Retevis RT22 Walkie Talkies Rechargeable,Long Range Two Way Radio,2 Way Radio for Adults, Handsfree VOX Mini, for Business Office School Church…

Only got them today but first impressions and range test compare well against much more expensive units although probably not so resistant to damage or water… but at 1/10th the price you can’t really count that as a serious issue.

Mine came packed in pairs with 2 USB charger cables but only one charger per pair so this might be a consideration if you want to charge them all at different locations… of course if there is another USB source nearby that doesn’t matter. I also got a programming cable but the mini CD only has Windows and MAC drivers and I use Linux. This is not a problem because there is a utility called CHIRP which is open source and free that can do many similar radios, all that is needed is to make sure the Linux “User” has permission to use the serial and USB ports.

I have them talking to Cobra MicroTalk radios but needed to reprogram them to use no privacy codes as I didn’t have time to mess around with the Cobras and this took care of the first 5 channels which must be the same frequencies. I’m sure they can be set up with many more radios if you have the appropriate cables.

Update

Using “Chirp” I made a few changes and these radios can be made to work with Kenwood Protalk, Motorola CLS1110 and CLS1410 and also Vertex Standard VX-261. I did not have to change settings on the other radios to get at least some channels working. Of course not everything can be made to work with everything else but I am able to use these with much more expensive radios we already had and also with other cheaper UHF walkie talkies. I needed to use Chirp to change a couple of frequencies and privacy codes (67 seems common).

I purchased the 10-pack RT22 radios for use at a Gala that was being held in a very large museum. I love how small these radios are, and how easy they are for anyone to use. I’ve used several types of radios over the years, and these are by-far my preferred ones, strictly because of their size and low-weight. As far as their range of communication, they held up really well compared to the previous, more expensive, brands that I have used too. However, my use would probably be considered short-distance. Definitely under 1 mile at all times. Prior to the evening of the Gala, I tested the range of each radio in my neighborhood, in a 7-story building, and at the museum. Here are the results from each (fyi: all of these tests were using headsets connected to the radios):

Neighborhood test – I had my wife stay in the house and I walked several blocks away. I could hear her very clear, even when turning corners, putting multiple houses in-between us. I would say I walked about a quarter to half a mile away. The only time the signal broke up was when I walked down a hill, and the ground obstructed what would be considered a direct line-of-sight to the house, which also included multiple houses in-between. The signal got very fuzzy, and then cut out altogether for about 500 ft until I reached the incline back up the hill.

7-story Building test: I had coworkers with radios on every floor of our 7-floor concrete building. I then went outside the building and stood behind the concrete parking garage that is adjacent to the building, obscuring me from it. Everyone was able to hear each other perfectly. Even the person on the top floor was able to hear the person on the 1st floor, through the 6 floors of concrete. The only time I had issues with signal breakup was when I was enclosed in the elevator going up/down the floors. The signal was quite bad in there, but I could still hear jumbled voices talking. It wasn’t a total signal loss, but they are not usable if in a totally-enclosed concrete shaft/small room it seems.

Museum/Gala night use: I had a team of 10 people positioned at various locations through a very large, one story museum. The distance between some people was as far, if not a bit further, than my neighborhood test. I’m happy to say that there was only one instance of signal breakup the entire night, and it was restricted to one person’s radio. I’m not sure where that person was, but I am thinking they may have been around the loading dock area, which would make sense with it being a concrete box far away from the rest of us. That was only once during a 6-hour period, so in my opinion, the radios worked perfectly! The only issues I would say we had, came from the headsets we purchased, with some people’s microphones and headphones not being clear at times. But, that is a different product review!

I did take one star off of the “durability” rating, simply for the belt holster that you put the radio into. I can see them not lasting through someone who might be a bit rough on them. They worked great for us, but I think the plastic clip that connects to the belt could definitely be broken off without too much effort. That didn’t happen to any of us, though. It is just an observation! I’m sure they are very cheap to replace. As for the durability of the radios themselves, I am very happy with the overall construction of them. They are lightweight plastic, but ultimately feel like a sturdy product to me.

As far as the sound from the radio speaker itself, when not using a headset. I did test it, and it works good. I didn’t care for the sound of it that much though, because it definitely has a kind of ‘radio screech’ sound when someone is talking. On the very high-end of the audio spectrum, as opposed to the mid or low end. So pretty ‘tinny’ sounding, and if you have someone with a high-pitched voice, it isn’t pleasant if the volume is turned up too high. I definitely suggest using a headset. However, it is completely usable without one, and you can understand the person clearly.

Overall, I am very happy with this purchase. I will get to use them again during an upcoming marathon that historically ends up being a very very cold day. I will see how long the batteries last in those conditions. I had no problems with any of the radios dieing in a 6-hour timeframe during the gala, though. I love the light-weight and compact design of these radios. They are no longer than a current smartphone, and just a little bit wider than one, so they can fit comfortably in a pocket if you don’t want to use a belt clip. I am so happy I purchased these over the larger, bulkier designs, and everyone on my team agreed!