Rating: 
Summary: Good product, but large.
Review: I recently picked one of these up on Amazon.com because I had a ... gift certificate that was about to be expired. I'm one of those people who always buys technology that he doesn't need just because it's "cool". What can I say...I'm a technology junky!Anyway, I received it in the mail yesterday and have actually found it quite useful. It's fun to talk to a friend (or even a complete stranger) and it has pretty good range.
Rating: 
Summary: Cheap, fun, and good range
Review: I recently picked one of these up on Amazon.com because I had a ... gift certificate that was about to be expired. I'm one of those people who always buys technology that he doesn't need just because it's "cool". What can I say...I'm a technology junky! Anyway, I received it in the mail yesterday and have actually found it quite useful. It's fun to talk to a friend (or even a complete stranger) and it has pretty good range.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Product!
Review: I want to start by saying that the Motorola TalkAbout 250 is the BEST two-way radio out there. I would rate it a 6 or 7, but that does not exist. HERE ARE A FEW FACTS I HAVE FOUND: 1) The distance is great! I got about 1.5 miles, and there were many houses, trees, and power lines between myself and the person I was talking to. I am sure anyone could get AT LEAST 3 miles in an open area. 2) The sound quality is also great! It is 100% crystal clear. Motorola builds in a device to reduce unwanted noise and static. It really helps! 3) This model has features including: a scan button and a lock button (a must for people with kids). 4) The 14 channels AND 38 subcodes are a great thing to have. I went to a huge antique sale, and there were many people using two-way radios. I would not suggest a radio with only 2 or 14 channels unless you are willing to argue with another person about who can talk on the channel. 5) Having a volume control is also nice. Some brands have a device that electronically increases or decreases volume, and you can NOT manually ajust it. 6) The battery life is outstanding (as much as 30 hours)! Also, the Motorola models without a NiMH rechargeable battery seem to be better. As NiMH batteries gets old, they do not hold the charge as well and you will have to buy a new battery. When the battery doesn't charge well, the radio quality goes down and the sound is not always as clear. I suggest an Alkaline battery version! 7) The indicator light is also good, so you can vissualy see if the PTT button is pressed. Hopefully you will decide to buy the Motorola TalkAbout 250. It only costs a little more than a different brand with the SAME features. Motorola also offers a wide variety of accessories including: headsets, remote speaker/microphones, and carrying cases.
Rating: 
Summary: If scanning is important to you, don't pick the 250.
Review: If you are looking for a Family Radio Service (FRS) radio with the ability to scan other active channels, think twice before picking the Motorola TalkAbout 250. With most FRS radios, there are 14 main channels and 38 subcodes to each channel. So if you are looking for an open channel and there is already a conversation going on on channel #4 subcode #20, you can switch to channel #4 subcode #21 or whatever. Bottom line is with 14 channels and 38 subcodes, there are theoretically 532 conversations that could be going on in the ether. Unfortunately, the Motorola TalkAbout 250 scans only different channels; the subcode stays the same. So, if you are on channel #4 subcode #20 and you hit the scan button, the radio will scan channel #5 subcode #20, channel #6 subcode #20, channel #7 subcode #20, and so on through the 14 channels. Instead of scanning all 532 possible channel/subcodes, it scans 14. Whoopee. I don't know if Motorola changed this feature with their new TalkAbout 280 line of FRS radios. I believe the Cobra MicroTalk 300 has the ability to scan all 532 channels/subcodes.
Rating:
Summary: River Days
Review: My family and I spent a week on a houseboat on the Mississippi River this summer, and we found these 2-way radios to be a great help in several areas. We used them to communicate between the cars on the road trip to the river, as well as passing through the locks on the river (used to communicate between the helm, aft, and stern of this large houseboat), and to stay in touch with any crew who heading into town to shop when we docked. We had also taken a small boat to use to check the depths at the sandbars before landing for the night, and these radios allowed us to stay in touch with them the whole time. We found these radios to be a great help, and I don't think we would consider going again without them. We had no problems at all.
Rating:
Summary: Stay In Touch
Review: Recently, I used the Motorola TalkAbout 250 radios on a New Mexico Elk Hunt. Without doubt, I recommend these radios to any outdoor enthusiast. On the road, in the mountains, at the mall, these devises sure come in handy. Battery life is great, as well as, the crystal clear sound and range of the product.
Rating:
Summary: Stay In Touch
Review: Recently, I used the Motorola TalkAbout 250 radios on a New Mexico Elk Hunt. Without doubt, I recommend these radios to any outdoor enthusiast. On the road, in the mountains, at the mall, these devises sure come in handy. Battery life is great, as well as, the crystal clear sound and range of the product.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: Sound quality was disapponting. I purchased the vox headphones and microphone accessory only to find it basically useless. I had to practically shout into the mike to get it to pick up and transmit. I returned the three radios and headsets that I ordered.
Rating:
Summary: These puppies have enhanced our guided cycling tours
Review: The group I co-lead, "One Lap Around New England," is an annual youth bicycling tour through the six New England states. We now own five TalkAbouts, and just purchased 2 of the 250's this fall for evaluation. I find that this model is an incremental enhancement from the TalkAbout +. The range seems a little better (though the cases are identical); Motorola yanked the absolutely useless voice synthesizer out of the Plus and replaced it with a useful scanning and lock function. Another reader whined about "not being able to scan subcodes" -- apparently thinking codes are channels. They are just used for squelching other conversations -- pushing the monitor button lets you hear everything on the channel. We chose these over Cobra's FRS products because they stand up to the abuse and needs of cyclists (especially CHANGING BATTERIES!). A great inexpensive solution that has saved our necks several times.
Rating:
Summary: These puppies have enhanced our guided cycling tours
Review: The group I co-lead, "One Lap Around New England," is an annual youth bicycling tour through the six New England states. We now own five TalkAbouts, and just purchased 2 of the 250's this fall for evaluation. I find that this model is an incremental enhancement from the TalkAbout +. The range seems a little better (though the cases are identical); Motorola yanked the absolutely useless voice synthesizer out of the Plus and replaced it with a useful scanning and lock function. Another reader whined about "not being able to scan subcodes" -- apparently thinking codes are channels. They are just used for squelching other conversations -- pushing the monitor button lets you hear everything on the channel. We chose these over Cobra's FRS products because they stand up to the abuse and needs of cyclists (especially CHANGING BATTERIES!). A great inexpensive solution that has saved our necks several times.
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