Home > Consumer Reviews > Cobra Li 4900-2 Wx Vp Microtalk 18-Mile Frs/Gmrs 2-Way Radios

We've used these for a year or two. They are better than most FRS/GMRS radios because:
They are small.
They have a good-working lock function so that they won't get on the wrong channel by accident.
They have extremely long battery life and the Lithium batteries don't lose their charge quickly like the older NiMH or NiCad ones.
They have an automatic charger built in that won't overcharge, so you can leave them in the charger.
If you want to save space, you can just bring the power supply without the charger on your next trip. Plug it into the charger/headphone jack in the radio. It will charge one radio at a time.

I give one to my 9-year-old when he goes out to play, and I can call him home. My wife and I use them when waiting on lines, etc., so that one of us can scope out options while the other keeps place in the line. It's great in the shopping mall when we want to be looking in different stores.

All of the GMRS/FRS radios have the same range if they have the same power and similar sized antennas, don't believe the published numbers. Almost all of them do have the same power. Range is limited by the surrounding terrain. In buildings with a lot of metal, you can get one or two blocks range. If you have unobstructed line-of-sight between two radios, you can get tens of miles. Can't reach someone? Go up on a hill where you have a view of where that person is, and try again.

The LI-4900 and LI-6700 should perform essentially the same. These units are seen for as low as $35 on the net.

Bought these radios to use during a conference we hold where several of us have to keep in contact. The radios worked quite well, even in a larger facility with all kinds of other interference and even in areas where the other radios wouldn't.

But as someone else noted, the belt clips are pretty worthless. They are not spring loaded, just hard rigid plastic that you have to carefully pry apart to get on your belt. I broke the first one just putting it on my belt the first time, and broke the other one later in the day even after being very careful with it.

All in all good radios, as long as you don't mind carrying them in your pocket or purse.

I bought these radios for a cruise to keep in touch with my wife, they worked great. Before we left I tested them by having my son take them on a trip to the other side of town. We were each indoors and could still talk from about a mile apart. On the cruise ship, they always worked even when we were 9 decks and the length of the ship apart (and inside). My only grip would be, I would like to see the set come with two chargers so that if you wanted to permanently keep the radios apart you could. Otherwise, I don't think you can go wrong with these. They have many features, most of which you probably won't even need. The buttons are precise and well organized. The unit looks and feels like a quality item.

Forget about the 18 mile range. These radios will give you 2 miles max - if that! Otherwise they are pretty good. Good voice quality and nice feel to them. The belt clips are really weak though. One of mine has already broken. Not really able to use the belt clips as they are too stiff. There is also a slight delay in voice reception so you should remember to wait 2 seconds after pressing the transmit and then talk. Nice charger and quite a few useful functions like the vibrate and weather radio stations.

These radios work great for the way we use them. We use them on a hi-powered station at Wal-Mart, the mall, etc. They did not perform as well on the low power stations. On hi power, they worked perfectly at Disney World. Even my wife admitted that these little radios came in handy. We are pleased overall.