Beavis: "This Sucks More Than Anything That Has Ever Sucked Before"
Written: Jan 03 '02 (Updated Jan 03 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice belt clip, some accessories available, good price for two units.
Cons: Static, reception cuts out, volume wheel moves a lot.
The Bottom Line: The jury is still out on this one, but it's not looking good so far. Static, bad reception at the mall.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Uniden FRS420 Eco Trek2 Series (14 Channels) Two W... |
If you know me, have read any of my reviews in the electronics category or have spoken with me in an IM or via email – you know that I have an electronics curse. No matter how ‘unbreakable’ something is – give it to me for a few hours and it will short out, fall apart or refuse to work properly. The Uniden FRS 420-2 is no exception to this rule. If that name doesn’t sound familiar, it might be because it’s currently being marketed as the eco trek 2 two way radio system. [It is spelled with lower case letters for those curious]
The Background
We have tried several two-way radio systems in the past and most of them failed to give us the range, clarity or choice of functions that we needed. A large portion of those on the market today have a two mile range – however – this can be drastically effected by the surroundings and environment. I wanted a system that I could use when we venture to the mall or to the movie theater in case we are separated or one of the boys wants to ‘use the facilities’ without me tagging along. I must tell you this up front – this should not be used as a safe guard for your child / children. There are too many issues that can creep up [batteries dying, out of range, frequency jamming etc] to rely on this 100%. Always have a back up plan or arrange an area where you can meet as well as a time before you part ways in case something should happen to your unit.
Since I ordered this from Amazon.com, I didn’t have the advantage of looking at a model before my purchase. Rather, I relied on user comments at Amazon.com, the manufacturers specifications and the features it had. Make sure you do some research before you commit to a purchase and know exactly what you want from a two-way radio before you open the package. Most places will hit you with a 10% – 20% restocking fee for opened electronics if you choose to return them.
What I Wanted
A clear line of communication with another party without static, frequency interference or unit malfunction. I was looking for a system that I could add on additional units in the future as well as the ability to have different channels to choose from in case other people in the area were using similar channels. Price was a little bit of a concern but I always say that you do get what you pay for so in the long run investing a few hundred dollars is better than wasting money time and time again on something that is not functional.
The eco trek 2
I came across this at Amazon.com and there were mixed reviews on it. It seemed like the type of product that you either fell in love with or used once and pawned it off on someone else. The jury is still out on this so I’ll be sure to update this review when I make a clear-cut decision about this.
The eco trek 2 model 420-2 is a two pack of radios. They come packaged in that heavy plastic that is guaranteed to frustrate even the most advanced consumer. Be warned, there is a security tag inside the battery compartment of one of the units and if this isn’t erased before you leave a store you might be in for a little interrogation from other stores when you set off the theft alarms.
The units I purchased are blue and gray, require three AA batteries per unit [not supplied by the manufacturer], allow you to surf 14 different channels with 38 privacy codes, a somewhat dull vibrate alert, 5 second back light, channel scan, headphone jack and various additional accessories.
Battery Compartment
The battery compartment is housed on the back of the unit but you need to pull down on the entire unit to get this to open up. It only took me 10 minutes to figure this out since I refused to read the directions first [I must have been a man in a former life]. The battery placement is stenciled in each battery pod for easy placement. The manufacturer recommends using Duracell batteries – but the choice is up to you. In any event, Uniden claims that you can get up to 50 hours of use from this; we depleted the batteries in about 12 hours or use. This type of casing ensures that if it is dropped you won’t be playing ‘find the batteries’ in a public place.
Appearance
It looks cute in the package but once you get it out and start playing around with it – it kind of resembles a childs toy. It’s pretty solid and has survived several drops with no noticeable damage. The LCD screen can be effected by the life of the battery – most notable the back light feature and the strength of the numbers.
The size and shape of them are rather nice and great for people with smaller hands [especially kids]. The weight may be a factor to some people – if you aren’t careful or are wearing loose clothing this could tug your clothing down [not good to happen at the mall]. I was hoping to have some type of handgrip for the sides to make it easier to use if your hands are wet but this is lacking that feature. You can buy accessories for these units that will give you a wide range of colors as well as the rubber side grips [$12.99 for a pair / same color]
Battery Life
As I mentioned, we got about 12 hours of solid use from the batteries we used [brand new Duracell AA – straight from the package]. The performance of the units greatly depends on how much life you have in your batteries. A weak battery will result in a very dull vibration if you have it set to be silenced, limited range of the signal, lack of ability to channel scan and static upon transmission. I have been toying with using some rechargeable batteries and if I decide to try these over the disposables, I’ll be sure to update this.
Range
Test One: The Grocery Store
I left one unit at home for my neighbor to have while I ran to the grocery store. I checked the mileage and it was a hair under two miles. I was a little surprised that I was able to have a complete conversation with her even in the back of the store [even with all the dairy refrigerators] without any cut out, static or interference. I did get a little static while I was checking out and this might have been form the computers, modems and machinery that were in use at the time. From the parking lot it was a crystal clear connection.
Test Two: The Mall
This test was a little harder to judge since there were so many people, cellular phones, other two-way radios and electronics in use. Not to mention that you are inside a structure made of metal and concrete. Keep in mind that you should always have a back up plan and prearranged time to meet if you cannot communicate with the other party.
The amount of noise at the mall was almost frightening – little kids screaming, parents yelling and the almost non-stop wave of pagers and cellular phone chirping, chiming and irritating the hell out of me. This made it extremely hard to hear the call button or to hear what anyone else was saying. The range was very limited and this could have been from any number of the above-mentioned variables.
This gets a huge thumbs down from me based on the lack of connectivity, static, bleed through of other conversations, inability to hear what another person is saying and having to scream to get your other party to hear you. I will give this a try after the holiday rush dies down and update with any new information. It could just be that there was an overload that the two-way radios just couldn’t handle.
Functions
In addition to the 14 channels that you can choose from, you can also choose privacy codes. This means that you can basically eliminate any other callers from hearing your conversation – however – this can also make your other party mute to your signal. If you choose channel 10 with a privacy code of 12, if the other party isn’t on the same channel and privacy code – neither of you will be able to get in touch with the other.
The belt clip is nice, but it is a little small which means you might have some trouble getting it of your belt, knapsack or waist pack if you get a call. My rather oafish brother managed to pop the clip outward instead of inward – if this happens don’t panic – apply steady pressure while pulling the bottom part of the unit until it snaps back to the correct position.
The buttons to scroll the channels as well as the call / menu button are raised slightly which could mean that if you bump into anything your channel might change without you knowing about it. The volume wheel on the left side of the unit is also prone to be moved without your knowledge and if it had a little more tension to it or locked at each level – this could have been avoided. If you accidentally bump something it could also turn the unit off without your knowledge rendering it completely useless.
There is a headphone jack on the right side of the unit that is covered with a pop out membrane for protection against dust and dirt. I find this totally useless since if you use a headpiece that allows you to talk hands free you still need to press the button on the unit to open the channel and speak. Nice thought, bad design.
Transmission
Depending on where you use it, the amount of background noise on both ends and the battery life – this unit has received both good and bad marks from me. If you plan on using this with smaller children they might need a little time to get used to not screaming into it or having it right against their mouths. We found that three inches from the mouth is perfect – anything closer and your words are garbled and anything farther away and you get a lot of white noise with the message.
We’ve used this in the house the past few days and it seems to work problem free about 95% of the time. Of course, for some strange reason when I use the microwave the unit closest to the kitchen will start to beep for no reason. Again, the curse still haunts me.
Overall Judgment
As I said, it is a little too early to make a clear-cut call on the eco trek 2 set of two-way radios. If you are going to be going camping, using a two way radio system in an area with a lot of building or need 100% assurance of transmission of your signal – I am going to have to say try a different brand. If I choose to ditch this set I will no longer play around with the two-mile range radios and go directly to the five mile ones. Sure it might cost more money – but I am looking at the big picture here. I want something that I can depend on not something that might work.
As I said about ten times so far, I will keep on plugging away with these radios to see if they will suit my needs and will update this review when I come to a decision about them. As it stands now, I can recommend them to anyone for any use – no matter how simple or limited your needs are.
Stats
Range Up to two miles
Cost: $34.99 for two [sale price]
Channels: 14 [with 38 privacy codes]
Vibration Mode?: Yes
Backlit Display?: Yes
Add On Units? Yes, must be configured to same channel
Weight: 1 pound without batteries, 2 pounds with batteries
Headset Available?: Yes
Earset Microphone #HS2468
Vox Headset #HSV2469
Website Available?: Yes. www.uniden.com
Warranty? One year with proof of purchase as well as your return of the user registration card. Retain your receipt in case you need to send these back to the manufacturer for repairs.
As always, thanks for the read!
^V^ Freak ^V^
PS This was an early birthday present for myself [today being my birthday]. Next time I think I'll stick with things that I'll actually use and things that actually work :]
Happy Birthday to me.....
Recommended:
No
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