Over the years, two-way radios have evolved as much as cell phones. They have been built to address most cellphones’ limits, including communicating in areas without a cell signal, terrible weather conditions, professional use, no access to electricity, and so much more. Different types of walkie talkies have been designed to tailor different needs. While some are built for professional needs, others may be intended for family use or outdoor activities.
Mountaineering with a cellphone is both deadly for the phone user and the phone itself because it requires concentration to dial other users if there is even a cell signal. Using a cellphone while driving on trips is also as dangerous since dialing a friend or family member in the next car requires a little bit of concentration. You will most likely need to unlock the phone and search for the contact before hitting the call button. All of this leaves you vulnerable on the road.
Since most walkie talkies come with a push to talk button, you can communicate with whoever you want without taking your eyes off the road or your current task; this makes you not only productive but also safe. In so many ways, two-way radios have the edge over cell phones. The best part is there are so many brands in the market today with various walkie talkies to suit your needs.
The Motorola brand is known for creating thoughtful designs to meet its different users’ needs and wants. The Motorola Mt350R is one of the radios designed for family or outdoor use. This radio is great for mums who want to keep track of their kids in the neighborhood. It is also useful during family trips, hunting trips, camping or hiking.
Mt350R operates on FRS and GMRS, which means you don’t have to get a license to operate it saving you time and money. You can simply walk into any tech store, purchase it and start using it right away. Acquiring this two-way radio is as easy as using it. All this and more makes this radio the right one for your family or leisure with friends.
If you are looking to buy a simple yet attractive radio, functional but not bulky, then make sure to read this review to the end. I will be discussing all there is to know about this radio.
Table of Contents
Considerations choosing the Motorola MT350R
Before buying any radio, there are certain things you must be mindful of. While the radio might have many features, it might lack the ones useful to you. These are the essential characteristics you must take note of.
Size
Motorola MT350R has a lightweight of 0.39 pounds, making it kid-friendly and easy to carry around. This makes communicating with your children easier because the radio is so portable that they can put it in their pockets or bag packs without feeling uneasy. Most walkie talkies are so heavy that it gets tiring having to carry them around, especially when you are outdoor cycling or simply taking a walk.
With a dimension of 7.89×1.57×2.81, this Motorola radio is easy to grip, although it may not be suitable for very small hands. The radio also has a peanut shape that makes it easy to hold so that it won’t slip out of your hands.
Battery life
It might take close to a whole day to charge this radio first, but after then, it should take less than 6 hours to power up your walkie talkies. The batteries are designed to last about 10 hours, but it should last you 7-8 hours, depending on how you use it. Using high power transmission consumes more battery power than using low power transmission, so I will advise that unless your partner is far away, stick to low power transmission.
This radio comes with 2 NiMH rechargeable battery and a mini USB cord. You can use the mini USB cord to charge your walkie talkie at home or in a hotel. You can even connect it to a car charger to charge or use a USB PC cable to keep your radio powered. If you cannot recharge your radio’s battery through any of this means, then you can drop in standard alkaline batteries. It comes with 6 AAA batteries.
Build quality
Motorola Mt 350r was designed to be functional in harsh environments and under extreme weather conditions. This Motorola radio will survive both the sun’s heat and will be useful on the snowy days. The radio has an IP 54 weatherproof design, which makes it durable and long-lasting.
Not only is this radio weatherproof, but it is also sturdy and comes in an attractive orange/yellow design. This radio’s color makes it easy to spot in snow or anywhere in general of it is accidentally dropped. Also, the beautiful color and hourglass design make it easy on the eyes and as such, it doesn’t look as complicated as other walkie talkies in its class. It also comes in black in case you don’t like flashy colors.
The only thing most people complained about with this radio is the plastic belt clip that breaks easily, but you can replace it with a new one.
The radio is designed to work well with many accessories like headsets, microphones and mini speakers.
Ease of use
When it comes to choosing a radio for family use or outdoor activities, the radio must be easy to operate. If the radio is too technical, then the children will have issues understanding or navigating it.
This Motorola radio is intuitive and easy to use because the buttons are not challenging to locate and use. All the buttons you need to operate on are on the front panel. This makes it easier for both kids and adults to navigate.
Turning this radio on or off is easy as it has an on/off switch that doubles as a volume knob. In between the power knob and antenna is an emergency button that allows you to contact others in case of an accident. I like that the PTT button, the flashlight button and other controls are arranged so that you don’t need to stare at the walkie-talkie to use it.
The installation process doesn’t take much of your time and doesn’t require technical know-how. Mt350 manual will guide you through the installation process quickly since the user guide is straightforward, although it cuts out some important details. A few people complained about the user guide in the pack missing important symbols, but you can download the pdf version from Motorola’s complete website.
Range
Motorola Mt 350R’s 35 miles range is not as advertised in real-life situations. It should be able to cover up to 6 miles, but I won’t bank on anything 20 miles to 35, especially in a hilly country with a lot of obstruction. However, it should do well in a flat open country. It would be great for communicating on a campsite or traveling in a convoy of cars.
Features of the Motorola MT350R
Dual power unit
This radio gives you dual options when it comes to power it up. Since it is built for outdoor use, Motorola solutions understood that there would be times when you would have no electricity access like during camp trips or hikes, yet you would need to communicate. In order to make sure that you always stay connected, the radio is designed to use both rechargeable NiMH batteries and standard alkaline batteries.
IP 54 weather rating
As expected of any radio meant for outdoor use, it must be able to face different weather types. This Motorola radio has been tested and is safe for use all through the year. Its weatherproof ID design would enable it to perform well, whether it’s windy, snowy, rainy or sandy.
FRS/ GMRS
The truth is, the major reason why you need a walkie talkie is to communicate, and this radio gives you just that. The MT350R is an FRS/GMRS walkie talkie equipped with 22 channels and 121 privacy codes.
Suppose you need to transmit private information to your family or friends. In that case, you can be sure to find free channels for personal communication, no matter the level of RF activity in the area.
Flashlight
This radio has a flashlight that you can use during emergencies or in places with no illumination. The good part is that the flashlight button is easy to locate at night as It does not require any settings.
11 NOAA channels with weather updates
The Motorola MT350r lets you gain access to 11 NOAA channels. This radio can tune into the broadcast by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA)weather radio and also environment Canada radio. This helps you plan your day effectively, so you are not caught by surprise.
Keypad lock feature
While the MT350R is in your pocket, it is very easy for you to butt dial your partner.This feature makes it impossible to accidentally change the radio settings or dial other radio users, and it is totally easy to activate. Just in at the center of the radio is a button that doubles as the menu and the keypad lock.
VOX/iVOX feature
With iVOX, you can transmit on your radio hands-free without using any headset accessories. When iVOX is turned on, your voice is detected by your walkie talkie, and it is transmitted when you speak into the internal microphone. On the other hand, the VOX function allows you to transmit hands-free with the optional use of a headset accessory. The radio transmits your voice once it is detected.
In order to prevent unintended noise from triggering transmission, this radio presents you with an option to control the sensitivity level.
High sensitivity- quiet environments
Medium sensitivity- most environments
Low sensitivity- noise environments
Call tone
This radio offers you about 20 call tones for you to choose from.
Emergency Alert
We can’t foresee accidents or emergency situations, but they still happen. The emergency alert signals your group members when you need urgent help or assistance with the push of the emergency button. Your radio will operate in an automatic handsfree emergency control mode after 30 seconds of activating the alert. All the MT series radios make a warbling tone to alert people close by after increasing the volume of the speaker to the max. After this, any spoken word or noise from your end will be transmitted to your group for 22 seconds. The keypad would be locked to allow for smooth transmission of the emergency message.
This feature is located on the upper left side of the radio. You can transmit your messages to others easily with the push to talk button. Motorola MT 350R’s PTT button is designed in such a way that you can choose to transmit with high or low power. It’s advisable to only transmit with high power when your partner is very far away in order to conserve your battery.
Qt Noise filtering
Say you are at an amusement park or somewhere with heavy radio traffic, this feature helps you receive information clearly by filtering out unwanted transmissions from other radios. The noise filtering feature makes sure that you have uninterrupted communication with other Motorola users that also have this feature.
Vibra call alert
You might be at a stadium or a place where there is so much noise, and there is no chance that you can hear your walkie talkie beep. This feature notifies you that your radio is receiving a message by vibrating. Your radio would vibrate once every 30 seconds when you receive the message.
You can also use this feature when you are in a quiet place, and you don’t want attention drawn to you.
Pros
- It is very easy to use, which makes it kid-friendly.
- The device is portable and compact, making it easy to tote around.
- You will never miss out on any transmission because of noise due to its Qt noise filtering feature.
- It has a dual power unit with multiple charging options to keep you connected.
- The Vibra call alert feature makes sure that you don’t miss a call because of your noisy environment.
- Most customers have used this radio for up to four years without complaints, which makes it durable.
- It is weatherproof with a rating of IP 54
Cons
- A lot of people complained about the plastic belt clips that broke too easily.
- The range is lower than advertised.
FAQs
How to unlock Motorola Walkie Talkie MT350R
Unlocking Motorola MT350R is not a difficult task.
The hourglass-shaped radio has a few buttons at the center—each button as an icon describing their functions.
One of the buttons has a menu written along with the diagram of a lock. This particular button controls the lock/ unlock function.
To unlock the radio, you must press and hold the button until the lock diagram is no longer displayed. To lock the walkie-talkie, all you need to do is press and hold the button again.
When MT350R is on lock mode, You can turn the radio on or off, adjust the volume, receive, transmit, call tone and monitor functions. All the other functions are locked.
Conclusions
Motorola Mt350R comes in a pair of two along with 2 NiMH rechargeable batteries, two batteries, a wall adaptor with Y-cable and two mini USB connectors. Motorola, thoughtful as always, designed this radio with simple but useful features to cater to the needs of families who either want to use it to be continuously connected to their children in the neighborhood or to bridge the communication gap outdoors where cell phones won’t do the work.
This radio’s lightweight, attractive hour Glass design and decent battery life are among the reasons it is a fan favorite. Coupled with that is the fact that Mt350R is weatherproof, has 11 weather channels, and it also allows for communication through private channels to improve security. The radio even has an easy to locate flashlight feature, ten audible call tones and a call confirmation tone to signal when you have finished talking.
Although it might not transmit in a 35-mile range under some specific scenarios, it is still able to communicate within an average range for a family radio. This radio has many outstanding qualities and features that make it suitable for family use because it is simple to operate even for kids.
If you are looking for a perfect radio for your camping, hiking, mountaineering or skiing trip, this radio is worth considering. It combines affordability with portability and security. Motorola Mt350R is easy to navigate and would last for a really long time.
I’d happily recommend this walkie-talkie to anyone looking to buy a simple radio yet has many awesome features.
