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December 31, 2000
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GMRS WEB Reviews
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What we liked:
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What we didn't like:
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The Coleman CR411 Review
The previously reviewed Coleman CR-400 and CR-401 radios were such a pleasure to use that I even kept the 400's for myself after our reviews and tests were completed. I had been swayed toward Coleman's FRS radios due to their wonderful attention to ruggedness and ease of use. I couldn't wait for the new CR-411 radios to arrive.
The CR-411 has the usual features like all FRS channels, quiet codes, key lock, and a call tone, but also adds scanning, dual watch, and VOX (voice operated transmit). Voice operated transmit can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your use. A few FRS radios have set up VOX in such a way that you can only activate it when using a headset speaker/mic, but the CR-411 can do VOX even when it is a stand alone unit sitting on the table by itself. Tina and I found that out the hard way…. I wonder how many people heard our Monopoly game that evening….
The plastic used for the CR-411 case is a very thin, brittle plastic actually thin enough that you can see the display backlight through the case. I did not even try the drop test I subjected the CR-400 or 401 radios to. I was uncomfortable squeezing or twisting the CR-411 for fear of causing damage.
The CR-411 display is a nicely laid out LCD showing the channel number, CTCSS tone code, volume level, receiving indicator, transmit indicator, battery level, key lock, and scan state. Something that was a pleasant addition to this radio was a received signal strength indicator, also known as an 'S-meter'. Very few FRS radios have included received signal strength, and I missed it.
Physically, the speaker is the topmost front panel feature with the display right below. The microphone is way at the bottom of the CR-411, ala cell-phone style. The antenna is a very short stub made of a similar plastic to the case. The battery cover slides over the 4 'AAA' batteries easily without having to remove the belt clip. Although, removing the belt clip is easy if you don't need it. Simply hold a small plastic tab and pull the entire clip right off. That makes the CR-411 fit in your shirt pocket easier. The PTT button is small, but easy to find without looking, and takes unusually large amounts of pressure to actuate.
Tina could not figure out the CR-411 on her own, so we had to get the instruction book out to get us going. (Ed note: neither could I.) The CR-411 has 4 buttons on the front. From left to right, there is the UP button, the DOWN button, the F button (function), and then the (RETURN) button which is also labeled 'PWR'. On the right forefinger side of the CR-411 is the PTT (push to talk) and a 'M' (monitor) button. On the other side is a speaker/mic jack.
To operate the CR-411, it is a bit tricky. First of all, you have to realize that every operation of the CR-411 is considered a 'mode'. Example: to simply change the channel, from the standby mode, you press the F button repeatedly until 'CH' appears on the LCD display. Then, using the UP or DOWN buttons, you scroll though the channel numbers until the channel you want appears. Then, you have to press the enter button to enable the change. To select CTCSS tones, it is similar, except when pressing the F button repeatedly, you look for 'CTC' to appear on the display. Auto channel scan mode is 'SC', dual watch is 'DW', VOX mode is 'VO', key lock mode is 'ALO', call ringer mode is 'CAL', tone selection is 'TON'. Whaa??? Did you get all that?
A nice touch with the CR-411 is that they include a neat little headset style speaker/mic with it. Tina put hers on and we set her CR-411 for VOX mode to test them. Initially, she couldn't hear anything. I turned the volume all the way up and the volume was STILL too low. By using the speaker right on the radio without the headset, the volume is barely loud enough to hear in a mall. For activities around anything louder than a trip to the supermarket, you have to hold the CR-411 right next to your ear. With the speaker/mic, you have to be in a really quiet environment. That was not what we expected from Coleman.
The VOX mode does have adjustments for microphone sensitivity and recovery time. I can tell you that the most sensitive mode is certainly VERY sensitive. The least sensitive mode requires some yelling to get the CR-411 to switch the transmitter on. It is unfortunate that you would not be able to hear who you were communicating with in an environment that would require you to yell, since the speaker level is so low.
Although I would personally like to see call tones disappear from FRS radios, due to their blatant abuse as an annoying torture tool for kids, Coleman went the other direction. The CR-411 has not one, not two, but seven different annoying call tones to choose from. Call tones 1 through 4 sound like variations of cell phone ringers, the rest are musical. Call tone number 5 is 'Oh Susanna', call tone number 6 is 'La Cucaracha', call tone number 7 is 'Clementine'. The worst part of this is that once you start sending the call ton (by pressing the PTT button twice quickly), you can't stop it! You have to listen to the ENTIRE call tone number 6 taco truck favorite before your conversation can occur.
On the bench, I found the transmitter output power to be around 390 milliwatts with alkaline batteries. The receiver is not very sensitive on the service monitor, and is even less so when used with its attached antenna, probably in part due to the shortness of the antenna. The receiver selectivity is pretty good though, and a little too narrow to be useful with a GMRS radio. On high deviation peaks from a GMRS radio, the CR-411 clipped the receiver audio at times.
The transmitter audio is slightly muffled, but the microphone sensitivity is good. Speaking too close to the microphone sends the transmit audio straight to the safety audio clipper, thus complicating matters.
It is very easy to use rechargeable batteries with the CR-411, since there are contacts on the bottom of the case, obviously for use with a drop-in charger. I was not able to test this, since a drop-in charger was not included with our shipment.
Bravo to Coleman for having the forethought to include such a headset style speaker/mic with their new radios. If only it was comfortable to use and would stay on your head. In the same breath, I cannot believe that Coleman followed up such wonderful radios as the CR-400 and CR-401 with this model. The CR-411 is not typical Coleman. I guess you could say it is still useful as an expendable radio- if someone gives you one and you didn't have to buy it yourself.
Thank you!
GMRS Web magazine would like to thank Coleman for allowing us to review these 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, use your radio only 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!
Last updated May 22, 2000
GMRS Web Magazine / gmrs@gmrsweb.com