Home > Consumer Reviews > Cobra LI 7000-2 WX VP 25-Mile GMRS/FRS 2-Way Radio (Twin Pack)

Being an Amateur Radio Operator I am very tough to please with radios like this. I am used to radios made for emergency communication that are the same quality as police and fire radios. In addition I have walkie talkies that go through repeaters that can communicate for hundreds of miles. HF radios communicate around the world.

I purchased these for a cruise. The UHF frequencies go through metal better than lower VHF. Having the extra power helps to. Even though they will have a reduced range on things like a ship, they really do pretty well. Having the security codes prevent interference from other people who may be using the same frequency. Overall worth the money.
This radio also has a 1350mah battery that lasts much longer than so many other cheap walkie talkies. This is probably the best one made.

I purchased these radios a few months ago. Today I went to see what reviews had been posted. The only one says that he found a 2-3 second delay in transmitting, something quite annoying. Curiously, one of mine has the same problem, only one of them. After doing some experimenting, I found that this problem occurs only while using the DCS privacy channel encoding. Using CTCSS does not create this problem. Other than that, I am very happy with the radios. They feature maximum 5-watt output, the maximum legal. I have been updating my two way radios since the first two-mile (0.5 watt)came out, always being somewhat disappointed with the range results. These do have a noticeable improved range over the Cobra 17-mile I had before (with which I was happy enough until one of them was dropped in a lake, never to be found).
A few weeks after writing the above, 1 of the Li Ion batteries gave up. It would just simply not charge at all. I called Cobra customer service and they told me to return them for warranty repair. I still have not received them back. I will let you know how it goes. I did include a letter mentioning the 2-3 second delay, as well as the fact that the battery charger never turns off even after the batteries are fully charged, as opposed to a previous model I had. I called this by its name: a major design step back. OK I have received them back in good working order. The 2-second delay glitch is still there, and the service people did not bother to make any comment on my letter. Overall,I'm quite happy with the radios and would opt for them in the future again.

I purchased my first Cobra FRS 3 mile radios around 9 years ago and still work perfectly. The LI 7000 radios are a huge evolution in range, features and specialy battery capacity (1500 mAh) which is the best I've seen for this radio type.
In regard to the range you can select the power setting acording your needs and be aware that channels 8-14 work only on LOW power setting because they are FRS; for channels 1-7 (FRS/GMRS) and 15-22 (GMRS) you can select HI, MED or LOW. I use them successfully from my office to a 4 mile range into the city with the Hi power setting and channels 1 through 7.

Shortly after purchasing both radios developed a 2-3 delay between pushing the transmit button and the radio actually transmitting. Obviously anything said during that time period is lost. Could live with that except when utilizing the VOX capability. Pretty hard to remember to talk for 2-3 seconds before saying anything meaningful. Returned radios in exchange for new ones, will see if these are any better. Cobra was of NO help, dropping my calls twice while waiting for technical assistance.

I have had the 2 mile radios that worked well for 1/2 mile+
These 25 mile radios work for several miles without much issue except for heavy obstructions (trees, buildings, and the worst is the earth)

The batteries last for a lot longer than I expected (12 hour drive in a caravan to communicate between vehicles on a single charge) and they are easy to operate.

I would not recommend these for construction type applications as the button is tough to operate with gloves and the clip won't take much abuse.
They are perfect for car to car communication, around the home, and great on boats!
I use them to speak to my friends when we are fishing so that I don't have to alert the entire world to the fishing hot spots on the VHF radio.
These are not commercial grade radios, but I don't regret the purchase and when necessary, I will replace these with the latest and greatest Cobra two way radios.
Hope this was helpful!