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Rino Vs Frs Radios


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MooseMaMa and I use RINO 120s when we cache together, they are selectable FRS/GMRS, range is limited by line of sight. In heavy woods, valleys, city canyons the range is limited...maybe 300 to 500 yards. Kayaking on open water...the range is amazing...2 to 5 miles under optimum conditions.

Regards,

Bill

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Well I can't say I have ever used the garmin Garmin Rino, but I have used the FRS a lot. You’re right, they are limited by range but I think they are still an excellent tool. I would say u can get 500 meters of clear communication is moderate woods. Obviously not the “fix all” to losing your partners, but have u ever tried to have a conversation at half a kilometer? Also they work great in cars (or military convoys)

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I have a Rino 130 and tested a 120 and the 110. I found the quality of the frs to be poor at best because of lousy speakers, but I love my 130 because of the electronic compas. I would recomend buying a set of frs/gmrs radios with rechargable capabilities because if you use them often, the savings in batteries will outweigh the additional cost of the charger.

 

I use the frs feature all the time, and as long as you are in open spaces a few miles is not uncomon. I have also used it in the mountains and been really suprised at the distances. Best of luck with your decision.

 

Shonzo

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If you want radios that will work, get a ham radio license. It's and easy test, the cost is about $10.00 a year. You will have access to repeaters the will relay your signal several miles, in some areas it could be over 100 miles. Each person in your group will need a Lic. but as I said, it is easy to get one.

 

As far as FRS and GMRS, they are toys

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If you want radios that will work, get a ham radio license. It's and easy test, the cost is about $10.00 a year. You will have access to repeaters the will relay your signal several miles, in some areas it could be over 100 miles. Each person in your group will need a Lic. but as I said, it is easy to get one.

 

As far as FRS and GMRS, they are toys

So are ham radios, they just cost more! :wacko:

 

ex-WA7IBM

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I have a Rino 110 (my first GPS) and a Rino 130.

 

The 110 worked flawlessly on the receiving in, "ok" on sending. A friend (also had a 110) and I tested them out near the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta in an NRA. During tests, we would use cell phones to figure out how far we were when the radio's broke up. We figured the "real" effective range was about .5 miles, with occasional bursts of .8 miles.

 

(Edit: Keep in mind that the northern half of GA, while not "mountainous", is definitely not flat either. We were on opposite sides of fairly large hills, along creeks and streams, along the riverbank, etc. I think these figures represent "real-world" use. If you find an FRS radio that *consistantly* works over a 1 mile range in mixed terrain, buy stock in that company and let me know the ticker symbol.)

 

I had major issues with the radio on my 130, eventually having to send it back to Garmin, who replaced the entire unit. The receiver would "fade" in and out, and the microphone quality - which is not the best to begin with on the Rino - was absolutely horrid. Completely "static-y" and garbled on other FRS radios (including other Rinos).

 

Once replaced, though, reception is perfect and sending - while still not perfect - is now adequate. Effective range still appears to be in that .5 to .8 range.

 

The Rinos work absolutely fantastic if you keep in mind how they are designed: A quality GPS with *added* radio cababilities. Sending waypoints and location information is awesome. The radio (taking Rolls Royce out of context here) is "adequate". For longer hikes or with widely (greater than a mile) distributed persons, I also carry a Motorola Talkabout T5900, just in case. But then, you're hitting the effective range of FRS anyways, so...

 

You can have mine when you pry it from my cold, lifeless hands. :wacko: I can't comment on GMRS as I'm not licensed and have never activated it.

Edited by Cymbaline
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