Bridgecom Buddy - New FRS Two Way Radio, Walkie Talkie

Brand new from Bridgecom is the 'Buddy', a small and light-weight FRS Walkie Talkie that is license free and comes in a convenient 2-pack.
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[@daveN2MXX]

$99 is very high for a pair of FRS radios, even though they come with Bridgecomm "support" for those who can't figure out how to turn them on.

[@DominicMazoch]

At the price, I think I would go with a GMRS HT, and use the FRS freqs on it. Better antenna, and once you get the GMRS lic., more possibilities.

[@gingerman5123]

I have amateur and GMRS licenses. The HUGE plus this product has, for me, is the dead simple operation and USB charging. I'd love an amateur HT with USB charging.

[@TV88KEYS]

You can get a 5 pack of the Retevis RT18 ( That's what these are ) for around $75.00 on Amazon!!

[@otrdriver6767]

I received a notification from bridgecom today about this radio. I think it would work very well for my wife and I when we get separated at large shopping places.

[@blairsmith201]

Might be good for my grandsons who are ready to graduate from the Paw Patrol walkie talkies.

[@seaningram3285]

The ol' 49 MHz Radios from back in the day. I had a set of two walkie talkies. They were a olive color with the Morse Code chart on the front and a yellow or red button to use while the push to talk button was held, they had the telescoping antenna.

[@blairsmith201]

I got one when I was 6 from Radio Shack for Xmas. Never could get anyone to talk to me when I was outside by myself 😂

[@johnclark2149]

I love FRS. I’ve got a bunch of kids and family’s in the neighborhood that use it. It’s a great tool to get people interested in radio! When I see a radio on a kid I pull out the elecraft kx3 and if there interested I let them listen to anything they want. (I do bring out the pan adapter to search for signals)

[@DominicMazoch]

The Uri Fury Ice storm helped this in H-Town, FRS/GMRS. And from the 4x4 community. 4th Sunday of October I had training for the Harris County ARRS. The last 2 weeks the trainer can come up with a topic. Due to increase of GMRS interest I read an article from the Net about GMRS. Just for info. Found out HC Emergency Management is placing GMRS in the ecom mix. HC ARES in working to place GMRS into its plan. Another tool in the communications toolbox. HC ARES wants members to be communicators, being able to use any radio legally at any time. You are spot on on that. I think Radio Shack came up with the idea of the FRS.

[@kg4gav]

How are these different from the Retevis RT18 that are $35/pair?

[@vitogriffin6575]

Price is pretty steep considering there's not many features, only 16 channels, and the competition in the market... I'm sure they're good radios though

[@peterliljequist160]

Most FRS/GMRS bister Pak radios cover all 22 channels. This radio was not designed for FRS originally. It was an inexpensive low power 16 channel commercial radio design . Nothing wrong with the radio. There are better values in the FRS market.

[@04DynaGlyde]

What kind of range do they have, and is there a better easy to use frs for 2022?

[@ai4ijoel]

The green light stayed on but you could not hear anyone because those radios, as well as the Bridgecom Echo GMRS radios, come preprogrammed with 67 Hz encode and decode PL tones on all the channels. You should program them for carrier squelch with the free software.

[@Paddy_Roche]

Nicely designed radio. No FRS here in the U.K. We have PMR446 which is similar I guess oh and dPMR i believe.

[@sheriffdetectivek456rhcfbi7]

Yes I do use frs walkie talkie for my agency it’s very strong and it’s easy to encrypt my ch I use a midland walkie talkie x talker but that radio u got looks fun so yea :) I’m probably gonna get one in the future ok :) I will let u know when I get it ok

[@tonyridlen]

Another great video Jason! KC9QVE Marion,Indiana

[@itsjessssssssss]

I just bought these… I can transmit between the two and to a Motorola, but the Motorola cannot transmit to the Buddy, or the Buddy cannot receive (I’m not sure which). The Buddy acknowledges signal but no voice comes out of it. Any advice?

[@pearce100]

Do you need the programming software to set CTCSS tones?

[@BridgeComSystemsInc]

yes, Software and cable are available as an additional accessory.

[@ScanFan_Ed]

@@BridgeComSystemsInc just throwing my opinion out there, however I believe you have these priced a little high. I would think $69 to $79 would be fair, at most. Thanks!

[@peterliljequist160]

Almost all FRS/GMRS radios have 22 channels and front panel keypad CTSS/DCS programming. This model does not since it was not designed as a FRS radio. Look else where.

[@jimkunkle2669]

So does it feel kinky to key up and not ID yourself?

[@HamRadio2]

Lol, yeah

[@DominicMazoch]

And if you get the right GMRS radio, you could use the same batteries and mikes for ham, and/or marine HT's

[@dougdaniels]

Way too expensive for what you get. I'm not paying $100 for FRS.

[@MrStanwyck]

Exactly!!!!

[@HamRadio2]

Strange to complain about a $50 radio

[@dougdaniels]

@@HamRadio2 And yet, that is the beauty of a free market economy, I can not only critique a product, I can vote with my wallet.

[@HamRadio2]

And the beauty of free speech when I can determine for myself what I think is strange.

[@dougdaniels]

@@HamRadio2 Absolutely, no argument there. No different than I thinking it strange that someone would overpay, just because it's only $50.

[@BridgeComSystemsInc]

Thank you Jason! Keep rolling!

[@ai4ijoel]

They are down to a penny under $30 apiece. I H8 prices with lots of nines.

[@hamhouke]

I am a BridgeCom fan and I have their Anytone HT, mobile, and a SkyBridge. I learned DMR, largely, via their videos, University, and documentation. They have been great and I like their model of customer engagement. I love the radios. Not the best at some things, but very very good at most things. Overall, I recommend BridgeCom to most people who ask me. I can't recommend this radio, and I am sad to see what they did here. This is a rebadged RT18 at twice the price. It's a Rugged Radio play. This is a cash grab product for people that don't know better and it erodes the brand. Unfortunately, it erodes my opinion of your channel too. You are a smart guy, and so am I. We both know you would not have featured this radio at this price point without the sponsorship. 100%+ margin on an FRS radio isn't worth the damage to BridgeCom's or your channel's brand. I come here looking for informed and independent opinion on new radio products that I consider buying from a guy that I believe knows his stuff. This kinda thing disappoints.

[@HamRadio2]

Have you checked with Bridgecom to see if they've made any updates to this model? Or are you just assuming because it looks similar to the Retevis? I get people often on this channel that claim radios are "rebadged" from some other model or brand. Sometimes this is correct and sometimes not. A good example of this is the RFinder product, both his phones and tablets. They look just like the Runbo models out of China, but what people fail to mention is the completely customized ROM that RFinder puts on their products which doesn't exist anywhere else. My point is, reach out to Bridgecom and ask them what is different between their model and the Retevis one. You might be surprised. Also they are not one of my sponsors. They simply emailed me and asked me to make a video about this new radio and I agreed. Retevis does the same thing, BTW.

[@hamhouke]

@@HamRadio2 So, I took your advice and called BridgeCom to ask about the Buddy and any differences between it and the RT18. They were helpful as always, but the answer confirmed my suspicion. The person at BridgeCom (I won't call him out here) looked into it for me and asked a tech to get a solid answer. They said the difference is 1)The Buddy supports CTCSS/DCS tones, 2) comes with free programming software, and 3) has a slightly larger battery. Of these, only the larger battery claim appears accurate, as the RT18 has free programming software and supports CTCSS/DCS. The RT18 comes with a 1000mAh battery and the Buddy comes with a 1200mAh battery. Granted, US support and good customer service is very valuable, but how much support are you going to need with a simple FRS radio, $50+ worth? I am not bashing BridgeCom. I am a customer and am very happy with the Anytone gear and SkyBridge I have from them. They do a good job, and it doesn't bother me that they aren't the cheapest option around. They are generally worth it. But this Buddy release is a bad call at this price.

[@HamRadio2]

@@hamhouke I suppose the decision to buy or not should be up to each individual person. Even the slightest difference between the 2 models means that the Buddy isn't simply a re-branded radio. If a person chooses to buy the cheaper version, then so be it. Is it worth the extra cost from Bridgecom? Again, maybe to some people. You have chosen this isn't worth the money to you, and this is your right, but others might disagree. I don't personally see anything wrong with either choice. At lease you followed through with this process and didn't just jump the judgmental gun and disappear. I see that in MANY of my comments, so I commend you for your efforts.

[@hamhouke]

@@HamRadio2 It was a good-faith comment. I can imagine how batting down unhelpful comments on the internet can get pretty maddening. To be fair, the battery is not an integral component to the radio, and batteries are often mislabeled in regard to capacity - something I have seen mentioned in your videos. I will take BridgeCom at their word on that one. So my original comment that it looks like a rebadged RT18 is a fair one. In any case, it is functionally equivelent and has identical features, including an identical case. Taken together, it's fair to say this is the same radio with a (probably) slightly larger battery. 73s KI5PDK

[@hamhouke]

Also. I assumed this was a sponsored ad as similar videos all popped at the same time. You said it was not, and that is my mistake. I will assume less from now on.

[@christophersmith1155]

WHEN IS THE PRICE FOR A GMRS LISENCE GOING DOWN TO $35.00 ?

[@HamRadio2]

Good question

[@peterliljequist160]

No date has been set by FCC. This affects Ham Radio licenses also. My Best guess, is summer of 2022.

[@jamieb9556]

Just get a wln kd-c1

[@jameslanning6876]

For 100, I'll go with the talkabout t800.

[@mikek5206]

Obviously promotional given there was a video on other channels today as well... seriously though micro USB? I'm not buying new devices with micro USB, period. It's a terrible connector. There's no reason to be releasing a device in 2021 with micro USB for charging. Stop doing it.

[@Rusted_Link]

Why BridgeCom why? Why not a 10 watt GMRS?

[@HamRadio2]

Wait till next week

[@Rusted_Link]

@@HamRadio2 ooh-la-la

[@ScanFan_Ed]

Just my opinion, but I think that is too high of a price point… I’d thinking $69 to $79 would be much more in thr ballpark for these.

[@blackops8996]

Toys

[@HamRadio2]

Most FRS radios are toys

[@n4gix]

Far too expensive for a pair of basic FRS radios. As mentioned previously, they are re-badged Retevis RT18 available at Amazon for only $31.99... What is their rational for charging $60 markup? Oh right, it's called "fleecing the uninformed" just as Rugged Radios has been doing for several years with the off-road community! As for customer service, I was sent a defective AT-878 that I've had to return at my expense twice for $25 each time. Both times it was returned and still is defective. I drove out to my local DMR repeater's tower site and still get the "Repeater is out of range" audible error mesage! Now they have the unmitigated GALL to say they will charge 25% "re-stocking fee"... For a defective radio???

[@scottgies]

Just a little pricey considering other brands that are just as good. Nice little unit though

[@MrStanwyck]

Too pricey for a pair of FRS radios. I’m sure they are decent radios, Bridgecom has good stuff….. I’ll stick with my $59 Baofeng GMRS radios 2 pack.

[@HamRadio2]

The UV5X? Those are junk compared to these. I have 2 of them here

[@RespectedWanderer]

Retevis RT618! 8 for £99 all be it on UK PMR!

[@YOLOSWAG4JESUS420]

Bridgecom trying to suck the money out of people who don't know any better. Shameful. These FRS radios are not any better than something you'd find on Amazon for 50 bucks. You should also state that this is a paid promotion.

[@1500runner357]

How did Black Rifle Coffee just IPO for $1.7 billion? Or Starbucks put a store on every corner of America? You can make a pot of good coffee in your home for less than a $1. I guess these folks buying Black Rifle Coffee and Starbucks don't know any better.

[@HamRadio2]

They didn't pay me so I'm not comfortable with lying about it, which is why I didn't mention that in the video.

[@thomasnappo6309]

Price...