Average Rating: 
Rating: - Nice well build FRS with 5 mile range
Very durable, nice feel, compact size.
Rating: - Moto comes through loud and clear
I originally got another 2-way radio (Audiovox GMRS1100 2CH), then traded up. ....The T5820 seems sturdy. A little bigger and heftier than the Audiovox, it's shaped to fit the hand, and has rubber grips and cushioning. I'd try to avoid dropping either unit (if you need milspec durability, get a Yaesu), but this unit is more likely to survive impact. It's also splashproof, though not submersible. Audio quality is where the Motorola shines. It has a real volume knob rather than a button, which together with the better-quality speaker lets you hear more clearly at both loud and quiet settings. The roger beep is clear but not louder than the conversation, and the inevitable end-of-transmission click is muted. I also like the Moto call tones much better than the Audiovox bleeps, and there are more of them. Operation is logical, the buttons are well-placed and the belt clip locks firmly and detaches easily. The LCD is smaller than on the Audiovox but easy to read. Both units use a mode button to step you through the functions, both have 22 x 38 channels, and both LCDs have clear indicators of what's going on. The Moto LCD is better illuminated. All radios are FCC-limited to .5 watt in the FRS range. The Audiovox has more output power in the GMRS range than the Moto (1.8 watts vs. 1w) and has an SMA-standard antenna you can switch out for more range. Its hands-off VOX function works with the built-in mic and speaker, while the Moto's works only with a mic plugged in. You can also monitor two channels simultaneously on the Audiovox. On the other hand, the T5820 can exclude noisy channels from the scan sequence, and has a silent vibration mode for discreet paging. Neither radio has a real squelch control, but both can stay on and scan while charging. The big plusses of the Motorola are the quality of its mechanical design and its audio. After all, you use a radio to talk and listen. The big defect of the Audiovox is its difficulty picking up transmissions from non-Audiovox radios! Something about the frequency deviation made the reception unintelligibly choppy on most of the traffic I heard. I've done no range testing yet. We expect to use this radio mostly around the neighborhood, and while shopping and running errands. For all that the 2-mile FRS range will do fine. When we next go on a climbing or boating trip I'll get the FCC license ... that's needed to use the 5-mile range GMRS channels.
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