Reviews > Communication Gear > Two-way Radios > Motorola Talkabout FR50 > Owner Review by Lynne Durham

Tester Background: I am a backpacking novice - my first trip was in 2002. I have hiked and car camped all of my life, mostly in the relative flatlands of the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan, but also in areas east of the Continental Divide, such as South Dakota, New England, Kentucky, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, and more. In September, 2004 I did my first solo backpacking trip and in October, 2004 I did a single-day, rim-to-rim hike of the Grand Canyon. So far, all of my camping and backpacking has been 3-season, but I plan to expand to winter camping this year. I keep my pack weight to 25% of bodyweight or less but I always bring optional or comfort items.

My other outdoor experience includes trail running and snowshoeing; I am a paddling, climbing and adventure racing novice.

Product Purchase Date: Not certain - 1998 or 1999

MSRP: This item has been discontinued

• Handheld radio for two-way communication
• No license is required to use these radios
• Operates on the "family radio service" (FRS) band. The FRS is, per the United States Federal Communications Commission (US FCC): "...one of the Citizens Band Radio Services. It is for...family, friends and associates to communicate among [them]selves within [their] neighborhood and while on group outings."*
• FRS works on the band from 462.5625-467.7125 MHz
• Advertised range was "up to 2 miles (3.22 km)," however the US FCC says to expect less than 1 mile (1.61 km)
• Black, plastic shell with bright orange talk button
• 14 channels, no sub-channels
• Body size: 4.25" x 2.5" x 1.25" (10.8 cm x 6.35 cm x 3.17 cm) *plus* 2.5" (6.35 cm) antenna
• Headphone jack (headphones not included)
• Belt clip
• Requires 3 AA batteries
• Weight without batteries: 4.2 oz (119 g)
• Twist-type "on" button
• Several push-buttons: "mon" allows you to monitor the chatter on a channel without participating, "call" allows you to page anyone who is on the same channel as you (and within range), "chan" allows you to use the "up and down" button to change channels, and the orange "talk" button (which is cryptically marked "PTT") allows you to talk to anyone who is on the same channel as you (and within range)
• Approximately 1" (2.54 cm) LCD display tells you which channel you are on and upon use, it is lit (so you can read the display in the dark)
• Microphone is a simple hole on the front of the handheld unit, in the speaker area (where you can hear others talking to you)
• IMPORTANT NOTE: This is another quote from the US FCC: "You may operate your FRS unit within the territorial limits of the fifty United States, the District of Columbia, and the Caribbean and Pacific Insular areas ("U.S."). You may also operate your FRS unit on or over any other area of the world, except within the territorial limits of areas where radio-communications are regulated by another agency of the U.S. or within the territorial limits of any foreign government."

My understanding is that FRS also is legal in Canada and Brazil. However, in other areas of the world the frequency that FRS uses may conflict with reserved frequencies, for example, police frequencies. Do NOT use FRS in a country unless legality of usage has been confirmed.

• In our backyard, during parties and while doing yard work
• When shopping in a big mall
• During car camping vacations
• During day hikes or backpacking excursions in a variety of places, including national parks, state parks, local beaches and a local nature preserve
• While one of us is out walking the neighborhood
• At Walt Disney World
• When "caravanning" in more than one vehicle on Interstate expressways

Overall, these units have performed well for our family. We have never, however, obtained the advertised 2-mile (3.22 km) range. The manufacturer's information states that range can be affected by things such as buildings and heavy forest and we have found that to be true: in the forest and in our neighborhood we get a much shorter range than we do, for example, on the beach where we are usually within sight of one another.

Although we have not explicitly measured the farthest distance we have been able to attain, I would estimate it to be approximately one-half mile (0.8 km).

By the nature of the FRS system, there are limitations. The short distance may be considered one limitation. Another is that the FRS is a "take turn" service. In other words, no one person is assigned a bandwidth and everyone who talks on the same channel must take turns. So if a family on channel 11 comes within range of another family on channel 11, all conversations can be overheard. The solution, of course, is to simply change channels. In a very busy place like Disney World, however, it may be impossible to find a totally free channel.

These radios have worked very well for us in the woods when we were not in visual contact but were not very far apart. I'd estimate the best range we've attained in the forest to be about one-eighth of a mile (0.2 km) on these radios.

During the time we've owned these radios, they have seen quite a bit of use. Each one has been used a minimum of twice a month just around the neighborhood. They have also accompanied us on many weekend and week-long trips throughout the years. We have not had any problems with any of the radios we own and they are still going strong.

• Allow to stay in verbal contact over short distances
• Small, easy to carry
• After purchase, there is no fee to use (like a cell phone bill)
• No license is required to use FRS radios

• Short range
• Range is adversely affected by buildings, trees, etc.
• The channels are shared, so conversations should not be considered private

Reviews > Communication Gear > Two-way Radios > Motorola Talkabout FR50 > Owner Review by Lynne Durham