Another Garmin Rino Review

[+AzBat]

All,

 

I know some of you are interested in this unit as much as I am. In my quest to find reviews, I came across what I think is the most detailed hands-on review so far. I found it at "Joe Mehaffey and Jack Yeazel's GPS Information Website". The URL is listed below.

 

http://www.gpsinformation.net/rino/rinorev.htm

 

Any comments?

 

Tommy McClain

[Alphawolf]

quote:

---

The radio is a low power short range unit operating in the Family Radio Service (FRS) and the range will be less than a mile in most cases unless GMRS repeater services are used.

---

Yeah....I would say so! Like just over 1/2 mile. Then, just barely over one mile using GMRS.

 

"Never take a sunset for granted. Stop what you are doing and enjoy it. You never know when it may be your last"

[mnelson78]

Everyone always talks about how the radios aren't that great, my feeling is that the Rino isn't cool because it has a GPS and a radio, it is cool because it combines the two to give you the cool feature of position sending. If you're not going to use the position sending feature (I use it all the time) then you should buy a good GPS and a good radio.

 

-Matt

[Brasileiro]

quote:

---

Everyone always talks about how the radios aren't that great, my feeling is that the Rino isn't cool because it has a GPS and a radio, it is cool because it combines the two to give you the cool feature of position sending. If you're not going to use the position sending feature (I use it all the time) then you should buy a good GPS and a good radio.

 

-Matt

---

The peer-to-peer positioning is transmitted over the FRS frequencies, so with the radio being as it is you cannot transmit your location as well as you'd like. Peer-to-peer positoning is only as good as the radio is. And we have all read how good the radio is.

[+AzBat]

All,

 

I started checking out other FRS & GMRS radios to see what their power ratings were. First checked out Wal-Mart.com and and it seems all their FRS radios are rated at 0.5 watts. Their GMRS radios were rated at 1.0 watts. Also I checked out all of the radios on Motorola's Talkabout web site and all their FRS radios are rated at 0.5 watts. Most of their GMRS radios were rated at 1.0 watts, but they had a couple that were almost 2.0 watts.

 

Seems to me that Garmin targeted their Rino power ratings at the exact same specs as their radio competitors. So I don't expect their range to be any worse than competing radios. I'm now starting to think the concerns regarding the range of the radio to be insignificant.

 

Tommy McClain

[Alphawolf]

quote:

---

So I don't expect their range to be any worse than competing radios.

---

 

I sell, own, and field test both Cobra, Motorola and in the past, other brands of FRS/GMRS for the past 4 years. Trust me......the RINOs not only won't go the distance, but sound worse trying to.

 

"Never take a sunset for granted. Stop what you are doing and enjoy it. You never know when it may be your last"

[+AzBat]

Alphawolf,

 

I'm starting to wonder if your experiences with them was a fluke. For as bad as you are making them sound, I would doubt that Garmin would let them ship with that kind of problem. I would suggest contacting Garmin's tech support to find out what's wrong.

 

As for myself, I'm going to keep an open mind and wait till I get a chance to test them out myself before I will conclude they are as bad as you think they are.

 

Tommy McClain

[Alphawolf]

I don't think they were a fluke. I pulled two different units out of our store stock to test.(as I do with all new radio models we receive for retail sale) I tested a 110 and a 120. The radio performance was the same on both (I wouldn't expect it to be different between them, though)I don't mean to imply they are unusable. Just unsatisfactory. The quality of the sound was way sub-par for most 1/2 watt FRS radios and 1 watt GMRS radios. I am comparing them primarily to Motorola and Cobra radios, as I have the most experience with them (I own six of my own). This whole concept is a great idea, but I wish they had contracted with Motorola(and if we find out Motorola *did* build the radios, they should be embarassed) to build the radio part of the unit. I was eager to purchase a pair of these units ever since I read about the concept. Even through all the delays (which was really hard, being as I both sold and wanted them)I eagerly waited. When they finally showed up and I took a pair of the 110's for a week, I was really disappointed. I figured like you, it must be a fluke. When the 120's showed up, I tested them next. That was the final nail for me. I still am a total Garmin fan. I just won't be buying these particular models until something changes. I won't give up on them, though. I will keep testing them against my Motorolas and Cobras every once in a while. I'm not saying don't buy them, I'm just saying don't expect too much out of the radios. Alphawolf out

 

"Never take a sunset for granted. Stop what you are doing and enjoy it. You never know when it may be your last"

[+leatherman]

I don't know what kind of shop you have.

I've been wanting a pair of hand held Cobra CBs for a while. I want the Cobra 38 WX ST. If you have some info on them, I'm curious to know more about them.

 

I don't have any grand expectations of them. I know they will not perform to the full 4 watts that they are rated for. If they do, so much the better.

I have a pair of Kenwood FRS radios that I like allot. They have a privacy/scramble feature I use all the time. My buddy and I use them at work. However I would like a radio that will reach out three or four miles. When I have to go into town.

I have a Cobra on my motorcycle with the Sound Tracker. I like the way it performs.

 

I've never owned a Hand Held CB before. I see them in the pawn shops all the time. Is the performance so bad that no one wants to keep them?

 

If you do not extend your expectations unto others, you will not be disappointed by the stupid things they do.

Mokita!

[Alphawolf]

Well, the big problem with the CB band (26.965 to 27.405 MHz) is that they operate on the AM side. This means a lot of static and interference. They are a lot more succeptable to atmospheric conditions that "bounce" signals all over the continent. Sometimes you can't raise your buddy 2 miles in front of you, but you will be talking to someone 2500 miles away like they are next door. This is called "skip". The radios are typically a lot bigger and heavier than their FM walkie-talkie counterparts. Pretty much nowadays, the only group using CB's to any degree are the long-haul truckers.

 

"Never take a sunset for granted. Stop what you are doing and enjoy it. You never know when it may be your last"

[+leatherman]

I understand all the strange side effects AM suffers from. I'm old enough to know all about CB.

 

I'm interested in the specific product.

There are many disadvantages to this product. Nine batteries, size, AM, antenna size.

I'm not interested in GMRS. Even the repeater possibilities.

 

I was just asking if you had any info on this product.

 

If you do not extend your expectations unto others, you will not be disappointed by the stupid things they do.

Mokita!

[Alphawolf]

Sorry, don't have anything on this radio at all. All we carry is Marine band, FRS/GMRS. I thought you were enquiring about CB in general. If you know about CB's then that means you are in the over 40 group huh?

 

"Never take a sunset for granted. Stop what you are doing and enjoy it. You never know when it may be your last"

[+leatherman]

Thanks anyway.

 

If you do not extend your expectations unto others, you will not be disappointed by the stupid things they do.

Mokita!

[Cache Canucks]

quote:

---

Originally posted by leatherman:

"...I've never owned a Hand Held CB before. I see them in the pawn shops all the time. Is the performance so bad that no one wants to keep them?..."

---

 

...is physics.

 

The lower a transmitter's frequency, the longer that frequency's wavelength. The longer the wavelength, the longer the antenna needs to be in order to efficiently radiate RF (or 'signal'). The more efficient the antenna is, the better its performance (range).

 

Although CB's 27Mhz frequencies fall in the HF ('high' frequency) range of the RF spectrum, they still have a relatively long (11 metre) full wavelength. This becomes of particular concern (a problem) when you try to construct an antenna that, while working on these frequencies, is short enough to be practical for use on handheld equipment. The result is serious compromises in performance for the sake of portability ...and this is the case for any brand of CB handheld - regardless of power output. By comparison, an FRS radio utilizes frequencies in the 460Mhz ('ultra high' frequency) range, which are much higher and have a significantly shorter (0.65 metre) full wavelength. As a result, there is less of a compromise made in the construction of a portable FRS antenna, since the antenna can be of a practical 'handheld' size while still being reasonably close to its most efficient (full wavelength) length. This is why a quality FRS radio, despite its low power and 'rubber ducky' antenna, will normally perform significantly better over ranges of up to about 2.5kms than a CB handheld that may be transmitting with several times the wattage ...the FRS antenna is simply more efficient at radiating the power that's fed to it than a CB handheld's could ever possibly be.

 

And as a certain Scottish engineer was known to say "...ye can't change the laws of physics...".

 

All that to say, if you're looking for performance in a handheld two-way radio, steer away from the HF stuff (which includes CB) and get yourself something in the VHF/UHF range.