Panasonic Palm-Link KXTR320F 2-Way Radio (Cobalt Blue)

Rating:
Summary: Great 2-way radio!
Review: It really works great, even a few far from 3 miles or even when raining. I'm totally pleased with this one, as compared to other few 2-way radio that i had bought with the same pricing range ^-^

Rating:
Summary: Great radio.
Review: Many useful features, works as advertised. Range is great, but the batteries run out very quickly.

Rating:
Summary: Great radio.
Review: Many useful features, works as advertised. Range is great, but the batteries run out very quickly.

Rating:
Summary: If i were a rich man
Review: Overall, I like this product. I have tried it both inside and outside of the house and on the road. I guess I was hoping for a little more range out of it. They are pretty lightweight and the looks arn't bad. I couldn't quite get the 2 miles range that it says it has. But hey, for the price you can't beat these things anywhere. They are great. It was cool

Big Truck

Rating:
Summary: Battery Drainer
Review: The Panasonic has a really cool look. That's what attracted me to it in the first place. It gets great reception and has a lot of cool features. The thing that I really didn't like about it is that it uses up the batteries really fast. After using it for just one day, my batteries were already half dead. Also, the swiveling antenna can get annoying.

Rating:
Summary: Panasonic KX-TR320B FRS 2-Way Radio
Review: These are great!! I use them to keep in touch with my 10 year old son when he goes off with his friends to the burger joint or grocery store. The range is phenominal. He can be just about anywhere and I can get in touch with him. The voice activated mode is great! The privacy channels help to keep the interference down, as I have found that these types of radios are very common. Unfortunately, I paid more for them elsewhere, wish I had gotten them here at Amazon.com. A hint to all you other mom's out there, if you give these to your children as a gift, they'll love them and won't realize that it's more of a convienence for you than it is a toy for them! Next time they run out without first cleaning their room you can call them right back with out leaving the kitchen!

Rating:
Summary: panasonic, as always delivers
Review: these frs radios work as they are described, rugged, excellent features ,not to mention they are the coolest looking radios out there. if you are going to purchase frs radios this year buy this model they wont last long at this price.

Rating:
Summary: Compact unit, nice features, sound transmission lacking
Review: This FRS radio has a fold up antenna, which is nice in that it makes it compact for storage, and and interesting privacy mode feature that lets you use it somewhat like a phone.
When the lever at the mic is flipped down, it switches the audio to a separate speaker at the top, cutting down the volume and letting you hold it up to your ear to listen, instead of broadcasting the conversation to everyone around you.
You could just turn down the volume with the other radios and do the same thing, except you have to move the radio away from your ear to speak into the mic, which usually isn't located in the right spot.

It has the usual complement of other features, 14 channels with subcodes, scanning capability to check for activity, automatic turn off timer, jacks for external mic and earphone, lockout mode to prevent accidental settings change.

Functionally, the radio has a few shortcomings:

The squelch stays off too long at the end of an incoming transmission, which causes a burst of static to make it through each time the other party stops transmitting. (Shades of TV show cop radios) The Motorola FRS radios has a faster acting squelch, and it mutes ALL the static. The burst of static could serve somewhat as an "Over." indication, though, signalling your turn to talk..
Also, it does have an advantage because it breaks squelch faster on incoming transmissions, so it doesn't chop out the first word, as the slower acting squelches tend to do.

The audio on transmit is more biased towards the high frequencies, giving it an "electronicky" sound that sounds less natural and sometimes harder to understand than units like the Motorola ones.

All in all a nice radio; well made and rugged, (just needs some extra care with the flip out mouthpiece and perhaps the antenna, which could prove more delicate than the rigid types)

Rating:
Summary: Great value with rebate but audio tinny compared w/Motorola.
Review: This FRS radio has some nice features, like a flip out switch on the bottom to let you use the radio like a phone, by automatically reducing the speaker volume. This affords more privacy than the usual broadcasting-to-everyone-around method of the other radios. This could be simulated on other radios by just reducing the volume, but the transmit buttons are not usually placed for easy operation while holding it up to your ear.

The buttons are a bit smaller, which takes some getting used to. It has the usual lockout feature to prevent accidental changing of the channel and modes after you've set it up.

The fold up antenna makes for a smaller size when not using it, but it does give it a more delicate feel, giving some concern about breaking it off. The antenna is flexible to allow it to handle bending it the wrong way, so it shouldn't pose a problem with reasonable care.
The radio looks more like a little cell phone than a radio, which is nice at times, when you don't want to walk around talking into a bright yellow gizmo, broadcasting to everyone around you.

The transmission audio has a more tinny characteristic compared to the Motorola 250 and 289; it has a more 'electronic' sound which sometimes makes it harder to understand from the other end. I found the Motorola has a more natural sound to its transmissions. It has a lower number of steps on the volume control than some other radios, but it does the job.

The call tones on the unit are annoyingly long; they go on for a much longer time than is necessary to notify the other party of your incoming transmission.

These items are just minor problems, though; with the significant rebates that Panasonic offers on these radios, the value is hard to beat-

Rating:
Summary: Well made product
Review: This gadget is very well made. It is rugged and allows for a good grip. Its audio quality is quite good. However, there appears to be no volume control - so the 'call' becomes useless in crowded situations. However, the 'phone' like feature comes in handy in such situations. Range is acceptable - 2 miles in best of situations, but more like 1 mile for practical purposes. I wish the PTT (press to talk) button were a little bigger. Overall, I am very happy with the product - it is a steal for the price it is going for at this time.