Motorola T9500XLR 25-Mile 2-Way Radio Pair
by Motorola
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List Price: Our Price: $19.95 You Save: $60.04 (75%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Car Audio or Theater See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Motorola T9500XLR 25-Mile 2-Way Radio Pair
Customer Review: Good way t keep in touch at large outdoor event
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I looked forward to receiving these radios because my husband and I were soon to attend a large outdoor event held each summer at our state fairgrounds. This four-day event features more than 11,000 classic cars as well as large indoor exhibits, so there is a lot of area to cover and we like to go our separate ways at times. In years past, we used our cell phones to keep in touch. This year, we saved our minutes and used these radios very successfully, including communicating while my husband was deep in the parking area, surrounded by noisy cars, and I was deep inside a building surrounded by the echoes you get from large crowds of people in cavernous buildings.
I liked that I could push a button to send an attention-getting beep when I wanted to talk, rather then just starting up a conversation and hoping I wasn't talking to myself.
I was especially interested in the weather alert feature of these radios, which I plan to use anytime we're away from home, but I knew from experience that they may be a life saver when we attended the event I mentioned above. You would think you could count on being warned of severe weather when you're at a large state-operated facility, where you know a public address system is available because you hear frequent announcements that a car needs to be moved, somebody left their lights on, or who is in concert. But one recent year we were among the tens of thousands out in the open parking lot who were never warned of 70 mph winds. Fortunately the weather was excellent this year, so I'm happy to say I can't review the weather warning option. It's just one of those things you're glad to have and even more glad to not need.
Customer Review: Good radios for a great price.
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
We got these radios as a replacement for some old Motorolas we'd had for 6 years which finally quit working.
We use 2 way radios quite a bit. We live on a big lot, with 2 big outbuildings, so shouting isn't really an option. We also ride dirt bikes, and use the radios (one at the front of the group, one in back)to keep the gang together, which is tough, since we're all a bunch of independent old cusses.
We initially purchased the Midland GXT710VP3 radios, these work adequately. I hate to admit it, but I don't like them because they're clunky and ugly. I'm normally not a slave to fashion, but these radios just look and feel like a brick. An ugly brick.
So, when the Motorolas were offered, I snagged them. With the price difference between the Motorola T9500XLR and the Midlands, I expected a lesser quality in the Motorola, but was pleasantly surprised.
I know all these radios claim that '25 mile' standard, but in our experience, line of sight use is about 3 miles, in the woods or in a populated area, it drops down to about a mile.
We have not tested the radios in densely populated situations (city, amusement park, etc.), but can attest to the fact that they work very well in rural situations (our home), and in the woods (motorcycle trails).
They suit our purpose, they're easy to use, the batteries last more than 10 hours, and they've even got the Weather radio built in.
The Motorola T9500XLR suits our needs.
Customer Review: good take on classic radios, but a interface needs work
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Motorola got quite a bit right with these 2-way radios: A classic design, easy operation, a very long range, little interference, a reasonable price, and not a lot of unnecessary or frilly features. The rechargeable battery pack that can be interchanged with disposables is a well-reasoned feature that I wish other vendors would use in their products.
What is lacking, however, is a modern take on ergonomics. With belt-clip attached, the radio is awkward to hold. For more than a few moments conversation, it gets annoying to have to hold down the "push to talk" button-- some sort of locking button (push to talk, push to stop) would have been nice. The inbuilt menu is not intuitive-- I hoped for a cell-phone-like interface considering Motorola's major handset business.
These are minor issues; but I did have one major quibble, which was my first spoken syllable was dropped when I first held down the PushToTalk button and started speaking. Perhaps I am too quick to speak, but I found myself having to pause and then start with a throw-away word to make sure the person on the other end heard my whole message. Otherwise, speech was clear and crisp in my tests.
These issues were enough for me to drop my rating from 5 to 4 stars, but caveats aside, the product works well and I can think of a lot of possible uses, so they are Recommended.
Customer Review: Good radio, nice price
Summary: 4 Stars
I got these radios to keep a safety contact when I'm nearby in the forest, with hills and of course lots of trees in between. The effective range was about 2 miles in this condition, which was good enough for me. The radios are light to carry, they come with a handy belt clip. There's a dock for easy recharging. Using it was rather easy and intuitive, although the menu key that has several functions seem a bit confusing at first -- just adjust all settings with the manual in hand and then don't touch them again :-)
I'm not sure how long the battery lasts: I've used it for whole mornings or whole afternoons mostly sitting there on standby with maybe a few minutes worth of chat and it took several days like this for the battery indicator to get down to 2/3rd.
It's a NiMH battery so it *will* have aging issues after a few years but by the time they start loosing their charge it will be more economical to simply buy a new set than replace the batteries.
I do give it 4-star instead of 5 just because of the "iVox" hands-free feature: I just couldn't get it to work and the manual is not too helpful on that one. I kept setting the mode on, then later when I'd try to use it nothing would happen and I'd realize the iVox mode had gone off in between. I'm dubious of the utility of that mode anyway, so it doesn't really matter.
If there's one feature I miss: I wish the radio would also display the current time. Like that I could skip carrying a watch. But then most people probably don't care about that :-)
Customer Review: A decent 2-way radio at a decent price.
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Motorola T9500XLR seems like a solid reliable piece of equipment. Once out of the packaging, the 2 units are charged via a cradle. I have used these in my neighborhood and overall they worked pretty well. First off, keep in mind these are not professional level radios, they are merely entry level units for home & family use. They are ideal for road caravans, amusement parks, shopping malls, cruise ships, etc. As other reviewers have mentioned, the voice over the speaker is "tinny" and using them in extremely loud environments seem impossible. The range is definitely nowhere near the claimed "25 miles". In a typical setting, you are lucky to get half a mile in the city and 1 mile in the country. Just remember these radios cost around $50 for the pair and you simply cannot expect professional quality at this price point. The NOAA radio feature worked as described and battery life was never an issue since they recharge with the cradle. Overall, I wish speaker and talk quality would be improved and maybe add a water resistance feature.