28 HAPPY TALKIE, TALKIE, HAPPY TALK...

We have all seen Top Gear where the guys are dicking about, ripping the back out of each other via walkie-talkie as one or all of their cars slowly falls to bits, well I want some of that action - not the vehicles falling to bits part you understand, no I want a walkie-talkie.

A few minutes of research shows that the devices come in all shapes, sizes, and prices.  For what we want, I reckon we should look at something for about £20 or £30 that has a good range, is drop-proof, and is easy to set up.

After some really quick comparisons, I'll probably get Motorola handsets.  They tick many boxes and are made by a company I've actually heard of.  It doesn't hurt that I've narrowed it down to two that look cool, too.

What are the two I've narrowed it down to?  First, the Motorola TLKR T62 has 16 channels, 121 sub-channels and an easy pairing function.  It has a range of up to 8 km, an LCD display, a battery-level display, dual power powered by AA standard alkaline batteries or rechargeable NIMH batteries, and costs a reasonable £25 per handset.

The other option is the Motorola TALKABOUT T82 Extreme, which is very similar but has more features, including IPx4 weather protection (so it is splash-proof), an LED flashlight, a VOX function (so it can be voice-activated, genuine hands-free), and has a range of up to 10 km.  Again, it has an easy pairing function but features a 'hidden' display, which helps conserve battery.  Because of the extra features, the handsets cost £40 each.

Is it worth £15 more for an LED light and voice activation?  Possibly not.  Is the extra cost for a more powerful handset with a better range worth it?  Probably.  However, will we benefit from this extra range if we travel in a convoy?  Almost certainly not.  Something to think about in the future.