Kirisun PT3300 radio review
Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 10:50 pm
Thanks to Family_Bulldog for lending us the Kirisun PT 3300 radios for our trip to Namibia.
This was my first time using a radio so I can not compare it to others.
Our overall impression was that it served it's purpose very well. It is very handy when driving in a convoy, looking for camping spots and game viewing.
We did not get a chance to test the claimed 5km range, but while driving the 2km (line of sight) is spot on. Although the sound quality does get worse at this distance, it is still audible.
The sound quality at close range is very good and you can clearly hear what the other person is saying.
We did not use the radios for long conversations, but kept it to short sentences at a time. This resulted in amazing battery life. After the first charge, the batteries lasted for four days. Switching it on when starting to drive and off when setting up camp and not using it a lot.
A rough estimate of the time spent on sending and receiving messages, I would say we spoke between a minute and a minute and a half a day. (8 hours). That equates to 0.2%-0.3% of the time sending and receiving and the rest idle.
Charging the radios takes around 2 hours when using 220V. I opted to build 12V convertors which took around 3 hours to charge.
One of the drawbacks was that it sometimes made a crackling and hissing sound which seemed happen when driving close to power lines. This forces you to turn down the volume. A “call†function would be very handy in this situation. I don't know if it is possible to do with these.
A nice-to-have would be some kind of vehicle mounting. Sacrificing a cupholder is not ideal as it shakes around, and the obvious drawback of having no elixir.
These radios seems to be well put together and sturdy. It's size is also a very big plus. It is almost the same size as a cell phone with a long aerial. It comes with a belt clip on the battery so you are able to carry it on your person if you are so inclined.
One test I would like to see is if they can communicate with other types and brands of vhf radios. Otherwise every vehicle in your group will need the exact same radio.
In closing, these make a nice travel companion and I might consider buying it for our next trip.
http://shop.4x4community.co.za/subcateg ... VHF+Radios
This was my first time using a radio so I can not compare it to others.
Our overall impression was that it served it's purpose very well. It is very handy when driving in a convoy, looking for camping spots and game viewing.
We did not get a chance to test the claimed 5km range, but while driving the 2km (line of sight) is spot on. Although the sound quality does get worse at this distance, it is still audible.
The sound quality at close range is very good and you can clearly hear what the other person is saying.
We did not use the radios for long conversations, but kept it to short sentences at a time. This resulted in amazing battery life. After the first charge, the batteries lasted for four days. Switching it on when starting to drive and off when setting up camp and not using it a lot.
A rough estimate of the time spent on sending and receiving messages, I would say we spoke between a minute and a minute and a half a day. (8 hours). That equates to 0.2%-0.3% of the time sending and receiving and the rest idle.
Charging the radios takes around 2 hours when using 220V. I opted to build 12V convertors which took around 3 hours to charge.
One of the drawbacks was that it sometimes made a crackling and hissing sound which seemed happen when driving close to power lines. This forces you to turn down the volume. A “call†function would be very handy in this situation. I don't know if it is possible to do with these.
A nice-to-have would be some kind of vehicle mounting. Sacrificing a cupholder is not ideal as it shakes around, and the obvious drawback of having no elixir.
These radios seems to be well put together and sturdy. It's size is also a very big plus. It is almost the same size as a cell phone with a long aerial. It comes with a belt clip on the battery so you are able to carry it on your person if you are so inclined.
One test I would like to see is if they can communicate with other types and brands of vhf radios. Otherwise every vehicle in your group will need the exact same radio.
In closing, these make a nice travel companion and I might consider buying it for our next trip.
http://shop.4x4community.co.za/subcateg ... VHF+Radios