I have CXR925 and I have to say it is pretty nice for the price, battery life is amazing. Unfortunately, it does not work with repeaters, and where I live there is almost perfect repeater coverage. What repeater capable handheld would you recommend? From the low end I think only MR355R/MR356R have that option. Does anybody have experience with them? I heard the battery life atrocious. Is there anything else under $100-$150 that would work with repeaters and ideally had lithium battery and be part 95 kosher? I think wouxun can be had in this price range, but as I understand its use with GMRS is shady and I am not sure I could program it correctly.
I would appreciate any suggestion.
There are not very many GMRS radios that work with repeaters. However, there is a new one that may be what you are searching for.
Motorola just released the Talkabout MS350R, which is repeater capable. In addition to the 22 FRS/GMRS channels, it includes an additional 8 repeater channels. Although it uses a NiMH battery pack (as opposed to lithium, which you said you preferred) it also accommodates 3 standard AA Alkaline batteries, which helps in a pinch.
It also has NOAA weather channels, is waterproof and even floats, which makes it a versatile radio for outdoor use. Best of all, it does fall within your posted price range as it is available for $89.99 a set.
You can find more information on it in our blog post The Motorola MS350R - Now Available!
hello,
if a person has one of these, can he use other people’s repeaters to extend the range, like in a city?
thank you
Yes, as long as you have a GMRS license, as well as the permission of the owner. MANY GMRS repeaters are closed to only persons who are known by, or have registered with the owner. A GMRS repeater is private property and is allowed to be restricted to only those who have permission.
thank you, so motorola mr355r would work, but not midland gtx100vp4? how would one configure the radio /the channel because channels are numbered and can’t be set up with a specific frequency, like Klein Electronics Blackbox VHF 16-Channel VHF Water-Resistant Two-Way Radio? Also, is Motorola better then Klein? Also, mr355r vs ms350r which is better?
Your manual will give the channel/frequency conversion. Also most GMRS repeaters require a CTCSS or DCS tone, so you will need to find that.