Two-Way Radios Reviews

I love this monitor! The only time it ever starts to beep is when the batteries are low and that is very rare. It does work a lot better the longer you can keep it charged, but once charged ours stays charged for a long time.
The only thing that doesn't work any more is the voice activation mode, I'm not sure if that is because there is a fan in the room, but we have soft music playing for our son constantly and it used to work. Either way, we can take this thing into our 2-story house basement and still hear our son perfectly.

I have used four monitors, and this is the best.

I have a Summer Video monitor. That one is good for video, but I don't use it for sound.

I had the Angel Care Movement Sensor and used it up til baby was 11 months old. The sound on it was good, but not as good as the Sony. This one is great b/c it tells you if, God forbid, baby stops moving or breathing. It was $100 and well worth the peace of mind I got for 11 months.

Once we were done worrying about SIDS, etc, we wanted a monitor that had better sound.

We tried a Summer Infant Secure Sounds 2.4 GHz Digital Monitor. This one was good as long as I stayed on the same floor as the baby. But when I went downstairs the static was too loud. We returned it and got the Sony.

The Sony 27 channel really is the best!

I love this monitor. It is so clear. The only time I've had a beeping problem was when I had the monitor and the receiver on two different channels, and that was my error, not the product's. My favorite feature has to be the voice activated mode. It really works, and will spare you from having to listen to the mobile or music playing in the room. It automatically turns on and off when your baby makes noise. Outstanding product!

The Midland 75-507 14-Channel FRS with Hands-Free Radio VOX Radio looks really good at first glance and it works really well around the house when you test it out, but when you bring it in the woods or on the ski slopes, that one-mile range turns into a two foot range. We used them for a while on car rides until they stopped working. Then we took them to the slopes, but half-way up the chairlift we wouldn't be able to communicate. Then others around us would be on the same chanell and you would hear everything they said. Now, 1 year after buying them, when you turn them on, all you get it static, the VOX doesn't work, and sometimes, when you turn it on it just blinks at the same chanell and you can't talk to anyone. If you want to get one, I reccommend the Motorola TalkAbouts. I've had them for a while and they are MUCH better.

I ordered 2 of your FRS radios and the ear bud remote microphones. I did get all I ordered BUT your advertising to me, is misleading . I cannot use the remote earbud microphones. Why? Because they require an adapter Midland part number 22-001 Why wasen't this mentioned in your original write up? I tried to identify the part number from midland and it is not listed. So the ear bud microphones are usless. I expected that they should be Plug and Play as the advertisement implied. Where can I find such and animal?

We really enjoy having 2 of these. They have good clear sound and have come in handy alot of times. Especially when we are traveling or fishing. And when we are following each other on the highway it is alot cheaper to use these then our cell phones.

Was not worth the money range is very limited and very unclear to understand other party talking

Glad I didn't need this sooner. The radio moved on the Super Saver Shipping timeline even with mandatory $10 Standard Shipping. I could have walked to KY for pick-up in the time standard shipping took. The vehicle mount antenna ordered same day, standard shipping, from Cricket Ventures, AMZ reseller, arrived four days before the radio.

On the other hand, the radio and antenna are superb! An exceptional package of capabilities, size, and features. Midland would do well to copy this product architecture across their other families of HT/Mobile products: GMRS/MURS, business band.

Buy the radio. Just don't expect timely delivery.

Quite a few of the Southern Cruisers M/C riding club I am a member of have this radio and suggested it strongly and Amazon.com for the best purchase place. I am very pleased with it so far.

Not too bad for a walkie talkie. Just do not use it in a Fair or any place that you know other people will also use their walkie talkies. Tends to pick up other people's signal.

I do like these radios, I am a parent and not one to let my children wander off, this way I can let them go a little farther (within a 2 mile radius) and keep pretty good track of where they are, I am going to order another set for the rest of my family.

I purchased this so me and my gf can talk when we go to some event. She's a little embarrassed to be talking on it, but definitely does help. Never had one before so can't compare to anything else. I can easily talk about 2 blocks away.

Sometimes fun to start sending out messages and talking to someone random. I don't think that's what it's suppose to be used for, but oh well.

I was hoping for a great deal on these batteries, but like other reviewers I've found that they run out of juice incredibly fast. I'm amazed that other reviewers have had such good luck because things like my wireless keyboard which uses two AA's ran out of juice in a couple days of normal use while my automatic sprinkler time that uses two AA's lasted only a week.

Be warned that these aren't quite the bargain they may initially seem.

Price can't be beat. I don't see the difference between this battery and some of the more pricier ones. I have two kids under two and these batteries are a life saver.

I have used about half of these batterys. Mostly in clocks and different items around the house, but also I used them in the flash for my camera and they held up real good.

I have a lot of rechargeable batterys, but these are better because they last a lot longer. Often the rechargeable batterys only last for a few months if that long. Alkaline batteries for me can last for up to a year and longer.

If Amazon went back to free shipping on these then I would buy them up and give them to friends as a gift or a prize. I do not know what the shipping is, but it may still be worthwhile. I just know so far these batteries have held up real good and I would highly recommend them.

I got these for free when I bought a Motorola Cell Phone back in 2003,and Firstly I thought they were nothing but radio toys that had a maximum of 30 feet range but what a surprise when I got one of them out of the house(my brother kept the other one in the house) and I started gettin far and far away from the the place and discovered that they had a over 2 mile range! and in the city!

Its really nice to know theres an option to disable the animated sounds(mickey,donald,goof,daisy,etc) because sometimes theyre really annoying,specially when youre surrounded by too many people paying attention to every move you do.

Bought these at least a year ago and held onto them until I thought my daughter was old enough to use them. Glad I got them when I did because they are very hard to locate now. I'd read the reviews about the annoying voices and was glad to see that it is in the directions to turn that off. (But my daughter hasn't asked to yet.) I've used Motorola, Uniden and Audiovox and these are a super simple design and perfectly kid sized. I'm not that big a princess fan but boy are they cute.

My son was given these as a gift and loves them! We have to wake him early every day for school and we do it with these. What a fun, gentle way to wake for school. We also use them outside to stay in contact when he's in the park or riding around the block. They give him freedom and me peace of mind. We have NO problems with reception or static. They're wonderful!

Tips: Remember, even though this unit is an "FRS/GMRS*" radio, you need to get a license to use it from the FCC. An FCC GMRS license is currently $75 for 5-years, and is available online. Dual FRS/GMRS radios require an FCC license even though you may only want to use the FRS channels.

Pros: Quality manufacturing, and good look-and-feel for such an inexpensive radio.

Many useful features (e.g., Scan, NOAA WeatherRadio built-in, VOX mode option [i.e., Voice-Only-Transmission...no pushing of "talk" button], Dual Watch mode [i.e., "watch" 2 channels simultaneously], Call Ringer selection [like on your cell phone]).

Fairly easy to operate (although you'll want to familiarize yourself with all its operations before putting it to the test in the field).

Removable belt clip.

Cons: Not rugged-ized. It's made of some kind of hard plastic, and has no rubbery outside covering. Although of quality manufacture, it may get banged-up more than a rugged-ized radio.

No battery charger I can find [even on the AudioVox website], and it has two metal contacts on the bottom that 'look' like recharger contacts. So, you have to use disposable AAA batteries, or charge your own rechargeable batteries outside the unit. [This 'con' is a nit, in my opinion.]

No other accessories (e.g., leather case, swivel belt clips, etc.) I can find [even on the AudioVox website] other than a generic set of headphones. [This 'con' is a nit, in my opinion, too.]

Conclusion: A very nice radio for the price.

*FRS = Family Radio Service. Best for use with your family on informal outings. No FCC license required for FRS-only radios.
GMRS = General Mobile Radio Service. Best for more formal use [although business use not permitted], like a road rally, or bicycle competition, or the like, and slightly longer distance. Requires an FCC license, and can only be used with your family and close relatives. Friends need their own license according to FCC rules.

For most people, an FRS-only 2-way radio is a better choice for an informal, infrequently-used "walkie talkie"; you get [nearly] the same functionality without the need to get licensed.

I think this is an amazing device! I always hand my mom a walkie talkie when I go outside. I am intrested in technology, weather, and communication and 11 year old Andrew finally found the PERFECT tool! First of all, it's not only a walkie-talkie, but also contains a built in NOAA Weather Radio and channel scanner. In the Menu, there's about 8 different features including: -Channel, -Channel #2, -'Vox' (Voice Activated, Sensitivity Level from 1 - 5 included), -DW (Dual Watch Mode to monitor more than one channel), -RB Tone (Roger Beep Tone, activates a tone whenever PTT talk button is released), -BB tone (Beep tone for every button pressed besides PTT and Monitor), -5 ring calls, and -Lo, Hi signal choice. Some other amazing features are Channel Scanner to scan every channel in a 5-mile range, a built in NOAA Weather Radio with optinal alert feature (great for hiking or sailing) and emergency mode. I take it everywhere. It's like a portable weather radio and channel scanner at the size of a cell phone!
This is truly THE walkie talkie!!!

I am the head of a small search and rescue team. Of all the radios we have used, the Audiovox GMRS 1535 2-Way Radio has been the most dependable and most rugged. All of our radio have been put fully under water, berried in the mud, been through a dust storm, smashed against rocks, stepped on, run over, and have come out the other end working just fine. I am very pleased with these radios, and will buy them again!

I agree with practically all the critics and their thoughtful reviews of the Motorola T6220 AA 2-Way Radio (that's "Walkie-Talkie" for us over 35 years of age). "Evergreen" is simply its color and of cosmetic value only, like a cell phone's face plate.

I've just edited and updated my original review of September 2001 to reflect the fact that, although this particular model is technically obsolescent in some ways, there is a good medium-sized PRO that is built into the unit that is worth considering when purchasing it. The individual consumer's decision is to weigh that against the various CONS that have to do with the intervening 2 years'-plus worth of the newer units' technology (especially the improved storage formats of proprietary, rechargeable battery packs.)

As most reviewers agree, Motorola is terrific value, a good tradeoff of function for the dollar. It is no surprise that Motorola units lead the market together with Cobra and Uniden with their Citizen Band heritage.

Experience and talking with other enthusiasts have generated a few general recommendations about the "Walkie-Talkie" format in general and perhaps some relevant buying tips. If you'd like to see them, please refer to the re-edit of original review dated September, 2001, which bears the re-edited title "The Ironies of Time . . . "

Thank You.

Allen Smalling.

I've found over the three years we've used the T6220s that suburban range is often greater than you'd imagine, but where these little radios really shine is giving one to your kid to keep instant tabs on them "just in case," and when you're camping these are the greatest thing since tents for not losing any kids at Scout camp! They're also very useful at the swap meet or someplace like Disneyland to keep track of subsets of your group.

They're tough, we haven't killed one yet. You'll have to look at a few pages in the manual to see how to work the radios, but it's not like it's trigonometry or anything like that. You can easy learn to operate these radios.

Simple, bulletproof, decent performance... this is a good product and I'm glad that I bought a pair.

We tried a VOX headset but it was not a big success. I do like the NOAA feature on this radio, get weather/emergency information when you really need it.

Dandy little radios.

I have owned these for 3 years approx.. I recently "upgraded" to some GMRS radios. The range of the GMRS radios in the "real" world environment of New England, without vast tracts of flat land, I have not seen much improvement in range over these FRS radios. DEFINITELY not worth paying for the FCC license to gain marginally better range with the GMRS. However, these T6220 are feature rich and of excellent sound quality compared to the newer Motorolas I purchased. I would recommend these head to head with the newer GMRS radios, unless you could use them in wide open environments where you might benefit by the extra power of the GMRS. Additionally, the batteries will last longer!
They are more ergonomic than my T5000 radios, as well.

I needed my Motorola radios today but they were defective and I am still waiting for Motorola to get moving and send me a replacement set. Buy Cobra or Midland.

This is a nice way to stay in touch with your kids, wife, or whoever at a sporting event, fair, while camping, or at the mall, etc. This beats a cell phone that does not come in the when you are hiking up to places like Half Dome (I learned the hard way).

I took a pair of T5950 on a 2 week trip. Using 2300mah nimh batteries, they last more than a day. The sound quality was very good. Remember, don't crank the speaker volume to max, this actually distorts the sound. When in the city, I was able to use the T5950s about 10 street blocks apart. The sounds was very clear.

By the way, I saw a comment on Motorola "imposter" and "licensed knockoff" by HippoRadio here. HippoRadio clams T5950 is a true Moto product, while other models like T6500 are "a licensed knockoff of the T5950 by Motorola's mainland-Chinese electronics manufacturer". He came to this conclusion because "a small indication on the rear of the T6500 package discloses that the product is Manufactured and sold by Giant International, Ltd., official licensee for this product."

Since I was looking to buy more Moto's radios, just to verify, I emailed Motorola asking which models are made by Moto themselves.

Here is the official reply from Motorola's customer service Marisol R on Jun 03, 2005. It seems, in fact, ALL talkabout radios are made by Giant International based in China. Any quality difference between models are just due to different designs, quality control, etc., and not due to different manufacturers.

-- from Motorola's customer service Marisol R --
Thank you for contacting Motorola e-mail support, we appreciate your request and interest in our products.

Based on your e-mail, we may inform you that all the Motorola Two Way Radios are manufacture by Giant, which is the company that manufactures the Motorola Two Way Radios and accessories.

If you have further questions or need additional assistance, please contact our Cellular Information Center at 1-800-331-6456. Our business hours are Monday through Friday from 7am to 10pm CST and Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 6pm CST.
--

Problems:
Battery door didn't fit tight. Pushed hard and it still stuck out as if poorly manufactured. The first day I used the radio, the battery cover fell off somewhere and now the radio is useless unless I wrap rubber bands around the body to keep the batteries from also falling out. Motorola's excellent battery cover on its first Talkabouts misled me when buying the T6250 into thinking this too was well designed. I wouldn't buy another one.

It also didn't receive transmissions from other peopled' FSRs. I've had the older Talkabout 250 and the newer T6250 both turned on but only the 250 would receive those transmissions.

Don't buy this radio; Motorola discontinued it for some reason and I suspect we've identified two of the reasons.

Sure, some of the features are nice. But the flaws make those benefits hard to enjoy.

I purchased a pair of T6220's this past year and they have proven to be a better performer than I had anticipated. In fact I purchased an additional pair for my hunting friends. The ability to turn off certain features you didn't want or like such as the 'Roger Beep'is a plus! These units worked extremely well in all of my treks through the woods, canyon and draws. I was able to keep in touch with others with little problem.

I do recommend making or puchasing a case for their protection. The face plate seems to scratch easily.

The only drawback I discovered was the small buttons are difficult to activate with gloves. Other than that I would highly recommend the T6220's to those roaming the great outdoors.

These radios really lived up to my expectations. For starters, the transmition clarity is quite good. It can get scratchy when you are really far appart or when you are in the mountains with alot of clouds. Fairs, expos, museums, wherever these radios keep us in touch.

I've been using these when I go up snowboarding, and my family is always able to keep in touch regardless where we are on the mountain. In fact I've often picked up conversations from the next resort over! The radios are also slightly water resistant.

These radios also have Motorola durability, I've dropped them many a times, and no problems. The weather radio (NOAA) is useful for picking up very accurate and regularly updated weather reports from the National Weather Service. The battery door does feel like it's not seated correctly and seems like it will pop off. I've only had a door pop off once or twice and we never lost the door. The Eavesdrop eliminator, (which is an aditional 3 encryption codes) really helps to prevent crosstalk when using them in crowded enviroments when other people might also be using FRS radios. These models also have a VibraCall (vibrating alert) which when used along with the QT200, the radio will silence itself, and when someone calls, it will vibrate. Only until you respond will the radio speaker become active.

A great investment for a low price. I'd highly reccomend buying a set. Also, if you have other FRS (Family Radio Service) radios that aren't Motorola, don't worry, they are all cross-compatable.