Rapid Radios: Gimmick or Useful?

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[@rybaneightsix5085]

False advertising is an up front and clear message to stay far away from a company.

[@pale_2111]

They're dependent on cell phone networks. Here in East Tennessee, some areas don't get cellphone service. When the network goes down, you're up shit creek without a paddle. Having a basic handheld FM Transceiver is worth its weight in gold when cellphone networks goes down. When I go out hunting in the fall and winter during the season, I take a radio with me.

[@corporaterobotslave400]

My Mom is 80, she doesn't understand her very simple cell phone. Perhaps this is a better option for her / us for emergency contact. I lived without any cell phone for the past year and a half and really enjoyed that. Recently had to get a cell just because I have to take care of my Mom and didn't want to be left in a lurch if there was an emergency. I HATE cell phones. I understand them, nice for pictures & videos, but I still don't want one because I don't like being tracked/traced and I love being unavailable.

[@Bighitter03]

They track you and listen to you 100 different ways and most don't even pay attention to it

[@Flashahol]

If you don't actually need a cellphone other than for one person with limited comprehension of cellphones, this is probably for you and your family.

[@brandonriley8329]

Got this from my mother-in-law who’s been scared into thinking everything’s going to crumble in the next 12mnths… was confused when she told me it was a “radio” so I started looking into it.. I believe in being prepared, but not because I’m being scared into by some idiots online… thanks for the video brother, appreciate the information

[@DaneStolthed]

Same thing as Nextel, they were awesome back in the day.

[@theabhorrentchef7226]

We were just reminiscing at work about the old nextels. Needed 8 x 2way radios for a new project and that’s a couple grand at least for decent stuff - but back in the day we didn’t even have to worry about it since all our work phones had the chirp. Every generation complains that things are getting worse…because they are ✊🇺🇸🏴‍☠️

[@DaneStolthed]

@@theabhorrentchef7226 yeah, I use to work for Nextel back in the late 90s, I don’t know why the PTT function dropped in popularity?

[@adamthestimator]

I asked them on their ad on FB ‘what about when cell towers go down?’ since they RUN on cell towers… I’ll let you know when they finally get around to answering…

[@JasonWh]

Nothing happens, nothing works. It's not a GMRS or like technology. Think of it as an unlocked cell phone as that's all it is but in a convenient shell.

[@MPD-ih6sm]

I asked on FB about any service fees after the first year... crickets.

[@adamthestimator]

Just in case anyone was concerned for my well-being; I stopped holding my breath a few days ago. Thanks for your concern. 👍

[@DaveWomach]

I got a set of 3, and they’re horrible quality. The customer support was horrible as well… We used them on a road trip to talk between two vehicles, and they dropped out more than they worked

[@CBPunisher1900]

cb radio would work way better

[@TheImmortalsCa]

For the encryption, who has the key? As they program for you, then they have the key. It might be encrypted between your radios and them. Get rid of it.

[@jorviceclaunch3539]

The monthly cost amounts to $50 after the initial year, and the service operates on LTE, essentially functioning as a cellular device utilizing existing network towers. It is advisable for individuals to conduct their own thorough research. This is not to discredit the service, but rather to address the prevalence of misinformation.

[@bobinmontana777]

Zello does essentially the same thing with your cell phone. But, if you have an elderly parent, etc. Maybe this would be a great way to talk to them.

[@Davo759]

If you want to talk across country reliably then HF radio is something to look into. HF radio has been used for military operations for a century. HF radio works by bouncing long radio waves off the ionosphere and earths surface like a ping pong ball across the world. Whereas other signal types like VHF/UHF penetrate the Ionosphere and go out into space. This has clear advantages such as; difficult to direction find, relies on no infrastructure, extremely long range. Disadvantages requires larger equipment, not as stable or reliable as say a cell phone, complicated/hard to understand for most people.

[@RyDeezy]

Thanks for covering this. Instagram is a thirst trap for "cutting edge" products.

[@MunitionsDudTester]

Seems like a cool alternative to some use-cases. The advertisement is a bit sketch, not just with the "no subscription" but also their claim "you can NOT be tracked with this device". Anything that pushes out RF can be tracked.

[@2alphasolutions]

I think they are good for what they are. One advantage of these is there is no delay with a phone call going out, the other persons phone ringing and the time it takes for someone to answer their phone. Could take up to a minute for all if that to happen. Push to talk would be pretty much instant getting your message out to the other person if they are listening to the "radio". You could pretty much achieve the same thing with your phone using the zello app using your existing phone and provider. Rapid radio marketing is shady as hell. I was even blocked from their Facebook page for asking questions that were hard for them to answer with their prewritten out answers.

[@GeorgiaJunkman]

You made great points for use case! I bought 4 to stay in touch with elderly relative & minor kids that we didn't want to have cell phones. I found that the cell reception was better on the RAPID than it was on standard smart phone in my area with my carrier. Rapid has the ability to add users to unconnected groups, so I have my primary talk group and another talk group 250 miles away. It's a bit of a pain, but it works. Is it a HAM replacement? Nope, but pre-full grid down it has an appealing ability to easily contact family or neighbors.

[@CBPunisher1900]

if it works off a cell tower u can be tracked get yourself a ssb cb radio or a GMRS RADIO

[@preparedcitizens]

Greatly appreciate the review. I’ve been on the fence about these. Good clarification.

[@bradh74]

Watch this video it may shed a little light on the subject. Advanced Comms For The CIVILIAN channel name is American Outlaw. These aren't affordable for the average guy but MPU5 and the less expensive Beartooth radios have special features and a High level of encryption. Dirty Civilian has a great video here you might like it's not comms but, Signature Reduction 101 | How Modern Equipment Can Compromise You Great video hope this stuff helps! I'm sure you get a lot of this stuff (with real world experience) but the "shine" and "signal" section are pretty good.

[@smoke5620]

Thanks for the heads up on the gimmicky phone 👍

[@xvsj5833]

Great update Randall! Thank you 🇺🇸

[@riteplaceritetime007]

I did some homework on some of the stuff you couldn't exactly answer because I was curious myself about these a few weeks ago. Disclaimer, I am by no means an "expert". Most cell towers have back up power sources that run on diesel for about 72 hours ish. As long as more fuel is delivered to these back up power sources , the cell towers will continue to work and provide service to these radios and cell phones (in theory). Less than 1 percent of the cell towers in the US are solar powered ... which in theory could keep a cell tower powered up indefinitely in an emergency (provided a emp didn't fry the tower). More solar powered cell towers could make these more reliable in a non emp event ( again , in theory). These radios definitely aren't useless ... they are better than nothing ... but they have limitations.

[@jollyrogers9901]

Pretty dog, my Walker looks almost exactly as the one behind you, love em, great dogs

[@andrewforward3812]

as long as G3, G4 and LTE is available they are good. But there are DUAL INRICO LTE and UHF VHF units around. So if you have no phone network, you can direct communicate between units like normal VHF or UHF radios.

[@Me-ch9qc]

The company has your AES 256 encryption key.

[@romadonezero]

Nice. Good to know.. I figured you could make your own key. Lol.

[@tekguru6213]

Yep, all you needed to tell me was the annual fee.. The only reason why I’m here is to see if it was a plain old walkie-talkie from the 80s with a subscription. And my assumptions were correct.

[@stephenurban9880]

It's not a "monthly subscription"...it's a "yearly fee". LOL

[@raven7068]

Good straightforward, honest review. Thank you!

[@koroba01]

I saw the ad today for the first time and was intrigued as I am working on an emergency plan for our church in case of disaster (we are in hurricane country), this so we can go out and check on members and do field reports on the members welfare. So, since it is almost a given that cell towers will be offline (as it was during Ian in 2022) these will not work. I was really disappointed with their marketing (No fees ever! Yeah, right). I am a general class amateur operator, so I am not a neophyte with radios, especially under field conditions. I tried leaving comments on the Facebook video ad and saw my comments disappear in front of my eyes after only 1-2 seconds. The several Rapid Radio's videos I watched have comments turned off, I can see why. Another You Tube reviewer indicated that he had sent them several posts on their Facebook page questioning their marketing and they disappeared, now they have blocked him. To me this is unacceptable behavior by Rapid Radio. Sure there will be some folks (like construction crews or film crews) who could use something like this but for emergency use? Not for me.

[@Flashahol]

I get 20G data with 5G network Canada wall-to-wall for 30$ a month and they even gave me a brand new phone (phone was part of fidelity plan)... and we were listed for the most expensive cell phone plans in the world just last year! It will take a year for me to spend as much as for 2 of these for 1 year coverage and I don't need to remember to renew anything....

[@DJTheMetalheadMercenary]

No-go for me too

[@brandonazevedo7560]

Thank you. I was wondering???

[@hardtail52]

I guess the thing with that 2 way they are encrypted unfortunately the Baofeng UV 5R is not as you probably know. I was also told that numerous brands of Midland radios are encrypted got to check it out though.............? Thanks again for the update , I guess it would work for some folks às you mentioned.

[@MrMasterMarksman]

They're not encrypted and can't be. They're using offsets and tones to help with....privacy....so to speak. Check it out for yourself.

[@Jill-tc8qq]

Thanks for the break down

[@teotwaki]

Let me summarize the three main negative points of these devices that use cellular voice over internet: They absolutely have coverage limits and are useless for off-grid comms. They absolutely are tracked (that's how cell networks provide _mobile_ service). They don't charge you each month but they DO charge you every twelve months.

[@chuckv5150]

finally an honest review with clear reasons why and why not to choose this device. Thank you!

[@karlryan6185]

What would you recommend for avg civilian without any comms training, background. Was considering 5 of these for each family member but after looking into it it didn't seem like much of an alternative to cell phones.

[@MichaelCook1981]

At first glance it seems like a pretty good idea, but as soon as you start to look into it, it’s a radio shaped Jitterbug phone.

[@EmCommSolutions]

Great video! I agree the marketing is very dishonest.

[@craighauk3745]

We absolutely love using the signal app. That is the way.

[@TannerSwizel]

I use them too, but I'm becoming suspicious of them. One of the most woke CEOs in the country, for NPR, is a board member of theirs. It's the same person that made Wikipedia woke

[@VIKING-SON]

Hey Randall thanks for the heads up on this product. I like you, am not a radio techie. But I do believe if everything ever does go south. Having a basic two way radio is a desirable item to have in your Scheisse Hits The Fan bag 😬 Ebjoy your videos Randall I like yourself an retired Army veteran. Was infantry also track and wheeled vehicle mechanic repair. Retired at the pay grade of CWO 2 after returning from Iraq in 2004. Originally was one of the last draftees in 1972. Did 3 year enlistment rather then being drafted. I did rest of 22 years in National Guard and Army Reserve. Gulf war vet and 2003 - 2004: Iraqi Freedom... Randall keep doing what your doing educated both vets and the general population at large. Your videos are good advise for those who've forgotten and those who don't know. Who-ah! Randall and kudo's Sergeant...

[@elevatorman7750]

Great video buddy

[@thistlemoon1]

Didn't there used to be something called Nextel that did the whole push to talk thing? Southern link? Remember any others?

[@wofd7m16]

So it’s a newer Nextel phone

[@TrashcanMan8]

Have you looked into the ATAK integrated Beartooth MK2 transceivers? Although the units are pricey, they are pretty slick for local communication; *Self-healing mesh network *Frequency hopping *AES 256 encryption *Voice, text, photo, and data packet transfer *3 day runtime *Star link server bridging.

[@bluegrass4840]

Just watched a video on that. Very interesting concept.

[@laxxindude]

Why just not use meshtastic?

[@TrashcanMan8]

@@laxxindude I've found meshtastic to be somewhat glitchy and not as user friendly with people in my group that are not as savvy with radio gear. The frequency hopping, ATAK plug and play, as well as what you can send data wise is why I went with Beartooth.

[@TannerSwizel]

Other than $750 a unit, on a discount, they seem to be really good. It's like meshtastic had a baby with an MPU5

[@bluegrass4840]

@@laxxindude I keep hearing about this is it any good?

[@chitoalfonso8800]

Hoorah! Well said.

[@kkutube1972]

I like your review of this phone.

[@RSpuhl]

Great info… but same thing restated 4, 5, 6….times. I got it the first time. 😆👍

[@stephenurban9880]

I don't think they are marketing to "older" people. More likely to the younger crowd who never grew up with walkie-talkies.

[@driver3899]

What is the patch on your hat?

[@davidmeeker7481]

It appears to be the FBIs old Nextel network. Of course there is Zello as an alternative.

[@jerryrichards8172]

We used these radios for the last 20 yrs in the trades.

[@coryrita9695]

Will this work in the bush of Alaska. I believe GCI phones work

[@WAR-4-YHWH]

if subscription the "folks" could get your files through the Company., With a call. Then it's not really encrypted. Did i miss something? G. Stores were not supposed to give info either right?

[@kkutube1972]

But it would be good to give to kids within the family?

[@deearchangeloracle2154]

What about Zoleo or Spot satellite communicators anyone tried those?

[@STOKERMATIC]

Good shit.

[@scottserio3962]

For your purposes, you are correct, these aren't great. That said, if you have a specific application where you want to have an actual device to communicate in walkie-talkie form, these are a solid option. I did old police Motorolas and I have the Baofengs. They have decent coverage, but I have never found one that will get me all of a property where I am, including inside buildings and up and over buildings. The only other option was Zello, but then you are just killing your cell battery and the earpiece and mic with those was hit and miss for the app. I totally get that if you are primarily rural in use, you will hit spots without cell and these might be useless. For people who have a walkie alkie need and are usually covered as far as cell, these are a good option. Sometimes, the whole pulling out a cell and navigating a Signal or Zello app is a pain.

[@jarcadipane2849]

i have a friend who has a radio group but they use a group of radios called PEAK PTT. I believe they're both 4g LTE. Wondering if you can mix and match on your network ???

[@veil1792]

*Hopefully Starlink comes out with a Radio like this.*

[@Bighitter03]

Man this is awesome I've never heard a bad youtube review on any product on this topic until now I stopped watching them because they all just seem paid this one seems more genuine

[@BillyBoB_508]

Damn brother I left that area not to long ago. Born and raised in fresno

[@zulubravo9434]

If the cell network is overloaded (Think natural disasters where everyone jumps on there cell phone), will these still work?

[@MrMasterMarksman]

Cell phones work off "priority" on signals. The simple answer is, it depends

[@SamSung-jq4ho]

This "radio" seems redundant: If you just want a PTT app for your phone, get Zello or something similar. If you want to talk radio to radio over the internet and subscription free, then get a D-Star or Fusion radio. Or do both as part of your PACE plan.

[@MichaelCook1981]

Technically if the cell service goes down, then FirstNet is up. They have a legal obligation to have their network up and running for first responders. I don’t know if they can connect to FirstNet though.

[@pwelch5944]

Can you use ear buds or headset with radios?

[@GruntProof]

Yes

[@MikeTyson-il5gn]

I remember when cellphones came with a p.t.t. option, you didn't need to call anyone to talk to your people.

[@kkutube1972]

Jet Skier out on a group ride?

[@JamesSmullins]

One thing to remember about signal, all internet apps is video and phone calls (voice over ip) is not encrypted and last I checked can't be. If you keep that in mind when using it as a video or phone app it's a great app that so far no government has been able to decrypt. Israel claimed to have a year or so ago but turns out they gained access to the phone then had open access to signal.

[@MrMasterMarksman]

Can you explain why you think the government can't decipher encryptions?

[@JamesSmullins]

@@MrMasterMarksman they've not been able to do so with signal so far. I can't tell you why since I haven't coded in years.

[@MrMasterMarksman]

@JamesSmullins your comment got me confused. You said it can't be encrypted then you said it can't be decrypted? I'm just curious because I got my ham license (this morning at 630am cst) and been looking into the different modes, nodes, gateways, Hotspot, you name it. You got me interested and confused all at once lol

[@nathanielpaulus1703]

@@MrMasterMarksman I think he's talking about phone calls that go over the public switched telephone network. Signal on the other hand encrypts all traffic from one user to another, and not even Signal can see what messages are being sent.

[@JamesSmullins]

@@MrMasterMarksman read it again, I said calls and videos can't be encrypted. If that confused you maybe this isn't the type of app you're using. I listed what can't be encrypted to make that clear.

[@Desertrat2213]

Why spend $200 plus on a radio that only works on cell towers when you can download the Zello app, have encryption end to end and create as many channels as you need for your group or family. Oh and the best part is, it's FREE. You get text, pictures and voice comms. If the cell towers go down, I believe, I haven't confirmed this yet, but if you have Wi-Fi you should still be able to communicate to other groups on the channel. Just a suggestion. Sorry this sounded like a damn advertisement, but I can say I use it and it does work well.

[@TOMMYTANKERB32]

Signal is only secure to the common people. Government entities have access. Including access to yours and anyone you talk to.

[@ab5olut3zero95]

Also, it was apparently a joint project between Gov and the lefties runnin Wikipedia n NPR.

[@johnm6736]

Agreed. Everyone has a cell phone and signal. Just a gimmick

[@johnmarkestigoy3055]

So if I’m in Hawaii I can reach cali ?

[@jeffrooke8439]

Yes

[@ke8mattj]

"Need a back-up to your cellphone for when the towers go down? Why not use this single device HT that utilizes the same towers to talk nationwide!?" I cannot find a facepalm emoji to express the moment of fail that is Rapid Radios. Why not get Zello, which is free? If you really needed an actual HT, there are network HTs that work with Zello that you can tether to your phone.

[@tangomike1306]

8:00 sorry, I call this a Rip off.🤣

[@tedmichas7709]

Can it be jammed like cell phone

[@romadonezero]

All RF can be jammed.

[@CheekyMonkey1776]

They run off the internet. Internet goes down you’re screwed

[@ofthewordd]

Ngl a cellphone without distractions I’ll take it

[@chuckfinley3152]

I’ve seen a lot of the storm chasers using them in streams, they seem to work well but when they get waaaay out they get flakey so 🤷‍♂️. Did you know signal was up until recently funded by the cia? It’s open source and still good to go, just something to think about.

[@MAsonTRIX]

Those are for the 'newcomers' to coordinate BEL. Hot garbage for the HOME team.

[@ninja5672]

Cell phones are "radios" just like a wifi access point, or a bluetooth mouse, or a baofeng. I understand what you meant by "these aren't radios" in the the common understanding, but in the technical meaning of "radio" includes cell phones. These will have the same RF signature of a cell phone, when it comes to EW. Seems like a gadget that isn't useful enough.

[@no1fibersplicer525]

I don’t have a subscription. I lost the card I bought mine with 😂

[@davidthornburg7810]

I don't think they'll beat the stingray

[@bigmoeraider]

I thought as much

[@DJTruth_1970]

I’ll stick with 50 watt GMRS

[@jeffrooke8439]

works great in my area, base to base 712EFC antenna at say 30 ft, 50 watts( most I have seen out antenna around 47 watts), we get 30-35miles, base to mobile our record is 32miles, 28 much more doable. S Texas .

[@jf6822]

Mine work fine. They never said they would work in no man's land

[@ShaminMike]

I think the key thing here is. It’s a cell phone that only talks to the other phones you bought with it. At least with a real phone you can call anyone…

[@BoomerChimichanga]

Teddy K was correct.

[@electriceyeslide5959]

Buddy, this IS a radio. It's a private LTE radio that can be used to talk to 1 or more groups or even anyone on the Rapid Radio network. Technically, it's a radio in every sense of the word.

[@MPD-ih6sm]

You can talk to anyone who has a Rapid Radio, however, the other radio(s) would need to be setup in a group that you are in (existing or new group). That is the only way that Rapid Radios can talk to each other. The Rapid Radios need to be in the same group to communicate.

[@electriceyeslide5959]

@@MPD-ih6sm​​⁠ I own them myself. They can be programmed to talk to anyone who has a rapid radio who elects to want to talk to anyone else. The group is not a hard requirement but rather a default selection and the way the radios are intended to be sold. Essentially they can place the radios into a public group to talk to people. The private group is a default.

[@drmiles7546]

save your money or spend it on training rounds , first aid , food , shall I go on ?

[@robg8433]

Not for me...I'd rather buy some good RF Tri-Band units.

[@MikeBeauchamp]

These are very deceptively marketed. To the point that the true features are overshadowed by the shady marketing. I’ve seen some of their ads that talk about how cell phones are worthless when the towers are down…. Which is the exact same infrastructure these things require! And yeah, the yearly subscription that you talked about is heavily misleading. For those reasons alone, I wouldn’t touch these.. even if they’re cool for normal day to day, good times.

[@nunosapunso6239]

Seems these are gimmicky for people who miss Nextel. Not good to have when SHTF and cell towers go down. I have an Apple Watch with PTT (Walkie Talkie) and I can add anybody I want on the fly that also has an Apple Watch with Walkie Talkie. I have my GMRS registration and plan to get some GMRS radios.

[@seamusmcbride2832]

"I'm sorry, sir, but it is NOT a 'subscription', it is a 'service agreement fee'........

[@davidlee9299]

I say basically a gimmick. I would have no real use for them

[@briansmith2084]

Great review. The service sucks point blank.

[@dominikguzman]

This is for me some BS stuff. Everyone, who wants to have nowadays some emergency encrypted connection is going now into mesh and meshtastic, which is awesome stuff.

[@KrustyKlown]

When Rapid Radio company goes bankrupt (i.e. doesn't pay their LTE service bill) .. NONE of these "radios" will work any longer.

[@gjnezat]

A stingray WILL penetrate this system.

[@MsRandiCook]

Just another way for the government to listen.

[@rockymountainlockpicker9606]

1st comment!