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November 27, 2001

GMRS Web Reviews
the Cobra
PR1000 & PR2000
GMRS Radios

Technical Review by Paul and Tina Shinn
Editorial Review by Doug Smith

"We think you will be quite pleased with either Cobra." Popular Wireless Magazines thank our sponsor Bill's 2 Way for furnishing the radios examined in this review. Visit Bill's 2Way to purchase your own Cobra PR2000! Shown here is the Cobra PR2000WX GMRS and Weather Radio

The trend towards radios that can be used on both FRS and GMRS frequencies has become the latest target item for the radio using consumer by many manufacturers. It's obvious that people who already own FRS radios, and want the increased range offered by the extra power and external antennas of GMRS, also want radios that will still be able to communicate with their existing investment. The problem is, consumers in this market are very unwilling to spend the money required for a top of the line radio. Until we reviewed the Cobra radios, all prior economy (consumer entry-level) GMRS radios submitted to the GMRS Web Magazine for review, have ranged from disappointing to plain old garbage.

Cobra, known best for their line of CB and FRS radios has two new entries in the GMRS/FRS economy (consumer entry-level) radio market. The first to be introduced was the PR1000. Shortly thereafter, we got word of a model with additional features, the PR2000.

Both a PR1000 and a PR2000wx (with weather band receive) were submitted to GMRS Web Magazine for review.

Upon first examination of the PR1000 and PR2000WX, our ‘average’ FRS radio user Tina, immediately noticed the increased weight over FRS radios. Largely due to the additional batteries required for the higher power rating. The PR1000 tips the scales at nearly three times the weight of the average FRS radio. At five inches tall (not counting the height of the antenna and knob), the Cobra PR1000 and PR2000WX are bigger than an FRS radio as well. Keep in mind, the Cobra PR1000 and PR2000WX are NOT repeater capable GMRS radios. Since these radios are simplex only, we are comparing them against FRS radios since the same consumers appear to be the target market for them.

The Cobras do feel good in either hand, and the soft rubber sides keep them from slipping out easily. The left side of the PR1000 and PR2000WX both have a soft PTT (Push To Talk) button that is large enough to actuate while wearing gloves and does not take undue pressure to key up. Right below the PTT is a small MON button, which is used to do a couple of things. Since the Cobras have no squelch knob, the squelch circuit is always on. To temporarily open the squelch, the user just presses this button. If you want the squelch to stay open, you hold the MON button for about 4 seconds until the radio emits a beep-beep sound. Then the squelch will now stay open until you change channels or turn the radio off and on. Keying the transmitter will not reactivate the squelch. On the right side of the Cobras are two soft rubber covers that hide the speaker/mic jacks and the charge/power jack. The external speaker/mic connections worked well with our existing items and are apparently compatible with Kenwood and Standard accessories.

On the front of the PR1000 and PR2000WX is a very large, easy to see LCD display. In VERY large numbers on the left is the channel number. Just below the channel indicator is a received signal strength bar meter. To the right and about half the size of the channel numbers is the tone squelch code indicator. I found that the tone squelch numbers for the PR1000 and PR2000WX are the same as the codes on the popular FRS radios. Way to the right of the display is a small radio tower icon that tells you whether the radio is in standby mode, receiving a signal, or transmitting. In the upper left corner of the display is a battery level indicator that constantly keeps you informed of battery condition. This is important on a radio that is higher power and uses batteries faster than you might be used to.

Under the display are generic multi function UP and DOWN buttons. A rather large CALL button is below the UP and DOWN buttons and just above the small hole which is the microphone. There are 3 buttons in the middle of the Cobras which are the HI-LOW power/LOCK button, the FUNCTION button, and the ENTER button.

The PR1000 and PR2000WX speakers are quite a bit larger than most FRS radio speakers, and superior sound quality is the result. Besides plenty of volume, this speaker arrangement also makes speech much easier to understand. With a full sound range, people sound less ‘tinny’ on the Cobras.

On top of the PR1000 and PR2000WX are the antenna connection and a volume, ON/OFF control knob. The antenna receptacle is a standard SMA connector. You can remove the Cobra antenna and connect an external antenna very easily. Also, in my testing, I found the short included antenna to be very poor performer, so I replaced it with a full length (6 inch) ¼ wave antenna tuned for 460 MHz. This improved the range of the Cobras by about 50%

When you turn the PR1000 and PR2000WX on, they emit a LOUD 3 tone ‘power up’ sound. This is embarrassing in a quiet environment, and lowering the volume has no effect. Thankfully, this can be disabled using the same method used to suppress the end of transmission ‘roger beep’.

In field use, we found the Cobras to be very intuitive for users accustomed to FRS radio operation. The learning curve was non-existent. We noticed that when a transmission is complete and the user un-keys the radio, it transmits a ‘roger beep’ tone sequence which tells the receiving people that you are done transmitting. This got very irritating to our users very quickly! Fortunately, this ‘roger beep’ can be disabled by holding the FUNCTION button down until a musical icon flashes on the display, then press the UP or DOWN button and ENTER to lock.

Using 6 new ‘AA’ alkaline batteries, we set out to test the Cobras. On 12 different projects, I offered the Cobra radios to co-workers for communications. This is when we discovered just how bad the antennas included with the Cobras really are. After replacing the antennas with full length ¼ wave antennas, the range improved dramatically. In real field use, the Cobra PR 1000 and 2000 were much louder and sounded much clearer than the FRS radios. The included belt clips were very secure and kept the Cobras on the belts without fear of losing them.

The nicest thing about having the extra power of the GMRS radio is when you have obstacles in between radios. In town with several tall buildings, cars, etc., we noticed that communication was not only possible, but effortless at distances our FRS radios wouldn't even be audible. Of course, the horizon is the absolute limit of UHF communications, and over flat ground, the Cobra radios and the FRS radios had the same range.

All in all, the Cobras were very easy to use. The only complaints from Tina were that they are heavy. At a recent event, Tina insisted on trading the Cobra for her trusty Kenwood FRS radio, as the Cobra was pulling the waist of her skirt down. My jeans were not affected the same way.

PR1000 tested specs:

TRANSMITTER:

High power output was measured at 1.6 watts. Low power was measured to be 0.35 watts (350 milliwatts).

The transmitter frequency was consistently 0.2 Kc. low. This isn’t of grave concern, but a little unusual for a radio that is designed to meet FCC part 90 regulations. Transmitter deviation seems to have very little ‘brick wall’ in its microphone audio limiter. Using tone, the deviation hovers around 3.8 Kc. However, normal speech can send peaks as wide as 6 Kc. from carrier.

The microphone sensitivity is a little lower than an average FRS radio, so you do have to speak up a little. The good news is that the PR1000 will not pick up a room full of noise behind you.

RECEIVER:

It takes 0.18 microvolts to open the squelch. To hear a 4 Kc. deviated tone with the squelch open, you need only 0.10 microvolts of signal before you can tell it is there.

Selectivity was about average with most of the high-end FRS radios tested. The selectivity of a receiver becomes important when using the radio in an environment like downtown where there are lots of other radio transmissions on frequencies near you. In the open, selectivity is of much less concern.

PR2000WX tested specs:

TRANSMITTER:

High power output was measured at 1.6 watts. Low power was better than the PR1000 at 0.51 watts (510 milliwatts).

RECEIVER:

It took 0.15 microvolts to break the squelch and 0.12 microvolts to be able to tell a tone was there with the monitor function enabled. The PR2000WX selectivity was not quite as good as the PR1000 on UHF frequencies. On the weather band, the receiver was even less selective but MUCH more sensitive! On 162.550 MHz., the PR2000WX sensitivity was better than 0.10 microvolts!

Conclusions:

Keeping in mind the Cobra PR1000 and PR2000WX are about half the price of even the most inexpensive Land Mobile radio equipment, the performance was still very surprising. Having only experience with FRS radios is all you need to immediately begin using the Cobra PR1000 and PR2000WX radios like a pro. The performance improvement over average FRS radios will be extremely noticeable and will keep you in touch when your FRS radio won't.

Editorial Review

Cobra PR2000WX Supplied by; Bills 2-Way at http://www.bills2way.com. Silver plastic case. Recommended batteries: Alkaline, NiMH, NiCad. Battery power indicator, antenna is removable, SMA connector accepts external antenna.

Warranty

Two year parts, repair or replace. Must be used ONLY in the United States, must have receipt, must pay shipping charges to Cobra. Not covered: accidental damage, misuse or abuse, unauthorized alterations, altered serial number, owner lives outside the USA.

Features Listed by Cobra

• UHF FM Frequencies
• 10 Weather Channels
• Weather Alert
• No Air Time Fees
• Up to 5 mile range
• 15 GMRS channels (7 shared FRS channels)

A Place for Simplex Only Transceivers

The Cobra GMRS radios are simplex only radios. They do not work with repeaters. That is OK in many situations where families are going to use two-way radios. Even my wife and I are big users of direct radio-to-radio communication. We frequently travel out of range of the repeater systems we use. Radio-to-radio communication is what we use in those circumstances.

Many families may rely only on cellular telephones to stay in touch. Researching the existence of local repeaters and seeking permission to use one is not necessary for these families. A family may also have to pay a fee to use a repeater since operating a repeater system does incur expenses. The simplex-only radio offers these families some of the benefits of GMRS.

The inexpensive Cobra GMRS radios are just the consumer entry-level simplex-only product a family needs to improve communication over that available from a typical Family Radio Service radio. The major thing a family needs to know is that a 15 channel simplex GMRS radio does not share every Family Radio Service channel. Only channels 1-7 are shared. FCC rules prohibit GMRS radios from transmitting on FRS channels 8 through 14. If you are with a group of other people using FRS radios and you are using GMRS you must also use your call sign on FRS channels 1-7 and ask your group to stay on channels on which you can hear them calling you.

The Manual

Because GMRS web is an advocate for the General Mobile Radio Service, and because we encourage manufacturers, retailers, and licensees to abide by ethical codes and behaviors the magazine considers products in terms of compliance with our acceptable standards for advertising and marketing. I was very impressed with the first page of the manual, titled, "microTalk Long-Range Professional Radio Important Information." Cobra immediately, on PAGE ONE, advises users that an FCC license is required. If you miss it and ignore it you're a pirate!

"The PR 2000WX Professional radio operates on General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) frequencies which require a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license. GMRS frequencies have been allocated buy the FCC for recreational use such as; skiing, hiking, camping etc. For FCC licensing information and application forms, please call the FCC Hot Line at 1-800-418-FORM. (You need form #574) If you have any questions regarding the license application you can contact the FCC direct at 1-888-CALL-FCC."

I do question Cobra calling this a "Professional Radio" when it is really an entry-level consumer product. It is not a professional quality two-way radio like the Kenwood FreeTalk (GMRS) , Motorola, Vertex, or Pryme PR460. It is an inexpensive entry level consumer-quality product. The "professional 2-way radio" marketing message confuses the public and the retailers that sell the radios. "Professional" implies that this radio is as durable and professional as the more expensive competition and that it is acceptable for routine commercial use.

Many retailers use only the advertising information the manufacturer gives them for catalog and newspaper advertising. Mass market retailers do not know one radio from another and rely on the manufacturer to furnish accurate advertising copy. One glaring example of misleading and ineffective advertising comes from a major police-supply-house catalog. The catalog markets the Cobra PR1000 as a "professional 2-way radio" product from Cobra. (Galls) The catalog does not include a statement that an FCC GMRS license is required. We read the catalog as targeting the professional police market! GMRS Web approached this company and asked them to consider changing their catalog to be more accurate. Such ads only continue to perpetuate the problem of unlicensed use (GMRS piracy) among commercial two-way radio users. No changes have been made to the Cobra advertisement and we considered the response we received as typically unhelpful and patronizing.

GMRS Web would like to see Cobra counsel their retailers to make sure the correct product message is delivered to customers. Their dealers must avoid misrepresenting the product as a business radio instead of a GMRS radio for personal licensees. I do have to applaud Cobra for getting the FCC licensing information on the first page of the manual. That may be a meaningless gesture, however, if business users buy this radio based on the newspaper and catalog advertisements, and then use the radio anyway without a license. As a customer, I would be furious when I discovered that an FCC license and $85 five year fee was required to use the Cobras. I would be seething if my business was ineligible for that license.

GMRS Web did not receive the radios in the Cobra boxes so we were not able to read the on-box marketing message consumers see in the store.

Another thing that really impressed me in the manual was how Cobra accurately described the relationship between GMRS and FRS in their feature list. They did not exaggerate this radio as a hybrid-super-power FRS radio but as a GMRS radio with 15 GMRS channels and that seven of these are shared with FRS. This is a fair and accurate description of GMRS. This magazine prefers a description like this for the general consumer. We think it is important to be accurate and Cobra is accurate in this regard.

The Claims

Cobra says on page A3 of the manual, "Thank you for purchasing this Cobra microTalk Professional 2-way radio. Properly used, this Cobra product will give you many years of reliable service." I believe that in order to have this radio for many years you will have to be exceedingly careful with it. We did not perform a drop test since the radio was not ours to drop. We believe if we had dropped the radio, the plastic case would have suffered serious damage. Since this is a good consumer entry-level GMRS product, I would advise any Cobra PR1000 or PR2000WX owner to purchase a radio carrying case. As with any personal property, take care of it and you just might have it for many years.

Weather Channels

I live in Pleasant Hill, CA. (At the time this was written.)When I turned on the weather function, I was barely able to hear to the weather stations in my area. While traveling in areas around San Francisco Bay the weather stations did come in clearly. I have the same issues with a hand held scanner and my Yaesu FT50RD.

Using the Cobra

Out of the box the radio feels very light. It has the appearance of a stylish FRS radio. After inserting the six AA batteries the radio had substantially more weight and felt very good in the hand. The size, feel, and position of the push-to-talk button was perfect for me.

Right away, I discovered that the position of the radio function controls was going to be a problem. Every time I hung the radio on my belt I bumped the call tone button. You cannot tell that you have pushed this button unless you are listening to another radio on the same frequency. I wore the radio on my belt using the supplied belt clip. When getting in and out of the car or putting on my seat belt, the call button activated the transmitter. This happens because the area around the Call Alert button is taller than the radio case. Not only did I push the call alert button accidentally, but I was also finding the radio on different channels. The up and down channel select buttons are right up there with the call alert button. This was a real nuisance. There is a button lock feature but you have to remember how to access it. You will need to use the lock feature in order to avoid pressing and activating features from one of the six front panel button controls.

The rubber covers of the speaker microphone and charger jacks have rubber hinges that stick out away from the radio. When these brush against clothing or your hand touches them the wrong way the rubber flaps open. The hinges are not very strong. It will not take much use before these break off and fall away. I had some minor difficulty getting the rubber covers back in the slots. Be gentle with these rubber flaps.

My spouse and I tried the Cobra in the neighborhood. Taking the Cobra, I went to a store about a half-mile away. She used our GMRS base station to talk to me. The audio from the speaker was loud enough and I understood everything she said with no distortion or clipping. The Cobra is compatible with legacy GMRS systems. Eileen noticed no difference in my signal strength.

We think you will be quite pleased with either Cobra. The only concerns we had were the power rating and frequency tolerance. Cobra needs to look at these radios as they leave the factory so they completely live up to published specifications.

FCC

PRSG

Last updated November 27, 2001