Motorola XTR446 8-channel PMR

When I pay the odd visit to the company I do a lot of work for I sometimes have to spend several days, sometimes weeks, sorting out the many errors that some amateurs have created, (all because they chose to try and save money).
Anyway, the grounds of the factory are quite some size, in fact I can safely say they are massive, put it this way, they have little golf buggy type vehicles to get you around, (which can be quite fun).
So if I’m at the north section of the grounds and am wanted at the south section I used to be ’bleeped’ with one of them pager things, or even a phone call on my mobile phone.

But that was the old days as the company who hate to spend money decided to spend a bit of money in order to save a lot of money in the long run, (if you know what I mean). They decided to invest in some new fangled communication devices so they could contact who ever they needed in an instant, (or more keep tabs on everyone they want)

The communication devices that they invested in are the XTR446 made by the well known company Motorola, (who also male phones apparently). So as I had been using them for what seems like an eternity now I thought I’d tell the world all about them.

** The basic specs of these Motorola walkie talkies are … ( I checked these out on line for curiosity)

• Up to 5 mile (8km) talk range, depending on area.
• 0.5 watt power output
• 8-channel
• 38 sub channels
• 10 channel memory
• Voice operated Transmission
• Built in channel scanner
• Call alert system
• Backlit LCD
• Water resistant
• Shock proof
• uhf 446 Mhz

Whatever all that means..???
It also has…

• A selection of 5 ringtones to chose from or even a silent vibrating alert for those who like to stay hidden.
• External aerial

Plus... it is Shockproof and water resistant and will stand up to a lot of hard knocks, which comes in handy the way I tend to throw things about.

** What do they look like then..?

The one I was using was a neat little ‘rubber/plastic’ black number which came with a headset, although as I had a Bluetooth ear piece in I didn’t use this as I felt I would look like something off Doctor Who and the Cybermen.

The front looks a little complicated with the five silver buttons below the LCD screen, but once you’ve used it you’ll be amazed how simple they are to use.
The buttons on the front are for scanning, (although I didn’t need to scan for any stations as they were preset), memorising stations, selecting the memorised stations and sound control.

The actual LCD screen is a good size, being about a third of the size of the main body, and has a good clear face so you can see such things as the station setting, battery level and volume without too much hassle, although the back lighting could do with a bit of improving.
The image inside the LCD is simple to read, albeit a little old fashioned with the way it displays the numbers.

It’s not the smallest of walkie talkies, the main body being about 120mm long by 55mm by 35mm thick and weighing in at a lightweight 171 grams, but it fits nicely into the hand with ease, although the well constructed aerial does protrude about another 80mm from the main body.

They run on rechargeable batteries which are easily recharged via the rather useful re-charger. This charging unit is designed to sit on a desk and is a good size, it fits up to two of the walkie talkies and charges them up in a couple of hours, giving you a good few hours of normal use, although for a full charge it is best to leave them for at least five hours.

** MY OPINION…

I have been using this for quite some time now and find it a lot better than the old fashioned way of mobile phone or pager communicating. It is free to use and the reception is pretty good, although it can get a bit fuzzy in some parts of the grounds, but this is probably normal due to the many buildings and electrical interference.

I found it so simple to use, although I had used other walkie talkies before so I wasn’t a novice in that area. The big yellow button on the side is a good size and easy to press, allowing you to speak to other people on the same wave length.
I found the sound quality almost crystal clear most of the time, although this again depended where I was at the time, but I’d say 99% of the time I could be understood and could understand others, which is good really.

The little extra features gave it’s looks a boost, such as the nice rubber, nobbly grip on either side of the main body, giving me a good grip in the more damp weather we are used to in Britain, and the curvy black body made it look sort of manly, if I’m allowed to use that word these days.

I have a few more weeks using this device at the ‘factory’ and I can honestly say that I am glad that they spent a little bit of money to help ease the hassles of the work staff, (me).

What more can I say about these communication devices?
If I was going to walkie talkies I would defiantly head in the direction of this one as I found them to be well made and great for what they are designed for.

Although I have not actually bought these walkie talkies I have performed a quick search online and found out that the twin pack, including the headsets, charger and instructions can be bought from amazon for around the £70.00 mark. Then there’s the four pack which goes for around the £130 region.

NOTE
I have given it five stars as it does the job it is designed to do without fault and it looks good too