TriSquare TSX300-2VP eXRS Digital 2-Way Radio (Pair), Charcoal Metallic/Black

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 2.5 x 14 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000WY8JRU
• Item model number: TSX300-2VP
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,435 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

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  Electronics > Portable Audio & Video > Two-Way Radios

• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 8, 2007

Product Description

Product Description

TriSquare has revolutionized 2-way radio communication with eXtreme Radio ServiceTM (eXRSTM). eXtreme Radio Service (eXRS) two-way radios use proprietary Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) in the ISM band (900 MHz frequencies). This FHSS system combines the power of digital technology with narrow band FM modulation technique. Merging the two technologies facilitates a radio communications system that maintains a narrow band base signal to ensure for maximum usable range within a given dB power budget, comparable to traditional fixed frequency narrow band FM radios, but with the added benefit of wide band digital security and privacy provided by the frequency hopping spread spectrum algorithm. Maintaining the information signal as narrow band FM modulation centered on discrete frequencies allows for a large pool of non-overlapping hopping frequencies to draw upon within a given section of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum. The pseudo-random drawing of the hopping frequencies spreads the total signal power equally over the entire bandwidth of the RF spectrum used, which ensures minimal interference between many simultaneous, independent users. Interference Free is a major advantage that eXRS has over existing FRS and GMRS radios. Based on a contracted study from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of a major university, more than 100,000 eXRS users within talk range can enjoy uninterrupted communications. Whereas, FRS/GMRS quickly becomes unusable with just a few tens of users within range of each other. Bottom-line is that the eXRS two-way radios provide private communications in areas where FRS/GMRS conversations can be congested or impossible. Depending on which model you choose, your eXRS radio will have 1,000, 10,000, or all 10 Billion eXRS channels available for your use. Each radio offers Voice-operated transmission (VOX) for hands-free operation with headset compatibility.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very cool!, December 24, 2007

By	Bob From New York "bookgroupbooks" (New York) - See all my reviews

I own both the TriSquare and Motorola Talkabout radios Those of you who like to take your kids outdoors or skiing, may find this of interest.

Motorola T9500XLR 25-Mile 2-Way Radio
======================================

This is a typical walkie talkie. It 22 channels in the 462 MHz range and has 2 watts of power using GMRS/FRS protocols. The "25-mile" range is the theoretical max (i.e. on the lunar surface).


The main problem with this technology is, well, other people. Imagine 1,000 people sharing 22 channels at Disney World. Motorola goes through great lengths to filter out other people. This is achieved by


(1) A special filter that blocks non-Motorola radios. A nice idea, but unfortunately 90% of walkie talkies are made by Motorola.

(2) A special privacy code which is assigned to each channel. Thus, all your Motorola radios have to be configured to the same privacy code in order to work with each other. Codes range from 1 to 121.

Nonetheless, even with filters and privacy encryption, if someone else is transmitting on your channel, there will be significant interference.

TriSquare TSX-300 eXRS 900MHz FHSS 2-Way Radio
================================================

These use a completely different technology. They transmit on 900 MHz in a 100% digital protocol. They sort of work like cell phones, without the service provider. Each radio is assigned a unique 10-digit number. No matter how crowded the ski resort, you'll always have a private channel for your family. These radios use 1 watt of power. The manufacturer does not provide distance performace, but claim that the radios have a range equal to or better than the Motorola Talkabouts.


Comparison
==========

I took both brands with me and drove around town - a typical suburban setting with residential and commercial areas. I rated voice quality on a scale of 0 to 3 as follows:

0 no reception
1 unintelligible
2 intelligible but noisy or garbled
3 intelligible and clear

I then plotted the average rating as a function of distance. The digital eXRS technology was superior to the GMRS/FRS model. The eXRS average rating was 25% better than the Motorola Talkabout. The max distance I could get in my area (having lots of trees and buildings) was .45 miles with either radio. The Motorola box claims "2 miles in an urban setting", which is just not true in my case.


The Motorol wins in overall voice quality. When the signal is strong, the voice quality of the Motorola was quite clear, whereas the eXRS unit always had a some background white noise.

Conclusion
===========


The TriSquare eXRS radios lack a bit in overall voice quality. However, having great voice quality in a Motorola radio is worthless if you can't get through on a crowded channel. The benefits of the eXRS radios out way the one or two shortcomings, in my opinion. I tried the TriSquare units at a ski resort. They work just as advertised. No interference from other people whatsoever.

The TriSquare comes with two vox headsets, which work fairly well. The Motorola talkabout did not come with headsets, which cost $20 a piece at Radio Shack.

Niether the Motorola Talkabout nor the TriSquare eXRS seem particularly rugged or weather resistant, so I'd rate them the same in that regard.

The NOAA weather reception on the TriSquare was pretty bad. I have two other NOAA radios, which work just fine in my area. The Talkabout had very good NOAA reception.

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great radio, finally a private radio without other jerks butting in, June 10, 2008

By	D. Turner - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I discovered this radio from an electrician's website. I was impressed that the company was very straightforward about the radio's specs, no outrageous mileage claims and so forth. The company even has hams on their payroll. So I ordered a pair. I found it was easy to set up. Then the test. I have one of those high powered frs/gmrs radios to test against. Set up the eXRS and an FRS radio side by side by a recorder and then took a long walk with the other pair. I would key the FRS and give a test broadcast and then with the eXRS at varying distances. Then came back through my apartment complex and angled my location to increase the number of buildings and apartment they had to transmit through, up to a maximum of 3 buildings and 46 apartments. The FRS, since it is analog, became staticy and noisy. The eXRS' remained clear. When the FRS was about to fade into the static, the eXRS finally had a little chop in it's transmission. You have to give it a second to key up to transmit, but it's a great radio and the price makes it an even hotter deal! The channels and groups makes this act almost like a trunked radio system, but without the trunk. I took it to work and then over to the radio shop (national name company well recognized for radios) and had them try to scan it and crack the channel hopping spread spectrum. Even with their equipment, they were not able to monitor a transmission. If they had the software source code, they could have, but without the source code, even with highly specialized radio maintenance equipment that cost tens of thousands of dollars, they could not monitor this radio! If you do not know the channel, you would have a better chance of being struck by lightning on a sunny day of finding a conversation. Honest spec sheet from the manufacture, a radio that performs as advertised, and a great price. If given a choice for FRS or eXRS, the eXRS wins hands down. The only con is that if you like to listen to others on the radio, this is not the radio for that.

Update! I received 2 more xrs's today! Now I have 4! They really are great. I was with some friends in a park area that has a lot of people around, and a lot of FRS radios too. It was a somewhat public event. They were trying to do communications with the concessions and other posts. Yes, they could have used cell phones, but not everyone wants everyone else's cellphone number published, hence their decision to use FRS radios. I let my friends borrow the other 3 radios and I was with someone that was running a "base" operation for their event. It wasn't very long when other FRS users were intruding on their radios and causing problems, even with them using the "privacy codes". They were amazed that my radio didn't have ANY intruders at all. Even more impressed was when there was an injury, I could talk directly to just one of my radios without the others aware of what was happening! A private radio call to the individual with the radio! The closest of my radios was about 2,200 feet and the farthest one was about 5,000 feet, just under a mile as the crow flies.

One other thing, other posts are confused about licenses. FRS does not require a license (channels 1-14). GMRS (channel 15-22)does require a license. Those radios that have FRS and GMRS together, well, the FCC expects you to honor the honor system and not use the GMRS frequencies if you are not licensed to use GMRS. The eXRS radio are license free! A truly great little radio that has an honest manufacturer that doesn't make exaggerated claims, only state what the product is. I am very happy with my radios and probably could have sold several at that event if I had been a salesman.

Yet another update! This time, a comparison between CB, FRS, and the eXRS radios in deep wilderness woods. The wilderness is the Ouachita National Forest, a good mix of hardwoods and pines. Very dense. You can walk 50 yards into the woods and disappear. I kept my test to the more level area, mainly valleys. The FRS radios faded into the static at about 1,700 feet, as measured by the GPS. The eXRS faded away at about 1,920 feet. The CB handhelds, made it to 2,010 before they faded into the static. Funny thing on the CB's, we were hearing skip from Mexico but couldn't hear our other CB 1,920 feet away.

I've had my radios since eary June, and like them better than the FRS radios that I have. I still carry my FRS radios because not everyone has an eXRS yet, but all that see mine are impressed at the privacy of the radio's and the features that come with it. Some people seem to have problems with them, but I followed the eXRS manufactures description of the radios, expecting similar range (realistic, actual range. None of the 20 mile exaggerations of FRS manufacturers) of an FRS and the eXRS matches with a little more in every case.

June 2009. One final update! The Riverfest celepbration at the Riverfront Park was a very good test for these radios. There were thousands of people there, with many, many FRS radios. This event was separated by the Arkansas River. North Shore vs. South shore. The closest we were was 1,400 feet. The longest of our transmissions was 2,700 feet. My friends had FRS radios. I let them have one of my eXRS radios to take over to the north side. They had a lot of difficulties with the FRS radios. Too many people walking on them. All the privacy thing does is prevent you from hearing others. But there were people selecting their codes on their channels also. The 3 day event meant a lot of channel and code hopping and many times, unable to hear at all. Not for the eXRS radios. The only time they let us down was when the batteries ran down after about 7 hours of heavy use. All conversations were clear. No intrusions from anyone. We were at the ampitheater and had the girls walk to the western end of the park, about 2,700 feet and the FRS radios were a pain. the eXRS radio still worked just fine. Several people there thought the radios were really good and couldn't believe that they were no more powerful than the FRS radios, just better use of the spectrum.

So, I've tested these in the woods, tested them around my apartment complex, and now, tested them in a crowd of thousands. Hands down, the eXRS radio!

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Private Local Communication - Better Than FRS, June 22, 2008

By	Michael Chesbro (Rainier, Washington USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The TriSquare TSX300 radios are an excellent addition to anyone's personal communications system.

The radio package comes with 2-radios, 2-headsets, and a dual desktop charger to recharge the battery packs. (You can also power the radios with three standard AA alkaline batteries.

Similar to FRS radios in size and range, there are some differences which make the TSX300 radios an excellent option.

The radios operate in the 900 MHz range in a frequency hopping spread spectrum mode. This means that you key in a starting 10-digit number and frequency hops 10 times per second from that point giving you private communication. Trying to monitor the radios with a scanner was unsuccessful, and even with another TSX300 without knowing the starting number you can't monitor the conversation. The way the system is set up you get 10-Billion channels - or frequency hopping patterns to keep you conversation private.

The TSX300 radios have a text messaging function - similar to cell-phone text messaging - that lets you send a text message to others on the same channel which they can read at a later time. Text messages are limited to 80 characters per message.

There is a private "My Radio" function that lets you call a single radio out of a group instead of broadcasting to everyone on a channel.

Actual range on these radios in a rural area has been about 1-mile, with the text message function giving a little bit longer range than voice mode.

Finally, the TSX300 radios contain the NOAA Weather band so you can get a weather report when needed.

Overall I found the TSX300 radios to be an excellent value. About the only negative point I found with these radios is that they are not as strongly constructed as I might like. They have a plastic casing (similar to most FRS radios) which I would like to see made a bit more sturdily, but even so they are not in any way `junk'.

If you are looking for a way to have private and generally secure local communication the TSX300 is a good choice. It does everything an FRS radio can do - plus a whole lot more.