As industry thrill seekers, we will forever look at far-off desolate places as true exploration adventures. We only the most necessary items on such a ride because it might get rough with a huge pack of useless items. Items that will for sure be included will be small rations of snacks and bottled water. Tools could be a big help in the wilderness, so a few of these items will help build shelter in the storms or nightfall. But how would you call for help if something happened and you or your group became separated due to an unforeseen incident?Most have the mentality of “That could never happen to me,” and a lucky few will be right. But part of adventuring off-road is being properly prepared so there’s a fighting chance in case you’re the unlucky one! One item we could never leave the shop without is some form of two-way communication. The trails can be treacherous, and without the ability to call for help or just find out what’s heading your way in the form of localized storms you can be at a serious disadvantage.
While packing for a trip into Tennessee’s Coal Creek ORV Park I we found some very useful tools to have in our Rhino in the form of rugged Motorola 2-way radios, the MR350Rs. Motorola has been in the communication business for many years and they have several sizes and feature-packed two-way communication devices for the outdoors. My first set of Motorolas was the EM1000Rs, which also had a weather band receiver but a limited range of 20 miles. Now we have our hands on the MR350Rs with NOAA weather band connectivity and a 35-mile range! These radios are just a bit larger than the EM1000Rs, but they are equipped with additional features such as 22 channels, 121 privacy codes and 2662 combinations of these. The built-in flashlight also provides useful in the dark. The 35-mile range is contingent on terrain and weather, but we still got good service out of this larger range system in the mountains of middle Tennessee.
As we rode around in our side-by-side, we switched the radio to VibraCall alert to add that extra-attention-getting feature so we didn’t miss that important buzz from others in the group. The super loud alarm-like ringer on these things will get your attention but not over the roar of a 660cc engine. These little radios have so many other features, but the most convenient would be the fact that when my NiMH rechargeable went dead and we had no charger we just dropped in three AA batteries. The versatility in power is great!
Motorola added a cool customizing feature on the MR350R radios is custom colored or graphically covered faceplates. The faceplate simply pops off and another can pop right on with no trouble at all. We have several colors and designs for our pair of talk-abouts to help keep track of which one belongs to which vehicle. Some say “nothing in life is free,” but Motorola is offering a free set of faceplates with proof of purchase. The offer is only available until December 31st of 2010, so you better get moving if you want just a little more for your dollar.
The fact that we have just a little assurance that in the event of an emergency we will be able to call to our other riders for help is worth the expense, and the additional range on the newer units make the upgrade worthwhile.
RS
Promotion Details: The designer faceplate promotion runs through December 31st 2010 and is valid on the MR350R, MR355R, MR356R and the MJ270R TalkAbout two-way radio series. Head to http://www.talkaboutpromo.com/ and follow the instructions on the website. You’ll be asked to provide the promo code provided on the pack to receive your choice of designer faceplates.
Motorola MR350R FRS/GMRS Radios
Retail: $79.99
http://www.motorola.com/
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