Motorola Talkabout walkie-talkies compared: US and EU models

Motorola Talkabout walkie-talkies: a US line and an EU line

Motorola Talkabout is a family of license-free walkie-talkies, and it comes in two separate lines. The US line (T110, T470, T600 H2O, T800) uses FRS, a radio service at 462 to 467 MHz.1 The EU and UK line (T42, T62, T82 Extreme, T92 H2O) uses PMR446, a service at 446.0 to 446.2 MHz.2 They share a name and a look, but they are different radios.

US models

EU models

UK prices for the same four models

US and EU Talkabouts use different frequencies

Two radios talk only when they use the same frequency. FRS sits near 462 and 467 MHz and PMR446 near 446 MHz, so a T470 and a T62 never share a channel, whatever number you pick.12 Channel 1 on a US Talkabout is not channel 1 on an EU Talkabout.

Buy the line made for the country where you use the radios. Ofcom says US FRS radios cannot be used license-free in the UK.3 Inside one line, any two Talkabouts talk to each other. The T470 data sheet calls it compatible with all FRS/GMRS radios, and the T92 H2O data sheet calls it compatible with any PMR446 radio.45

What each step up adds in the US line

• T110. The starting model. Motorola claims up to 16 miles and 19 hours on three AAA alkaline batteries, and it has 22 channels.1 The manual says it has no privacy codes, and its drawing shows no headset jack.6
• T470. Adds a rechargeable 800 mAh battery that charges over micro-USB, 121 privacy codes, a flashlight, 20 call tones and 11 weather channels, 7 of them NOAA. It has an IPX4 rating. Motorola claims up to 35 miles "mountain to valley".4
• T600 H2O. Keeps the 35-mile claim and adds IP67, a face-up float with the included battery, USB-C charging and a water-activated white and red light. Motorola claims 9 hours on the NiMH battery and 23 hours on 3 AA batteries.78
• T800. Adds a Bluetooth link to a phone app. It has a 1300 mAh battery with a 14-hour claim, an IPX4 rating and the same 11 weather channels.910

The water ratings are easy to read once you know the two digits. IPX4 means water splashed from any direction does no harm. IP67 means dust cannot get in, and the radio survives 30 minutes under 1 meter of water.11

The T800 app link carries data only: no voice and no headset sound. With a phone connected, you can share and request a location and send a saved SOS message. Motorola claims up to 20 miles for data and 35 miles for voice.910

Motorola now lists the T800 series as the T802 and T803. They add USB-C charging, IP54 and push-to-talk from the phone. They swap data only with each other, not with a T800 or T801.12

What each step up adds in the EU line

• T42. The starting model. Motorola claims up to 4 km and 18 hours on AAA alkaline batteries, at 0.5 W.2 The manual says it has no privacy codes.13
• T62. Adds a rechargeable 800 mAh battery that charges over micro-USB, a claim of up to 8 km, 121 privacy codes and 20 call tones. It also has a backlit screen, a headset jack and VOX, which starts sending when it hears your voice, so your hands stay free.14
• T82 Extreme. Raises the claim to up to 10 km and adds an IPX4 rating, an LED torch and an emergency button you hold for 3 seconds.15
• T92 H2O. Keeps the 10-km claim and adds IP67, a face-up float with the included battery, USB-C charging and a red and white torch. It weighs 246 g.5

A new EU Talkabout starts on channels 1 to 8. You switch on channels 9 to 16 yourself, where the country allows them.16 The maker's EU documents list no weather channels and no Bluetooth for these four models.214155

Which Talkabout fits which use

• Kids, a yard or a campsite, lowest price: T110 in the US, T42 in the EU. Neither has privacy codes, so any radio on your channel hears you.
• Hiking and camping with a rechargeable battery: T470 in the US, T62 in the EU.
• Rain, a beach, a boat or snow: T600 H2O in the US, T92 H2O in the EU. Both float and carry IP67.
• Rain and splashes, not swimming: T82 Extreme in the EU, T470 or T800 in the US, all IPX4.
• Sharing your location through a phone: T800 in the US. No EU model in this guide has the app.

Motorola's MOTOTRBO and APX radios are business radios, not Talkabouts. They are covered in business two-way radio systems.

How far Talkabouts reach in real life

Every figure in the tables is Motorola's claim. The claims are best-case numbers for a clear path, such as mountain to valley.

For a feel of everyday distance, Cobra, another maker of 2 W US radios, lists 0.5 to 1 mile in a town and 1.5 to 3 miles or more on flat open ground.17 The Latvian spectrum regulator says PMR446 reaches a few hundred meters in a city and up to a few kilometers in the countryside.18 Plan around those numbers and treat the claims as a ceiling. The types of two-way radio guide explains how the services differ.

How to pair Talkabouts with each other and with other brands

1. Put both radios on the same channel.
2. Set the privacy code to 0 on both radios.
3. Call from one radio and listen on the other.
4. Add a code once the call works, the same number on both.

The code comes second because a radio with a code set ignores calls from a radio that sends no code.7 The T110 and T42 have no codes, so a radio that listens for them must have its code at 0.613

Across brands, codes 1 to 38 are the same 38 tones on Motorola, Midland, Uniden and Rocky Talkie. Above 38 the numbers differ: DCS 023 is code 39 on a Talkabout and DCS 1 on a Midland.19 The full lists are on channels and privacy codes. Pick both radios below and the matcher shows the setting for the second one.

Midland radios pair with the US Talkabouts the same way. See Midland walkie-talkies compared.

Questions

Sources

1. Talkabout T110 series data sheet · Motorola Solutions
2. Talkabout T42 data sheet · Motorola Solutions
3. Analogue and Digital PMR446 Information Sheet · Ofcom
4. Talkabout T470 data sheet · Motorola Solutions
5. Talkabout T92 H2O data sheet · Motorola Solutions
6. Talkabout T110 user guide · Motorola Solutions
7. Talkabout T600/T605 user guide · Motorola Solutions
8. Talkabout T600 data sheet · Motorola Solutions
9. Talkabout T800 data sheet · Motorola Solutions
10. Talkabout T800/T801 user guide · Motorola Solutions