I've owned my share of Talkabout radios over the years. These don't really innovate in any meaningful way, but they're compact, have great battery life and work fairly seamlessly. They're small and simple enough for my kids to use, and they have a lot of fun with it.
The major difference between these radios and a more expensive set as far as I can tell is the absence of the "privacy codes" where each channel has some set of subchannels that are used to subdivide the channel for privacy purposes. I found in the past that those privacy subchannels didn't really work as well as I'd like so I think I actually prefer the simpler method that these radios use.
The radios operate on up to 22 FRS and GMRS channels. The FRS channels 1-14 are the lower power channels that any citizen can use. The GMRS channels 15-22 are 50 watt channels that require a $90 license from the FCC to legally broadcast on. You can certainly listen on those higher channels though and I was able to hear truckers very clearly from a highway nearly 15 miles away from my house. The lower channels get about 1-5 miles of range as far as I can tell, but that's highly dependent on the landscape and buildings. Concrete, for example, tends to absorb radio waves really well so you'll have terrible range in a big city.
The Talkabout radios have long included a tone when closing communication as a replacement for the "over" method. It's a great way to get the kids to understand when it's their turn to speak. There's also a ringtone you can send to locate a lost radio or alert the other person that you're about to say something. There's a scanner feature as well.
Battery life has actually been pretty good. These take 3 AAA batteries. I use Eneloop batteries so I can recharge them, but there are no recharging features for this radio itself. I know older Talkabout models had a charging base, but they tended to kill the radio for some reason. So this method I think is an improvement.
Overall these are great, simple radios that are worth the extra cash in my opinion over ultra cheap radios you might pick up at the toy store.
These do exactly what I wanted them to do. I wanted a fun toy my kids could play with that wasn't a complete piece of junk.
These work well for around the house and in the neighborhood. They do NOT have a multi mile range in real world conditions. You need to have a clear line of sight with oriented antennas to have extended range. I find these are perfect for the house and neighborhood. There are some other kids who have radios 2 streets away from me who we can talk to perfectly if we are on the same channel. (These are kids we know well who go to school with mine. We're not meeting strangers on the radio or anything weird)
The radios are physically well made. They are solidly constructed. The buttons don't feel cheap like they are going to break soon.
I have an older pair of similar Motorola radios that I've had for about 10 years. They don't feel as well made as these, and the old ones are still holding up and working fine. So I feel good about these.
Battery life is pretty good. I got them as a Christmas gift for my kids and they've been using them every day since. The batteries are still going strong. That's a week now. I put rechargeables in, assuming they would drain quickly and need to be replaced a lot. I still think that's a good idea but I haven't had to recharge them yet. And rechargables typically don't last as long between charges as normal batteries.
All in all these are everything I've wanted them to be and I'm happy with them.
My daughter has lots of fun with these, and my wife and I use them if we need to coordinate turning switches on and off around the house or if one of us needs occasional help during a home improvement project. I tested these in a suburban environment and I got about 4 blocks away before the signal gave out. Plenty of houses in between and power lines are not buried so lots of interference.
I got these so that my fiancee and I could communicate with each other in separate cars moving to a new city. They worked great. Good sound quality, easy to use. I used the included clip to clip it to the seat belt and I was able to easily provide directions and keep up with when we needed to stop. We drove about 6 hours and these lasted the whole trip! I put batteries in when I got them and we tested them about 2 days before we left. We were driving through desert in the middle of the night and through city in the very early morning. I'm very pleased with these and would recommend!
Almost as good as an intercom! Inside we use them when everyone is in a different part of the house and, outside, we use them to keep track of each other.
Feature Product
- Call Tones: A call tone is what people calling you can hear instead of the normal default ring. It grabs the attention of your family and friends before you start speaking.
- Flashing Low Battery Alert: Low battery alert reminds you when batteries are running low.
- Compatible with Any Radio: You can communicate with other FRS/GMRS radios regardless of brand by being on the same channel and privacy codes.
- Keypad Lock: Keypad lock prevents your personalized settings from being inadvertently changed.
- 22 Channels: With 22 channels, it's easy to find an available channel.
Description
Keeping the family together. Simple, compact and easy-to-use by the entire family, the T100 is the perfect way to stay in touch when out and about, whether at the playground, hiking in the park or enjoying a picnic. This colorful two-way radio has a range of up to 16 miles and features 22 channels, providing you with just what you need to instantly reach your family and friends, and know they’re safe. The T100 is available in a twin-pack or triple-pack. How far can I expect my radios to communicate? The communication range quoted is calculated based on an unobstructed line of sight test under optimum conditions. Actual range will vary depending on terrain and conditions, and is often less than the maximum possible. Your actual range will be limited by several factors including, but not limited to: terrain, weather conditions, electromagnetic interference, and obstructions.
Birthday gift for 9 year old boy. TOTAL WIN. Perfect age (he does not have a cell phone!) and he is extremely enthused. He spent hours running around the neighborhood to check the reception from different areas.
The advertised range is 16 miles but we discussed all the factors that will limit that, then we made predictions and then he tested our predictions. Much Science was performed. (Bonus: discussed product marketing principles, as well.)
The range appears to be about a quarter mile, given slight hills, trees, and buildings.
This works for us just fine.
All three handsets worked perfectly as soon as we put in batteries (not included). The handsets are smallish, and solid but not heavy. They feel like a great size for a kid. Fit and finish are great: smooth edges/no gaps/etc. The 9 year old could get the battery in himself and attach the clip. The clips seem sturdy and have been working well.
Happy with this purchase. I did get the extended warrenty because it was under 3 bucks, and I was prepared for one of these to arrive non-fuctional (which did not happen).
Can’t say enough good about these radios. Work week and great range. Used to communicate between 2 cars on a cross country move. Battery life isn’t great, maybe 12 hours.
Purchased a total of (4) 3 packs and didn't have any issues.
Were used during a music festival outdoors in a wooded area.
We had no problems communicating from point A to point B anywhere at the facility. The longest distance being no more than a half mile.
Use good batteries if the radio's will be used constantly as cheap batteries didn't last long on our high usage radios. Lower usage radio's didn't seem to be as bad on the batteries.
I op checked them and both worked out of the box, so mission accomplished there. They are tiny little radios, but for $30 bucks and 16-mile range, why not throw them in an emergency kit? Definitely couldn't hurt.
My daughter bought these to keep in touch with her BFF who lives a few houses down from us in the neighborhood. I cannot say if they work for "miles" or not. I suspect that they don't work 20 miles unless it is some kind of ideal, amazing conditions. But they work well at distances of less than a mile from what we can tell.
The rules and regulations regarding these are extremely confusing and not well explained. It is hard to fathom why they are allowed to sell something that so easily broadcasts on channels that appear to require a license without explaining it better and making it a little harder to select those bands without at least some sort of acknowledgment that you know those bands require a license. It is very easy to imagine my 8 year old daughter accidentally using one of those channels. I have set down with her and explained which channels appear to be off limits and I doubt she changes channels at all, but still it seems odd.
Once you get past all the red tape and legal mumbo jumbo they appear to be fairly well made.
We originally looked at some of the Chinese branded options at half the cost, but we couldn't make heads or tails of them and whether they were being honestly reviewed or marketed so we decided to go with a name brand that we trusted. I realize these are made in China as well, but one thinks that Motorola might have _some_ sort of quality control or checks and balance system to make sure they are ok. At the very least, maybe customer support if needed.
They seem to work well and easily enough that my daughter can use it to talk, although she uses her iPhone without sim card and skype far more often so I'm not sure why she needed this, but it is her money and if she earned it, and it isn't being spent on hooking, liquor or drugs I generally allow it.
By the way, it uses alkaline batteries and hasn't gone through them too fast, but rechargeable would have been nice.
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