The PR 2000WX also features Channel Memory, which can store up to 10 of your favorite channels and Dual Watch, which enables you to simultaneously monitor any two pre-selected channels. The radio also offers channel, subchannel and memory scan. The NOAA weather bands with alert were interesting to listen to if we were somewhere they were broadcasting. In St. George, Utah, where I live, that is NOAA channel 3. In Moab, there is no channel.
So, how does the PR 2000WX work? We went into the backcountry with 4x4-mounted CB's and external antennas, two handheld FRS radios and our two Cobra microTALK PR 2000WX GMRS radios. The CB's worked as usual, with about a mile- to two-mile range, depending on the terrain. The FRS radios were crystal clear, and exhibited about the same range as the CB's (maybe a little less), with much better clarity. When the FRS radios lost contact, we were able to communicate with the CB's for a very short time more, then, when all contact was lost, we switched to the PR 2000WX's. Imagine our surprise when, after we had lost all contact with our CB's (and were WAY out of sight of each other), the PR 2000WX's sounded like we were sitting right next to each other! The quality of the signal and clarity was quite superb. Cobra says the range of the PR 2000WX is about five miles, depending on the terrain, and we concur. The Auto Squelch can be overridden manually when you're at extreme range, too. An added plus is that the antenna can be disconnected and a longer, radio or vehicle-mounted antenna can be installed, extending range even further.
Our ham radio friends say that AM (CB) signals can bounce around and can, under some conditions, go a long way (hence "skip"). They also tell me that FM (FRS, GMRS) is line of sight and, if it bounces at all, can give you multipath reflection problems that distort the signal. All we can say is that the PR 2000WX worked great, even winding down the highway that parallels the Colorado River near Moab that twists through narrow canyons most of the time. We were NEVER in sight here, and were approximately two- to four-miles apart and never had a disruption of our clear signal. |
|
