Best Budget Walkie Talkie - Midland, Kenwood, Baofeng or Motorola?

Transmitter power is one of the most important criteria when choosing a radio. The more powerful it is, the greater the range, and the cleaner the signal received. There is a legal restriction according to which a civilian radio station cannot use a transmitter with a power greater than 10 watts. Manufacturers try not to touch this bar to avoid problems with the law, while the transmission range of receivers with the same power may be different.

It should also be taken into account the fact that such a parameter as the range allows manufacturers to manipulate the opinions of buyers. For example, the same walkie-talkie, when used in an open field and in a dense forest, will have different characteristics. Brands often list the range, but do not specify on what terrain this criterion was calculated. We will also consider it, but always keep this information in mind.

In this case, it will be correct to allocate places, starting from the power of the transmitter. Accordingly, the Kenwood walkie-talkie with 9 watts becomes the winner. The second position is shared by models using a 5-volt module: Turbosky, Komrad and Baofeg. Well, Midland and Motorola go to third place.

At the beginning of the article, we said that our comparison included walkie-talkies using the civilian VHF, UHF and CB bands. but even here there is a difference between the contestants, because some models can use two ranges at once, others can work only in one. Of course, the best walkie-talkie is the one that gives the user the most options. If a model has the ability to switch between ranges, this is a clear advantage.

Among our double range nominees are three models: Turbosky, Motorola and Baofeg. These are the most versatile options, so we send them to the first place. The Komrad radio works only in VHF, and Kenwood in UHF. The model from Midland is the most different from other participants. It uses the MW frequency range. We also send it to the second place, but if you need a model for a car, then Midland should be taken. The CB band is most commonly used by truckers.

Unlike cellular communications, a walkie-talkie uses certain waves that all transmitters are tuned to. Many participants can be on the same frequency at once and, in order not to interfere with each other, different channels are used. That is, being on the same wavelength, but in different channels, you will not hear each other. This is an important parameter, especially if your hunting or fishing takes place in a crowded place where a lot of people use the radio, and everyone sits on the same frequency.

In this case, the best radio station is the one with the most channels. There are certain technical limitations, and among our nominees, Kenwood, Baofeg and Turbosky have the largest number of channels, 128 each. Midland takes second place in the nomination with 40 channels, while Motorola and Komrad go to third position. They only have 16 channels. In practice, this is often enough, but our comparison involves dry numbers, and they distributed the places in this way.

Subcodes are another parameter that is very close in purpose to the number of channels. We will not go into technical details and briefly touch on this value. Subcodes allow you to create isolated group cells while on the same channel. That is, being on the same frequency and even on the same channel, you can still create a virtual private room that other users cannot enter. In fact, this parameter expands the number of channels, but is specified separately. Moreover, not all of our participants have it. And in order to clearly see how subcodes expand the capabilities of the radio, here is a small table:

And here an interesting situation arises. In the last nomination, the Komrad model took the third place, as it has only 16 channels, which is very small compared to other participants. And already here this walkie-talkie confidently rises to one step of the pedestal, since thanks to the use of subcodes, the total number of isolated rooms in it increases to almost 2 thousand.

And the winners are Turbosky and Kenwood. Yes, Kenwood has a much higher number of rooms, but it is unlikely that your fishing or hunting will ever take place in such a crowded place that you need 30,000 channels. As for Motorola, Midland and Baofeg, we give them only the third place. These models do not use subcodes, that is, the number of rooms they have is equal to the number of channels available for communication.

The power level allows you to adjust the radio depending on the distance of the group members from each other. For example, fishing often takes place with a more compact disposal of people, while hunting requires a significant distance. If you are standing close to each other, there is no point in using the full power of the transmitter. This saves battery power and prolongs the life of the electronics.

It turns out that the best radio station is the one that uses the most channels of power. Among our nominees, the highest figure is 2, but even here there is a difference. For example, Kenwood, Komrad and Motorola are able to determine the required power level themselves and automatically switch between them. That is, the radio station sees at what distance a member of the group and selects the optimal mode. You don't need to manually change anything. We give these participants the first line of the pedestal.

Baofeg and Midland also have two power levels, but switching between them is manual. This is not very convenient, so the second place in the nomination. And the weakest model is Turbosky. There is not only no automatic transition, but there is only one power mode. That is, the radio always works at the limit of its capabilities, even if the participants are at a very close distance.

A modern radio station is a sophisticated device with a mass of basic and auxiliary options. Yes, she will not be able to access the Internet like a smartphone, but she can also find add-ons that make it much easier to use. For example, all of our members have the ability to connect a headset. That is, you do not have to bring the walkie-talkie to your face. Very comfortably.Accordingly, to use the headset you need voice activation. It is also available to all nominees. You do not need to press the lever as before to go on the air. As for other additions, consider them in the table:

Two participants can be called winners at once: Kenwood and Turbosky. They have the most features and add-ons. Kenwood is a little more fancy, but it's not critical. The rest of the models are the same in terms of filling, plus or minus, so we give them all the second line.

Since our comparison concerns portable, portable walkie-talkies, the issue of autonomy is very important for them. If you find yourself in a forest or mountains, you are unlikely to have the opportunity to recharge the battery, so the best walkie-talkie is the one with the most powerful battery on board. In our case, this is Kenwood using a 3000 mAh battery.Owners of modern smartphones will probably say that this is very small, but the radio station works differently and such a capacity is very large for it. In addition, if an initially inexpensive model is considered, then the most powerful battery will probably not be there.

We will also give the first line to Turbosky, and here we need to explain, since the capacity of the battery used is only 1500 mAh, which is less than that of other participants. The fact is that Turbosky is the only walkie-talkie in our comparison that can be charged from a 12-volt network, that is, it is the best model for a car. Agree, finding a car in the forest is much easier than a household network of 220 volts, and it is from it that all other participants are charged.

The second line is shared by: Baofeg, Komrad and Motorola. They have 1800-1900 amp batteries. Also a good result, but worse than the other participants. But the walkie-talkie from Midland is the only one on the list that uses removable AA batteries. They are not in the basic configuration, but you can put the battery of exactly the capacity that you need. There are no restrictions, and it turns out that Midland is the best model in terms of autonomy. Yes, the issue is debatable, but still we will give Midland the first place, since you can always take as many additional batteries with you into the forest as you like.

Hunting, fishing, and the usual trip to the forest mean that your gadgets can be negatively affected. The best walkie-talkie should be as protected as possible from any adversity. There is an international classification of the level of security, denoted by the abbreviation IP. The higher the values ​​after these letters, the better the device is protected from moisture and dust.

The first place in this nomination is shared by 4 participants at once: Kenwood, Komrad, Turbosky and Motorola. They have an IP54 protection level. He tells us that the models are not afraid of direct moisture, that is, if you are caught in the rain, you can not worry about their safety. Immersion in water is not allowed. But Baofeg and Midland do not have such a classification at all, that is, they are poorly protected from moisture and it is better to hide them during rain.

When buying a walkie-talkie for a car, you don’t have to think too much about its dimensions, but we are talking about portable devices that you will have to carry with you, which means that the issue of their size and weight is very important, and the smaller the device, the better. The size and weight of our nominees are as follows:

As you can see, the sizes of almost all participants are approximately the same. Except for Kenwood, the tallest and heaviest walkie-talkie. In fact, this is not surprising, given the capabilities and content of this model, but we consider only dry numbers, which means only the third line in the nomination.

The second position is shared by Komrad, Turbosky and Motorola. Almost the same in terms of weight and size of the radio. And the winners are Midland and Baofeg. They are the smallest and lightest. Going to the forest, hunting or fishing, they will not burden your luggage much, and therefore, this is the best solution.

Price is a relative concept. It can fluctuate quite a lot, but the average values ​​will still be about the same regardless of the season, popularity and seller. It is them that we will consider.

And here we have two winners at once: Baofeg and Kenwood. Baofeg has the most budget model, but Kenwood is richer in terms of filling, although it is also a fairly inexpensive walkie-talkie. We will give the second line to Turbosky. His price tag was set at about 6 thousand. It cannot be said that this is the most budget model, but compared to the participants who took the third position, it is quite affordable. Well, and accordingly, Midland, Motorola and Comrad are the most expensive models in our comparison.

The participants in our comparison went head to head all the time, and the final results do not differ much from each other. And the winner at the end is Kenwood. The best radio station in almost all criteria. Powerful, high-quality, functional and, importantly, an inexpensive model, and even from a top manufacturer.

Just a couple of points behind Turbosky, and this is a much more interesting result. The brand is not very well known and is not very popular. Yes, and in the reviews there is often a mention of marriage and other shortcomings. Simply put, this is a Chinese product that also deserves attention, but you should not place high hopes on it. In addition, this is not the most budget model in comparison, which could offset many shortcomings.

In this regard, Turbosky can take a cue from another Chinese brand, Baofeg. Although it scored a little less points, users on the network have no complaints about its quality. Yes, this is not the most functional and sophisticated model, but it fully corresponds to the declared characteristics.

Komrad, Motorola and Midland can be sent to one line. Although they have a gap in estimates, but not critical. It's more of a different purpose.For example, Midland is better to take for a car, and Motorola and Komrad are quite reliable companions when going to the forest, hunting or fishing.