Echo GMRS Radio

By not having any buttons/keys other than volume and channels make these perfect for family use, no worrying somebody is going to change settings and mess up communications.

Very nice radio. Feels solid. Accessories are very good too. However, … field use, the radio has limitations. Primarily any changes to power settings, CTCSS changes in the field and you are totally out of luck. You can only make changes on your home computer. Power setting changes in the field are not possible. If you don’t need that much power, you are stuck. (You could go to FRS freqs)

Midland has more features. The price of the Echo is very high. If you are purchasing from out of country, you can expect to end up paying double. This time BridgeCom put a label on the shipping box for Customs - amateur radio no duty. Thank you. That did work out well.
I got nailed on my Anytone gear from Customs last time hard.

Do I like the radio, yes.
Am I happy with the purchase, almost yes.
Would I send it back, no.
I accept the radio with its limitations, yes.
Would I buy a 2nd one, no.

What would I pay for another Echo, $50-$55 USD.
$99 USD on sale,… is high for what you get.

BridgeCom you have good products and service. Hopefully I was comparing apple to apples.
Thank you.

The price is right on this radio and the ease of use is great. The battery lasts a long time and the build is solid. I do not like the programming software where all GMRS channels are preset and you can only change tones. I would like the ability to move channels around at least. The main reason for that is to sync up a mix of radio brands for use on a repeater and then being to tell everyone "we're on channel 2" and no matter what radio you're on, channel 2 is the repeater. The spoken channel number is ok and eliminates the need for a display, so battery life is longer. But I really don't like it. I'd rather the channel selector just be numbered (could every other number like you see on Motorola radios) and then you can visually select the channel. The speaker quality leaves a bit to be desired. My hearing is not what is used to be and I find this radio a little harder to hear, though I like my Motorola radios that bellow out all audio. The kids like the Echo though, works great for them. The antenna is a tradeoff for a radio this size, but I find the included one is ok for most uses. Replacing it with a Diamond SMA antenna greatly improved performance at the expense of having a gigantic antenna on this handheld. Most kids don't like that.

Hi again all,

I forgot to mention in my recent review that the echo battery lasts forever it seems on a charge! I can listen to the repeater or Broadwater School for hours!

Jim WROX23

This is a great radio when you have family members who are not hams. One license covers the entire family and the units work perfectly.