Hi, All
I am the director of sound at a regional theater company. We need to replace our aging hodgepodge of crappy 2 way radios. I am looking for suggestions as to what would serve us well. I have a list of needs:
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not very expensive - under $50 / radio. The way things go missing around the backstage of a theater, I don’t want to keep having to replace an expensive unit.
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I don’t need all the bells and whistles. In fact, the simpler to use, the more likely it will do what I need when I need it. No weather scan, auto scan, emergency alerts, etc.
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Coverage is not much an issue; I don’t need 30 miles range, the old style (frs?) works fine in the building.
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I need to be able to turn off the button beeps and the rodger beep. This is critical because we are in a live performance environment.
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It needs to be STURDY, and I would like about 5 years usage out of these units.
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I would like it to come with a good quality rechargeable battery, and if possible also be able to take AA’s in the event the rechargeable dies.
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A plus would be if it came with came with a wired headset.
Two units I am considering are the Midland GXT900VP4 and also the Cobra LI-7200. I am open to Motorola as well, but I know that MANY of their lower priced units are very dodgy-- I own several. My only concern with the two models I mentioned is that they might do “too much”. I don’t want to spend a lot of time training new users about how to use a walkie talkie.
Thanks,
Matt