Motorola T9500XLR 25-Mile Two-Way Radios

Wow, what junk. These worked fine for about two weeks, then worked intermittently and are now dead. Now comes the hassle of sending them back to Motorola and probably paying more to have them fixed than buying new ones. These never should have made it off the drawing board.

After owning 2-way FRS/GMRS radios by Bellsouth, Cobra, and Motorola, Motorola radios were always the highest quality. They may not have been the best in every area, but they were always consistently high quality and they always worked. The last 3 models I've owned have all been Motorola.

I purchased the T9500XLR (their current top-of-the-line 26-mile radio) the other day to replace my T4900s. I was appalled at them. The sound quality from the speaker sucks compared to the older, cheaper T4900s. And worse yet, the sound transmitted cuts in and out continually - at any range and at any transmit power. Whether in the next room or half a mile away, the sound was the same low quality with voices cutting in and out. No settings affected this.

I ordered a pair of Midland GXT710VP3 radios instead. They're *way* better. They're what the T9500XLRs should be.

These are nice radios with lots of useful features. The rechargeable Nicad batteries are a good feature. They are the right size and for family style radios they appear well built. I was hoping for a range of about 10% of what was advertized (2.5 miles) but around our farm the best I could get was about 1.5 miles. I bought them to use on a boating trip. Maybe over open water I will be able to get the 2.5 miles that I was hoping for.

I purchased these to replace my aging T7200's, but there is no comparison. The 7200's are far better. The 9500XLR have very poor sound quality (very tinny, like talking in a can), the volume doesn't go high enough, and the reception is poor. I spent a few days using these two models side-by-side and the weaknesses in these radios jump out immediately. I am happy to say that Amazon accepted my return. Don't make the same mistake I did. Look for a different model.

This has been very useful not just for fun but @ remote locations of work related business. I would suggest easier menu layout. the ability to silence PTT confirmation. Better Clip design recommended. overall best buy considering what is out there.