Hello all. Currently I am looking for a radio to use with my nephews when we go out on adventures and to amusement parks. Also, they may get used when riding motorcycles in a nearby area that has no cell service. Originally I was looking at the T605 by Motorola because it is ip67 and some of the adventures we may get into will be in the water. The boxes I’m trying to check are as follows GMRS, repeated channels, IP67 rated , and smaller “frs” form factor? Closest thing I could find was ms350r and ms355r. Both of which are discontinued.
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Do you have a license?
Hi Renee, welcome to the forum! The T605 is actually an FRS radio, and probably one of the most rugged in its class. There were some Uniden models that were waterproof, but most of them have since been discontinued. The DeWALT radios are also IP67 and extremely rugged business grade radios. Both of them are also FRS radios.
Of course the FRS radios are not repeater capable. Most of the GMRS radios currently available are not IP67, however the new Wouxun KG-805G is IP55 and is repeater capable. It’s also a full 5 watts. It is also fairly compact and uses a Kenwood K1 style audio connector.
Currently I do not have a license. I’ll get one if required based on the radio I purchase.
Any radio supporting repeater operation will require a GMRS license (and the radio should be type-accepted for that service, of course).
If you can get by without that, Rick is right about the Moto T600 series- they are a brick of an FRS radio, and have been with my family on many outdoor trips, including ride-alongs in canoes and kayaks. The 2 watts they provide has worked very well for us. If you don’t go for a GMRS license and the corresponding radios, I’d highly recommend them.
The only other consideration I would think of for you would be the headset (if you are taking them on a bike you probably want that). Talkabouts on the upper-end (at least T400,500,600 and 800 series) support them, but you need to enable VOX and they use a one-plug connector. I don’t know how tough the options for that style are. There may be some rugged headsets, but I’ve never looked. The Kenwood style on the Wouxun KG-805G is pretty robust and opens up some high quality options, not the least of which being some weather-resistant speaker mics, etc. You could protect the radio against the elements that way.
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Well I bit the bullet and got my gmrs license. Also I found a pair of open box Ms350r out of Canada for 70 shipped. A day later I found a pair on ebay For $40. So now I have 4 of them on the way.
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