Cobra LI-7200 Review
Pros:
Long battery life
Cons:
lack of scan lockouts
The Bottom Line:
Very good radios. Will serve well.
|
|
Overall Rating:
|
 |
|
Author's Review
Cobra LI-7200 Review
FCC ID:BBOLI7200
Power output:
1.78 W ERP GMRS
300 mW FRS
This radio is approved for FRS use on Channels 1-7 under low power operation only. FRS may be used on channels 8-14 also A GMRS license is required on all other channels and power levels.
Features:
22 Channel operation FRS/GMRS
Channel Scan
Lithium-Ion battery
Weather radio
Vibrate page.
CTCSS/DCS Squelch
Memory channel programming
VOX Function
single pin speaker mike jack. (compatible with single-pin Motorola Accessories)
Observations:
The manual states the lights on the charging stand will stay on all the time. I noticed, the lights got dimmer, and finally went out altogether. I am unsure if this is a manual misprint or defective charger. In any case the batteries were fully charged. I am assuming the charger has no defects, and it was simply a design change after the manual print date.
There is a lot going on. Some functions require a good look at the manual. Memory channels especially. If you study up, you can learn quickly.
The memory channels are poorly implemented. You need to scroll through and find them. Once there, you are fine. There shold be an option for the radio to default to memory channels... not a good function for novice users.
Performance Review:
Battery life: Very long life. They exceeded 24 hours on scan before I gave up and recharged. Needless to say.. they will work all day for you.
Audio:
Volume is sufficient for average use. Noisy areas will probably require a speaker mike.
Received audio quality is very good, considering the small speaker size. No problem understanding other radios.
Receiver Performance:
The receiver I think is very sensitive. There was some household electronics interference, which stopped scanning on channel 12. The sensitive receiver helps extend communications range.
Communications Ranges:
House To Car: 1.43 miles
House to person: 1.83 miles
Person to person: 2.19 Miles
Car to car: 1.23 miles
Terrain is suburban, with houses, some commercial properties and a lot of trees. Your experiences may differ.
I was very impressed by communications ranges for this model. Ranges were measured point-to-point via Google Earth.
Final Observations:
These are very good radios and should serve a person very well. I would like to see a way to lock out channels while scanning, however, the memory function can help circumvent any unwanted channels. The memory function wasn't implemented the way I would have liked it, but it does work, and can be useful.
I'd recommend these radios.
