Hi, this is my first post in this forum. I just got a couple of Uniden FRS 420 hand-held walkie-talkie radios from CircuitCity (they were $10 each, so I don't feel bad about tinkering with them). I work in a large building, requiring communication through as many as four floors, across 300 or more feet. While they recieve signals well from anywhere in the building, the transmissions only go 80 or 90 feet (walls included), then the signal starts to degrade (low volume, static, no signal at all). That makes them pretty much useless. So I took one apart and looked at the "internal antenna." It is a coil of copper wire about 1.5 inches long. My first thought was that the coil was acting as an inductor, thus inhibiting the sending of EM waves. But when I straightened a part of it, the radio stopped recieving from 4 or more feet. Does anyone have a solution? Can I possibly boost the send signal from my working radio? Can I fix the receive on my "broken" radio? Thanks for your help.
Edit: I should mention that we already use several Motorola Talkabout T5420 radios (also FRS band), and those seem to transmit from places where the Unidens don't. In fact, the Motorolas can run the length of the building (transmit), whereas the Unidens won't (although both receive across the building).
Edit: I should mention that we already use several Motorola Talkabout T5420 radios (also FRS band), and those seem to transmit from places where the Unidens don't. In fact, the Motorolas can run the length of the building (transmit), whereas the Unidens won't (although both receive across the building).
[easiest solution]
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