Two-Way-Radio Reviews

I bought 2 of these units, with 4 more backordered. This has been a great unit for staying in contact while shopping, hiking, driving, etc. The kids love it, and the belt attachment makes it easy to hook on a handbag strap, belt, etc.
The difficulty I have with it is with the VOX mode. You have to make a sound before it activates. If you don't, you lose the first few words before it kicks in.
I have the nicad, rechargeable unit. I like it because it saves on battery purchases.
All in all, I would recommend this unit.

I love these little radios. We tested them in the car (one stayed in a wooded park while the other drove around town). Estimated 3 miles before we hit even the smallest amount of static. The only thing I would recommend is a handsfree headset so you can ride bikes, etc without having to hold anything. I read the other reviews before buying mine and they had a great influence. All are true except the pesky annoyance everyone talks about with the "push to talk" button. I personally can't find anything wrong with it. I just hold it differently. The microphone where you talk into is NOT located directly below the button, but off to the side, almost on the edge of the radio. The only weight of these little buggers is from the three AA. Basically, put three AA batteries in your hand and that is a simulation of what these radios feel like. I can't wait to try them skiing and hiking. We have played like kids on them for over a week now and haven't gotten tired of them. I would buy them all over again if I had to. Definately worth buying- don't look any where else (believe me I looked and looked)

When I first bought these at [local store], there were [money], and it included a [money] mail in rebate! I didn't mail in the rebate, because I wanted to test them out, first. The next Friday, my Law Enforcement group had an event that required radios. I just bought these, so I bring them along, not expecting any one to bring enough for the whole group. Well, someone did, and when he saw my radio, he was shocked. First of all, he said that mines' was "top of the line", and it was expensive. I just told him that I bought it from a shopping center, Secondly, his 4 radios costed more than what it would cost me less if I bought mines' in bulk. So, he just continually commented on my radio, and he got so jealous that he was about to exchange his radios for mine, but to bad for him, the radio I bought just went out of stock. So, I still have the T289 till this day, making it 5 months today, since I bought them. The only problem is that my light doesn't work, and that is getting annoying. But, overall, I love this radio, and I am willing to sell my other pair of radios to get this. :)

I bought 2 of these units, with 4 more backordered. This has been a great unit for staying in contact while shopping, hiking, driving, etc. The kids love it, and the belt attachment makes it easy to hook on a handbag strap, belt, etc.
The difficulty I have with it is with the VOX mode. You have to make a sound before it activates. If you don't, you lose the first few words before it kicks in.
I have the nicad, rechargeable unit. I like it because it saves on battery purchases.
All in all, I would recommend this unit.

I love these little radios. We tested them in the car (one stayed in a wooded park while the other drove around town). Estimated 3 miles before we hit even the smallest amount of static. The only thing I would recommend is a handsfree headset so you can ride bikes, etc without having to hold anything. I read the other reviews before buying mine and they had a great influence. All are true except the pesky annoyance everyone talks about with the "push to talk" button. I personally can't find anything wrong with it. I just hold it differently. The microphone where you talk into is NOT located directly below the button, but off to the side, almost on the edge of the radio. The only weight of these little buggers is from the three AA. Basically, put three AA batteries in your hand and that is a simulation of what these radios feel like. I can't wait to try them skiing and hiking. We have played like kids on them for over a week now and haven't gotten tired of them. I would buy them all over again if I had to. Definately worth buying- don't look any where else (believe me I looked and looked)

When I first bought these at [local store], there were [money], and it included a [money] mail in rebate! I didn't mail in the rebate, because I wanted to test them out, first. The next Friday, my Law Enforcement group had an event that required radios. I just bought these, so I bring them along, not expecting any one to bring enough for the whole group. Well, someone did, and when he saw my radio, he was shocked. First of all, he said that mines' was "top of the line", and it was expensive. I just told him that I bought it from a shopping center, Secondly, his 4 radios costed more than what it would cost me less if I bought mines' in bulk. So, he just continually commented on my radio, and he got so jealous that he was about to exchange his radios for mine, but to bad for him, the radio I bought just went out of stock. So, I still have the T289 till this day, making it 5 months today, since I bought them. The only problem is that my light doesn't work, and that is getting annoying. But, overall, I love this radio, and I am willing to sell my other pair of radios to get this. :)

I bought 2 of these units, with 4 more backordered. This has been a great unit for staying in contact while shopping, hiking, driving, etc. The kids love it, and the belt attachment makes it easy to hook on a handbag strap, belt, etc.
The difficulty I have with it is with the VOX mode. You have to make a sound before it activates. If you don't, you lose the first few words before it kicks in.
I have the nicad, rechargeable unit. I like it because it saves on battery purchases.
All in all, I would recommend this unit.

I love these little radios. We tested them in the car (one stayed in a wooded park while the other drove around town). Estimated 3 miles before we hit even the smallest amount of static. The only thing I would recommend is a handsfree headset so you can ride bikes, etc without having to hold anything. I read the other reviews before buying mine and they had a great influence. All are true except the pesky annoyance everyone talks about with the "push to talk" button. I personally can't find anything wrong with it. I just hold it differently. The microphone where you talk into is NOT located directly below the button, but off to the side, almost on the edge of the radio. The only weight of these little buggers is from the three AA. Basically, put three AA batteries in your hand and that is a simulation of what these radios feel like. I can't wait to try them skiing and hiking. We have played like kids on them for over a week now and haven't gotten tired of them. I would buy them all over again if I had to. Definately worth buying- don't look any where else (believe me I looked and looked)

When I first bought these at [local store], there were [money], and it included a [money] mail in rebate! I didn't mail in the rebate, because I wanted to test them out, first. The next Friday, my Law Enforcement group had an event that required radios. I just bought these, so I bring them along, not expecting any one to bring enough for the whole group. Well, someone did, and when he saw my radio, he was shocked. First of all, he said that mines' was "top of the line", and it was expensive. I just told him that I bought it from a shopping center, Secondly, his 4 radios costed more than what it would cost me less if I bought mines' in bulk. So, he just continually commented on my radio, and he got so jealous that he was about to exchange his radios for mine, but to bad for him, the radio I bought just went out of stock. So, I still have the T289 till this day, making it 5 months today, since I bought them. The only problem is that my light doesn't work, and that is getting annoying. But, overall, I love this radio, and I am willing to sell my other pair of radios to get this. :)

I bought 2 of these units, with 4 more backordered. This has been a great unit for staying in contact while shopping, hiking, driving, etc. The kids love it, and the belt attachment makes it easy to hook on a handbag strap, belt, etc.
The difficulty I have with it is with the VOX mode. You have to make a sound before it activates. If you don't, you lose the first few words before it kicks in.
I have the nicad, rechargeable unit. I like it because it saves on battery purchases.
All in all, I would recommend this unit.

I love these little radios. We tested them in the car (one stayed in a wooded park while the other drove around town). Estimated 3 miles before we hit even the smallest amount of static. The only thing I would recommend is a handsfree headset so you can ride bikes, etc without having to hold anything. I read the other reviews before buying mine and they had a great influence. All are true except the pesky annoyance everyone talks about with the "push to talk" button. I personally can't find anything wrong with it. I just hold it differently. The microphone where you talk into is NOT located directly below the button, but off to the side, almost on the edge of the radio. The only weight of these little buggers is from the three AA. Basically, put three AA batteries in your hand and that is a simulation of what these radios feel like. I can't wait to try them skiing and hiking. We have played like kids on them for over a week now and haven't gotten tired of them. I would buy them all over again if I had to. Definately worth buying- don't look any where else (believe me I looked and looked)

When I first bought these at [local store], there were [money], and it included a [money] mail in rebate! I didn't mail in the rebate, because I wanted to test them out, first. The next Friday, my Law Enforcement group had an event that required radios. I just bought these, so I bring them along, not expecting any one to bring enough for the whole group. Well, someone did, and when he saw my radio, he was shocked. First of all, he said that mines' was "top of the line", and it was expensive. I just told him that I bought it from a shopping center, Secondly, his 4 radios costed more than what it would cost me less if I bought mines' in bulk. So, he just continually commented on my radio, and he got so jealous that he was about to exchange his radios for mine, but to bad for him, the radio I bought just went out of stock. So, I still have the T289 till this day, making it 5 months today, since I bought them. The only problem is that my light doesn't work, and that is getting annoying. But, overall, I love this radio, and I am willing to sell my other pair of radios to get this. :)

I bought 2 of these units, with 4 more backordered. This has been a great unit for staying in contact while shopping, hiking, driving, etc. The kids love it, and the belt attachment makes it easy to hook on a handbag strap, belt, etc.
The difficulty I have with it is with the VOX mode. You have to make a sound before it activates. If you don't, you lose the first few words before it kicks in.
I have the nicad, rechargeable unit. I like it because it saves on battery purchases.
All in all, I would recommend this unit.

I love these little radios. We tested them in the car (one stayed in a wooded park while the other drove around town). Estimated 3 miles before we hit even the smallest amount of static. The only thing I would recommend is a handsfree headset so you can ride bikes, etc without having to hold anything. I read the other reviews before buying mine and they had a great influence. All are true except the pesky annoyance everyone talks about with the "push to talk" button. I personally can't find anything wrong with it. I just hold it differently. The microphone where you talk into is NOT located directly below the button, but off to the side, almost on the edge of the radio. The only weight of these little buggers is from the three AA. Basically, put three AA batteries in your hand and that is a simulation of what these radios feel like. I can't wait to try them skiing and hiking. We have played like kids on them for over a week now and haven't gotten tired of them. I would buy them all over again if I had to. Definately worth buying- don't look any where else (believe me I looked and looked)

When I first bought these at [local store], there were [money], and it included a [money] mail in rebate! I didn't mail in the rebate, because I wanted to test them out, first. The next Friday, my Law Enforcement group had an event that required radios. I just bought these, so I bring them along, not expecting any one to bring enough for the whole group. Well, someone did, and when he saw my radio, he was shocked. First of all, he said that mines' was "top of the line", and it was expensive. I just told him that I bought it from a shopping center, Secondly, his 4 radios costed more than what it would cost me less if I bought mines' in bulk. So, he just continually commented on my radio, and he got so jealous that he was about to exchange his radios for mine, but to bad for him, the radio I bought just went out of stock. So, I still have the T289 till this day, making it 5 months today, since I bought them. The only problem is that my light doesn't work, and that is getting annoying. But, overall, I love this radio, and I am willing to sell my other pair of radios to get this. :)

I'd rate this a 1 star, but I didn't only because maybe I didnt understand what these radios are all about.

Here on the north side of Chicago, these radios were unable to establish contact over a distance of 4 blocks. Repeated calls back and forth to the other party, while they walked this 4 blocks, gave extremely disappointing results.

Maybe its because traffic is really heavy, but I still find this unacceptable. It really only worked well up to about 2 blocks away.

The radio automatically comes on with channel 1, subchannel 1 selected. There were no others on that channel. I manually scanned all 14 channels and found almost no one else on these frequencies. Maybe these radios just aren't for city use. I think they stink. I avoided giving a worse rating only because I don't want to scare people away. One woman says she uses it to call her husband working in the yard. I'm pretty sure it can handle that task. But not much more.

I bought a pair of these a couple of months ago, mainly to keep in contact with my kids while they're out in the neighborhood playing. The sound is incredibly clear...no static what-so-ever. One of the best features is the sub-codes. I haven't had any interruptions while talking to my children, thanks to the sub-codes! I haven't really tested the range but, my daughter did walk to a little neighborhood store about 4 blocks away and we had no problems at all understanding each other, or interference. Another great feature is the keypad lock. This prevents the channels from accidently getting changed while being in a pocket, bumped, etc. If you're looking to buy FRS 2-way radios to keep in contact with your children while they're playing out in the neighborhood, the Motorola Talkabout 5420 would be an excellent choice, and I highly recommend it!!

Excellent quality, durable, good range, clear signal. We've been very happy with these. We mostly use them when my husband climbs on the roof to do something like reposition the satellite dish or other thing like that where one of us needs to be in the house and the other needs to be on the roof. I'm afraid of heights so I never "need" to be on the roof but he goes up and snaps one of these to his belt. He can hear me and talk back (in a nice way) without having to hold it which is especially nice when he's on the roof. As I said, its clear and has good range so we're quite pleased. It fell onto the driveway from about 10 ft up at one point and survived the fall but I don't recommend doing too much of that.

The motorola talkabout 250 is an excellent product. It may not have some of the features that some of the other do, but is a very good radio. If you plan on using it in very populated areas, some radios with better scan features may work better for you. But, if you plan on using it out in the more open country, it is a very good choice. For camping,hunting,backpacking or any other outdoor sports it is probably the best. It has excellent range and I feel is the most durable radio on the market. For example, I was using mine when rock climbing with some friends, accidentally I dropped mine 100 feet on to a rock ledge. Amazingly the radio still works. It had a few cracks but we still use it today.

I bought a pair of these for a Wednesday-to-Friday trip to Disneyland in May 2000. I felt it would be a good "acid test" since there might be enough interference from other FRS radios and all the structures at the park. The TalkAbout performed surprisingly well; but I also realized that it lacked some features which I needed. Here's my best breakdown of the issues. RANGE: Exceeded my expectations. I was able to get a clear reception from outside the Candy Cane Inn (Harbour and Katella) to the area just outside Small World. I haven't calculated the distance but I think it's about 0.5 miles (you may want to check this). We got a bit of static from the Disneyland Hotel monorail station to the Matterhorn. CLARITY: I can't really compare this model to other FRS radios (haven't tried them) but the only time we had problems understanding one another was when we would get "stepped-on" by less-considerate FRS-users on the same channel and code. The CTCSS codes (aka "privacy codes") were effective in squelching out other transmissions. I recall only receiving two calls from other parties on Friday when the park was really crowded. The microphone was remarkably sensitive. I had the unit clipped to my camera bag strap which ran across my chest (about 5-6 inches under my chin) and was able to talk normally while depressing the transmit button with my index finger. POWER CONSUMPTION: The Kirkland (Costco) alkalines lasted about 29 hours until early Friday. (Yes. You turn them on and leave them on in standby mode.) The battery power indicator was helpful. We probably spent 20% of our time transmitting and the rest on standby. STURDINESS: I dropped one on the concrete and it landed on its bottom. It was fine. The antenna and case are ruggedized but likely not indestructible. EASE OF USE: Even the technically-challenged members of our party had no problem "guessing" how the controls worked. Motorola's button layout is one of the better ones (but I could imagine having some problems with the smaller buttons if you were skiing and had gloves). PROBLEMS: The only problem we had was that there was a lot of channel congestion on Friday at the park. The park can swell up to 77k guests in a day so the 532 combinations can get used up fast. SUMMARY AND WISHLIST: Am happy overall but I think I'll be returning these to get a more expensive unit which vibrates when receiving incoming calls (for those more quiet environments). I'd also prefer a real splash-resistant unit if I was out on a rainy day. I don't think I need a smaller palm-sized unit as this size fit me just fine. The TalkAbout performed well enough that other members of our group decided to buy FRS radios for themselves in preparation for the next family reunion at the mouse-house. We also found these useful for exchanging driving directions when leaving the park for some fancy restaurants in Orange County.

This device is good, but there are much smaller radios on the market. It also does NOT include NOAA weather channels.

Great radio with all 14 channels and 38 privacy codes, yet you don't need a license. Unfortunately don't be fooled by the privacy "codes". Your conversations can still be monitored by other radios. Nice features like a backlit display lets you see the display in the dark and lock alows you to prevent accedental channel changes. Also includes an accessory jack for an optional hands-free (VOX) or push-to-talk headset. Bottom line, great 2-way radio with wonderful range and reception (up to 2 miles) except for the cons listed above and a incovieniently located talk button.

I want to start by saying that the Motorola TalkAbout 250 is the BEST two-way radio out there. I would rate it a 6 or 7, but that does not exist.

HERE ARE A FEW FACTS I HAVE FOUND:

1) The distance is great! I got about 1.5 miles, and there were many houses, trees, and power lines between myself and the person I was talking to. I am sure anyone could get AT LEAST 3 miles in an open area.

2) The sound quality is also great! It is 100% crystal clear. Motorola builds in a device to reduce unwanted noise and static. It really helps!

3) This model has features including: a scan button and a lock button (a must for people with kids).

4) The 14 channels AND 38 subcodes are a great thing to have. I went to a huge antique sale, and there were many people using two-way radios. I would not suggest a radio with only 2 or 14 channels unless you are willing to argue with another person about who can talk on the channel.

5) Having a volume control is also nice. Some brands have a device that electronically increases or decreases volume, and you can NOT manually ajust it.

6) The battery life is outstanding (as much as 30 hours)! Also, the Motorola models without a NiMH rechargeable battery seem to be better. As NiMH batteries gets old, they do not hold the charge as well and you will have to buy a new battery. When the battery doesn't charge well, the radio quality goes down and the sound is not always as clear. I suggest an Alkaline battery version!

7) The indicator light is also good, so you can vissualy see if the PTT button is pressed.

Hopefully you will decide to buy the Motorola TalkAbout 250. It only costs a little more than a different brand with the SAME features. Motorola also offers a wide variety of accessories including: headsets, remote speaker/microphones, and carrying cases.

A friend of mine has 13 year old twins and never knows where they have gotten off to. She mentioned to me she was thinking of getting some 2 way radios to try to keep track off them. So I bought her these for Christmas. She seems quiet pleased with them, the kids do not share her joy. These also work well inthe mall or when at a big outdoor event. They fulfill there pupose and are smallenough that they can go in a purse or knapsack with little bulk from them.

I was very impressed with the range of these radios. Other radios I tested also claimed to have a 5 mile range, and while they ALL failed to reach even four miles in perfect conditions, these radios managed to reach a respectable 3 miles while maintaining understandable transmissions. I was also impressed with the voice clarity of these radios. I was able to transmit without over exaggerating my speech and pronunciation. I had already bought different manufacturers radios and was highly disappointed. I had almost decided to give up on hand held radios all together until I found these puppies. I am very happy with this purchase, however, there are some things that could be improved upon. I would have preferred some kind of rubberized body to help protect against dropping or banging the radio, however they are pretty sturdy compared to most. I would also have preferred a charger base as opposed to plugging each individual radio into a separate wall outlet. Setting them in a charger base looks more professional than having radios lying everywhere charging up. Overall these radios are well worth the money and will give considerably higher priced GMRS radios a run for their money.

We just rec'd the radios via UPS and couldn't wait to try them out. Aft. putting in the battaries and reading the instruction manual, I went out around the neighborhood while my wife stayed in our apt. I was very impressed w/ the clarity of these radios. I had bought a diff. brand last yr. at Wal-Mart for hunting (in WV Natl. Forrests). They also had a 5mi. range. We were lucky if we could understand each other at 100yds and these were a major brand. Our older 2 channel Cobra Walk-abouts were better than those. Needless to say, I returned them for refund. These new Cobra's are incredible and loaded w/ features. The only thing that has me puzzled is that there's no place to clip the wrist straps that came w/ the radios. These I'm sure, will prove to be a great investment. Thanks Cobra!
Be blessed!
SN

I must say I was very impressed with the 950DX Radio. This is the first radio I have had where I did not get excessive static while talking. I tried another brand, instead of sticking with Cobra, and I will never do that again. I live in a woody and hilly area and the reception is still good, even from a couple miles away. I would definitely recommend these radios to anyone.

I agree with practically all the critics and their thoughtful reviews of the Motorola T6220 AA 2-Way Radio (that's "Walkie-Talkie" for us over 35 years of age). "Evergreen" is simply its color and of cosmetic value only, like a cell phone's face plate.

I've just edited and updated my original review of September 2001 to reflect the fact that, although this particular model is technically obsolescent in some ways, there is a good medium-sized PRO that is built into the unit that is worth considering when purchasing it. The individual consumer's decision is to weigh that against the various CONS that have to do with the intervening 2 years'-plus worth of the newer units' technology (especially the improved storage formats of proprietary, rechargeable battery packs.)

As most reviewers agree, Motorola is terrific value, a good tradeoff of function for the dollar. It is no surprise that Motorola units lead the market together with Cobra and Uniden with their Citizen Band heritage.

Experience and talking with other enthusiasts have generated a few general recommendations about the "Walkie-Talkie" format in general and perhaps some relevant buying tips. If you'd like to see them, please refer to the re-edit of original review dated September, 2001, which bears the re-edited title "The Ironies of Time . . . "

Thank You.

Allen Smalling.

I just got this radio last month and I already love it. It has the perfect amount of features: just enough, but not too many. If you want a radio a notch above the usual, with useful features like scan, vibrate, and weather radio, this is the radio for you. Reception is excellent, as with all Motorola radios. This is a great FRS for the money. However, I give it 4 stars because it is a little confusing to learn. For the elderly or small children, I would reccommend the Motorola 5200s. They do not have all the features, but they are super-easy to use. Overall though this is a great buy for the money.

Let me start out by saying that I agree with all of the positive points made in earlier reviews, so there's no need for me to discuss the cool features such as weather alert and "roger" beeps.

I was very concerned about the microphone placement after reading the other reviews. I even considered returning the package unopened as soon as it arrived. I am very glad that I did NOT do that!

Unless you have some oddly configured hands, it's virtually impossible for your hand or thumb to cover the microphone while pressing the talk button. I've held it in both hands and it isn't covered no matter how I hold it! Try picking one up in the store if you don't believe me and you'll see what I mean.

Great radios, easy to use, tons of cool features. And no, I don't own stock in Motorola. :)