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| | Customer Reviews: | | | Average Customer Review: ( 84 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
247 of 252 found the following review helpful:
 Very cool! Dec 24, 2007
By Leslie
"BookGroupBooks"
I own both the TriSquare and Motorola Talkabout radios Those of you who like to take your kids outdoors or skiing, may find this of interest.
Motorola T9500XLR 25-Mile 2-Way Radio
======================================
This is a typical walkie talkie. It 22 channels in the 462 MHz range and has 2 watts of power using GMRS/FRS protocols. The "25-mile" range is the theoretical max (i.e. on the lunar surface).
The main problem with this technology is, well, other people. Imagine 1,000 people sharing 22 channels at Disney World. Motorola goes through great lengths to filter out other people. This is achieved by
(1) A special filter that blocks non-Motorola radios. A nice idea, but unfortunately 90% of walkie talkies are made by Motorola.
(2) A special privacy code which is assigned to each channel. Thus, all your Motorola radios have to be configured to the same privacy code in order to work with each other. Codes range from 1 to 121.
Nonetheless, even with filters and privacy encryption, if someone else is transmitting on your channel, there will be significant interference.
TriSquare TSX-300 eXRS 900MHz FHSS 2-Way Radio
================================================
These use a completely different technology. They transmit on 900 MHz in a 100% digital protocol. They sort of work like cell phones, without the service provider. Each radio is assigned a unique 10-digit number. No matter how crowded the ski resort, you'll always have a private channel for your family. These radios use 1 watt of power. The manufacturer does not provide distance performace, but claim that the radios have a range equal to or better than the Motorola Talkabouts.
Comparison
==========
I took both brands with me and drove around town - a typical suburban setting with residential and commercial areas. I rated voice quality on a scale of 0 to 3 as follows:
0 no reception
1 unintelligible
2 intelligible but noisy or garbled
3 intelligible and clear
I then plotted the average rating as a function of distance. The digital eXRS technology was superior to the GMRS/FRS model. The eXRS average rating was 25% better than the Motorola Talkabout. The max distance I could get in my area (having lots of trees and buildings) was .45 miles with either radio. The Motorola box claims "2 miles in an urban setting", which is just not true in my case.
The Motorol wins in overall voice quality. When the signal is strong, the voice quality of the Motorola was quite clear, whereas the eXRS unit always had a some background white noise.
Conclusion
===========
The TriSquare eXRS radios lack a bit in overall voice quality. However, having great voice quality in a Motorola radio is worthless if you can't get through on a crowded channel. The benefits of the eXRS radios out way the one or two shortcomings, in my opinion. I tried the TriSquare units at a ski resort. They work just as advertised. No interference from other people whatsoever.
The TriSquare comes with two vox headsets, which work fairly well. The Motorola talkabout did not come with headsets, which cost $20 a piece at Radio Shack.
Niether the Motorola Talkabout nor the TriSquare eXRS seem particularly rugged or weather resistant, so I'd rate them the same in that regard.
The NOAA weather reception on the TriSquare was pretty bad. I have two other NOAA radios, which work just fine in my area. The Talkabout had very good NOAA reception.
153 of 156 found the following review helpful:
Great radio, finally a private radio without other jerks butting in Jun 11, 2008
By D. Turner
I discovered this radio from an electrician's website. I was impressed that the company was very straightforward about the radio's specs, no outrageous mileage claims and so forth. The company even has hams on their payroll. So I ordered a pair. I found it was easy to set up. Then the test. I have one of those high powered frs/gmrs radios to test against. Set up the eXRS and an FRS radio side by side by a recorder and then took a long walk with the other pair. I would key the FRS and give a test broadcast and then with the eXRS at varying distances. Then came back through my apartment complex and angled my location to increase the number of buildings and apartment they had to transmit through, up to a maximum of 3 buildings and 46 apartments. The FRS, since it is analog, became staticy and noisy. The eXRS' remained clear. When the FRS was about to fade into the static, the eXRS finally had a little chop in it's transmission. You have to give it a second to key up to transmit, but it's a great radio and the price makes it an even hotter deal! The channels and groups makes this act almost like a trunked radio system, but without the trunk. I took it to work and then over to the radio shop (national name company well recognized for radios) and had them try to scan it and crack the channel hopping spread spectrum. Even with their equipment, they were not able to monitor a transmission. If they had the software source code, they could have, but without the source code, even with highly specialized radio maintenance equipment that cost tens of thousands of dollars, they could not monitor this radio! If you do not know the channel, you would have a better chance of being struck by lightning on a sunny day of finding a conversation. Honest spec sheet from the manufacture, a radio that performs as advertised, and a great price. If given a choice for FRS or eXRS, the eXRS wins hands down. The only con is that if you like to listen to others on the radio, this is not the radio for that.
Update! I received 2 more xrs's today! Now I have 4! They really are great. I was with some friends in a park area that has a lot of people around, and a lot of FRS radios too. It was a somewhat public event. They were trying to do communications with the concessions and other posts. Yes, they could have used cell phones, but not everyone wants everyone else's cellphone number published, hence their decision to use FRS radios. I let my friends borrow the other 3 radios and I was with someone that was running a "base" operation for their event. It wasn't very long when other FRS users were intruding on their radios and causing problems, even with them using the "privacy codes". They were amazed that my radio didn't have ANY intruders at all. Even more impressed was when there was an injury, I could talk directly to just one of my radios without the others aware of what was happening! A private radio call to the individual with the radio! The closest of my radios was about 2,200 feet and the farthest one was about 5,000 feet, just under a mile as the crow flies.
One other thing, other posts are confused about licenses. FRS does not require a license (channels 1-14). GMRS (channel 15-22)does require a license. Those radios that have FRS and GMRS together, well, the FCC expects you to honor the honor system and not use the GMRS frequencies if you are not licensed to use GMRS. The eXRS radio are license free! A truly great little radio that has an honest manufacturer that doesn't make exaggerated claims, only state what the product is. I am very happy with my radios and probably could have sold several at that event if I had been a salesman.
Yet another update! This time, a comparison between CB, FRS, and the eXRS radios in deep wilderness woods. The wilderness is the Ouachita National Forest, a good mix of hardwoods and pines. Very dense. You can walk 50 yards into the woods and disappear. I kept my test to the more level area, mainly valleys. The FRS radios faded into the static at about 1,700 feet, as measured by the GPS. The eXRS faded away at about 1,920 feet. The CB handhelds, made it to 2,010 before they faded into the static. Funny thing on the CB's, we were hearing skip from Mexico but couldn't hear our other CB 1,920 feet away.
I've had my radios since eary June, and like them better than the FRS radios that I have. I still carry my FRS radios because not everyone has an eXRS yet, but all that see mine are impressed at the privacy of the radio's and the features that come with it. Some people seem to have problems with them, but I followed the eXRS manufactures description of the radios, expecting similar range (realistic, actual range. None of the 20 mile exaggerations of FRS manufacturers) of an FRS and the eXRS matches with a little more in every case.
June 2009. One final update! The Riverfest celepbration at the Riverfront Park was a very good test for these radios. There were thousands of people there, with many, many FRS radios. This event was separated by the Arkansas River. North Shore vs. South shore. The closest we were was 1,400 feet. The longest of our transmissions was 2,700 feet. My friends had FRS radios. I let them have one of my eXRS radios to take over to the north side. They had a lot of difficulties with the FRS radios. Too many people walking on them. All the privacy thing does is prevent you from hearing others. But there were people selecting their codes on their channels also. The 3 day event meant a lot of channel and code hopping and many times, unable to hear at all. Not for the eXRS radios. The only time they let us down was when the batteries ran down after about 7 hours of heavy use. All conversations were clear. No intrusions from anyone. We were at the ampitheater and had the girls walk to the western end of the park, about 2,700 feet and the FRS radios were a pain. the eXRS radio still worked just fine. Several people there thought the radios were really good and couldn't believe that they were no more powerful than the FRS radios, just better use of the spectrum.
So, I've tested these in the woods, tested them around my apartment complex, and now, tested them in a crowd of thousands. Hands down, the eXRS radio!
106 of 111 found the following review helpful:
 Could be excellent Aug 04, 2009
By Martin Anderson
"Martin"
I've tested six of these radios for several hours. The range is quite good for a personal radio, and was better than FRS radios that I've used in the past. However, I found that whenever I changed channels on two of the units (for example, to chat privately), and then changed them back, they would be unable to communicate with the remaining units for some period of time. I also found that if you turned on two units and talked between them, and then turned on a third unit within 20 seconds or so, the third unit would be unable to communicate with the first two.
I exchanged emails with technical support and determined that the problem is caused by a design issue with these units which essentially requires you to wait 30 seconds before transmitting whenever you change channels or when you first turn the unit on. If you don't wait, your unit might become out of sync with the other units, and you won't be able to hear or talk to anyone, even if they are on your channel. You also have to keep the newly turned on unit at least 20-25 feet away from any other units that are already on, or they could become incorrectly synced.
Here's the problem: Each "channel" on this radio actually uses 50 separate frequencies and the radio hops between them whenever it is transmitting or receiving. When you first turn on a radio, or when you change to a new channel, your radio goes to the Frequency #1 for that channel and waits there until one of two things happen: Either you push the transmit button, or the radio picks up someone else doing so. The moment that happens, the radios begins hopping through the 50 frequences in a sequence that is defined by the channel number you selected. When you stop talking, the radio continues through all 50 frequencies, and then returns to Frequency #1 to wait for another transmission. These radios take about 20 seconds to hop through all 50 frequencies.
As long as both radios begin hopping at the same time, everything works great. But, if one radio transmits within 20 seconds before another is turned on, the two will be out of sync.
Here's an example: If you turn both Radio #1 and #2 on at the same time, and then start transmitting, Radio #1 will transmit, Radio #2 will receive, and they will both begin hopping together, through frequencies #2 to #50. All is well.
If you then turn on Radio #3 while Radio #1 and #2 are doing their hopping, it will be on frequency #1. It will wait at Frequency #1 until either you transmit or it hears someone else transmitting on Frequency #1. It cannot hear radios #1 and #2 because they aren't on frequency #1. They are hopping through frequencies #2-50 and will be doing so for roughly 20 seconds before they return back to frequency #1. If you wait for radio #1 and #2 to get back to Frequency #1 (which can take as long as 20 seconds), then Radio #3 will join the hopping and Radio #3 can hear Radio #1 and #2.
However, if you transmit on Radio #3 before Radios #1 and #2 return to Frequency #1, Radio #3 will begin hopping, but it will be out of sync with Radio #1 and #2. Thus, Radio #3 might be hopping past frequency #13, but Radios #1 and #2 may be hopping past frequency #42. They won't be able to talk to one another.
So, if you have transmitted on Radio #3, you'll have to stop transmitting on Radio #3, and wait 20 seconds for it to get back to Frequency #1 (where it will stop) or turn the radio off and then back on (so it will start on frequency #1). Then you'll have to wait another 15-20 seconds for radio #1 and #2 to get back to frequency #1 as well. Then all the radios will be in sync again.
To complicate matters just a little further, if Radio #2 is receiving a transmission and Radio #3 changes to the same channel as Radio #2, Radio #2 will emit some kind of spurious emissions which can confuse Radio #3 and cause it to begin hopping even though it is not in sync. This will cause a choppy/staticy signal on Radio #3, and will cause the radio to begin hopping even though it is not in sync. The signal will come and go.
To solve this problem, you can move Radio #3 away from any radio receiving on the same channel (at least 25 feet) and then wait for it to sync with all of the other radios.
The same problem can occur if you turn all three radios on at the same time in close proximity, and then transmit on one. One of the two that is receiving can send out a spurious emission causing the third to be out of sync.
These problems are relatively easy to overcome if you know about the issues and you either never change the channels or always wait 20-30 seconds after doing so. But, if you are using three or more, you probably want to use the private channel feature, which allows two radios to go off on their own. If they do so, when they come back to the group channel, they may be out of sync with the radios that did not go to a private chat, if any of them have transmitted within 20 second before the private chatters came back to the group channel.
Even worse, the private chatters will probably be in sync with each other, and so they'll be able to talk on the group channel, but they won't be heard by anyone else and they won't hear anyone else, until they stop and wait 30 or so seconds...
So, if you are willing to wait 30 or so seconds every time you turn the radio on or change channels, and your radio isn't near another radio during that time period, everything's fine. But, I really would prefer a radio that doesn't have these issues.
Motorola makes a radio (that is much more expensive) that doesn't appear to have these problems, and I've had multi-handset cordless phones that use Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum that don't have this problem either. My FHSS cordless even has a 2-way mode, and I've never seen this type of issue before. I assume that this is something that they could correct with a handshaking protocal.
There are several ways this problem could be engineered to work right. The units could sync themselves to a clock when they first connected and then use that clock to determine which channels to hop to when channels are changed, or a single frequency could be used in order to coodinate hops.
It's too bad they didn't resolve this issue. If they had, this would be a great product.
37 of 38 found the following review helpful:
Superior to FRS Dec 30, 2009
By Kenneth Folsom
Got mine from Amazon about a year ago. Paid less than $80 (with shipping) for the two radio set with charger. The "Black and Grey" units were my choice, but the Camo units are pretty snazzy.
I've been into radio my entire life as a hobby. I have bought and used so many FRS radios, CB walkie talkies and various amateur radios I cannot name them all. I'm not downing or bad mouthing FRS at all, but since I bought these radios, I will not go back. FRS is good for socializing, but for privacy and immunity to interference, the Trisquares are far superior. I range tested them against three different FRS radios, and the Trisquare was superior. Trisquare does not play the "Range Game." Trisquare simply states that their radios will outperform FRS in terms of range, all things being equal.
At one Watt output, the Trisquare is twice as powerful as a full output (.5 Watt) FRS. This "should" give about 25% greater range, all else being equal. My testing confirmed this with the three FRS units I range tested against the Trisquare.
The radio feels quite substantial and fits in my average sized hand perfectly. The contoured ribbed sides give a secure grip. One fell out of my coat pocket onto concrete from a height of about five feet. The radio only took a small ding, but still functions perfectly. The back-lighted buttons are arranged so as to be easily used with the thumb, so one handed operation is possible. The keyboard can be locked and unlocked with a single button push, and the power button can be used to turn the display lamp on or off. There are no rattling or loose parts inside.
I found the belt clip to be flimsy, so I tossed it and glued on a cell phone swivel button instead. The combination microphone/ear-piece was also flimsy, so I tossed it, but the TX/RX sound quality was good. Any "unpowered" single-pin Motorola mic/earphone will work with Trisquare.
The radios' battery can be charged while in the radio or separately in the drop-in charging base, but the radio doesn't sit securely enough in the charger to ensure reliable contact between the charger and the radio's charging contacts. The 750mAH NiMH battery is functional, but a higher capacity battery would increase operating time. A LiIon battery pack would be even better.
There is a bit of a learning curve to this radio, which is easily overcome by reading the online manual while waiting for the units to arrive. Menu options are quite intuitive.
Wireless cloning means no extra money spent on a cloning cable to set up a fleet of radios. Just set one up as you like and then clone the rest. Neat!
I carry the pair with me everywhere. I use them with my wife, kids and friends. When a cable tech came to my house to do some troubleshooting recently, I lent him one so we could coordinate his efforts.
Weather reception was about as good as one could expect from a radio that has such a short (one inch helically wound) antenna. I was able to get reception in Redlands, Ca., but it was marginal at best. An extendible antenna such as found on some cell phones would improve the Weather receive and increase communication range. Even so, I was able to get reliable communications out to approximately one mile in Yucaipa, Ca., in an area filled with varying topography, trees and one story brick and wood homes between myself outside on foot and my wife inside our home.
I was able to communicate from one end of town (about four miles) to the other while I was at a high elevation. Communication was spot-on crystal clear, and I believe that the range would have been greater, but I did not test farther out because my testing partner ran out of steam and wanted to stop. Amusement parks should not present a problem, as I've read in other reviews, but your mileage may vary.
These radios can be used with any AA battery. The supplied rechargeable packs provide about 10 hours of use. 5% transmit, 5% receive and 90% standby.
The unit does have a "cellphone"-like appearance, but still a bit "toyish" looking. I'd like to see them built more "Business" like their Motorola counterpart, but for the price, it's acceptable. The Trisquare is not inter-operable with the Motorola DTR series because the two companies use different proprietary designs. Considering that the Motorola DTR series starts at $250+ EACH, I'll spend my money on the Trisquare.
The receive volume is loud enough to be heard over traffic, and voice quality is slightly digitized, but still perfectly intelligible, with a little bit of wavering sound. VOX is a nice addition, but I don't find it to be a major selling point. I verified that VOX is functional with three levels of sensitivity. I never use it.
Texting works well enough, but with only alphanumeric keys, it's a slow and tedious experience. Six pre-programed messages and five user-programmable messages add functionality and convenience, however. There is no acknowledgement that the text was received, so this adds little real value to the unit. I don't use it.
FHSS ensures that casual scanner listeners cannot monitor or eavesdrop. Even other Trisquare users cannot monitor your communications unless they have the same codes programmed into them.
10 Billion "virtual" channels (frequency hopping sequences) enables 100,000+ Trisquares to operate in range with no interference. Conversely, as few as 50 FRS radios in-range would render that service practically useless due to channel congestion.
The Trisquare(900 MHz ISM band) can hold up to 100 "contacts" which can be a combination of groups and individual units. This makes fleet management easy. You can call entire groups at once, or any individual unit directly for private conversations. Try that with FRS(462/467 MHz), and you will become frustrated very quickly.
The TriSquare is license-free, and can be used for personal or business purposes.
I should add that I have only used two of these units at the same time. The radios stayed synced up continually. It is possible that using more than two could result in one or more units to lose sync briefly, mostly when a unit would be out of range momentarily and would re-sync automatically once back in range within 20-30 seconds. This is not a design flaw. It is an operating characteristic of the FHSS emission type as executed by Trisquare.
There are reviewers who have stated that battery life is affected by the radio continually transmitting to keep sync. This is incorrect. The units transmit "only" when the PTT is pressed. I confirmed this on my own with a spectrum analyzer as part of my initial testing.
Other reviewers have stated that there is a "continuous pilot carrier" to sync all units while the unit is transmitting. This is also incorrect. I confirmed this as above. A pilot carrier would defeat the purpose of FHSS.
All in all, I feel that the money was well spent on these fine radios. For their capabilities and features, I would recommend these radios without reservation.
Sorry it was so long.
39 of 41 found the following review helpful:
 Private Local Communication - Better Than FRS Jun 22, 2008
By Michael Chesbro
The TriSquare TSX300 radios are an excellent addition to anyone's personal communications system.
The radio package comes with 2-radios, 2-headsets, and a dual desktop charger to recharge the battery packs. (You can also power the radios with three standard AA alkaline batteries.
Similar to FRS radios in size and range, there are some differences which make the TSX300 radios an excellent option.
The radios operate in the 900 MHz range in a frequency hopping spread spectrum mode. This means that you key in a starting 10-digit number and frequency hops 10 times per second from that point giving you private communication. Trying to monitor the radios with a scanner was unsuccessful, and even with another TSX300 without knowing the starting number you can't monitor the conversation. The way the system is set up you get 10-Billion channels - or frequency hopping patterns to keep you conversation private.
The TSX300 radios have a text messaging function - similar to cell-phone text messaging - that lets you send a text message to others on the same channel which they can read at a later time. Text messages are limited to 80 characters per message.
There is a private "My Radio" function that lets you call a single radio out of a group instead of broadcasting to everyone on a channel.
Actual range on these radios in a rural area has been about 1-mile, with the text message function giving a little bit longer range than voice mode.
Finally, the TSX300 radios contain the NOAA Weather band so you can get a weather report when needed.
Overall I found the TSX300 radios to be an excellent value. About the only negative point I found with these radios is that they are not as strongly constructed as I might like. They have a plastic casing (similar to most FRS radios) which I would like to see made a bit more sturdily, but even so they are not in any way `junk'.
If you are looking for a way to have private and generally secure local communication the TSX300 is a good choice. It does everything an FRS radio can do - plus a whole lot more.
See all 84 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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