Rating: 
Summary: Pretty nice!
Review: I bought a pair of these 2-way radios for my long distance move. I used them throughout the entire trip, and they were pretty useful. I don't really have a problem with the button in the middle, but it is kind of in the way. Good clarity when you are in the clear. When I tested it in New York City, I was able to get about 6 blocks before the signal was completely lost. For the casual user though, I would go for the less expensive model though.
Rating: 
Summary: TalkAbout--well worth the price
Review: I bought two TA 280 SLK radios that my wife and I use while camping. The first time I used one, I was talking to someone three miles away--but that was over water. Some buildings, such as grocery stores, block or break up the signal, but not all. I've used them in the building where I work and have been able to communicate clearly over five floors. They're great in the campground! I've heard families keeping in touch with children on bikes, and with husbands out on the lake. We won't go camping without them--a great way to keep in contact.
Rating:
Summary: I'm livin in an electronic paradise
Review: I don't know about you but I just love gadgets. The walkie talkie is the best invention ever next to electricity and batteries. What can I say, I'm goofy for gadgets! Anyways, I was searching Amazon.com for something I could sink me teeth into. No pansy books for me thanks. I'm a tools and machinery man. So I spy the electronics heading on the search engine and my appetitie is whetted. Looking looking finally I come upon this little gem, And the excitement begins. Searching the calendar, I prayed for a holiday so that I might have an excuse to buy this for myself. Nothing. What did I do? I bought it anyways. The Motorola TalkAbout 280 works like a dream. Hardly no static whatsoever. I have a small son and he loves the darn thing. We keep it in his room at night just in case he has bad dreams. I think he and his brother play with it at night behind my back. Sometimes I can hear them giggling....the TalkAbout is that good.
Rating:
Summary: Talkabout by Motorola
Review: I have my own event planning business and have been usuing these for 6 months now. They have revolutionized the communications business. They never fail and sound great, the batteries last about 2 days. We use them an average of 10 hours a day with little down time on them. We use them in hotels from the 10th floor to the lobby and have gone 4 blocks in San Francisco, very congested outside. Well worth your investment.
Rating:
Summary: Talkabout by Motorola
Review: I have my own event planning business and have been usuing these for 6 months now. They have revolutionized the communications business. They never fail and sound great, the batteries last about 2 days. We use them an average of 10 hours a day with little down time on them. We use them in hotels from the 10th floor to the lobby and have gone 4 blocks in San Francisco, very congested outside. Well worth your investment.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: I just got the T289 and the basic Talkabout. In a residential area, it works great up to about 1 mile. At about 1 1/2 mile, the radio starts to get muffled and scratchy but we could still hear each other. The range is cut down to about 1/2 mile in the car but it works just fine. I'm a gadget boy so I needed the T289 with the extra features but the basic is just fine. So if you are a gadget boy, get the T289. If you want a good radio for a cheap price, get the basic. This radio is highly recommended for that extra freedom, while shopping with the wife. It allows you to separate and still find each other easily.
Rating:
Summary: Better than Expected
Review: I purchased a pair of 280's after reading the good reviews,with high expectations as they are certainly not the cheapest 2-way radio on the market. I was not disappointed. They provide good coverage over a thirty acre farm, which has a lot of hills and valleys and I would say easily covers the two mile range. Transmissions have been well out of line-of-sight with trees and hills in the way, making no difference to the clear voice clarity. I chose the 280 over the 289 because I couldn't see much difference between the two. The instruction book is the same for both and other than a few more call signals (10 as opposed to 4) I wouldn't bother spending the extra on a 289. The clip that comes with the radio is very robust and has withstood been clipped to the the side of an ATV.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the money -- and then some
Review: I purchased a pair of the Motorola 280's with the standard alkaline AA battery pack. The primary purpose for the radios was to enable short-distance communications and keep the size of the unit to a minimum. The radio can easily meet the two mile advertised range with limitations of hilly terrain and metal framed buildings being the only considerations.The radios were easy to program, and little reference to the owner's manual was required. The overall quality of the radio is excellent. The sturdiness of Motorola commercial products is also evident in their consumer products. The only negative remark is the center location of the PTT switch. This is easily remedied by utilizing the accessory earbud or boom headset, which also enables the VOX feature. With the boom headset and small size of the radio it can be worn almost without notice. It's much easier to carry around than a ham rig, and one can be loaned to a friend without licensing worries.
Rating: 
Summary: Inconsistent Operation
Review: I read all the reviews for this radio and, based on the positive feedback, put down the big bucks for a pair. Bottom line, I wanted something highly reliable for off-trail backpacking and skiing. Unfortunately, I had a malfunction the first trip out. At the top of a Colorado mountain in view of the person I was trying to communicate with less than 150 meters away, we could not talk to each other over the radios! We tried repeatedly (holding the radios away from our body, making sure we weren't trying to talk at the same time, etc.) and finally had to give up, the radios completely failed! Yes, the radios were both on and set to the same channel. They had not gotten wet and the batteries were new. We're both hardware geeks and double and triple checked everything. They worked fine before and after this particular event; however, now I don't have confidence that the radios will work when I really need them! And that's exactly why I put down the money in the first place - I wanted the confidence! If I had it to do over again, I'd get a less expensive pair. At least you'll know going in that you can't trust them to work when you really need them...and spend a lot less money!
Rating:
Summary: Inconsistent Operation
Review: I read all the reviews for this radio and, based on the positive feedback, put down the big bucks for a pair. Bottom line, I wanted something highly reliable for off-trail backpacking and skiing. Unfortunately, I had a malfunction the first trip out. At the top of a Colorado mountain in view of the person I was trying to communicate with less than 150 meters away, we could not talk to each other over the radios! We tried repeatedly (holding the radios away from our body, making sure we weren't trying to talk at the same time, etc.) and finally had to give up, the radios completely failed! Yes, the radios were both on and set to the same channel. They had not gotten wet and the batteries were new. We're both hardware geeks and double and triple checked everything. They worked fine before and after this particular event; however, now I don't have confidence that the radios will work when I really need them! And that's exactly why I put down the money in the first place - I wanted the confidence! If I had it to do over again, I'd get a less expensive pair. At least you'll know going in that you can't trust them to work when you really need them...and spend a lot less money!
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