When you know you want a Coleman FRS Radio you need 2-Way Talk.Com!

GMRS WEB Magazine

February 11, 2000

Coleman FRS Radios are
rugged family radios
for the outdoor enthusiast.

As an avid camper there was one thing I learned very early. Coleman means quality. I still own the 9 x 12 Coleman tent my family used on vacations in the late 1960's. The old Coleman camp stove and gas lantern from that time have been trusty companions on trips spanning a quarter century. When I saw the Coleman FRS radios advertised at 2 Way Talk I had to see them for myself. 2 Way talk and Wireless Marketing arranged to send Coleman radios to GMRS Web technical Editor, Paul Shinn for evaluation. I wasn't disappointed. Coleman made a wise choice selecting these models by Wireless Marketing. These radios have Coleman quality. Read Paul's review and see how these radios stack up against the competition. [Doug Smith, Editor GMRS Web Magazine]

The Coleman Model CR400 Review

Like most people, I own some Coleman brand goodies.. Let’s see, my trusty Coleman tent that never leaks, the Coleman stove that makes the best smelling coffee on cold campsite mornings, that old Coleman lantern that takes just the right touch to light, a Coleman flashlight, and a Coleman camp cook set.

Like most people, I don't always treat these items with kid gloves, yet they continue to perform reliably from one poorly planned camping trip to the next. It is the kind of reliability that Chevrolet wants you to expect from their pickup truck. Something about rocks…..

Coleman builds camping gear to withstand tremendous abuse, so I was at first curious about the new Coleman FRS radios. Understand that if it has the Coleman name on it, I am automatically going to assume it is tough, and I am not going to be easy on it. You just expect something with the ‘Coleman’ name blazoned on it to be comparable to Army issue. Count on it.

The first clue that Coleman did the right thing with the CR400 was the tough feeling (although yellow) case on these radios packaged as a pair. It is not really rubber, but it feels like there is a rubber like coating over the case and gives the impression that you could park that Chevy truck on top of it.

The first review for any FRS radio sent to GMRS Web Magazine is the Tina test. If my wife Tina (a non radio person) can't figure it out without the instructions, that is as good as an automatic thumbs down. After all, if the family can't use it, what good is it? The Tina test went without so much as a single gripe! Not even the bright yellow color was a concern. This review was already off to a good start.

The CR-400 is amazingly simple to use. On top is a volume control knob which also turns the radio on or off. The next control is a channel selector knob. The controls are easier to use than an old TV set. Figure out which channel you want, figure out how deaf you are and set the volume accordingly, that’s it. The push-to-talk button on the side of the case has a soft rubber cover over it, making it very easy to press, and it is easily used right or left handed. When you press the push to talk button, a red LED lets you know that you are transmitting.

Noticeably missing is a tone squelch mode. Wide open squelch on the CR-400 does mean simplicity, but at the expense of a lot of traffic not pertaining to you in areas where many people are using FRS radios.

Even though this radio was designed for simplicity and few feature Gizmos, Coleman did see the need for scanning. All you do is turn the channel selector knob to one of the two positions between channel 1 and 14. These two positions are labeled with up and down arrows, which determines which direction the radio scans for traffic. When you turn the channel knob clockwise for higher channels, the ‘beeps go higher and higher in pitch. The opposite happens when selecting a lower channel. That kept my attention for several minutes playing with it... (Makes changing channels a bit more intuitive in the dark eh Paul? ed. )

Since this radio is so thin, it easily slips into your shirt pocket. Not real sure what to make of this, but the antenna is only about 1¼ inches long. Although bad for performance, it sure makes the CR-400 small and easy to carry. The whole thing measures only 3 7/8” tall by 2” wide by 1” thick. Small and light enough (at only 5 ounces) to wear on a string around your neck.

Let’s get to performance. I noticed the receiver to be less sensitive than the average FRS radios I have tested. Selectivity was better than most though, and the I.F. is wide enough that communicating with GMRS radios is no trouble at all. In fact, the audio from this little FRS radio is comparable to the GMRS portable I was using while communicating with it. The rich and LOUD receive audio was a surprise from a radio this tiny.

When transmitting, I was pleased to find that the microphone is quite sensitive, and does not require your lips to hug the case. Soft voiced family members will sound just as loud as the ones yelling into it (they think it gives them better range of course).

Transmitting range did seem slightly less than an FRS radio with a longer antenna, but how much less is difficult to judge. The IFR service monitor could not show me much difference in detected signal level (less than 1 dB) between a Kenwood Freetalk and the CR-400 when transmitting one then the other. However, the Kenwood could 'walk all over' the Coleman (to use CB terms) when transmitting at the same time.

The power requirement is four ‘AAA’ batteries, which gives the CR-400 a shorter battery life than radios using ‘AA’ batteries. However, as thin as they are, the Coleman radios couldn't be powered any other way. Losing the small and thin size would take some of the charm away from this pint-sized communicator.

At no time did I ever get the impression that the Coleman CR-400 was one of the ‘cheapies’. The Coleman CR-400s are easily compared to the more expensive FRS radios. In fact, if it came to handing a radio to a non-radio savvy kid or grandparent, this would be the first radio I would want.

I like to describe this radio with one word: ‘fun’.

Taking a pair of these Coleman radios with you would be one of the smartest things you did on your next camping trip. It might even make up for you forgetting to pack matches. Maybe not.

Click here to see how the Coleman CR-400 stacks up against the others on the GMRS WEB FRS Radio Comparison Chart

Thank you!

GMRS Web magazine would like to thank Coleman and Wireless Marketing for allowing us to review theses Family Radio Service radios. A special thanks to our advertiser 2-Way-Talk for their assistance in arranging this review.

Warning

It is illegal to use your FRS radio in other countries. (Canada is the ONLY exception.) You could be fined and/or arrested if caught using your radio anyplace other than the United States. (More accurately anywhere where the FCC has jurisdiction over radio regulatory matters. ) It is also illegal to use these devices on aircraft! Before using any radio transmitting device on board a ship you must have the permission of the Captain. When in doubt about whether you can use your radio where you are traveling please research the rules before you leave!

FCC

PRSG

Last updated February 11, 2000