Customer Reviews

Motorola TalkAbout T8500 18-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radios

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

We got these because one of our older radios broke. The reception was poor, we tested many different channels and it was very difficult to hear someone only 50 feet away. Our older radio (the one still working) had clear reception and clairty. We were very disappointed as we purcased these for a family road trip for which we caravaned. We would have been better off just using cell phones or writing notes and holding them out the window. We are not technically challenged so I don't think it was an "end-user-error". I would like to return these but my husband wants to keep figuring out why they don't work well. Vibrate feature didn't work consistently after setting it up a few times. Why 2 stars, the design is nice.

Having these radios for a few years, please read my updates and comparisons below. I feel this review may also apply to the newer models, as they don't change that much from year to year.

The T8500's ONLY flaw, is the compander circuit (new to 2007?), which is 'supposed to' improve communication. But as other's have stated, it makes it much more difficult to hear the other T8500, but you can make out other radios NOT using that circuitry quite well. (in other words, they're more compatable with older models that with each other). If you're not speaking very loudly and consistently into the mic, it chops out your conversation at times. Too bad, as the rest of the radio is very nice in all ways and features.

After more extensive testing, I have found these to have greater range/sensitivity than my other models (3/4 mile outside at best so far with hills and trees to overcome).

I would recommend using 2500mah NiMH rechargeables to get a week's worth of daily use rather than the included batteries. It seems also that these have better battery life than previous models.

Ergonomically, the radio has good buttons and tactile feedback, and the vibration is a nice feature. Backlight on the display is far better than others. Keep in mind these are manufactured by another company under license from Motorola, and I miss having the higher quality clips that come with the genuine commercial grade radios. I hope they remove the compander circuit or make it optional in future models. 4 stars would be the best I could give this radio, 5 without the 'x-pand' technology.

Update for May 29, 2011

I have found after 3 years of owning these radios, that their best use is for scanning or monitoring. If not for the audio compression circuit that is poorly designed, this would be the best consumer radio one could ask for. Battery life is excellent, whether using supplied battery pack or even better with your own recharge-ables. I've had them go for several 12 hour days without needing to be recharged. One thing is clear, this radio works better with any other model of radio than its own counterpart. I have some confirmation that any model having the 121 digital privacy codes, including the most recent models, will have this compander technology. That has been my only hesitation in buying a newer model like the MR or MJ series, but won't know for sure until I buy a set.

Changes of terrain elevation of more than 10 feet seem to completely cut off the signal of FRS radios in general. That's why I can barely get a half mile range where I live, along with many trees. The only real solution is to have a repeater which is something I can't afford at the moment. Also if these did cover 20+ miles, 22 channels would be so overcrowded to the point of being useless anyway. I don't need people in the next town hearing me ask where my son is, so limited range has some benefit too.

Update for May 31, 2011

Having scoured the reviews mainly for Motorola and Midland, I remembered I had an older 5 watt commercial grade radio programmed for GMRS and dusted it off. The mic and speaker blew away all the Motorola FRS radios I own, and that was to be expected, esp at close range. But in another detailed range test, the commercial radio only extended the maximum usable distance in my case by a tenth of a mile at best. Disappointing for sure, and the audio quality wasn't enough on its own to overcome nature. Back to the T8500; I've found the vinyl holsters widely available for cell phones make an improvement in the transmitted audio while still encased in the holster, along with giving a much better belt clip and protection. It acts as a wind screen, and is acoustically transparent to the speaker as well. I have to consciously speak with a firmer voice to make sure the compander doesn't chop out my transmission in any case. And after complaining about this one particular flaw, I still prefer to carry the T8500 over the older T5000 that I've also reviewed. Many have said Midland out performs Motorola, and that maybe true, but the Motorola is light weight and compact enough to carry effortlessly all day long. My commercial radio on the other hand is thicker, and twice as heavy, and the extra 10th of a mile isn't enough to make me switch. So, with the commercial radio being better than a Midland, I'm still on the fence about switching brands.

We just bought these yesterday, charged them up and decided to try it out in the house (read instructions too). I was a good 50+ feet away with doors closed and I could JUST make out my husband if I strained my ears enough. The reception on his end with cutting my voice out and he heard a lot of static.

Not worth the price we paid, we'll be returning it asap.

This product is absolutely terrible. We originally bought a pair of these from Target to use for hunting. After charging up the batteries, we tried to use them from about 40 feet apart and could barely make each other out. The sound quality is terrible and the transmission quality in general is poor and unreliable. Do not buy these.

The T8500 claims to have an optimum range of 18 miles. I live in flat farm country. It couldn't get any flatter. We tried most of the channels, tried turning the digital filter on and off, and the best range we could get was one mile. Beyond that, the caller was choppy at best. Very "staticky" at 300 feet. Definately not worth the money I paid for them. I agree with the review above...you could do better by holding up signs...I am returning mine tomorrow.

I am very disappointed...the reception is so poor that I can barely make out what is being said on the other end at any distance. We have tried every channel and nothing comes out understandable. I would stay clear of this brand!

After reading all the reviews here, I went ahead and bought the Talkabout anyway. That just goes to show that you can't always rely on someones elses opinion. What do you wnat these 2 ways to do for you? if you take them on a boat, you're out of luck...water and the like of reception for any non marine 2 way is the same.

If you want a good 2 way for family, emergencies shopping, camping etc...this is a good set for the money. READ THE INSTRUCTION and set the channel to 15 or above to get your very high reception. You can't set it to the 0-14 and you get stricthy FRS 0.5 watts.

I set mine to channer 15 and hi on the set....it is good up to 2 mile in just about any situation for me. VOX is a joke however and it you wanted voice activated conservation, you will spend $100+.

Both radios must be set exactly to the same channel and hi or lo to get the best reception. One great positive that I always get in a 2-way is the ability to use both ni-cads and regular AA batteries when needed.

I have used this set in our cars out of site and around the corner and picked up perfect. Metal structures will cut the reception if your are in a shielded building.

I gave if only four stars instead of five because it is constructed of all plastic, but durable for me, and the instruction are, well foreign at best. One of the features that you wnat to stay away from is sets that have NO volume feature. this one has the top knob that you can turnon and then turn loader on turn it down, fast and easy.

Recommended for adults that are savy about electronics and the read instructions.

I received these as a gift after having used the older T6310s and T5100s for over ten years with great success. These radios are touted as having expanded range over the others, but we found the earlier models to still be superior.

I was not expecting the 18 mile range on the packaging. Half of that would have been fine - I wanted something a little more powerful. These became staticy within 50 feet and could not make out reception at all half a mile away while on GMRS.

Anything more than one star is too generous. The worst thing is the (rechargable) battery life. Suppose you are using these to keep in touch out in the woods. If you are out there for more than about 4 hours, your battery will be dead.

You can't keep these in the charging unit. It will damage the battery. So, you have to remember to come back and remove them after a couple of hours.

If anything the range is less than the cheap set we bought years ago at a sporting goods chain. That cheapie was rated for two miles and better in every way than this supposedly high-quality Motorola. We could leave those on all day without worrying about killing the battery.

The cheapie had the clip built in. This unit has a detachable clip that is easily lost.

You are not likely to be happy with this product even if someone gives it to you. There is simply nothing good about it whatsoever.

These are pretty good. They have a lot of directions but they come in handy when they'r are storms in the area. That is what I got them for and my 5 yr old Grad-daughter plays with them for the 2way Radio. She loves it. Now that I got them I listen to it for the Weather. It tells you a lot. Great to have around for what ever you need them for. The weather or playing with them for the two way Radio