Motorola Talkabout T5030R

I picked up this 2-way radio (walkie-talkie) from Radio Shack so my mom could communicate with me in case I'm not in the same room.

At first, I bought the FV300 because it was cheaper, but decided to return it because the T5030R was bigger and brighter so I thought my mom would be able to find it better. Plus the T5030R was rechargeable and used AA batteries (which I have a lot of) vs. AAA batteries for the FV300.

I guess it works OK, but there are a few things I don't like about it. One is the talk button is a bit hard to press and keep depressed. Second the charge on the battery doesn't last all that long if you intend to leave it on for half the day. And third, my mom has problems figuring out what button to press (or even seeing the button apparently) as they are a little small and kind of blend in with the face plate. I'm winding up using the AA batteries instead of the rechargeable battery.

It makes me wonder if I would have been better off with the FV300 or even one of those Cobra ones from Toys R Us (though now I see they get crappy reviews).

I wound up letting my mom use my old Motorola FR50 which has the call button right in the center of the unit. I would have not needed to buy the T5030R, but only one of the FR50 units still work.

The FR50 can call the T5030R fine, as long as the interference eliminator code is set to 0. The FR50 can talk to the T5030R, but the T5030R can't talk to the FR50 on every channel. So far, I've found that channel 7 works. Hmm. Now it seems the other channels are working. I dunno.

And now, after charging one of the batteries all day, it's still dead. Guess I'll be using up the AA batteries.

One thing in favor of the T5030R, the battery compartment is sure a lot easier to open than the FR50.