Recommendations sought

[dolfan]

We use 2-way radios at our store for the cashier and gas-pumper to communicate. It greatly reduces drive-offs and we don't do pay-before-you-pump since we have a pumper. But, we've gone through probably 10 sets of radios in 3 years. Midland, Cobra, Motorola, you name it. We've gone cheap ($50 pair), to moderate ($90 pair) in price. And, it isn't that we're damaging the radios; oddly enough, they just quit working. Either the volume control will go away, sound will quit, transmissions will fail, you get nothing but static on all channels and all settings ..... I mean it is always something quirky and different.

SO, I need someone with some experience using 2-ways to give me a recommendation. We'll spend a couple of hundred bucks on a set if we can be sure they're good quality. Our guys wear them on their belts with a clip.

[Paully_44]

we use Motorola's for our camp staff. All staff is given a 2way when checking in. Granted, they are only used a few weeks out of the year. but never had any problems with them.

[Alan]

I've always had good luck with Motorola radios. If you have a license for business band use the MT1000 can be purchased fairly cheap and is a reliable radio. I have one that I use for HAM radio repeaters in the area.

[beckrl]

I use a Icom radio every day at work for the past three years that it was bought new. All is needed is to recharge the bat every day.(two bats to change) I believe our company brought some of them on ebay. Heres a look at one maybe not the correct model # but looks the same I believe the model I have has 24 channels. We only use 3 channels. It's a little more for a industrial radio. but by the time you have brought 3 or 4 you would have paid for a good one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/IC-F4161S-Icom-2-Wa ... .m20.l1116

[Pianoman]

We've use Motorola PR series where I work for the last 15 years.

This isn't the exact model (I believe they stopped making it) - but it's in the same series. We've also used some Kenwoods that transmit on the same frequency. I've purchased from these folks & used them for repairs from time to time (we had one that was dropped in a sump pump hole & they fixed it like new). These folks are very knowledgeable and could probably offer some good suggestions for you.

http://www.bearcom.com/ecatalog/Radios/Two-Way/Two-Way-Radio-Detail.cfm?PID=505&CFID=859966&CFTOKEN=33160859

[Pianoman]

Also meant to mention - these have been die hard radios for us & usually if we ever had transmission or reception problems it was because the rubber antennae on one was broken. We always keep a few spares to swap out. You usually can't tell they're broken by looking at them - it's something internal in them.

The other problem we've had with the type that come with a charging stand is that the battery contacts get dirty & prevent getting good charging contact. That can usually be fixed by rubbing the contacts with a rubber pencil eraser (old fashioned erasers - not the newer synthetic type).