Cell phone providers are consolidating their hold on existing markets and extending their influence on new ones. Even at that, the market keeps screaming the need for the supply of two-way radios.
Except there are alternative methods of providing coverage through a region with the aid of satellite technologies, some areas will keep being inaccessible to mobile phones. If that seems to be your case, then there is no denying the fact that you’ve exposed yourself to a world of harm. Given the inexpensive cost of reliable and efficient Motorola T800, it makes a whole lot of sense to take them on your numerous tours into the backcountry. You may still do this even though you want to use your mobile device for most of your communications.
This device offers cutting-edge technology to augment your capacity to correspond on the network. When you connect it with your mobile phone with the aid of Bluetooth technology, it lets you check emergency messages, GPS coordinates, text messages with the assistance of the T800 application and the two-way radio frequencies on your smartphone. What you’ll find in this device is a world of features that all serve their purpose while providing these new communication alternatives when you use them with your smartphone. This Motorola T800 review will show you how.
It was built for outdoor correspondence, giving you the chance to communicate with more reliability in inaccessible areas. There are 121 privacy modes, 22 channels, NOAA weather alerts, and 11 weather channels. It is completely compatible with other GMRS/FRS radios.
This device features a spectacular but concealed blue display that you easily read, provided that the radio is switched on and becomes impossible to read when the radio becomes switched off. Also, there are double power options that are privy to this device. It functions both with the three standard non-rechargeable AA alkaline batteries and NiMH rechargeable battery pack for increased versatility.
Table of Contents
Considerations When Choosing the Two-Way Radio
Cost
Even though there are many two-way radios out there with different types of features, top-notch functionalities, and channels, most people will rather go for a device that will not tell hard on their budget.
Motorola two-way radio is a relatively cheap device that does the job as expected. When comparing it with its quality, it is easy to see that it has a high value-to-money ratio. There are legit online and offline centers where you can buy this product.
Ease of Usage
No one loves anything that will cause extra stress for them, and for most buyers, the ease of usage of any device is a top priority. Difficulties in the control and use of a two-way device can cause some level of irritation and annoyance.
Indeed, this is one of the strong points of Motorola T800 Talkabout. Using it is as simple as you can imagine because its components and features are basic. Unlike some other products in the market of similar functions, it has keys that are soft to the hands, making the process of operation smooth.
If you are lost while operating your device, you may want to use the preset key to return to its default settings. You can also personalize this device per your taste.
Design
The design of this device is one feature that stands out from other similar products. It has a stylish and sleek 2-tone blue and black body type with some sort of “hidden display.” Its length is about seven inches from its base to its antenna’s tip, with an estimated weight of about four pounds. This means it has a bodyweight that is light enough for you to carry around with ease.
With its small size, you can easily keep it in your breast pocket, and it will not even be so obvious that something as tangible as a walkie-talkie is there.
But for some extreme outdoor exercises such as mountaineering, it is not a great idea to keep your Motorola T800 walkie-talkie in your breast pocket because it can fall out easily. But the designers of this device were meticulous enough to this by including a loop at its bottom through which you pass a belt. If you are looking to strap the device on your right or left arm, then this device’s design takes care of that.
The hidden display of this product that lights up when you press a button or need it to is one fanciful feature that many people like. It is an especially handy feature because it helps you to save power. Although it is small, most people will not have a problem reading it. It displays battery indicator, transmission information, and frequency.
The antenna is positioned at the top right-hand corner of this device. Its knob used for the switching of channels and frequencies can be found on the opposite side. The space between the knob and the antenna is a built-in flashlight, a very decent feature for Motorola T800 walkie-talkies because it comes in handy when you ate in the dark and need to find your way around.
Range of Transmission
The range of its transmission of frequency is about 462 Megahertz to 467 Megahertz. This frequency range alone is sufficient to make this product a good buy. Within this range, you can operate your device both indoors and outdoors. This range of frequency is very common for walkie-talkies. It even makes it less stressful to synchronize it with some other radio sets. There is no cost implication for using its FRS, and it also furnishes you with an option to use the GMRS channels. But you’ll need a license to use the former.
Features of Motorola T800
VibraCallTM Alert
This functionality is a notification system that alerts you when you have an incoming message for your radio. It is particularly useful for environments with deafening noise. Also, this notification system comes alive when you have an incoming call. After an earlier call, it will act as a trigger if there is no recorded activity from you for thirty seconds.
Keypad Tones
The keypad tone is the tone you’ll hear when you operate your device. You can disable or enable this tone. It is entirely up to you to do so. By reading up the
Motorola T800 manual, you’ll easily do this.
Conveying a Talk Authentication Tone
You can configure your radio to convey a distinctive tone after you are done with the process of transmission. It is akin to saying “Over” or “Roger” to signal to others that you are done talking.
Talkabout App
The inclusion of an application in this communication system is a great plus for it. After its installation, synchronizing it with your smartphone via a Bluetooth module lets you share text messages and locations, even without a cell phone agency. Also, it provides you with a module to record tracks ad control the settings of the radio from the comfort of your mobile device. This application has no cost implication. You can download it from Google Play Store (if you are using an Android device) or App Store (if you are using an iOS device). Once in any of these application stores, run a search on the “Motorola Talkabout App” and download it to your smartphone. To fully navigate the application, you may want to use the instructions you’ll see in the application store to operate it optimally. The instructions on how to set up the application are thoroughly explained in the Motorola T800 manual.
Emergency Alert Mode
This functionality helps pass some hints to the people in your group that you need some help, albeit urgently. The radio system of this product will function in a repeated “hands-free” disaster control style for about thirty seconds after you have triggered the Emergency Alert. As a result, there’ll be an automatic progression of the volume of the speaker to its greatest setting and convey a warbling sound for a total of eight seconds. This notification sound will come from the speaker of your radio and the other radios in your group. After the end of this eight-second alerts, an incidental sound or spoken words from you will be conveyed to the others for twenty-two seconds. For half a minute that this device is in the Emergency Mode, its buttons and radio controls will be inaccessible to make the most of the incoming of any emergency message.
Acoustic Safety
Being in an environment with very deafening noises from any front for an elongated period may permanently or temporarily have an impact on your hearing. The noisier the sound, the quicker it will impair your hearing. Damage to your hearing system may not be initially detectable, and most times, it has an additive effect. Ensure you keep to the precautions below if you want to protect your hearing:
- Utilize the least essential volume when doing your job.
- Increase the volume appreciably only when you are in an environment that is very noisy.
- Decrease the volume before wearing headphones or a headset.
- Limit how long you use headphones or a headset at an elevated volume.
- When you are utilizing the radio without wearing headphones or a headset, don’t place the radio’s speaker directly close to your ear.
Easy Pairing
This feature lets radio users customize their radios to identical Interference Eliminator Code and Channel settings simultaneously and quickly. Any of the radios within this radio group can be termed as the “Leader’s radio.” This leader’s radio will have its Interference Eliminator Code and Channel settings transmitted to the other radios within the group and also copied by them.
Scanning Channels
You can deploy the scan function to search for channels that you can use for the transmission from unidentified groups, locate unused channels swiftly, or locate another group member who has mistakenly switched channels. This device also features a priority function and binary scanning modes (advanced and basic) for a more effective search process.
The first mode, which is the Basic Scan mode, utilizes the code blend for each channel and the channel as you have configured them. The second mode, which is the Advanced Scan mode, is responsible for scanning all channels for every one of the codes, identify any code that is currently being used and deploy that code value provisionally for that channel. Precedence is accorded to the “home channel,” i.e., the channel that your radio is configured to when you begin the scanning process. The implication of this is that the code settings (and initial channel) are scanned frequently, more than the other radio channels. Your radio will rapidly respond to any action taking place on the home channel as something very important.
Weather Receiver
Your device’s radio can connect to broadcasts by the United States NOAA Weather Radio (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the ECCC Weather Radio (Environment and Climate Change Canada). You can pay attention to a weather channel or configure your radio to notify you in case of emergency weather transmissions that break off regular transmissions. When you pay attention to a weather channel, it’ll not be possible to use your radio while it is in the scan mode or use it for two-way correspondences. Both ECCC and NOAA have transmitters positioned throughout Canada and the United States, respectively. These transmitters transmit forecasts, watches, and other information every time of the day. Again, the Motorola T800 manual shows you how you can do this effortlessly.
Power Source
The device employs a pair of rechargeable NiMH batteries – which come with it upon purchase. Also, you’ll have a micro-USB cable and a mains charger. This implies you can have the batteries recharged using some other power source or even your laptop using a USB port.
There is a 90-day warranty clause that is attached to the NiMH batteries, and when fully charged, you can use them for fourteen hours until the next recharge. But then, the way it is used is what ultimately determines the lifespan of the battery.
You can also settle for three alkaline batteries if recharging the NiMH batteries will pose some difficulty for you. With these types of batteries, you can even enjoy a battery life of about twenty-five hours. Again, all of these are dependent on your intensity of usage of this product.
Radio Battery Meter
The battery icon has about 0-3 bars that are reflective of how charged the battery. If this meter displays one bar remaining, the radio chirps after the release of the PTT button or periodically.
Weatherproof
This device is waterproof according to the IP-x4 values. It is waterproof, irrespective of the directions from which you are using it. However, this resistance to rain splashes and water is only effective when the micro-USB ports, headset accessory port, and battery cover are sealed. Open the headset port or the battery compartment port only when there is no trace of moisture on your device. Do not also use a headset accessory in a wet environment.
Personalization Stickers
Sixteen stickers are offered to customize and monitor the radios. It is a best practice to utilize a permanent marker for the plain stickers.
Power Boost
This feature is used to raise your radios to elevated power. To do this, hold down the top part of the PTT button as you are talking. If your group is new to your position, do well to reserve your device’s battery. You can do this by pushing the lower area of the PTT button to consume power in a lesser amount.
Monitor Button
Hold down the Monitor/Scan button for about three seconds to launch you into the Monitor mode and check out for weak signals on the present channel. If you are not receiving, you can pay attention to the level of the radio’s volume. The reason for this is to help you regulate the volume of the radio when there is a need for it.
Push-to-Talk Timeout Timer
The radio generates a persistent alarm tone and ceases broadcasting if you push the PTT button for further than sixty consecutive seconds to avoid unintended broadcasts and conserve battery life.
Mode Button
The user can easily switch between weather and the two-way mode by hitting the Mode button. It will be seen while the radio is functioning in two-way mode. It will be seen when the radio is in weather mode. The relevant settings and data are displayed on the screen.
Bluetooth
The radio utilizes version 4.2 of Bluetooth LE, and it works well with smartphones with Android version 4.3 and IOS version 9. Bluetooth allows the radio to be linked to a mobile phone. The Talkabout mobile platform helps for contact options outside push-to-talk on the radio until your mobile is paired to your radio via Bluetooth. The Talkabout application makes use of the T8xx as a proxy to transmit locations, messages, and others to other T8xx clients over the radio frequencies. Bluetooth facilitates the transfer of data; it does not allow the delivery of information from a telephone to radio, or conversely, nor is it utilized to link to a Bluetooth headset. Switch on Bluetooth on your device to link to your mobile with the Talkabout Application enabled. Ensure your cell phone’s Bluetooth is switched on.
Pairing the devices
Luckily, the battery in the package had a tiny bit of power in it. It is very simple to mount them. Nevertheless, before they can interact confidentially with one another device has to be coupled.
If you don’t take the time to read the guide, it might be a bit hard to find out that they required coupling. In any case, after you found out the button to use, connecting the devices will be easy.
Go Locate
This Motorola T800 walkie-talkie lets you track locations and share some content with your friends and acquaintances. There is no problem if you don’t have a cell phone. All you have to do is to download their application and connect your cell phone through Bluetooth, and via the Go Locate feature, you can locate the campsite of your friend or acquaintance and send them messages or share your locations with them. The Talkabout application can also help you to control the settings of your radio. Whether in a music festival, skiing, or hunting, this Motorola product has about thirty-five miles of coverage to have you on the grid irrespective of where your adventure takes you.
FAQs
How to Program Motorola Talkabout T800
The points below are some of the ways that you can program your device:
- Manually Set Transmission
- Press the “Menu” button.
- Press the “+” or “-” buttons to scroll through the obtainable channels.
- Hold down the “PPT” button to position the selected channel for broadcast.
Setting Call Tones
- For three times, press the “Menu” button to show the present call tone.
- Press the “+” or “-” option to browse through available tones. Choose the “0” option as the call tone to halt the call tone functionality.
- Press the “PPT” or “Menu” button to place the chosen tone as the call tone of the radio.
- Turn Noise Filtering Off and On
- Hold down the “Menu” button so that “QT” shows on the screen of the Talkabout.
- Hold down the “+” or “-” buttons so that “Y” shows on the screen to activate the noise filtering feature or so that “-” shows on the screen to have it disabled.
- Hold down the “Menu” button to have your setting saved.
How to Pair Walkie-Talkies
If you find it challenging to connect your walkie-talkie with another compliant device, then the information below will provide you with everything you need to know to get started.
To link your walkie-talkie, both devices must be fully compliant walkie-talkies. The rationale behind most walkie–talkies not connecting is either because they don’t have congruent Digital Coded Squelch (DCS) codes, which can be fixed by switching off the DCS functionality.
After that, you’ll have to be in the line-of-sight with or the within scope of the recipient, normally within a close walk or if your device permits it a lengthier distance.
You’d have to hold down the PPT (push to talk) button to connect with some other group, transfer your data, and finish it off. When the receiver hears over, he’ll understand your portion of the dialogue is completed after you’ve let go of the push to talk button to come back to the idle mode to get the reply.
Conclusion
With varying ranges, specifications, and battery capacity, Motorola T800 is a great product at a very reasonable price. Aside from that, the product has decent quality, design, plus it also comes with a warranty policy that gets you covered in case of any mishap. All in all, this device is a go-to device for you if you are looking to start with a walk-talkie because of its simplicity. From our Motorola T800 review, we are sure that you’ve known all you need to know about this product. It is now left for you to decide if you’ll settle for it.
