August 17, 2008
What is a good set of two-way radios for a residential area?
I’m talking about functional ranges, not advertised ranges. Motorolia and other brands often tout their products as having 5, 10, or even 15 mile ranges, yet in practice in urban, suburban, or rugged terrain the range is often much smaller.
I’m wondering if there’s anyone out there with any experience with particular models, and if so if they’ve found any exact models that perform well in these environments…
The terrain itself is a little hilly, and we’d be transmitting from house to house at a range of about 3/4 a mile. The biggest problem I see is that my buddy is essentially on the other side of a large hill on which a bunch of houses are situated. I understand what the difference in ranges comes from, but more often than not even on a flat, wide open expanse these radios do not reach their advertised range. They’re often lucky to attain half that, in fact. I was just asking to see if anyone had had any success with a particular set.
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Product Description
The Motorola Talk about T9550XLRCAMO offers the quality customers expect when communicating outdoors. This radio will allow you to communicate up to 25 miles. Our distinctive Real Tree AP HD pattern will complement any hunter's outfit.
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Product Features
Belt Clip For 2-Way Radios
22 Channels
121 Privacy Codes For 2662 Combinations
27 Hours
3 Aa Alkaline Or 9-Hour Nimh Estimated Talk Time
Technical Details
Brand Name: Motorola
Model: T9550RCAMO
Item Package Quantity: 1
radio_channels: 22-channel Unknown modifier
Talking Range Maximum: 132000 feet
call_alerts: 10 Unknown modifier
voice_operated_transmission: Internal (iVOX) Unknown modifier
Display: LCD display
Battery Average Life: 9 HoursUSD 68.99
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Comments on What is a good set of two-way radios for a residential area? »
I have had great results from Motorola’s talkabout brand. You can find a list comparing the range of the various different models at
The difference between the advertised and actual ranges (apart from those that embellish their range info) is the terrain that it s expected to work in. This includes any hills or steel and concrete structures.
You have not mentioned anything so if you are in a general flat landscape in a suburban area the range should generally be what is advertised.
If you have hills (or mountains) or many seriously tall buildings around, it will be difficult to put a number n the range. Try it out with a set from a friend…