Model: FC200 (twin pack)
Manufacturer: Floureon
Price: £8 a pair with free postage
Channels: 16 channel PMR 446MHz (also available in 22 channel variant for USA market)
Power: 0.5W (low) / 1W (high) selectable
Power supply: 3 x AA batteries with recharge circuit for using rechargables
Type Approved: Nope!
Source: Ebay
Shipped from: UK - 3 days
Introduction
The price of decent two way radios have come down dramatically in the last couple of years. It sort of started with cheap amateur radios such as the Baofeng 888s being sold for £5 a piece and now we move onto license free radios which operate on PMR in europe and FRS etc in the states.
How about two fully functioning 16 channel PMR radios for £8? Sounds unbelieveable?
Enter the Floureon FC200. A real bargain bucket radio which doesn't look like a child's toy.
The story used to be when you wanted a set of bubble pack radios you went to Argos or Maplin (in UK) and paid upwards of £30 for a set of Cobras or Binatones. And if you really felt rich that week a set of Motorolas which could cost over £100 in some cases. The inevitable result was that no matter how much you spent on a set of radios you always roughly got the same features and performance. The reason for this is because all PMR radios must have a fixed antenna and must only push out a maximum of 0.5W. The strict limitations imposed on manufacturers severely reduce the radiated power of PMR radios making any differences between radio models minor.
These days the chinese are flooding the market with very cheap PMR rigs which in some cases deliver twice the power that is allowed and this Floureon FC200 is one such radio.
Features
- 16 Channel PMR
- 121 CTCSS tones
- 0.5W and 1W power
- Dual channel watch
- USB charging port for AA batteries
- One touch scan
- 10 call tones
- Lamp
Stand out feature
Selective scan - The ability to remove channel/s from the scan list on-the-fly.
Useful if the scan keeps sticking on unwanted channels.
Construction
When you pay £4 a radio you don't expect Motorola build quality so it was a surprise to see that the FC200 is quite well made. Not in the same league as a motorola but not a million miles behind either. The plastic housing is quite tough despite being made from cheap plastics and the antenna is stronger than it looks. The radio doesn't really feel cheap in the hand. It feels solid and sturdy, perhaps comparable to a more expensive binatone radio.
The FC200 has function buttons that are made from rubber which appear to be hard wearing and offer a small amount of water resistance.
The antenna on this radio is semi-rigid and made from a coiled wire wrapped in a soft feeling plastic - it looks familar? maybe off a motorola?
Compared to other non-removable PMR antenns this one seems quite long. There may be an advantage in range if the coil inside is the same length.
Whilst the FC200 doesn't look like a professional radio it doesn't look like a toy either.
The menu system is very easy to use and features a nice green back lit display. The function buttons are the usual soft rubber type but don't feel cheap and nasty. The FC200 features a lamp which can be operated by pressing a button on the front of the radio. This feature can be operated if the radio is switched on or off making it very easy to activate the lamp when inside a pocket or bag. To avoid accidental battery drain it's best to remove the batteries when not in use.
Good Points
- Good build quality
- Bright back lit screen
- Sound quality
- Standard AA batteries or rechargeable AA
- Full 16 PMR channels
- One touch scan feature
Bad Points
- NOT type certified
- Lamp can be operated by mistake - Draining batteries
Testing
The sound quality of the speaker when recieving signals is very clear and quite loud in terms of volume.
It certainly isn't the most refined speaker out there but at this price point is more than adequate.
When it comes to transmissions the FC200 delivers a clean, crisp signal which is slighly under amplified if anything but above average compared to more expensive sets.
No long distance testing has been carried out at the time of this post but short distances have been very successful. When used in a built up area these radios perform more or less the same as the Baofeng UV-5R ham radio which runs at around 4 Watts on high power. This is not surprising as the extra power doesn't always equate to further range. Despite having the ability to run at 1 Watt full power, the FC200 radio are still limited by their fixed antennas. Longer aftermarket antennas are not an option here so range distances will always be the same.
The real distance test will be when used from altitude - Hill top to hill top etc.
The extra half a Watt in power (over normal PMR radios) may be more noticeable when operating line of sight on a hill.
Embracing the New
The PMR 446Mhz band used to be limited to just 8 channels but as the band became increasingly more populated it was widened to 16 channels. This change happened a while ago and not many manufacturers have embraced the change and updated their radios. I suspect there are millions of old 8 channel radios to get rid of first. Thankfully though Floureon have made this radio 16 channel which is welcome news. The ability to now find a quiet channel is great. The new upper 8 channels are silent 24/7 probably because everyone else has an 8 channel radio. This state of affairs may not last long though!.
legal to use?
Believe it or not it isn't!. The reason is because it has the ability to transmit at a higher power than is allowed on the PMR446 band. The FC200 passes every requisite in being legal to use on the license free band except for the power aspect. Who really is legal to use this radio on the set PMR channels? A licensed HAM radio operator? No. Once again because the radio is not type approved then it is illegal for anyone to use this radio on PMR. Excatly the same as if using the Baofeng 888s A minor detail! It doesn't stop people using them on the 446 band and because the license free band is not monitored by OFCOM (in the UK) they won't have anyone knocking at their door anytime soon. It's a matter of personal choice as to whether someone breaks the law or not.
Rather contradictory when the radio you buy cannot be legally used!?
Size comparison
Legalities aside, these Radios are superb value for money. These FC200's appear to be the cheapest PMR walkie talkies anywhere! The build quality far outweighs the cost and the functionality rival many of the expensive models. Recommended definitely.