Buyer's guide: Walkie Talkies

Walkie talkies were oversized units with long antennas
But times and electronics have changed.
Finding a market among friends and families for quick chats

Ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted a walkie talkie. I remember begging my Dad for a pair and one day he came home with two that he had picked up at a garage sale. I had to then coerce my kid brother to play detectives with me outside so I that could test them out. This consisted of about 15mins of:

"Ian, do you read me?....Over"

"Ian, what's your location?... Over"

"Hey, are you there?!"

"If you went back in the house, I'm telling Mom!"

Walkie talkies were oversized units with long antennas

All this was followed by the wonderful sound of static. Back then, walkie talkies were oversized units with long antennas and crappy performance. Mine ended up in the reject toy pile under the bed.

But times and electronics have changed.

Enter the Cobra MicroTalk FR-310 WX handheld radio which lets its users roam as far as two miles apart.

Broadcasting on the Family Radio Service band, set aside by the FCC for unlicenced personal use, the MicroTalk offers 14 channels and 38 subchannels; crowding will never be a problem. Other perks: an auto scanner that monitors the FRS spectrum, a scrambler to keep chats confidential, and for those on the water or in the woods, a ten-channel NOAA weather radio receiver. The battery compartment is sealed with a latch while a rubber gasket helps keep it water-resistant, and the antenna rotates down, making the MicroTalk extremely portable.

Finding a market among friends and families for quick chats

Motorola has just launched three models and is finding a market among friends and families for quick chats at the mall, cottages or on trails. TalkAbout users must agree beforehand on which channel to select. But as with traditional walkie-talkies, a third party on the same channel can monitor conversations, so communications should not be considered private. It is sporty and rugged looking, and even the packaging itself is appealing. The battery compartment does not seal well (there are no rubber gaskets), and the antenna does not fold or retract in any way.

The front of the unit has a large volume dial that is easy turn with the pad of your thumb. Next to this dial is a small LCD screen that displays your battery power status, channel and code. The display is easy to read and can be backlight when needed. Next to the display are 2 rubber up/down buttons. These buttons let you cycle through the channels or codes. The buttons are small but are easy to press. The power button is next and is small and red. Press it once and the unit powers up. Press and hold it, and the unit turns off. The talk button is a large button in the middle of the unit. It is easy to find and press.

Future models are expected to offer a global-positioning system, FM radio and a compass.

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