked. lol.

 

My buddy and I bought them. They work good, except that the the weatherproof feature doesn't exist.

I find you have to constantly tune the VOX. When I get above 35 or so, the Push to talk button is a requirement. I ripped mine off at Silver Lake, an d am going to use a different, much better PTT switch. I also paid the $75 to have a FCC license to use mine.

Rainman

 

Rainman,

How long is the license valid for? I kept going over the FCC website, and couldn't find the answer. I'm planning on ordering 2 headsets from ALF Enterprises. Heres the site I found:
www.alfenterprises.com/rf_limited_ch550.htm

So far, they have the best deal for these style headsets. I've seen others range up to over $100.
The part I like best is if you bucked off your ATV, it just disconnects rather than tearing cables apart.

Midland has those throat mics, but they are totally exposed to the wind and dust with your helmet on. They aren't on their website, but you can get them with Part #22-430 @ $44.90/EA
www.midlandradio.com

I totally agree with you on VOX being totally useless when riding. And taking a hand off the handlebars to push the PTT button isn't all that safe riding in the woods either. I hope a manufacturer (Motorola, Midland,Cobra?) would come to realize that theres a valid headset requirement for motorcycles, atv's, and snowmobilers.

 

Rbowman,

I have had some fun with this. I also have the headset which plugs into a normal FRS radio. We had a pair of cobra FRS 220. Really didn't work well, as we started using the roger tones to communicate (morse code). They aren't very isolated from ignition and magneto noises.

Ours were like 230 EACH. The license is good for 5 years..Here is the link to get licensed.

http://www.hrdent.com/gmrs/gmrsapp.html

 

I stand corrected. I didn't know they made a Chatterbox X-1 communicator. I just learned this about 5 minutes ago. (Hey, at least I admit I'm wrong as compared to 3/4 of the ppl in these groups!!)