Motorola T82 Extreme is my PMR446 Walkie-Talkie

As a kid, I always wanted a set of Walkie Talkies to chat with friends. We got cell phones as adults, but that desire remained. A few years back, I took the HAM exam, but then COVID hit us, and I didn’t apply for a call sign. Now I have to retake the exams online, as the system now doesn’t allow me to apply for a call sign with paper exam results. I will take that exam again. But in the meantime, I also wanted something that I could use with friends and family who I don’t think are interested in taking an exam or applying for a license. Hence this search.

I do have a kind of Walkie-talkie in the form of Helmet communications. There are some issues with using it as a general communications device. Some that matter to me are

• It’s not open; it’s proprietary. The only part of that ecosystem that is open is Sena’s Universal Intercom protocol, which uses Bluetooth. It comes with its own limitations.
• It’s made for helmet communication. Even if you plan to reuse it, it’s challenging to use in other situations due to its form factor.
• It uses 2.5 GHz (the same frequency range as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.), so its range is somewhat limited. In our tests, it was around 700-900m direct line of sight. Some support a proprietary mesh network to increase the range.

Requirements

With all this, I was left to look for a walkie-talkie.

• Is the license free in India? Ideally, across the world, but at least in India.
• Open protocols
• Decent range
• Multi purpose
• Easy to use, it shouldn’t take more than five minutes to learn its functionality
• Easy to manage, charge, and rugged. I plan to use it everywhere.
• Widely recognized brand and model. So I don’t get stopped at the airport and other places while I am carrying it.
• Supported in India
• True walkie-talkie, not PTT over the cell network.

License-free and open

There are two bands used for public, license-free communication without encryption. The Family Radio Service (FRS) is used in the USA and Canada. FRS operates between 462.5625 MHz and 467.7125 MHz. And PMR446 (private mobile radio used in most of Europe and India.

PMR446 is a private mobile radio that operates between 446.0 – 446.2 MHz in India. It’s a license-free band, as per the Gazette Notification G.S.R. 1047(E). Since I am dealing with India, I will focus on it. The rules limit output power to 0.5 W. It doesn’t seem like much, but you can reach a kilometer or more in urban conditions with buildings and trees. A 5KM to 10KM in direct line of sight conditions. It’s much better than my helmet communication system. The rules allow channel spacing of 6.25 kHz (Digital) and 12.5 kHz (analog). The frequency range can accommodate 16 analog or 32 digital channels. I have a dedicated page about the PMR446 band, channels, channel guarding, etc. The most important thing to know is that we need to select walkie-talkies that operate PMR446 in India.

I have shown the snippet from the Gazette and given link to the rules for your reference. Please get your own legal advice. I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice.

The protocols are standardized, and most follow the ETSI Harmonised European Standard. Since this is something all vendors use, if someone wants to build, the protocol is not a secret sauce. This also makes the technology and walkies vendor-neutral.

Privacy

There is no encryption on PMR446. So you shouldn’t communicate anything that needs encryption on these bands. There is no privacy. There are ways to keep a set of people independent by using a specific channel and Squelch (CTSS or DCS). Squelch is called PL (Private Line) tone, CG (Channel Guard) tone, or QC (Quiet Channel) tone, depending on the vendor, but all refer to the same functionality. Basically, you use a channel and a specific CTSS or DCS code to keep your conversations independent from others. This setup doesn’t stop others from using the same combo and listening to you.

Motorola T82 Extreme

Armed with this information and requirement, I started my search, and my final list was

• Motorola Talkabout T82 Extreme – Manual
• Kenwood TK 3501
• Wavex PT100
• Vertel Team Talkie Radio
• Sanchar G3U
• Baofeng GT-68 PMR Walkie Talkie

If I had money, I would have tried each of them and then decided which to go with. Based on the information I found online, I went with the T82 by Motorola. If you have any other model listed here, let me know, and we can test them together.

In terms of cost, it wasn’t cheap; a pair of them cost me INR 18,000. It came in a package with two walkies, a carrying case, a charger, NIMH rechargeable batteries, earpieces, belt clips, etc. It’s probably the most expensive pair. G3U or PT100 is half the price.

Things I like

1. Brand recognition. Everyone knows Motorola. It also looks colorful, playful, rugged, and harmless. The support in India is good, and the community around it is also good. I have had other Motorola phones (pre-smartphone era cell phones), and they have been very rugged and have had very positive experiences in general.
2. It’s rugged. It can be used in conditions where others can’t be used. I won’t be scared to put it on a motorcycle handlebar or hang it outside my backpack. I am also not worried about water splashing on it (IPX4), though I wouldn’t submerge it. Also, not worried about accidentally dropping them.
3. A replaceable, rechargeable, 800 mAh NIMH battery powers it. It can be recharged using a micro USB charger. That said, you can replace the NIMH battery with 3 x AA Alkaline batteries in an emergency. The promised battery life is around 18 hours. Even if it’s just half, I will be happy. One can also upgrade to a 1300 mAh NiMH battery if required.
4. It comes with a headset with a boom mic. That makes it usable inside the helmet if you want, or use it hands-free. It has VOX/iVOX (Internal Voice Operated / Voice Operated Transmission ), which lets you transmit without pressing a button. It has three levels of sensitivity for voice activation. By default, it is in PTT (Push To Talk) mode, where you need to press and hold a button to talk. In VOX mode, sound activates the transmission. So all you do is speak, and the radio will transmit for you. This is especially useful when you are riding or doing manual work.
5. It supports 8 PMR Channels. User expandable to 16 Channels in countries where it’s allowed by government authorities. And 121 Sub-Codes (38 CTCSS Codes & 83 DCS codes). So, there are plenty of options to isolate your group from others.
6. It’s very easy to use. Manuals and settings are very easy. It probably takes less than 5 minutes to teach someone to start using it effectively.
7. It has an Emergency Alert Mode with a dedicated button that can signal members of your group for help.
8. It has dual-channel monitoring. It lets you listen to two channels and engage with the primary one.
9. There are other features, such as a flashlight, roger Tone, channel monitoring and scanning, easy pairing, etc.
10. The range has been good. I was able to get at least 1 KM in urban settings with buildings. I continue to do more range tests. I will write a separate post about it.
11. As such, there is no limit to the number of folks you can have on the same channel. This is true for most Walkie-Talkies.

Things to improve

1. Micro USB. It should have been USB-C even if it was just 5 watts.
2. Price. It is expensive. I am looking to try Wavex PT100 and Vertel, which are half the price. If you have, let me know. We can compare.

Conclusion

Should you get it? Maybe. It depends on your need. But once you start using it, you will see how useful it becomes. Especially if you ride or drive a lot in teams, or have a farm or work in a place with poor or no network, trek, or run events, etc. As far as me, I am still going to use BluArmor while riding. But I will surely carry it along with me.

It’s also a good entry point into HAM radio. It’s good enough to generate interest among kids and adults about analog communications.

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