Rating: 
Summary: FCC license has noyhing to do with range
Review: Everyone please understands that getting the FCC license for any GMRS radio does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to increase the range of the radio. The license is a piece of paper so the FCC may track who is using GMRS frequencies, nothing more. They used to do the same for CB users in the 70's. They do not track FRS freqs because of the low output power of FRS radios. Range is affected by output power of the radio but mostly by obstacles between you and the other radio. Trees, walls, buildings, hills, etc. reduce the range considerably. A true test of range is on open water or unobstructed Line-Of-Sight from one hilltop to another. (Not everyone has a boat) Buy three different sets from different brands and try them near a lake to test, return the ones that are not to your liking.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent performance within range limits
Review: I purchased these radios for use in a heavily wooded, hilly state park in West Virginia that has no cell service. They performed very well up to about 1.5 miles. After that the performance varied depending on terrain. Each of three families had one yellow radio in their cabin and we kept them on continuously for one week (much of the time in the charging cradle).These radios can be used in voice activated mode without accessories, and hence can be used as a reliable baby monitor, for eg (although going 1.5 miles from your sleeping child may not be such a good idea). Turning off the tone-coded squelch (interference eliminator codes) seems to increase the range a bit since you don't miss weak messages. In rural areas you will be alone on the channel anyway. We also have a pair of motorola T5820 1 watt radios. Those radios, while smaller, had a range that was about half of the T7200s and had inferior sound (although more then passable). The T5820 did not have the eavesdrop reducer code feature so we turned that feature off on the T7200s as well. Battery life on the T7200s using NiMH is as advertised (13 hr or so in standard use). The charging cradle works well for these radios. you can charge the radio while it is still in its belt holtster and you can leave the radio on so you won't miss messages. Note that w/o the charging cradle, you can't charge the radio and leave it in voice-activated mode turned on because you charge it through the headphone accessory port and that cuts out the speaker. So the cradle is really needed for extended use. The main limitation of these radios is figuring out a use for them. In most places cell phones work better (if a little less fun) and are much smaller. we used the T7200s while tandem driving and that was fun. i think a headset would make them even better for that use (we did not have headsets). In terms of size, they are definitely big enough that you are aware that the radio is hanging from your belt. I was able to play golf with the radio in the belt clip, however, without any problem.
Rating:
Summary: ALMOST PERFECT
Review: I purchased two of these units for use in shopping centers and on cruise ships. My wife and I had previously used a pair of older Motorola FRS radios, which were just not powerful enough to transmit through all that steel. We used the T7200 units today for the first time and they worked as advertised. We had complete coverage anwhere throughout the Mall of George, in Atlanta (a VERY large multi-level mall). Transmissions were strong and crystal clear (MUCH better sound than our older units). The weather channels also work very well and we listened to them all the way back to North Carolina. My only complaint with the T7200 is that the volume of the call tone is keyed to the level of the position of the volume button on the radio. If the volume level is accidently turned down (which happened to us once), the call tone cannot be heard when the unit is inside a pocket book or bag. This is a minor complaint and should not stop someone from buying the T7200. When it happened to us, my wife did not hear the call tone, but she did hear my spoken message, while the radio was inside her purse. Just be careful if you're not carrying the unit in the supplied belt holster. The T7200 is a great radio.....very functional and built like a tank! I would have given the T7200 4 1/2 stars, but the choice was either 4 or 5.
Rating:
Summary: ALMOST PERFECT
Review: I purchased two of these units for use in shopping centers and on cruise ships. My wife and I had previously used a pair of older Motorola FRS radios, which were just not powerful enough to transmit through all that steel. We used the T7200 units today for the first time and they worked as advertised. We had complete coverage anwhere throughout the Mall of George, in Atlanta (a VERY large multi-level mall). Transmissions were strong and crystal clear (MUCH better sound than our older units). The weather channels also work very well and we listened to them all the way back to North Carolina. My only complaint with the T7200 is that the volume of the call tone is keyed to the level of the position of the volume button on the radio. If the volume level is accidently turned down (which happened to us once), the call tone cannot be heard when the unit is inside a pocket book or bag. This is a minor complaint and should not stop someone from buying the T7200. When it happened to us, my wife did not hear the call tone, but she did hear my spoken message, while the radio was inside her purse. Just be careful if you're not carrying the unit in the supplied belt holster. The T7200 is a great radio.....very functional and built like a tank! I would have given the T7200 4 1/2 stars, but the choice was either 4 or 5.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay
Review: I think with ALL these 2 mile + walkie-talkie brands, the ONLY reason they DO NOT REACH their SAID RANGE is because the USERS don't GET THEIR FCC LISCENSES! THE RANGE ONLY WORKS IF YOU HAVE AN FCC LISCENSE! IF YOU AREN'T WILLING TO GET THE LISCENSE, DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT THE WALKIE-TALKIE RANGE.
Rating:
Summary: Great radio that leaves the smaller Motorolas in the dust
Review: I'm a communications officer for an Army aviation battalion currently located in Baghdad, Iraq. When we first got here soldiers (to include myself) were purchasing the smaller Motorola radios to augment communications. After a few months though, the unit was able to purchase 118 of the 7200s with operational funds. It was a good investment. There are plenty of channel presets available to avoid crossover with other units using similiar radios. The 5900 series radios, while also listed as "up to 5 miles" were never up to the task. They would barely push 2 miles on fairly open terrain. This radio, however, does seem up to task. The 5900s would give me about a day on a single charge. This radio, the 7200, gets me a little over two 12 hour work days. I haven't seen how far it can go but it doesn't have a lot of problems cutting through the the large metal hangars scattered throughout our area. Now that we've used this radio no one wants to go back to the other smaller Motorola radios we have. There's really no comparison in range or quality. *One note though, none of the radios on the US FRS or GMRS bands (roughly 460-470 MHz) are compatable with the European unlicensed radio bands. Those run about 440 MHz.* This is a good radio for a flight line or other open work site and the rechargeable batteries are key to keeping operating costs down.
Rating:
Summary: A class act
Review: I've had several two-way radios over the years. I use them mostly for car co-ordination when traveling in groups, at work when I go out to the plant and out into our 5 acre lot checking out trailers. It's very easy to tell that this is one tough walkie-talkie. I like the fact that this model includes a rechargable nickle metal hydride battery, but you can pop in 4 AA batteries if the NiMH battery runs dry. The display is large and easy to read. The display cover appears to be mineral glass and not the cheap plastic that I've been disappointed with on less expensive competing models. There is also a very noticeable difference in the sound quality and clarity as compared to my previous two-way radios. Definitely a quality product, but at a price. If you use your two-way radios on a fairly regular basis, and you want it to last, this is a definite contender.
Rating:
Summary: Good quality but kinda bulky
Review: I've use Talkabout 101, T6310, T5710 and now T7200. The clear difference is the voice quality. It is superb.
Rating:
Summary: common sense
Review: Motorola is a known and well respected name in 2way communications. They are also known for quality and durability with both the commercial and private line of equipment. While this particular brand is usually more expensive than others, in my opinion, you get what you pay for (obviously, you will want to shop various retailers and online etailers). I recomend comparing these various sellers to be sure that company "a" includes the same accessories that company "b" offers. If they short-change the package (radio, charger, batteries, hands-free options), they can appear to be much cheaper than the competition. I have yet to find a website the gives a good comparision for these radios. I personally found it much easier to write down "all" the features and create a PRO & CON list. You may find this equally as beneficial. As for going ballistic over predators who may be laying in waiting, I recommend using common sense when allowing children / youngsters to play with this product. Whether it be someone talking via radio or approaching them in person, your children "should be informed" (BY YOU!) that there are wacko's out there. Not to discount the other reviews view-point (I am all for child safety!!!) but this forum is a "product review page". Good luck and happy shopping!
Rating:
Summary: Once again another great product from Motorola
Review: Now with other things out of the way, I would like to take time out of my night to write a consumer freindly review. Design,
I think the T7200 radio is very stylish in Motorola's top of the line radios, the only drawback is the large size of the radio. The size helps protect the innards from shock do to dropping and does make the radio look more professional if your into making your friends awe at your new toys. The T7200 also has a very rugged antenna that would be highly unlikely to bust off if sat on or dropped. Features,
The T7200 is from Motorola so you would expect since its from Motorola it would have tons of features that of which I would like to point out. Channel Scan - Unlike other radios on the market Motorola has a scanning feature like none other. Not only do Motorolas scan channels, they scan the sub channels too! Which makes breaking into a conversation that much easier or as Motorola puts it "finding someone in your group that has pressed the channel button accidently and is to dumb to know which channel they are sposed to be on" (sarcasm added). I am very pleased with this feature because it can scan through all the 30 channels in about 6 seconds and once an active channel is found the radio takes .5 seconds to find the code. Its just amazing! Scrambler settings - This is nice adding another layer of privacy so that people like me can't break into your conversation. NOAA - This feature is nice if you dont have time in your day to watch the weather or go to weather.com, you can still find out if tonight is a good night to go to the lake. Repeater channels - This is a feature not well pointed out in specs lists throughout the net, and I would like to set things straight. The T7200 does have repeater function but I do suggest a license if you intend to use this feature. Reasons being if you do use a repeater its probly going to be a freakish radio junkys repeater like onehour photo's! God knows if he found out you were operating a radio without a call sign the world would end! MIC gain setting - This is a wonderful setting, if that isn't self explainitory enough, this feature makes the mic louder or softer for whatever environment your in. Little red blinking LED - This thing is deffinanlty the best thing ever not only does it blink signifying that the radio is on it also looks awesome! All the other features are self explainitory and such, so this is the end of my review...Pros-Range,rugged,tons o features and heavy duty belt clip. Cons-A bit large, hard to push buttons, Interference from wireless internet providers and charge time. If you were a good friend of mine, I would deffinantly recommend this product to you.
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