The Best of Both Phone, and Tablet
Entered CNET Catalog: 06/22/2004
SKU: T6500
Manufacturer: Motorola Corp.
Manufacturer description
Motorola is a global leader in providing integrated communications and embedded electronic solutions. Today, Motorola is harnessing the power of wireless, broadband and the Internet to deliver embedded chip system level and end-to-end network communication solutions for the individual, work team, vehicle and home.Product summary
The good: Eight weather channels; dual recharging dock; hands-free operation; extra privacy codes; decent battery life.
The bad: So-so GMRS range; small display with poor visibility and backlighting.
The bottom line: Whether you're outdoors or at the mall, Motorola's Talkabout T6500 radios keep you connected without incurring talk-time charges, but their range is limited by environmental conditions.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 03/01/2005
Housed in a durable, plastic casing surrounded by thick, rubberized grips, the Motorola Talkabout T6500 is designed to withstand the rigors of outdoor use and is available in a two-tone gray or a bright yellow color scheme. The T6500 weighs 6 ounces, is slightly pear shaped, and fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. There are five function buttons on the front bezel for viewing and scrolling through menu options, transmitting call tones to another radio, and scanning and monitoring channels--all are conveniently positioned for one-handed operation. The yellow push-to-talk (PTT) button is located on the unit's left side directly under the on/off/volume knob, which in turn sits atop the radio next to a semiflexible 2.5-inch antenna. On the right is a covered accessory jack for an optional hands-free headset. The smallish display--0.7 by 0.5 inches--with silver trim is barely readable in even the best lighting conditions, but the red backlighting is worse and actually makes it harder to read. White light would have been a more practical choice.
Feature-wise, the T6500 has a lot to offer, including 22 channels and 99 Interference Eliminator (privacy) codes. Channels 1 through 7 operate on both the GMRS and FRS frequencies, channels 8 through 14 are FRS only, and channels 15 through 22 are exclusively for GMRS broadcasts. It's important to note that GMRS use requires an FCC license, while FRS is unlicensed. As a result, FRS channels tend to be crowded, but Motorola tackles that problem by adding 61 extra privacy codes (38 is standard) that are exclusive to Motorola users, so it's easier to find an open channel. There are also 8 NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather channels that provide updated weather conditions for your area, and the T6500 can be set to alert you when the NOAA broadcasts a weather emergency, even while you're in two-way radio mode.
Other features include iVox, a built-in, hands-free mechanism that detects your voice and enables transmissions without having to use the PTT button or a headset; VibraCall for silent call alerts; QT Noise Filtering technology, which helps eliminate chatter from unwanted radio users; and Enhanced Scanning for finding other Motorola users who may have switched channels. This feature also lets you remove selected channels from your scan list, which speeds up the scanning process. Additionally, the T6500 has 10 ring tones so that you can assign a specific tone to a caller, a battery meter with low-battery alert, and a locking keypad to prevent accidental channel changes. The package includes a pair of radios, two nickel-cadmium battery packs, two belt clips, a user guide, and a desktop charger unit that allows you to recharge both radios simultaneously. Alternatively, you can just charge the battery packs while powering each radio with three AA alkaline batteries (not included).
The T6500 performed pretty much as expected; while GMRS radios claim to be effective up to five miles, this is a best-case scenario and is rarely achieved with radios that have low power ratings (the T6500 is a 1.0-watt radio). Of course, environmental factors such as terrain, geographical location, and other radio frequency interference will also affect signal strength and can severely limit your range. We tested the T6500 in New York City, at the beach, and in a heavily wooded state park. We also took them along to a sprawling, three-story mall on Long Island to see how the privacy channels performed.
In the city, FRS and GMRS communications were limited to about 1 mile, not uncommon for Manhattan. However, we received better results at the beach, where the FRS signal remained strong for as far as 1.8 miles before completely dropping out. The GMRS range was closer to 3 miles, a good 2 miles short of the advertised 5-mile claim. In the woods, where range is all-important for hikers, the T6500 was just mediocre, averaging about a mile on FRS channels and 2.5 miles on the GMRS frequencies. We picked a good day to test these radios at the mall; the FRS channels were jammed with shoppers and mall employee communications, but we had no problem finding several private channels, thanks to Motorola's exclusive digital Interference Eliminator codes.
Battery life was solid. The included nickel-cadmium batteries are rated for 12 hours at 5/5/90, or 5 percent talk time, 5 percent receive time, and 90 percent standby; we surpassed that by an hour in our tests. We got 2 hours of talk/receive time, which is also good. The rated time with AA batteries is 30 hours using the aforementioned breakdown.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9out of 9 user reviews
Decent product, get what you pay for
Pros: It's compact, reasonably durable, speaker gets decently loud for its size.
Cons: They don't sit in the charger cradle snugly, you have to move it around to make sure it's charging. I'd rather see a square shaped radio that fits well than a curvy one.
out of 9 user reviews
Terible radio model
Pros: Amastrist radio
Cons: read more as follow
sound is terible and can not be understandable
bateries are un sufficiant (must be up to 1000 mili Amp.)
I offer you Midland GXT models . You will be very very pleased, If you purchase this model.
out of 9 user reviews
Couldn't get the phone jack for headset/mic operation to work
Pros: charging unit can hold whole transciever or just batteries
Cons: handsfree operation
out of 9 user reviews
I returned them to the store!
Pros: Compact size, good handling.
Cons: Reliabilitity was poor
I was also disatisfied with the battery charging system. The charging system did not provide any status of charge completion as compared to other models like the TalkAbout T6400.
out of 9 user reviews
VERY LOW RANGE LESS THAN A MILE
Pros: OPERATION OF THE 2 WAY IS VERY GOOD
Cons: RANGE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LESS THAN A MILE
IF YOU ARE CAMPING IN THE WOODS OR IN THE CITY OR AT THE RACE TRACK, DO NOT BUY THIS 2 WAY RADIO. THE RANGE IS LESS THAN A MILE
out of 9 user reviews
POS for sure
Pros: weather radio loud and clear
Cons: wonky everything
POS
I was impressed that I was able to pick up the weather, but a lot of good that will do me in the mall....
out of 9 user reviews
Don't buy unless you live on flat land with nothing in site!
Pros: Small design, easy to handle.
Cons: Stopped working less from .5 miles from my house!
out of 9 user reviews
Very poor audio
Pros: Good features
Cons: Poor audio; very weak
out of 9 user reviews
Also agree: audio quality stinks
Pros: Rich feature set, including recharable battery pack and drop-in charger
Cons: Audio quality absolutely stinks. My first-generation Kenwood FRS radios have faaaar cleaner and crisper audio. Moto' laid an egg with these radios.
