Look ma, no cell phone: a roundup of other ways to stay in touch wirelessly.(Two-Way Radios)(Cover Story)(Buyers Guide)

When creative design director Karen Pettengill and her husband, Clark, took their son,Matthew, and daughter, Clare, on a family ski trip to Vermont, they needed a way to keep in touch while on the slopes. They learned that they would have to change cell-phone carriers to one that could reach the family's favorite ski areas if they wanted to contact each other that way.

Instead, the Pettengills used two-way radios, walkie-talkie-type devices that let Mom and Dad keep track of everyone. "There's a comfort level with them," Pettengill says. "My husband could be at the top of the mountain, giving a report of what the conditions were like, before the kids went out the door." Clark and Karen have also used the radios to rendezvous with Clare at the mall while Christmas shopping, and Matthew has used the radios when biking.

Like the Pettengills, hundreds of thousands of other families are learning that a cell phone isn't necessarily the best way to communicate. Normal cellular reception can be spotty or nonexistent. And when circuits are clogged, as in an emergency or at a packed sports arena, a cell phone may not be of much help. Hence the growing popularity of two-way radios, pagers, and text messaging.

For this report, we tested two-way radios from the leading manufacturers; Ratings of 10 models appear on page 28. We also looked at one intriguing pager and the current state of cellular text-messaging service; see the box on the facing page.

HOW THE RADIOS FARED

There are two widely used types of two-way radio: family radio service (FRS) models, which transmit with enough power to cover about two miles in an open field, and general mobile radio service (GMRS) models, which transmit at higher power and can cover five miles under ideal conditions. Neither type carries activation or service fees, but GMRS radios do require a $75, five-year license from the Federal Communications Commission. Two-way radios don't rely on transmission towers, so they can operate in remote locations.

We tested eight FRS and two GMRS radios. Five models were from Motorola and Cobra, makers that account for about half of the two-way radios sold last year. We also tested several other brands that have a smaller market share.