Motorola FV300 2-Way Radio, Pair

by Motorola

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.2 x 1.2 x 4.7 inches ; 1.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0014C0IAK
• Item model number: FV300
• Batteries: 2 AA batteries required.
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)

Product Description

The Motorola Talkabout FV300 has a range of up to 10 miles for indoor and outdoor communication. Its a featherweight, compact design is ideal for campers and hikers, and its rugged structure can survive the toughest treatment. With 22 channels and the standard scan feature, this two way radio makes it easy to stay in tough while you are out and about. The FV300 also features an accessory connector, permitting use of an audio accessory headset for easy hands-free operation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Does the job on the cheap, but range nowhere near 5 miles advertised., December 20, 2009

By 

Nabil Al-kourainy "nka" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Motorola FV300 2-Way Radio, Pair (Electronics)

3.5 stars. I bought these walkies for use on a cruise. The walkies did the job on the ship and I was successfully able to communicate with my friends while on board. There was often static during the calls, and conversations greater than 5 words each way, were difficult to hear. We were able to communicate, because we kept our responses to 1 or 2 word answers. I was able to reach my friends anywhere on the ship, the Carnival Elation. Once I left the ship and went to Ensenada, Mexico, I was unable to reach anyone in my party. I got nowhere near the 5 mile range advertised.

Having never used a walkie before, I found the setup and use extremely user friendly. I did not have to replace the battery for the entire length of the cruise (4 days), and I used the walkie multiple times per day. I did turn it off after going to bed.

I purchased the pair from Radioshack for $20, and believe that for the money, you can't expect more than you get from this radio.

Summary:

Pros: low price, user friendly, lightweight, uses three AAA batteries
Cons: Quality of call, range is nowhere near 5 miles as advertised.

I would recommend this product to anyone who wants a cheap way to communicate with others, for short (no more than 5 words per response) conversations, within a 1 mile radius.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entry-level walkie-talkies that are practical and kid-friendly, December 10, 2011

By 

NLee the Engineer (Nashua, NH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 10 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Motorola FV300 2-Way Radio, Pair (Electronics)

Motorola makes a whole family of walkie-talkies (or 2-way radios). This set of Motorola FV300 2-Way Radio is the cheapest and smallest available. They are so light and compact that even a kid can handle one of those with ease. But don't let the small size and low cost fool you, they actually work just like the real things - provided you start with the correct expectation...

First of all, forget about the advertised range of "up to 10-mile". As in the case with ALL walkie-talkies, the claimed transmission range is the best case under most optimal conditions. Namely: transmitting from one hill top to another with clear line-of-sight, no other RF interferences, weather is perfect, Jupiter aligns with Mars, etc. In real life urban environment, a range of 1-2 miles is more likely. With that in mind, those walkie-talkies are still useful for communication in a large shopping mall, for example. Or you can just hand them out to your kids as toys.

Secondly, forget about the claimed battery life of "32 hours" because it is the time in standby mode. If you do a lot of transmission back and forth, a set of 3 AAA alkaline is likely to run down in 3-4 hours. This is because the power requirement is much higher during transmission (just like the case with cell phones). Here is my measured current consumption:
- During standby: 25-30mA
- While receiving: 50-100mA (depending on volume)
- While transmitting: ~350mA

If you don't like to keep buying alkaline AAA batteries, here's a suggestion: use rechargeable batteries. You need 3 each of AAA rechargeable cells for each radio. I recommend using low-self-discharge NiMH batteries such as Sanyo eneloop (best quality) or Tenergy Centura (lowest cost). You also need a good 'smart' charger that can handle odd number of cells, such as the Sony Cycle Energy BCG34HLD4KN Power Charger. Note that each radio actually has a charging port near its base. But to use that you have to buy the Motorola charger, instead of a general-purpose AA/AAA charger.

When you first power-up the radios, you need to use the MENU button to configure some options, such as which channel to use, ring-tone, sleep timer, etc. One pleasant surprise is that: the walkie-talkies actually remember your selections, even after you removed the batteries. This is very helpful because you don't want to repeat the setup every time you replace the batteries.

Considering its low cost, this pair of Motorola 2-way radios is a great bargain. It is a practical tool for short-range communication, and great for kids to play with, too.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Compatible With All Other Motorola Talkabouts, September 14, 2010

By 

Kerton (Pleasanton, US, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Motorola FV300 2-Way Radio, Pair (Electronics)

All of the 12 different Motorola Talkabouts that I have bought over the past 11 years, including my 1999 T-5950 model, ALL had 121 Interference Elimination Codes (Privacy Codes, or Squelch Codes). The radios use this code when they transmit to activate the speakers on the other radios in the group on the same channel and code.

The model radio listed on this page does not have this code. That is fine if you only use FRS/GMRS radios without codes, but if you want this radio to work with others that use these codes, you'll have to disable that feature on all the other radios.

As for range, I tested it at 100 meters, through a couple of houses, and it worked fine, with some static audible. I like the fact that all the buttons, including volume, can be locked, so that pockets and kids can't change the channel, or turn it down by mistake.

This is, by an inch, the smallest Talkabout I have owned, which is good. The radio body is just 3.5" long.