Motorola FV300 2-Way Radio

• Features Include: Up to a 10 mile range-22 channels and a standard scan-15 levels of digital volume-Featherweight design
• Featherweight design and rugged structure makes it perfect for campers and hikers. 32 hour battery life
• With 22 channels and a standard scan feature you can stay in touch wile you are out and about.
• Up to a 10 mile range.
• 15 levels of digital volume.

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 previous selections when you replace the batteries (provided you swap in the new batteries quickly). 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.

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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.

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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.

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The radio doesn't have any where near the range or clarity it claims to have. Other than being compact which was a great feature, the radio is no better than a cheap radio you would give a kid to play with.

I bought these to keep up with my kiddos as they run through the neighborhood with their little buddies from house to house. They are fantastic and are very durable!