First of all, all the distances advertised on any walkie talkie like this is based on mountain top to mountain top communication, where the valley increases the range, and no obstruction. That is where they based the 35 miles. For city use, in malls, house to house and areas with trees will be between .5 to 1 mile at most. Since I have been using Motorola Walkie talkies all my life so I knew what I was buying.
I experimented with 3 different models of Walkie talkies in the mall with my wife. First we tried the 5 mile Motorola. I was on one end of the mall inside Macy's and she was on the other side in Nordstrom. She could not even hear me.
We tried the 10 mile Motorola. This time she could hear me press the talk button and a few garbled words, but that was it. We could not communicate.
We tried these 35 mile ones last. We were able to hear each other just fine.Not bad considering the distance and the number of obstructions.
I have also tried this on the open road for car to car communication and it can reach the horizon.If you want more power, you will need to get a license and buy a 5 watt radio.
This Radio has many nice features you would normally find in Professional Radios 5 times the price of this.
UPDATE SEPT 25, 2009-
This radio has a really nice feature I just discovered. It has the hands free iVOX capability. It will broadcast when it hears a sound. There are 3 levels of sensitivity.I tried it as a baby monitor. I left my wife and baby while they were asleep and turned on the radio to High power on one of the GMRS channels(I have an FCC license by the way, so I can use this channel). I drove about 1 mile to my brother-in-laws house. The Radio worked as a long range baby monitor! It was impressive considering that the radio was indoors and I was not line-of-site, and it reached a mile. Very amusing.
I would advice getting an FCC license so that you can use the High power GMRS channels legally.With these radios, it is about 1.5 to 2 watts.If you use the FRS channels 8 to 14, all walkie talkies including this will only use 0.5 watts.Channels 1 to 7 are GMRS/FRS channels. You cannot legally use the high power PTT button if you do not have an FCC license. Channels 15 to 22 are GMRS channels where you can use the High power mode exclusive to GMRS radios. Go to the FCC website and pay the fee for a GMRS radio license, it is good for your immediate family for 5 years. It is worth it if you use it all the time.
****Update October 26, 2009****
I will now detail what I have found out about my Motorola:
Pros:
1. In door range - This is the mall slayer. Go to any mall and give your kids one and you will be able to talke to them pretty much anywhere they are.
2. Audio Quality - Very clear and very loud.
3. Outdoor Range - It has almost the same range as my Icom professional radio which has 3 times the power. That is basically because outdoor range is more about antenna height rather than power.
4. Flashlight - Very useful when you go camping. You dont have to bring an extra flashlight. It is bright. Excellent for emergencies.
5. iVox - Hands free operation. Very useful as a 1 mile baby monitor.
6. Call button - I can call the other radio so that they know I am trying to call them so they can pick up the radio.
7. Emergency button - It will send an alert so that the other person knows you are in trouble.
8. Weather channels - I use it to find out the weather, specially before going Kayaking.
9. Privacy Codes - it has so many Privacy codes so you will never be disturbed by other radios.
10. QT - You can restrict the radios that you hear to only Motorolas.
11. Scan - well most other radios have this too.
12. 2 power settings - You can either transmit on .5 watts or 1.5 watts, depending on the button you press. Unless you are using FRS channels 8 to 14 which are hardcoded to use .5 watts.
13. Vibrate feature - In case you are in a noisy place, this is useful.
14. Ease of use - It does not get easier. Instructions are clear and it is intuitive.
CONS:
1. I am still trying to find one.
********UPDATE December 27,2009*********
I conducted another Distance and clarity test:
Equipment:
1. My Icom F21 UHF 4 watt Professional Handheld Radio(same one Police/Sheriff use. $380 for a pair)
2. My Motorola MR350($59 a pair)
Parameters of the Test:
I have a 40 Watt GMRS Base Station at home. My Home is by the Beach Blvd. I will drive North on beach Blvd and at every quarter mile, I will get down from the car, and transmit. I will transmit first with the Icom, then the Motorola.I will also note down if I can hear a reply back and how clear the reply was.
Result of the test:
Distance
1. Icom- was able to transmit and receive clearly up till 3 1/4 miles. It then started to become choppy from that point.
2. Motorola - was able to transmit and receive clearly till 2 3/4 miles. It then started to become choppy from that point.
Clarity
1. Icom - There were times I had to ask my wife to repeat herself because it sounded a little muffled.
2. Motorola - Just like listening to an FM radio. Loud and crystal clear.
Conclusion
Although the extra power of the Icom gave it a slight advantage in range, about 20%, you can buy 8 pairs of these Motorolas for the price of the Icom.Let the result speak for itself.
Note: This test was meant to show that the Professional Radios only have a slight advantage over the Motorola. The distances were that far because I have a base station with a 10 foot mast and an external J-pole GMRS tuned antenna. Hand held to hand held still follows the laws of physics so it is the same as I mentioned at the beginning of the review, .5 to 1 mile in the city. Completely different story if you are on an elevated position.Distance in miles = Square root of the Height(in feet) x 1.4.
*****UPDATE FEB. 04,2010******
I would like to now discuss the Cost savings of this MR350 over Professional Radios.
My Motorola MR350 is still going strong.I have since bought more Professional Icoms and have had to go through the hassle of tweaking them and programming them manually to get them to function the way this Motorola does when you first take it out of the packaging. I had to buy these Icoms because I am a member of a GMRS Radio Group here in Orange County and Los Angeles and I need the repeater functionality and external antenna.
If you buy a professional radio, you will have to pay to have it programmed.It can cost from between $20 to $80 each time you need to have something programmed. I bought the software and equipment to program my Icoms and they were very expensive.Again, this is something you will never have to do with the MR350.
Batteries on my Icoms cost about $60. That is even more than the cost of this MOTOROLA!!! Not to mention that I had to buy an external battery pack for my Icoms costing $45 so that I can use Energizer AA batteries. The Motorola can use the included rechargeable battery, or you can use Energizer.
I have my Motorolas fully charged all the time so if ever the big earthquake hits LA, this will be my primary survival gear together with my Swiss Army Knife.
Conclusion:
In a cost perspective, the Motorola MR350 wins hands down.You will easily spend about $650-700(hardware and software) to equip a pair(2) of Professional Radios to have some(not all) of the features of this Motorola MR350. At the end of the day, cost will always be a factor when we purchase anything.
Hope to talk to you on the air.
******UPDATE APRIL 19,2010*******
I just bought another set of Motorola MR350 radios. I leave a pair in my car for emergencies where I cannot use my car mounted Mobile UHF radio. I still think these are the best deal on any UHF radio.
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Motorola MR350 35-Mile Range 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair)Product Description: The Motorola Talkabout MR350, with its range of up to 35 miles and bundle of great features, is a great communication tool for the serious outdoor enthusiast. Lightweight and rugged, with extra large buttons to help you operate even with gloves on, the MR350 is built to handle any challenge without weighing you down. The MR350 includes an emergency alert feature, to inform others should any dangers come your way. The MR350 also features a built-in LED flashlight for peace of mind during evening adventures or unexpected emergencies and power outages. Weather alerts will provide your group with warnings of incoming storms or dangerous conditions. And, by tuning in to one of 7 NOAA channels, you'll always know what to pack. This radio also features the VibraCall silent vibrating ringer, which is useful for locations where ringing can be intrusive or background noise would drown out your ring tone.
A great communication tool for the serious outdoor enthusiast. MR350 Features
35 Mile Range The MR350, under ideal conditions, gives you a range of up to 35 miles. Conditions vary with geography and other variables.
22 Channels The MR350 boasts 22 channels (including 7 NOAA channels).
Emergency Alert Button When the alert button is activated, the radio transmits an alert siren followed by transmission of spoken or incidental sounds. This allows you to send the signal to other radios and warn of impending danger.
Channel Scan Use scan to search the 22 channels for transmissions from unknown parties, to find someone in your group who has accidentally changed channels, or to quickly find unused channels for your own use.
Includes drop-in dual charger for easy charging. Brilliant LCD with battery indicator, channel, and other info. Oversized buttons are easy to use, even with gloves on. Charging Options You can charge the MR350 using the Motorola standard charging port (with the included charging adapter), the Drop-in cradle charger (also included), or purchase a mini-USB cable for use with the Mini-USB charging port, especially useful when traveling.
121 Privacy Codes Interference Eliminator Codes help minimize interference by blocking transmissions from unknown sources. The MR350 features 121 codes for superior interference protection.
Twenty Call Tones The MR350 can transmit different call tones to other radios in your group so you can alert them that you want to talk. Choose from 20 different tones.
Hands-Free Communication Use the iVOX feature to transmit hands-free without the need for any headset accessories. Once iVOX is turned on, the radio detects your voice and transmits when you speak into the internal microphone.
QT (Quiet Talk) Noise Filtering The QT noise-filtering feature helps to ensure uninterrupted communication with other Motorola radios, filtering out unwanted transmissions from other radios. This is useful in places where there is heavy radio traffic, such as amusement parks or ski resorts.
Weather Receiver Tune in to broadcasts by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio and Environment Canada Weatheradio. Both NOAA and Environment Canada have transmitters located throughout the United States and Canada, respectively. These transmitters broadcast watches, forecasts, and other information 24 hours a day.
Weather Alerts A special alarm tone sounds an alert and turns on the weather receiver to give you immediate weather and emergency information.
Flashlight Handy built-in LED flashlight comes in handy in the dark or during power outages.
Push-to-Talk (PTT) Power Boost When activated, this feature helps extend the transmission range by increasing the transmitter power output while helping to save battery life when no power boost is necessary.
Extra Large Buttons Skiers and winter sports adventurists will appreciate the new design that features extra large buttons making it easier than ever to operate with gloves.
VibraCall For quiet adventures or when ringing is intrusive, the VibraCall feature can be enabled to silently alert users to incoming transmissions.
What's in the Box Two MR350 Radios with Removable Belt Clips, Dual Drop-in Charger, Charging Adapter, Two 2 NiMH rechargeable battery packs, Owner's Manual
Buy cheap Motorola MR350 35-Mile Range 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair) now Get 32% OFF
I own both the TriSquare and Motorola Talkabout radiosThose of you who like to take your kids outdoors or skiing, may find this of interest.
