talkabout handheld radios

[Tim]

Has anyone had any experience with the Motorola handheld radios? You know the ones that say they have a 2 mile radius and require no lisence. Am thinking they would be handy to have with two boats.

Tim

[MN]

I have Cobra's (same yet different) Like the Talkabouts they are great if you are close - but 2 mile is a stretch. They are real handy for multiple vehicles on the same route.

MN

[Fish-on]

I have several of the talkabouts and they will go two miles over water. I have also used them from vehicle to vehicle--they have about a mile range on flat ground. I use them for everything from keeping track of the kids around the acreage to shed antler hunting in the woods. I'm amazed how many uses we have found for them.

[FJH1]

I have the Motorolas. Yes, 2 miles is a stretch, one mile is more like it. I've used them between boats and they are fine on open water, throw in some islands and trees and it gets worse. Like the other post said they are great for communication between vehicles on the road.

Best Regards,

FJH

[Gunga Din]

We had a group of three boats at a remote, highly competitive lake. We'd establish communication on the marine radio, but would switch to the Motorola's when talking about what's working and where. So unless you're fluent in TechCampus Walleye's lingo (still LMAO when I think about his post), use the Motorola's for exchanging fishing secrets.

On land, range is severly limited. Driving through Mexico once in three cars using the Motorola's, we lost contact. Finally when we could hear them crackling through on the radio again we looked in the rear view mirror and could see them only a half mile or so behind us.

[Gray Ghost]

We use them on fishing trips with multiple boats. They are great for keeping contact between cars on the road, giving each other s***, and communicating fishing information that you might not want to give over the VHF. They definitely help us catch more fish by letting the other boats know what patterns are working. Also, you can tell your buddies right away when you caught a bigger hog than they did. As the posts above mentioned, the range is much more limited than VHF, so you need to use the VHF when you are more than a mile or 2 apart.

They are also very useful for duck hunting trips, for similar reasons.

GG

[roadhunter]

Take a look at the Hummingbird 5 watt marine band handheld radios for $100. twice the power, rechargeable ni-cad battery and access to marine weather information. These are a great deal and they are available at Galyan's.

Good Luck