Review on Midland 5 Watt GMRS MicroMobile Two-Way Radio - Powerful Long Range Walkie Talkie with 142 Privacy Codes, NOAA Weather Scan + Alert (Black) by Aaron Parish

I'm tired of putting batteries in my cheap FRS walkie-talkies every time I go out with my buddies, not to mention the frequent noise and so-so clarity. This radio has proven its worth, even considering the cost of the FCC license required to operate. It works great with the standard cheap FRS handhelds that everyone uses (on channels 1-6 and 15-22). The sound quality is excellent, the speaker is loud and clear. Everyone hears me very well. I no longer get the occasional bursts of fuzzy noise my PDAs often throw out, and I don't have to scramble around to replace batteries when they're dead - sort of always at a critical moment. I can't believe I waited this long to switch to this radio. It's a pleasure to use. Installation was easy. The included radio mount is sturdy and is designed to mount the radio from above or below. Actually mine is mounted vertically along the center console to the right of my right foot. The only minor thing that wasn't perfect was the mic mount adhesive, which went bad pretty quickly (although I admittedly stuck it to a slightly curved surface so the contact wasn't perfect). I reattached it with gorilla tape, all is good. The microphone itself has a nice weight, which surprised me. I was expecting the mic to be thin and light, but it's well weighted, sits well in its mount and stays on uneven terrain, and slides out of the mount quickly and easily when you need it. The scanning and weather forecast functions work great. In general, operation is simple and intuitive. I haven't tried it on ultra long range, but I didn't need it. My main goal was to provide communication between vehicles on the track when we are typically within 100 yards to half a mile of each other. He did an excellent job at that. Obtaining a GMRS license from the FCC was painless. Apply through their website, I received my license and call sign within a few days. $70 for ten years equates to $0.58 a month, or $0.29 per trip if you're traveling with friends twice a month. It's worth it. I'm pretty sure I've used at least a dollar's worth of AAA batteries every time I travel with my PDAs.