By Jay Cassell

I recently had the chance to check out Motorola’s newest Talkabout two-way radio.  I’ve always been skeptical about the claims made by all walkie-talkie makers…”50 Miles Capability”…stuff like that. Then I take them up to my hunting camp in New York’s Catskill Mountains and they won’t reach a buddy who’s a mile away. These things work when you’re on flat ground, but in heavily forested, rolling mountains and hills? Nah.

So, when I took out the new Talkabout (Model MR355R – catchy, huh?) and tried calling my turkey hunting buddy Bill, who had walked out of the cabin five minutes earlier, I got no response. So much for this unit, I thought. But then I remembered that the new model has a Power Boost button. I pressed it, and damn! There was Bill on the other end, telling me he wasn’t hearing any turkeys. The company claims it has a 35-mile range, and while I didn’t try to contact Bill 35 miles away, I will say it is definitely more powerful than its predecessor.

Another feature I like is the 11 weather channels, including 7 from NOAA. (It said it was going to rain on the second day of my recent turkey hunt, and they sure got that right.)

The new Talkabout has an emergency alert feature, 22 channels plus 8 repeater channels; a vibrating alert; 10 call tones (now you can sound like a duck), large buttons for use with gloves, plus an LED light. The unit comes in Realtree AP HD camo – which is fine, except I dropped mine in the woods and couldn’t find it. That’s the second walkie-talkie I’ve lost in six months. The units come with a belt clip, but maybe some kind of Cordura pouch with a magnetic closure wouldn’t be a bad idea.

The suggested retail price is $89.99 for two units, charger, belt clips and ear buds; not bad at all. motorola.com – Jay Cassell

Comments (10)

from Jim in Mo wrote 2 years 37 weeks ago

I'll buy it if it can just negotiate a few hills and valleys over a one mile terrain.

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from Ziggy4334 wrote 2 years 37 weeks ago

They actually can with a booster, which you can buy that straps onto a pack. However, this unit is best used on flat terrains over 5 miles, most likely. even if there is a hill, you can go to higher ground if you need to contact a friend on difficult terrain.

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from Big O wrote 2 years 37 weeks ago

I might give it a try.

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from FloridaHunter1226 wrote 2 years 37 weeks ago

Im surprised to hear that it worked so well in the field. Most walkie talkies don't live up to those distance claims.

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from jbird wrote 2 years 37 weeks ago

I've got an older pair that I have a ball w/when hunting w/my son. He's 7. During turkey season, we'd covered alot of ground, and it started raining, so I offered to hike back to the 4wheeler and come back and pick him up. We both turned our walkie-talkies on, and I bet he called me 25 times in the 15 minutes I was gone. It was funny as hell. I'd like to try these new ones out.

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from Outdoorchic wrote 2 years 36 weeks ago

Is this a marine radio or a regular two way radio? On the club I hunt on we use the marine radios made by Uniden and we have excellent transmissions. Our land is very hilly and a lot of tall timber. I also find that when you are deer hunting and it starts to rain you don't have to worry about it messing up on you. About the lost radios, we take off the belt clip and use the neck strap that comes with the radio or you can put a sturdier and heavier duty one on like I did.

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from tracksionmotor wrote 2 years 33 weeks ago

The unlicensed use of marine and amatuer radios is a criminal offense offering hefty fines and potential incarceration. We use radio scanners to detect trespasser communications...the dumbest think speaking in a foreign language like Spanish hide their activities.

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from Millerman58 wrote 2 years 13 weeks ago

I've really been looking into this Motorola. But am stuck deciding between it and the Midland talked about on pg. 81 of the Nov. 09 issue.

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from MrDX wrote 1 year 48 weeks ago

how can i buy this and where

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from BioGuy wrote 1 year 39 weeks ago

There are a few things I look for in walkie talkies:

-Dial volume knob (controls volume better than buttons)
-Waterproof (all hunting gear should be waterproof)
-Non-camo (they're usually a little cheaper and easier to find if you drop them)
-Several privacy channels
-Weather channels
-Compatibility with AA or AAA batteries

I don't look at the range stuff so much anymore...I've found that in the territories I hunt, getting one to work within 1 mile is a challenge.

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from Jim in Mo wrote 2 years 37 weeks ago

I'll buy it if it can just negotiate a few hills and valleys over a one mile terrain.

+2 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Ziggy4334 wrote 2 years 37 weeks ago

They actually can with a booster, which you can buy that straps onto a pack. However, this unit is best used on flat terrains over 5 miles, most likely. even if there is a hill, you can go to higher ground if you need to contact a friend on difficult terrain.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Big O wrote 2 years 37 weeks ago

I might give it a try.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from FloridaHunter1226 wrote 2 years 37 weeks ago

Im surprised to hear that it worked so well in the field. Most walkie talkies don't live up to those distance claims.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from jbird wrote 2 years 37 weeks ago

I've got an older pair that I have a ball w/when hunting w/my son. He's 7. During turkey season, we'd covered alot of ground, and it started raining, so I offered to hike back to the 4wheeler and come back and pick him up. We both turned our walkie-talkies on, and I bet he called me 25 times in the 15 minutes I was gone. It was funny as hell. I'd like to try these new ones out.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from tracksionmotor wrote 2 years 33 weeks ago

The unlicensed use of marine and amatuer radios is a criminal offense offering hefty fines and potential incarceration. We use radio scanners to detect trespasser communications...the dumbest think speaking in a foreign language like Spanish hide their activities.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from MrDX wrote 1 year 48 weeks ago

how can i buy this and where

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Outdoorchic wrote 2 years 36 weeks ago

Is this a marine radio or a regular two way radio? On the club I hunt on we use the marine radios made by Uniden and we have excellent transmissions. Our land is very hilly and a lot of tall timber. I also find that when you are deer hunting and it starts to rain you don't have to worry about it messing up on you. About the lost radios, we take off the belt clip and use the neck strap that comes with the radio or you can put a sturdier and heavier duty one on like I did.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Millerman58 wrote 2 years 13 weeks ago

I've really been looking into this Motorola. But am stuck deciding between it and the Midland talked about on pg. 81 of the Nov. 09 issue.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from BioGuy wrote 1 year 39 weeks ago

There are a few things I look for in walkie talkies:

-Dial volume knob (controls volume better than buttons)
-Waterproof (all hunting gear should be waterproof)
-Non-camo (they're usually a little cheaper and easier to find if you drop them)
-Several privacy channels
-Weather channels
-Compatibility with AA or AAA batteries

I don't look at the range stuff so much anymore...I've found that in the territories I hunt, getting one to work within 1 mile is a challenge.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.