Columbia MURS RadiosThe MURS radios we ordered came today (July 16, 2008), and here are photos of the unboxing. The radios are made by Columbia, a consumer brand I'm comfortable with. The package shows a price of $80, and we paid $30 through Amazon (a private vendor). I have been able to program them to a channel with privacy code enabled and lock them without having read the manual. We have no experience with them yet for distance and reliability. According to the test report submitted to the FCC for certification of this radio, the antenna is not removable and the two power settings yield 0.5W and 0.22W ERP.
FAIL: We took the radios to Burning Man, and carried them around a week. Our use was for emergencies only, so we needed them only the last day it turns out, when a couple needed help. The transmit button locked itself on, and the radio would not stop transmitting. The power button would not work with the push to talk button down, so the only way to turn the radio off was to remove the batteries. Another try gave the same result - PTT would not release, radio would not turn off, so remove the batteries. Burning Man is a harsh, dusty environment, so this may not be a fair test in your situation, but it's where we need to have them work.http://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/pack01/333100389_cHaut-Ti.jpghttp://civex.smugmug.com/gallery/5448419_VT5Sj/2008-07-16T07:28:58ZCopyright 2009, the copyright holder of each photograph. Some portions copyright SmugMug. All rights reserved.SmugMugThis is the package the radios came in - a display blisterpak. The numbers and icons shown on the radios' displays are printed on a clear plastic overlay which I peeled off. The radios say t ...<p><a href="http://civex.smugmug.com">civex</a><br />This is the package the radios came in - a display blisterpak. The numbers and icons shown on the radios' displays are printed on a clear plastic overlay which I peeled off. The radios say t ...</p><p><a href="http://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/5448419_VT5Sj#333100389_cHaut" title="This is the package the radios came in - a display blisterpak. The numbers and icons shown on the radios' displays are printed on a clear plastic overlay which I peeled off. The radios say t ..."><img src="http://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/pack01/333100389_cHaut-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="This is the package the radios came in - a display blisterpak. The numbers and icons shown on the radios' displays are printed on a clear plastic overlay which I peeled off. The radios say t ..." title="This is the package the radios came in - a display blisterpak. The numbers and icons shown on the radios' displays are printed on a clear plastic overlay which I peeled off. The radios say t ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2008-07-16T07:42:20Zcivexhttp://civex.smugmug.comhttp://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/pack01/333100389_cHaut-Th.jpgThe price on the sticker is $79.99 for the pair. Our price through Amazon was $30. The blisterpak says the range is up to 5 miles. The radio has Hi and Lo power settings, which the Test Repo ...<p><a href="http://civex.smugmug.com">civex</a><br />The price on the sticker is $79.99 for the pair. Our price through Amazon was $30. The blisterpak says the range is up to 5 miles. The radio has Hi and Lo power settings, which the Test Repo ...</p><p><a href="http://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/5448419_VT5Sj#333100338_wR2ot" title="The price on the sticker is $79.99 for the pair. Our price through Amazon was $30. The blisterpak says the range is up to 5 miles. The radio has Hi and Lo power settings, which the Test Repo ..."><img src="http://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/price/333100338_wR2ot-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="The price on the sticker is $79.99 for the pair. Our price through Amazon was $30. The blisterpak says the range is up to 5 miles. The radio has Hi and Lo power settings, which the Test Repo ..." title="The price on the sticker is $79.99 for the pair. Our price through Amazon was $30. The blisterpak says the range is up to 5 miles. The radio has Hi and Lo power settings, which the Test Repo ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2008-07-16T09:36:58Zcivexhttp://civex.smugmug.comhttp://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/price/333100338_wR2ot-Th.jpg2014-01-19 00:00:00The radio is comfortably large, fitting the hand nicely. The gray part sticking up at the top is the cover for the mic-earpiece jacks. Note that the base is rounded - it won't stand up on th ...<p><a href="http://civex.smugmug.com">civex</a><br />The radio is comfortably large, fitting the hand nicely. The gray part sticking up at the top is the cover for the mic-earpiece jacks. Note that the base is rounded - it won't stand up on th ...</p><p><a href="http://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/5448419_VT5Sj#333100627_feART" title="The radio is comfortably large, fitting the hand nicely. The gray part sticking up at the top is the cover for the mic-earpiece jacks. Note that the base is rounded - it won't stand up on th ..."><img src="http://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/handSize01/333100627_feART-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="The radio is comfortably large, fitting the hand nicely. The gray part sticking up at the top is the cover for the mic-earpiece jacks. Note that the base is rounded - it won't stand up on th ..." title="The radio is comfortably large, fitting the hand nicely. The gray part sticking up at the top is the cover for the mic-earpiece jacks. Note that the base is rounded - it won't stand up on th ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2008-07-16T09:06:36Zcivexhttp://civex.smugmug.comhttp://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/handSize01/333100627_feART-Th.jpg2014-12-18 00:00:00I'm not happy with the battery section. The batteries just squeeze in there, and on one radio, it's not a good fit. I have some concern that they will jiggle and loose connections when walki ...<p><a href="http://civex.smugmug.com">civex</a><br />I'm not happy with the battery section. The batteries just squeeze in there, and on one radio, it's not a good fit. I have some concern that they will jiggle and loose connections when walki ...</p><p><a href="http://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/5448419_VT5Sj#333100736_UYtve" title="I'm not happy with the battery section. The batteries just squeeze in there, and on one radio, it's not a good fit. I have some concern that they will jiggle and loose connections when walki ..."><img src="http://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/batteryCompartment/333100736_UYtve-Th.jpg" width="150" height="150" alt="I'm not happy with the battery section. The batteries just squeeze in there, and on one radio, it's not a good fit. I have some concern that they will jiggle and loose connections when walki ..." title="I'm not happy with the battery section. The batteries just squeeze in there, and on one radio, it's not a good fit. I have some concern that they will jiggle and loose connections when walki ..." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p>2008-07-16T09:08:14Zcivexhttp://civex.smugmug.comhttp://civex.smugmug.com/Electronics/Columbia-MURS-Radios/batteryCompartment/333100736_UYtve-Th.jpg