Motorola T9500XLR 25-Mile 2-Way Radio Pair by Motorola
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Digital camera reviews of Motorola T9500XLR 25-Mile 2-Way Radio Pair
Digital camera Review: Easy to use and sound good, poor range
Summary: 3 Stars
Like all of these kind of radios, the range numbers are for situations that don't exist. So don't believe them! These say 25 miles and even under nearly idea conditions (mostly flat land, few trees, no buildings, and no other interference) they function at a small fraction of the advertised range, 2-3 miles maximum.Digital camera Review: Emergency preparedness
Summary: 4 Stars
I have not had much chance to use it as I purchased it for use as an emergency preparedness block captain in my city. We have practiced using it, but I will not really know until a disaster of some type happens. I am pleased to have it for that purpose.Digital camera Review: Excellent radios. Range needs clarification.
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
These are great radios. I have owned 3 different versions of Motorola TalkAbout "walkie talkies". These are easily the best. However, reviewing them is difficult. It requires some basic understanding of 2-way radios, which is actually pretty concisely detailed in the manual included with this product.
Basically, there are 2 types of radio signal for 2-way radios like this. FRS and GMRS. Both are public but GMRS requires an FCC license which may cost you $75. FRS does not have as good of a range as GMRS, which is what makes reviewing this product difficult. FRS is usually channels 1-14 and GMRS is 15-22. However, this radio has some overlap where 8 of the channels (I think 8-16) broadcast on FRS/GMRS hybrid or something. I'm not totally familiar quite yet.
With these TalkAbout radios, there are privacy channels that work to eliminate noise from other radios. Basically they work so that you don't hear other people talking on the same channel. However, if those people on the same channel do not have privacy-enabled walkies, they will be able to hear you. That shouldn't be a big deal though because it's all public airwaves anyway. Anyway, these radios have an amazing 121 privacy codes per channel. So the potential to find a quiet channel for your party is very great.
This radio also has some other great features. Of note is a feature that allows equipped Motorola radios to eliminate interference in high-activity zones like theme parks and concerts. That is a great feature, though I have not been able to test it extensively. All I know is that previous TalkAbout radios I have used have had problems with interference like this. At least it's nice to see that Motorola has attempted to tackle the problem.
Another great feature is the boost mode. The Push-to-talk button has 2 states. If you push at the bottom it uses a normal amount of power. If you put at the top, it boosts the power to increase the range at the cost of battery life. Again, it is not easy to test these features though my experience has shown that this does seem to work fairly well.
There are other less notable features like ring tones, paging, and a little tone that lets the person on the other end know that you are done with your message. This replaces saying "over" so it's convenient. There is the ability to hook up a headset and hands-free activation. So whenever you speak, it detects it and sends it over. You can also enable this feature without a headset, but I don't see that being very useful.
The batteries are rechargeable NiMH, and the package contains a docking station / charger for the devices. The battery life is decent. NiMH batteries are great though some have a short shelf life. So basically if you leave the radios sitting around for a while, don't expect them to have juice when you go to use them. You'll need to charge them as soon as you know you're going to need them for the best duration. The battery pack is basically 3 AA batteries taped and sealed together. So you can replace it with 3 AA alkaline batteries if you are in the field and do not have the ability to charge.
The devices themselves are built pretty well and the package even comes with replacement face plates of yellow color.
Ok, so onto the range. I don't know where they got that 25 mile # from, but I didn't get anything close to that in my test. On channel 4 in my suburban town in NJ, I got around 1 mile range. The boost gives you a little more, but it was clearly straining. I will need to do some more testing on the GMRS channels in order to make a definitive conclusion as to the range of these. However, the back of the box even states that you'll only get that 25 mile range in the desert or very open spaces. And that's probably with boost on GMRS channels. On FRS channels with boost in the desert you could probably get 3-5 miles. In suburbs or the city, you'll be lucky to get 1 mile on FRS channels and 3 miles on GMRS channels.
Still, despite the outrageous range claims, these are great radios and easily worth the price.
As I use and test these radios more, I will return to this review if my initial conclusions of the ranges change.
Digital camera Review: Exceptional features!
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow, have walkie-talkies changed in four years! These are packed with some pretty sophisticated features, including NOAA Weather Alert and are very user-friendly. Strongly recommend!!Digital camera Review: Fun Toy!
Summary: 4 Stars
I love these walkie talkies. The sound quality is great and they feel good in your hand. I haven't had a chance to try them camping but am anxious to do so. Please note that 25 mile range is optimal when you are in a non populated area with no trees.