Kenwood TK-2100 VHF Portable
MURS Radio
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Review Scale:
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Best
Terrible - Poor -
Mediocre - Average -
Good - Great -
Excellent - Outstanding
Anyone can go to Wal-Mart and find "discount"
two-way radios for sale. Some claim they can reach a range of "Up
to 10 miles!" in GMRS. Well GMRS or FRS can rarely break the 1
mile range through normal terrain. Yeah, they work, however, in
my opinion they lack something to be expected.
This is where more professional grade radios
come in. The MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service) Runs near the same
151.820-154.600 fequencies that many public servants use. They
are open, public frequencies and require NO license to operate.
Also they can be re-programmed (with the right cable and computer
software) to fit whatever fequency needed within the hardware
limitations of the radio.
Cost:
Outstanding
I purchased two of these Radios online, used,
from http://mursradio.googlepages.com/
from a man named "Rob" for $49 a piece plus shipping. I bought
two through PayPal, and less than a week later I had the radios.
He shipped promptly, answered any and all of my questions perfectly,
and was very knowledgable with his products.
While these radios are previously used (some
in Police, Fire and EMS departments), they are ALL perfectly
functioning and in Good to Very Good condition.
Construction:
Outstanding
Simply put, these things are tough. I've
had these radios for about 6 months now, and have certainly put them
through a fairly decent range of tests. They've held up in rain
and mud just fine, and I'm quite impressed.
Features:
Great
While these
are considered "Basic Two-Way Radios", I feel that even though they
don't have LCD screens or certain other capabilities that the pricey
MURS range radios have, they feature more than what one would expect
from radios within this price range.
They can, with the aid of a proper cable and
computer software, be programmed through a myriad of frequences within
the MURS limitations. They also can have eight memory locations
to store frequencies on them, while only two can be usable (through a
toggle switch) at any given time. A few simple button sequences
will allow the user to switch through the other stored frequencies.
- Kenwood TK-2100 VHF
MURS Radio Programming Instructions
These radios can also accept hands free
Mic/Earphone peripherals, and can swap out their mid-length antennas
for longer ones (which boosts effective transmission and receiving
ranges).
Function:
Outstanding
In the 6 months or so since I've owned
these Radios, I've tested them in a variety of methods. In
vehicle and on foot. In urban and wooded areas. In
grasslands and mountains. Basically, the ranges I saw were better
than I expected.
In the Urban Areas, I saw a little less than a mile
in range. In Sub-Urban areas, around 1.5 miles. On the
road, in a vehicle, I got near three miles. On foot, in the
mountains, when there wasn't one mountain blocking me from my other
contact, I got as much as 7 miles.
Anyone who knows radios will know that
line-of-sight, transmission output power (wattage) and obstructions in
between all affect the transmission range.
Given the small size and output (2 Watts VHF, MURS)
of these Radios, I'm very, very impressed.
Overall:
Excellent
If you can get your hands on this deal, jump on it now. From what
I know, Rob's supply is fast diminishing. Otherwise, if you can
find them elsewhere, I definately recommend these as an economical
choice for professional two-way radios.
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