There are two styles of MURS two-way radio handhelds you can choose from. The MURS Multi-Mile Handheld Intercom is a light-duty, less featured two way radio. The MURS 110 Commercial Handheld Two-Way Radio is a heavy-duty fully featured two way radio. There is a big difference in price so you’ll want to make sure you choose the right one for you.
Both units will achieve a similar range and they both have all 5 of the MURS channels. For basic communication you could choose either radio.
The only advantage the MURS Multi-Mile Handheld Intercom has other than price is the fact that it integrates with a long-range motion sensor (MURS MAT which comes in the MURS Base and MURS Alert Kits). The MURS MAT will send its “Alert Zone 1” voice message to the MURS 110 Commercial Handheld but for some reason it sounds a little garbled.
The MURS 110 Commercial Handheld is built to what’s called “MIL-SPEC” standards. In an effort to achieve standardization objectives for purchases of products used by the military and other government organizations, the U.S. Department of Defense created standards that these products must meet. You will see these standards called military standard, “MIL-STD”, or “MIL-SPEC.” These standards ensure products meet certain requirements, commonality, reliability, compatibility, and similar defense-related objectives.
The Department of Defense also has standards for two-way radios and radios that meet this standard must meet levels for such criteria as vibration, rain, salt air, sand/dust, shock (dropping), humidity, temperature as well as other factors.
Buying a product that meets mil-spec standards means you are buying a quality product that is built to withstand tougher use.
The MURS 110 Commercial Handheld also has features you won’t find on the MURS Multi-Mile Handheld. They are summed up below:
The MURS 110 Commercial Handheld…
- is smaller so it fits in your hand better
- has Channel Scanning so you can listen to multiple channels at once
- has an audio output and microphone input jack so you can use headsets. These devices screw on to the radio so they can’t be pulled out. There are several types of headsets available.
- has NOAA weather radio capability for weather reports or for automatic alerts of storms
- has a programmable softkey that can be used for weather radio, gate opening, or for activating other devices that use 2-tone decode. Programmable on a per channel basis.
- has a charging doc that allows you to charge a spare battery for uninterrupted operation
- has an optional multi-charger unit available for charging multiple radios at once.
- has a voice scrambler when used with other compatible radios. With this feature turned on, other people won’t be able to understand your conversations.
So if all you need is plain voice communications and the environment you are using the two-way radio in isn’t too harsh, then the MURS Multi-Mile Handheld would be sufficient. If you need a really tough two-way radio with some features, then the MURS 110 Commercial Handheld is for you.