The physical casing of the radio can be an issue depending on whether the radio is for the wife''s purse, or for us butch fishermen and hunters whose equipment is subject to jostling and knocking around. In the outback hunting, fishing and rockclimbing venues, don''t rule out Walkie-Talkies-- the units are usually less expensive racingradios and just as well made. In remote areas interference racingradios is highly unlikely, and the squelch can be set just high enough to allow only your immediate user groups participation in more populated areas. The subjects of intermodulation, transmit/receive audio, etc. can for the moment be set aside inasmuchas these questions are of little concern to the casual hobbiest. The "rubber ducky" antenna that comes with these radios is the LEAST efficient antenna. But there are extensible "gain" antennas that can be had, even though they are a little bit clunky in active environments. If you are going to be in difficult terrain, or say you want to transmit from car to car, 440 Mhz antennas are available from many sources, notably, and with a simple adaptor you can connect your FRS rig to a magnetic mount antenna on the roof of your vehicles.

If you are using your walkie talkies on a climb up a tough mountain or in a sand-and-water situation, you probably ought to pay more because you are asking the radio to give you hazardous duty performance. If you racingradios just need something to entertain the kids as they play in the backyard or you need to keep in touch while you and your family members are in different ends of the mall, the less expensive units will do. So the first thing to consider is "What will my radios be used for?" the radios I might need would probably cost $1,000.00 apiece. racingradios My own portable walkie talkies were bought to help mountain climbers on moderate mountains communicate with each other, so I bought units that cost about $250.00 apiece. But you can get perfectly servicable portable 2-way radios for light duty at 1/10 of that cost. So need/price is the first thing to think about.

The second thing I would think about in portable walkie talkies is quality. If my life depends on something and other people are depending on my life to continue, I tend to go with the best equipment I can get. Will the radio still work if it gets wet in a storm or dropped into a fishpond or the ocean? How likely is it to break if it accidentally gets dropped on a pile of rocks on a mountain or a sidewalk in a city? What''s the guarantee cover? Remember: you want something you can depend on in times when you really need to communicate. Don''t be penny-wise and pound foolish. Don''t get a toy. Get what works and will work under stress.