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FRS RADIOS
First Class
Motorola Talkabout T6320
Family Radio Service radios are the new walkie-talkies. Operating in the 462- to 468-MHz UHF band, they have a 2-mile range and don't require an FCC license. Motorola's T6320 takes the Leatherman approach: The tough, rubberized multitool talks over 532 channels, and receives weather information. Built-in expedition essentials - compass, altimeter, barometer, thermometer, and alarm clock - display on the 7-ounce unit's brightly backlit LCD. Hands-free mode activates transmission when you speak, and the eavesdrop reducer garbles your voice to exclude anyone who doesn't also own a high-end Motorola radio.
Talkabout T6320: $179.99 each (with NiMH batteries and charger). Motorola: (800) 353 2729, www.motorola.com.
Business Class
Cobra FRS 305
This radio lacks Motorola's orienteering extras, but matches features like vibrating call alert and 532 channels - each of the FRS band's 14 standard frequency ranges are divided into 38 sub-bands. A programmable memory saves your 10 favorite channels (many gearheads seem partial to 420), and Dual Watch lets you monitor two at once. This radio is less sturdy than the Motorola model, but it packs easily and weighs only half as much.
FRS 305: $99.95 each. Cobra Electronics: +1 (773) 889 8870, www.cobraelectronics.com.
Coach
Audiovox FR-530-2
Pick up Audiovox's two-way radio twin-pack, and you and a chat buddy are good to go. These radios don't use sub-bands, which limits your channels to 14 and increases your chances of cross talk with strangers. But if you're just having fun - and not braving the wilds or conducting official business - this shouldn't matter. Like all good FRS radios, the stylish 6-ounce Audiovox has an LCD, headphone jack, and channel-scanning capabilities.
FR-530-2: $79.95 per pair. Audiovox: (800) 229 1235, www.audiovox.com.
CD/MP3 JUKEBOXES
First Class
Imerge SoundServer M1000 D-Series
If you're sick of messing with jewel cases, a CD/MP3 jukebox saves your entire CD collection onto a hard drive. SoundServer uses a 45-Gbyte disc to store hundreds of albums in MP3 format (sampled at up to 320 Kbps), or as uncompressed WAV files. You can rip MP3s at 8X speed from the onboard tray, or just play CDs normally. To label tracks automatically, SoundServer queries Gracenote, an online database, via modem. The device is designed to hook into a home network: You organize and queue music on your network's controller screen, and even send different tracks to multiple rooms simultaneously.
SoundServer M1000 D-Series: $6,500. Imerge: +1 (703) 481 9815,www.imerge.co.uk.
Business Class
ReQuest AudioReQuest ARQ1-20
As with the SoundServer, you run basic ops from AudioReQuest's small LCD screen. But for full functionality, it connects to a regular TV or VGA monitor. The component rips onto a 20.4-Gbyte drive at up to 5X speed, cooking up MP3s with sample rates of up to 320 Kbps. The remote has a mini-keyboard for entering track info. For swifter inputting, you can connect a full-size keyboard, or ship the files to your computer and enter the tags there.
AudioReQuest ARQ1-20: $799.95. ReQuest Multimedia: (800) 236 0802, www.request.com.
Coach
DigMedia MusicStore
MusicStore burns at only 1X speed, sampling at 128 Kbps, and it holds just 5.4 Gbytes - less than the similarly priced Sima I MIX. But this cute mini-component has clever features like an internal music-catalog database that predicts your input to speed up entering track info on the phone-style keyboard, and a matching 32-Mbyte portable player that snaps into a port on top. You browse and queue songs using the keypad and LCD.
MusicStore: $500. DigMedia: +1 (760) 431 3500, www.digmedia.cc.
STUD SENSORS
First Class
Zircon MultiScanner Pro
Need a stud to help you hang that bedroom mirror? Stud sensors find wood or metal supports in walls, floors, and ceilings by measuring interference in an electric field. Zircon's MultiScanner uses four settings for super sensitivity: Stud Scan, Stud Deepscan, Metal Scan, and AC Scan. Targets show up with an arrow on the LCD, a beep, and a blue light, making them hard to miss. Deepscan identifies floor joists through material up to 1.5 inches thick and rebar in concrete up to 3 inches deep. AC Scan lets you trace wiring through 2-inch-thick material, and an AC icon warns you about live wires in every mode.
MultiScanner Pro: $59.99. Zircon: (800) 245 9265, www.zircon.com.
Business Class
Stanley IntelliSensor Pro
Using a slightly arcane combination of flashing LEDs and audio signals, Stanley's scanner reveals studs and live wires in one mode. You've hit wood when green and red lights flash and you hear a double beep. Metal triggers the same signals, plus a yellow indicator light. Live wires set off cascading red flashes and a triple beep - but only if you have the Live Wire feature activated. The smartest plan would be to keep this switched on at all times.
IntelliSensor Pro: $34. The Stanley Works: (800) 782 6539, www.stanleyworks.com.
Coach
Gardner Bender Stud Seeker GSS-500
You can't get more basic or easy-to-use than Gardner Bender's Stud Seeker. One button turns on and calibrates the tool. You sweep across a surface, and when you bump up against the edge of a stud, an LED lights up and stays on until you get to the other edge. This simple, classic little tool tucks into a shirt pocket and is inexpensive enough to serve as a gag gift for your stud-seeking friends.
Stud Seeker GSS-500: $14. Gardner Bender: (800) 624 4320, www.gardnerbender.com.
