| Range
Advertised 5 mile range.
Criteria: Flat land sending and
receiving, suburb setting. |
| Clear |
< 2 miles |
| Faint/Static yet usable |
2.5 miles |
| Signals lost |
3 miles |
|
| Clarity |
|
| Features |
Radio is advertised as a
FRS/GMRS hybrid. Channels 1-7 and
15-22 are 1 Watt. Channels 8-14 are 0.5 Watt (FRS). It has the standard 22/38 channel settings and includes a
battery meter which I really like so I know when I turn it on if the batteries
are ok or not. Radio has a small red blinking light just under the
volume knob to indicate that the radio is on. Radio has
a rounded base so it won't stand up. I saw this as a problem and a
feature lacking that many people would like. Similar to the Motorola
T5000. |
| Ergonomics
Ease of use, and general feel |
Radio is slightly pear shaped
in your hands. The shape is probably a love it or "not-so much" design,
but I thought it was fine. Buttons are easily and logically placed.
Radio has easy change volume knob on top. I
didn't care for the belt clip attachment that gets
in the way of your hand when holding it. It's right where your top
finger wants to go. You can easily remove the belt clip
though. The push to talk button has only a very subtle tactile "click"
which caused me to accidentally let off on occasion, truncating sentences. The T4900 has a
much better PTT button where you can feel the clicks on and off. |
| Quality |
Motorola is well known for
designing and manufacturing a very solid and quality radio. This is
no exception. Antennae is short and flexible and isn't likely to get
snapped off. |
| Overall Impressions |
A solid performer.
Design wise, the
belt clip gets in the way, it won't stand up, and the PTT button is
lacking, but this radio has overall decent clarity and great quality. If
you don't need a ton of extra features and don't mind the design issues
noted above, it's a very solid basic radio.
|
| Rating (1 worst, 10 best) |
5 |
