New GMRS from Rocky Talkie

[back4more70]

Seriously?  Seems a bit overpriced.

https://www.thedrive.com/guides-and-gear/rocky-talkie-5-watt-radio

[WRQC527]

13 minutes ago, back4more70 said:

Seriously?  Seems a bit overpriced.

 

The 3" antenna is pre-installed though, which may account for it costing what it does. 

[radiozip]

That long product description must add $100 to the price.

[WRWE456]

Well it is "one of the most powerful handheld GSMR radios on the market" An unheard of 5 full watts! And an industry leading 1800 mAh battery. That must account for the price.

[OffRoaderX]

3 hours ago, back4more70 said:

Seems a bit overpriced.

Don't be ridiculous.. It's a LOT overpriced.

[CALO50]

I know people that conduct official back country (access by ski, snowshoe and/or helicopter) snow surveys in the Sierras. Their appeal for this brand is its alleged ability to function at very low temperatures.

[WRYZ926]

WOW!!!! $165 for what looks just like the cheap blister pack FRS radios you can buy at Walmart. Thanks but no thanks.

I bought my Wouxun KG-935G Plus for less than that (on sale).

[WRZR759]

The older mountain radio looks like a derivative of the Qziradio product:
https://www.qziradio.com/cp-168-ce-marked-ultra-mini-pmr446-frs-gmrs-portable-radio_p55.html

https://www.qziradio.com/best-walkie-talkie_c5

The 5 watt version is presumably either a further evolution of this, or a re-packaged and refreshed derivative of another QZiradio design (sold under a bunch of different names), and is certainly overpriced... buuuut while there are other GMRS radios that has all of these features (and more), I haven't seen one that's smaller physically. For some people the smaller it is the more likely they will have it with them, so it may be worth it to them.

Or if you wait a month you'll probably see the same guts, from the same manufacturer, under some other brand name on aliexpress

 

[WRZY946]

On 10/26/2023 at 7:22 PM, WRWE456 said:

Well it is "one of the most powerful handheld GSMR radios on the market" An unheard of 5 full watts! And an industry leading 1800 mAh battery. That must account for the price.

my cheap repeater-capable baofeng giggles at both of these claims. a lot.

[muggz]

I picked up a Rocky Talkie 5W radio.  Some peculiarities:

1. All channels are set to narrowband by default.  You can however go through a process to change each (high power) channel to wideband, and the change persists across power cycles.
2. Channel 22 had a CTCSS tone configured out of the box.
3. Its "TX beep" is local only, meaning when the beep's enabled it doesn't transmit the beep.  It is not a roger beep.
4. When setting CTCSS/DCS tones you can only see a slot number, not the frequency itself.  Set your repeater tones with manual in-hand before you head out!
5. The scan feature only offers CO mode, continuing scanning a few seconds after carrier drops.
6. You have to enable repeater channels with a special power-on sequence.  Once enabled, they stay enabled across power cycles.

What I like about it:

1. USB-C charging.
2. Solid feel in hand.
3. Battery life should be great, I haven't tested it.
4. Simple enough for any family member to use.
5. Relatively small size.
6. The clip actually is a set of jaws with teeth for traction, unlike most clips that are a single blade that just presses against the battery with a bottom lip.

Honestly I didn't buy this to use it, but I make accessories for HTs and needed this for that purpose.  I thought some of you may benefit from these observations.

[edisondotme]

• I needed some radios for a trip where I'll need to communicate with my group far away.
• I've been passively interested in radio technology for a while and so I knew I wanted something better than some toy FRS walkie talkies.
• I ordered the 5W Rocky Talkies thinking I made a good purchase until I started researching what GMRS was and found this thread and realized I made a big mistake.
• Cancelled my order thanks to you all!

Thank you!