Cobra LI-7200 Review

[jwilkers]

Cobra LI-7200 Review


Cobra has a very exciting model for its 2008 product line.

FCC ID:BBOLI7200
Industry Canada Certification Number: 906B-LI7200

Power output:
1.78 W ERP GMRS
300 mW FRS


This radio is approved for FRS use on Channels 1-7 under low power operation only. FRS may be used on channels 8-14 also. A GMRS license is required on all other channels and power levels. Medium power is available on GMRS channels only.

Features:
22 Channel operation FRS/GMRS
Channel Scan
Lithium-Ion battery
Weather radio
Vibrate page.
CTCSS/DCS Squelch
Memory channel programming
VOX Function
single pin speaker mike jack. (compatible with single-pin Motorola Accessories)



Observations:

The manual states the lights on the charging stand will stay on all the time. I noticed, the lights got dimmer, and finally went out altogether. I am unsure if this is a manual misprint or defective charger. In any case the batteries were fully charged. I am assuming the charger has no defects, and it was simply a design change after the manual print date.

There is a lot going on. Some functions require a good look at the manual. Memory channels especially. If you study up, you can learn quickly.

The memory channels are poorly implemented. You need to scroll through and find them. Once there, you are fine. There shold be an option for the radio to default to memory channels... not a good function for novice users.

Performance Review:

Battery life: Very long life. They exceeded 24 hours on scan before I gave up and recharged. Needless to say.. they will work all day for you. The 1500 mAh battery is unheard of in consumer-grade radios. The voltage is the equivalent of 6 AA Nimh cells. This is also tops in the consumer-grade market. This goes a long way in assisting in the long range I discovered.


Audio:
Volume is sufficient for average use. Noisy areas will probably require a speaker mike.
Received audio quality is very good, considering the small speaker size. No problem understanding other radios.

Receiver Performance:
The receiver I think is very sensitive. There was some household electronics interference, which stopped scanning on channel 12. Household interference with these radios is not serious. ALL radios will have this to a degree. Use of CTCSS or DCS makes this a total nonfactor. The sensitive receiver helps extend communications range.


Communications Ranges:
House To Car: 1.43 miles
House to person: 1.83 miles
Person to person: 2.19 Miles
Car to car: 1.23 miles


Terrain is suburban, with houses, some commercial properties and a lot of trees. Your experiences may differ.


I was very impressed by communications ranges for this model. Ranges were measured point-to-point via Google Earth. This is the best communication range I've ever experienced overall on radios I've reviewed.

Final Observations:

These are very good radios and should serve a person very well. I would like to see a way to lock out channels while scanning, however, the memory function can help circumvent any unwanted channels. The memory function wasn't implemented the way I would have liked it, but it does work, and can be useful. Do not get me wrong about the few drawbacks I mentioned. Every radio is going to have something that a user may see room for improvement on. These radios have a nice look and feel, and work very well.

I'd recommend these radios.

[Danny]

Thanks for the review! The 1.78 watts for the Cobra LI7200 is the most of any radio in this class right now. I'm really impressed with those range numbers. I think this is a significant improvement for Cobra.

[jwilkers]

The battery life is also incredible... they just won't die. I have never had them go dead yet! I got 'em low enough for the charger to see; but am still letting 'em scan to run down the batteries. A 1500 mAh pack is massive, considering the average radio has a pack well below 1000 mAh. Voltage of the pacvk is also higher than typical... BTW 48 hours powered on, still kicking. Now though in battery save mode. I'll scan some more tomorrow.... incredible.

[kinetic]

Just wondering - The review states that the LI-7200 can be used on channels 1-7 under low power only. The manual shows low-medium-high power
on 1-7 ? (Low on 8-14) .

[kinetic]

Just answered my own question. High power IS available on channels 1-7
if you have a GMRS license. Sorry about the confusion.

[jwilkers]

Originally Posted by kinetic

Just answered my own question. High power IS available on channels 1-7
if you have a GMRS license. Sorry about the confusion.

I'll look it over and see if I can clarify it. I typically fine tune my reviews if I overlooked something, or someone has questions.

[ltrain]

does this radio have the transmition delay problem that was an issue with cobra radios in the past.

[jwilkers]

Originally Posted by ltrain

does this radio have the transmition delay problem that was an issue with cobra radios in the past.

There were none that I noticed. Bear in mind, you will need to hold the tranmit button down, then wait a half second or so before talking if you are using a CTCSS/DCS tone. This allows the receiving radio to receive and decode the incoming signal. This is typical of all radios using PL/DPL.

[plasma]

Thank you for your review. I purchased the Cobra-LI7200 WX a few days ago and during the charging I observed exactly what you observed.

"The manual states the lights on the charging stand will stay on all the time. I noticed, the lights got dimmer, and finally went out altogether. I am unsure if this is a manual misprint or defective charger. In any case the batteries were fully charged. I am assuming the charger has no defects, and it was simply a design change after the manual print date."

I took out my volt meter and found the batteries to be fully charged ( 7.94, 7.93 volts respectively. The charger electrodes in both cradles measured 11.95 volts each , also 11.95 volts at the charger plug. The AC/DC adapter states a 12 volt output. I too tried to run down the batteries (transmitting, scanning, a weather band broadcast on full volume for a period time) but to no avail. When I put the unit back into the charger cradle, the charge light ever so slightly illuminated then went out. The battery sticker states a nominal 7.4 volts output, so I guess the charger “charge light” doesn’t illuminate until the battery voltage falls below that value.

By design, a lithium-ion battery charger "charge light" should turn off when their batteries are fully charged, so I'll assume that our observations do not point to a problem and the manual is indeed incorrect.

[jwilkers]

I had the radios on for 4 hours at the zoo today... They weren't ready to be charged

Amazing battery life.