Cons: Its claimed range of up to 2 miles is way overstated.
The Bottom Line: Either save your money, until you can afford something better, or don't buy any radio at all. The Talkabout 200 is not worth owning. It is a toy.
george5120's Full Review: Motorola Talkabout® FV200AA (7 Channels) Two ...
I was influenced to recently purchase a pair of Talkabout 200, two-way radios. I was largely influenced by positive reviews on it here at epinions.com, plus the fact Price Coscto sells them for only $50, which is half of what people are paying elsewhere.
Another influence that induced me to purchase a pair of the radios is the manufacturer's claim that their range can be up to two miles.
This latter claim, in particular, created an expectation in my mind that, upon purchase, the product failed to deliver.
Specifically, my experimenting under a variety of conditions suggests the Talkabout 200 has an effective range of 1/4 mile. That is only 1/8th the maximum two-mile range claimed by the manufacturer.
Even under ideal conditions, meaning no physical barriers to transmission, communication was ineffective past 1/4 mile. Thereafter, transmission is reduced to severe static and popping noise, with the transmitter's voice barely audible.
My friend and I then exchanged radios to ensure the problem could not be attributed to a defective radio. Transmission was just as poor. This establishes the Talkabout 200 model itself is a poor performer, regardless, meaning the clarity problem could not be attributed to a defective radio.
In summary, I would rate the Talkabout 200 as being a toy. I would never depend on it to communicate throughout a large building, such as a shopping mall, which is one of its recommended uses. It is ineffective for even communicating throughout our small office building, where I work.
I cannot for the life of me understand the rave reviews other epinion reviewers are giving the Talkabout 200. It is as if at least some of them must either be salespersons or Motorola employees because their positive claims are in stark contradiction to my own first-hand experience.
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