Motorola Talkabout T800

[n1das]

I previously posted about the Motorola Talkabout T800 in this thread several months ago but the thread is now locked due to inactivity:

Motorola Talkabout T800 Walkie-Talkies

I just ran across this tonight. This might be worth a second look. It is a Motorola T800 that will connect to your smartphone with an Android or iOS app. I still have some questions about this. For example, the data range is less than the voice range. My best guess is that voice is 1 watt and...

forums.radioreference.com

I recently picked up some T800 Talkabouts to use for those few times that I might casually use GMRS/FRS, particularly when my 5 and 8 year old nephews come to visit.

I normally don't use GMRS/FRS anymore or MURS for that matter because I migrated my local on-site simplex type use with family and friends to 900MHz using Motorola DTR and DLR series 900MHz FHSS digital radios. The DTRs and DLRs work amazingly well and totally blow FRS away in performance. I still have GMRS/FRS and MURS as backups and for interoperability but these are no longer by default go-to modes for local on-site simplex type use with family and friends. However, I found it handy to keep a few FRS bubble packs around for when my nephews visit since they DO NOT get to play with my 900MHz digital radios. I normally go <yawn> toward FRS bubble packs but the T800 managed to get my attention.

There are a number of things I like about the T800:

1. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the blue LED display on the T800. Check out the pics below. The bright blue LED display makes it hard to photograph with a cell phone camera and causes the color to shift. The blue LED display shines through the case plastic instead of through a clear window for the display.

2. The audio seems to be better and more crisp than the older Talkabouts. The T800 has Motorola's crappy and much hated X-Pand audio companding system but it seems to be cleaned up from the earlier Talkabouts. I was wondering about this when I posted in the earlier T800 thread.

3. Battery life on a charge seems to be pretty good. I haven't had a chance to really test them yet.



One thing I don't like but don't really care about is the high transmit power on the GMRS channels is 0.75W instead of closer to 2W according to the FCC grant. It's not a big deal when using them to play with my nephews.

I haven't had a chance to play with the location features yet using the Talkabout app on my phone.

 

[JASII]

I tried a pair of these, but I didn't keep them. I think they have a good idea here and I hope that they have a newer version at some point in the future. I agree that If they could increase the transmit power level to 2 watts, that might be a good start.

I do think that there is at least some value in offering Bluetooth and the ability to connect to a smartphone and use data, GPS signal or what have you on the smartphone.

Do you happen to know if there is an app that will allow you to connect your smartphone to the Motorola Talkabout T800 and use your smartphone as a remote speaker microphone? I know a lot of people, like my wife, love using their smartphone for a lot of tasks and having the ability to use it to talk through a two-way radio would be a nice feature for them.

 

[n1das]

I don't know of any smartphone app to use a phone as an RSM for the T800. I may never use them that way anyway. The T800 will serve my needs for occasional light use of FRS for when my 5 and 8 year old nephews come to visit. I have no problem with handing them FRS bubble packs and letting them play with them under my supervision. They DO NOT get to play with my 900MHz DTR radios.

I absolutely love the blue LED display on the T800 which shines through the case plastic instead of through a window for the display.