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Review on ๐Ÿ“บ ANTOP 400BV HDTV Amplified Outdoor Antenna with Built-in 4G LTE Filter, 70-Mile Long Range Reception for UHF VHF Signals, Multi-Directional Capability, Includes 50ft Detachable Coaxial Cable - Indoor/Outdoor Use by George Bell

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Great walkie-talkies when set up properly. So.

Great radio devices! I use them as walkie talkies. I bought two first, tested them out on Mammoth Mountain and was impressed enough to buy two more for larger groups. Voice quality and reception were perfect. Far from the rubbish of the Uniden toys my friend used on the last trip which were illegible and had no reception in most places. The battery life is a few days. It's good. However, if you didn't already know, they can't be used off the shelf. However, they can hardly be legalized if you put them on the public tapes. I'm sure the FCC has better things to do than chasing tourists with "illegal" Chinese walkie-talkies, but at least you should be aware of the rules. I'll show you a quick setup I've done on all of my radios. Manual programming is very easy once you get used to the menus. I wouldn't bother with the CHIRP software. 1) Set the squelch to 7. This means you'll hear less random static and only solid signals. - Menu, 0 (SQL), Menu, 7, Menu.2) Enable dual standby so you can monitor two frequencies at once - on A and B at the same time. This gives you a better chance of reaching your interlocutor on one of the two channels if the signal on one is too weak. It also allows you to speak on a less crowded channel when you don't want to speak through someone else. - Menu, 7 (TDR), Menu, ON, Menu.3) Clear the first 10 channels from memory. Their use is illegal in the US and you want to make room for your own channels. - Menu, 28 (DEL-CH), Menu, 001, Menu (You just deleted channel 1). Menu, Up Arrow, Menu (You just deleted channel 2). Menu, up arrow, menu, etc. until you clear all but channel 10.4) Set two MURS broadband channels as channel 1 and 2. are public bands that do not require a license to operate and offer higher transmit power than FRS (common walkie-talkie bands) and will likely perform better than GMRS in the wild due to the longer wavelength. MURS offers up to 2 W transmission power and, in contrast to HAM and GMRS, is license-free. This radio outputs 1W on low power and 4W on high power. I suspect no one will come to arrest you if you're transmitting in the woods at 4 watts (I don't think there's a way to tell remotely how much power you're transmitting; antenna gain is a potentially larger variable in signal strength). The only caveat is that this radio isn't FCC Part 95 certified, which means you can't technically use it with MURS, GMRS, or FRS. Again, I doubt anyone will kick in your door for using them as walkie-talkies if you're tactful. You are using the bracelet legally, but with an uncertified device. This does not apply to FRS (too much power) and GMRS (license required). So, IMO, MURS is legally safest if you don't have a license. halve). - Menu, 2 (TXP), Menu, HIGH, Menu.b) Make sure you are in broadband mode. - Menu, 5 (WN), Menu, WIDE, Menu, Exit.c) Make sure you are in Frequency mode by pressing the red VFO/MR button.d) Enter 154600 (on the main screen , not in the menu) - this is one of the broadband MURS bands. e) Save it in memory for channel 1. - Menu, 27 (MEM-CH), Menu, 001, Menu, Exit. f) Enter 154570 is another broadband MURS band. g) Store it in memory for channel 2. - Menu, 27, Menu, 002, Menu, Exit. 5) Now switch to narrowband mode as the next 3 MURS channels are narrowband only! - Menu, 5 (WN), Menu, FOIL, Menu, Exit 6) Now store the three narrow band MURS bands as above in channels 3, 4, 5: 151820, 151880 and 151940. 7) Switch for all others back to broadband groups you want to keep. - Menu, 5, Menu, WIDE, Menu, Exit. 8) If you have a GMRS license or want to break the law a bit, you can also keep some of the GMRS tapes. GMRS requires a license and FCC Part 95 radio, which is not the case. But the allowed transmit power is up to 20W, so with this radio you are within the power limit. The procedure for storing channels is the same as for the MURS bands. You can find available frequencies with a Google search. A few frequencies: 462.600, 462.725.9) If you want to be a little anti-social bully, you can also add some FRS (regular walkie-talkie) bands. The problem with this is that the FRS power limit is 0.5W and this radio only drops to 1W at low power. In addition, the radio part 95 is required, which is not available. Again, these two issues shouldn't play a big role. The Fed does not require a license. Frequency pair: 467.687, 467.662. Everything is ready! Now set both radios to channels 1 and 3, for example. Press A/B to talk on channel 1. Press the PTT button and speak. Press A/B again to talk on channel 3 and PTT again to continue talking. If you can't get your buddy on A, try B. I like having the MURS band on A (lower frequency) and FRS or GMRS on B (higher frequency). This gives me a better chance of getting a signal in all conditions. I hope my instructions are not too confusing. Simply pressing the buttons, which I've written out in order, should put you in the right frame of mind. Much luck!

Pros
  • CB and radio devices
Cons
  • Socket required