35-Mile, 22-Channel Two-Way Radios

Product Description

VibraCall vibration alert or 20 different call tones 11 weather channels (7 NOAA) with alert features 22 channels each with 121 privacy codes for superior interference protection Pair of two-way radios with up to 35 mile range iVOX hands-free communication without the need for an audio accessory

Features

• VibraCall vibration alert or 20 different call tones. AA batteries required (best with Polaroid AA batteries)
• 11 weather channels (7 NOAA) with alert features
• 22 channels each with 121 privacy codes for superior interference protection
• Pair of two-way radios with up to 35 mile range
• iVOX hands-free communication without the need for an audio accessory

Top Reviews

Very useful once you accept their limitations.
by amazon_princess,Top Contributor: Cooking (3 out of 5 stars)
May 15, 2015

We've aquired a number of these and other models of Motorola FRS radios over the last 3 years, so we're pretty familiar with their strengths and weaknesses.

All of these Motorola products have the following properties:
1. As stated elsewhere, their practical range is about a mile or two under realistic conditions. This is more than sufficient for activities such as camping, skiing, fishing, shopping and beach-going. Even for car-to-car communications during convoy-style road trips.
2. These are consumer-grade products, and they are low-priced accordingly. Their knobs will come off if you pull, and if you drop them onto a hard surface they will break. So don't do those things.
3. The plastic belt-clips they come with break immediately. Instead, it is possible to rig a lanyard to hold them.
4. Built-in flashlights are very handy on camping trips. They are not terribly bright but it is sufficient to prevent tripping over rocks and branches.
5. We long ago ditched the rechargable batteries and put Alkalines in them before each trip. Rechargable was a nice idea but did not pan out for all-day use.

And if anyone wonders why bother with these when we all have cell phones, 3 points

a. Group communications. These are BROADCAST radios useful for GROUP activities. Sure there are "walkie talkie" phone apps, but not everyone will agree to install & configure, and they are battery-drains.

b. Inexpensive. You really want to pull out your $400 smartphone on a ski lift?

c. Battery life. A set of fresh alkalines will last a few days at least.

Particular models

MR350R,

i. They are lightweight but not too small.

ii. Because of i. they do feel cheaply made, a bit toy-like.

iii. For the money, may not be the best but we own them and use them anyway.

MH230R

i. Feel a bit more durable than the MR350R

ii. Though they are lower power, but in practice this has not mattered.

iii. Lower-price, but no flashlight

iv. Smaller, so better for kids or to tuck in a ski-jacket pocket.

MC220R (not sold on Amazon currently)

i. Junk. Do not buy. A few have stopped working, or only work when you squeeze the battery case.

MS350R, which we currently prefer over other Motorola models.

i. Same features as MR350R, and same price.

ii. Waterproof. We bought these specifically for poolside and waterpark use.

iii. Case feels more rugged, though I will not subject them to a drop test.

iv. Heavier and slightly larger than MR350R, which may be a pro or con depending on your taste.

In summary, we were not terribly impressed by any of them when we first got them three years ago. But they still work and they've been tremendously useful within their limitations, so my opinion has improved over time.

Finally note that now, for the same $30 per handset, one can buy an amateur / professional quality 5W handheld (e.g. BaoFeng), Of course to use that much power one must be licensed and the units must be programmed-- one doesn't just open a blister-pack and hand them to kids.

Still, it shows that these Motorola radios are not good deals as far as technology goes, we are paying a price for convenience.
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Exactly what I wanted
by William V (5 out of 5 stars)
January 25, 2017

I bought these for my Grandchildren to play with because the toy walkie talkies are just plain poop. These work great around the neighborhood and the clarity is surprising. These walkie talkies are FRS (Family Radio Service) and GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) approved. True GMRS radios require you to get a license from the FCC. Here's the loophole. If you operate a radio that has been approved for both FRS and GMRS, and if you limit your operations to the FRS channels with a maximum power of ½ watt effective radiated power and an integral antenna (meaning you can't change it to a bigger one), you are not required to have a license. So these are essentially FRS radios with a range of up to 2 or 3 miles in perfect conditions with little or no obstacles. Don't expect more and you won't be disappointed.
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Steer clear of these "discontinued" radios
by bdiddycpa (1 out of 5 stars)
January 4, 2018

I bought two packs of these radios (4 radios in total). One of the four was completely DOA. It could only receive and transmit static and undecipherable noise. Some research told me this was probably due to a bad speaker/microphone which could be replaced. I contacted Motorola to see if they would repair or replace the bad radio. They told me these radios were discontinued and I would need to take it up with the seller. I just bought them 2 weeks ago! Poor customer service from Motorola and shame on this seller for selling me something that cannot be serviced or supported. I will now go through the hassle of returning these and buying different ones. Steer clear of these radios - they are bulky and heavy for what they are and are clearly not supported by the manufacturer.
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Great Radios - Would Recommend - But With Small Flaws
by CG2009 (3 out of 5 stars)
May 10, 2017

Ordered 6 radios for work to use for coaches at a sporting event. We had these same model radios several years ago for different needs but hadn't used them in years and they no longer work. They were alright, but after researching on Amazon, I decided these might be the best option for our current needs as well. We used them for the first time last week and they worked great. We aren't using them at any distance of more than 100 yards, so that will never be an issue. So why 3 stars? Well, first use, gentle adult use, 2 radios had the belt clip break. Both were at the same spot, where the belt clip connects to the radio. And one of these actually broke in a small duffel bag on the way to the event. When comparing this piece of molded plastic to the ones on the old radios we have, the clips appear of lesser quality plastic. That is the only complaint I have with the radios - oh, except as others have stated, the instruction manual is missing some key pictures of which buttons to press in order to change options, but it wasn't really a problem for me, and I am sure you can find a correct version online somewhere.
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Solid radio, outstanding features -- an excellent value
by Bluesun (5 out of 5 stars)
September 4, 2017

Excellent FRS/GMRS radio. Used between two cars on an FRS channel (.5 watts) over a 1600 mile trip -- worked flawlessly. Transmisisons were crystal clear, no engine noises or other interference whatsoever. Also didn't hear any other FRS users: with 7 FRS channels and essentially 121 sub channels (interference eliminator codes) it's like having over 800 channels to chose from -- and that's without getting a GMRS license from the FCC for the additional 15 frequencies that allow the radio to transmit at 1.5 watts.

Range. Like all other FM radios operating on FRS, you are limited to LOS (line of sight). Yes, you can talk "through" some trees and a few walls within about a half mile, but it's not going to support communications over a hill or through a thousand meters of dense woods. When Motorola and other manufacturers suggest a range of 35 miles is possible, that's pure LOS in pristine conditions -- not situation you are likely to find yourself in on the ground.

During our trip we pretty much stayed within sight of the other car, but a couple times going through Illinois (picture pancake flat farmland with few obstructions like trees, buildings, etc to compete with LOS) the other half of my two car caravan was often following over 2 miles back (once almost 5 miles behind) and we could still communicate clearly (I should note that 7 miles in these conditions didn't work -- I know they were 7 miles back because they called on their cell). The NiMH battery pack life was excellent despite being only 650mAh (the MT352R comes with 1300mAh BTW). Both radios would still read 'full' after being on for over 8 hours/day although we would only transmit when one or the other driver got bored, or tired, needed gas, or wanted to discuss where we could pull over next -- I estimate we used less than 5 minutes of transmitting time per hour. Also, we didn't use the voice activated feature (although I confirmed that works well, I set the radios up for the trip and to keep things more deliberate -- I was unsure how loud my son was going to have the car's stereo, so I had this feature turned off so you had to push to talk PTT) which I imagine saved some battery power. We did have the "Talk Confirmation" feature enabled: it gives a distinct beeping sound when you release the PTT button as an alternative to going full A-TEAM and saying "over" at the end of each transmission (which we did anyway). BTW, the instructions are excellent, although printed small enough you'll need a magnifying glass to read them all.

If you have read this far, here's a cool game you can play with issuing call signs: each time you stop for gas we'd take turns making up call signs for the next part of the trip. First, you come up with one for you, then one for the other vehicle. The game is simple: you give yourself the baddest, most high-speed awesome "Jason Bourne sleeper cell meets Three Days of the Condor" sounding call sign you can think of, while issuing all other call sign in the starkest contrast possible to make your call-sign sound even badder! Example? "Okay, for the next leg of our trip, I'm "FIREHAMMER ARC-ANGEL" .....you'll be....ummmm....."Fuzzy Bunny or Pudd'n Pop" -- which do you prefer?" (or course then you issue them whatever they have not selected) "Fuzzy Bunny? Okay then, it's decided: You'll be "Pudd'n Pop" -- sorry, getting you back from me being Sweet Pea for the last 250 miles, "DRAGON CLAW".

Now on radio: "Pudd'n Pop, PUDD'N POP, this is FIREHAMMER ARC-ANGEL, radio check, over."

Let's roll...
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Printed User's Guide missing all important info
by Ohana Films (3 out of 5 stars)
September 6, 2016

The radios seem to work fine but it's pretty hard to set them up when all of the symbols are omitted from the printed user's guide. Literally every symbol and/or icon is missing (see photo)
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Solid. Work well in close proximity.
by Mark in Los Angeles (4 out of 5 stars)
February 3, 2018

I really like these. I wanted something that required no license to operate and I've been sticking to FRS channels only as a result. For me, 11 seems to have little interference. The radio won't even LET you accidentally use high power, automatically using low power whatever transmit button is used when using the FRS frequencies so that's a nice safeguard. As a photographer these units to stay in touch with whoever is assisting me while we work because often the ohone is not only inconvenient, but in the LA hills, not even usable due to reception issues. This does the job for this kind of high proximity usage very nicely. Even when separated by a house's walls, the reception doesn't really suffer.

The build appears to be quite robust. I would agree that the belt clips are more delicate than the ought to be but they do work. Just not sure how long they will last.

Battery life is great and I welcome the opportunity to use AA batteries (3 per unit) when I run out of juice on the supplied rechargables (which I hasten to add hasn't happened because I rarely need them for more than an hour at a time.)

I can't speak to long distance usage as I don't ever use non-FRS frequencies and even on those I never need to be more than a couple of hundred feet within the other person, but for those purposes, this has been a good buy.
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Flase claims about Range
by Shamus (1 out of 5 stars)
November 22, 2016

As stated by some, the range is at best 1/2 a mile and that's with interference. It works fine for the kids around the house but for the company to make the claims it does about range is downright dishonest. And ... as a reviewer stated it comes in that hard molded plastic that must be cut off making a return less than ideal. Has to be better options out there.
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Stopped working after a couple months
by Beth (1 out of 5 stars)
June 13, 2016

After reading the reviews we decided to give these a try so our son could have some more freedom in the neighborhood. After about 3 months the 2 radios stopped talking to each other completely. We attempted troubleshooting with no success. We contacted Motorola because we were within our 1 year warranty time frame and they attempted to troubleshoot the issue but determined the microphone was defective on the radios. They sent us the warranty form to complete but then informed us that we were going to have to pay for the return shipping for the defective radios. I've NEVER had a company ask me to pay for shipping for a defective product, especially not a company the size of Motorola. F for customer service. Most likely won't be buying a Motorola product again.
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Good Radios
by Rick (5 out of 5 stars)
September 11, 2017

I have had these since 2014. They work well on mountaineering trips where teams sometimes separate. They are waterproof and have been durable. Range and battery life are both good compared to others used in groups. Controlling the on/off and volume is easy to do with gloves and doesn't require you see the radio (rotary knob with a click at the end for power). They have privacy channels, so in crowded areas it can be easier to find a quiet channel (ski resorts, towns etc). The hour glass shape allows me to attach to any backpack strap with a velco loop MT250R radio with batteries weighs 7.6oz each. ACXT145 also pictured (w/batt) weighs 3.2oz each.

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