Motorola Talkabout T800 Two-Way Radios, 2 Pack-User Guide

Motorola Talkabout T800 Two-Way Radios, 2 Pack

Specifications

• BRAND: Motorola Solutions,
• NUMBER OF CHANNELS: 22,
• NUMBER OF BATTERIES: 2 AA batteries,
• ITEM DIMENSIONS LxWxH: 7.52 x 2.2 x 1.28 inches,
• ITEM WEIGHT: 0.47 Pounds,
• WATER RESISTANCE LEVEL: Waterproof,
• INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION RATING: IPX4,
• TALKING RANGE MAXIMUM: 35 Miles

Introduction

The T800 two-way radio operates like any other radio, transmitting data via radio channels to keep you connected while you’re off the grid. Once your smartphone is connected to your radio through Bluetooth, the Motorola Talkabout smartphone app allows you to communicate in ways other than push-to- talk. The Motorola Talkabout software uses the T800 as a modem to relay messages, positions, and other information to other T800 users across radio frequencies.

BUTTON CONTROLS

DISPLAY SCREEN

Installing the Batteries

Discard the retailer tag (loose in one of the battery compartments) before installing the batteries. Each radio can use either one NiMH rechargeable battery pack or three AA alkaline batteries and beeps when the batteries are low.

1. Turn the radio off.
2. With the back of the radio facing you, push the latch on battery cover to the left to unlock the battery cover.
3. For NiMH battery pack, insert the battery pack by following the instruction on the battery pack. Observe the polarity. For AA alkaline batteries, insert the batteries and observe polarity.
4. The ribbon should be underneath the battery pack or batteries and must wrap around the right side of the pack or batteries for easy removal.
5. Close the battery cover and push the latch to the right to lock the battery cover.

Battery Capacity Maintenance

1. Charge the NiMH batteries once every 3 months when not in use. After longer lapse, the start of charging in radio will be delayed and can take up to five minutes.
2. Before placing the radio in storage, remove the battery.
3. Batteries corrode over time and may cause permanent damage to your radio.
4. Store the NiMH batteries in temperature between -20 °C to 35 °C and in low humidity. Avoid damp conditions and corrosive materials.

Using the Micro-USB Charger

The micro-USB charger allows you to conveniently charge your NiMH battery pack.

1. Power OFF your radio before you start charging.
2. Plug the micro-USB cable into the micro-USB charging port on your radio. Connect the other end of the micro- USB charger to wall power outlet.
3. An empty battery will be fully charged in 11 hours.
4. The battery meter bar will scroll when the battery is charging.

Attaching and Removing the Belt Clip

1. Attach the belt clip to the belt clip slot at the back of the radio until the clip clicks in place.
2. Attach the belt clip to pocket or belt strap until the clip clicks in place.

To Remove

1. Push the release tab on top of the belt clip to release the latch.
2. Pull the belt clip away from the back of the radio.

Turning your Radio on and Off

1. To turn your radio ON, turn the rotary knob clockwise.
2. In the ON position, the radio chirps and briefly shows all feature icons available on the radio.
3. The display screen then shows the current channel, code and all features that are enabled. The radio is now in Two-Way mode.
4. To turn your radio OFF, turn the rotary knob counterclockwise.

Setting the Volume

From any mode, to increase volume is by turning the rotary knob clockwise. To decrease volume, turn the rotary knob counterclockwise.

Talking and listening:

To communicate, all radios in your group must be set to the same channel and Interference Eliminator Code.

1. Press and hold the PTT button to talk. When transmitting, screen displays Tx icon and blinks TWO WAY icon. If it is a high-power transmission, HI icon is displayed. If it is a low power transmission, LO icon is displayed. Screen will time out except TX, HI, LO and battery icons. These will remain lit until PTT button is released.
2. When you are finished talking, release the PTT button.
3. When receiving, TWO WAY icon blinks and RX is shown. If it is a high-power channel, HI is shown. If it is a low power channel, LO is shown.

For maximum clarity, hold the radio one inch away from your mouth and speak directly into the microphone. Do not cover the microphone while talking.

Talk Range

Your radio is designed to maximize performance and improve transmission range. Do not use the radios closer than 5 ft apart.

Power Boost

To boost the power of your radio to high power, press the top portion of the PTT button when talking (labeled H). If you know your party is close by, you can conserve the energy of your battery by pushing the lower part of the PTT button to use less power (labeled L).

Monitor Button

Press and hold Scan/Monitor button for three seconds to enter Monitor mode and listen for weak signals on the current channel. You can also listen to the volume level of the radio when you are not receiving. This allows you to adjust the volume, if necessary.

Push-to-Talk Timeout Timer

To prevent accidental transmissions and save battery life, the radio emits a continuous warning tone and stops transmitting if you press the PTT button for more than 60 continuous seconds.

Mode Button

By pressing Mode button, the user will be seamlessly switching between two-way and weather mode. When radio is in two-way mode, TWO WAY will be shown. When radio is in weather mode, WEATHER option will be shown. Corresponding setting and information will be shown on the display.

Selecting Channels:

Your radio has 22 channels. The channel is the frequency the radio uses to transmit. (See the “Channels and Frequencies” table on overleaf for details).

1. With the radio on, press Menu/Lock button until the channel number starts to flash. When the radio is on a 0.5 W channel, display shows LO. When the radio is on a 2 W channel, display shows HI. The current channel flashes.
2. Press + or -, to change the channel. Long press on these keys allows you to scroll through the channels rapidly.
3. Press the PTT button to save the channel setting and exit Menu or Menu/Lock button to continue set up.

Selecting the Interference Eliminator Code

Interference Eliminator Codes help minimize interference by blocking transmissions from unknown sources. Your radio has 121 Interference Eliminator Codes. Codes 1–38 are standard analog codes that appear on other FRS radios. Codes 39–121 are additional digital codes added for superior interference protection. 0 is the off position, no analog or digital codes are enabled.

To set the code for a channel:

1. Press Menu/Lock button until the code starts to flash.
2. Press + or – to select the code. Long press on these keys allows you to scroll through the codes rapidly.
3. Press the PTT button to save the code setting and exit

Menu or Menu/Lock button to continue set up. You can set a different code for each channel using this procedure.

Bluetooth:

The radio uses Bluetooth LE version 4.2 and is compatible with smartphones with IOS version 9 onwards and Android version 4.3 onwards. The Bluetooth enables the connection between radio and smartphone. Once your smartphone is connected to your radio over Bluetooth, the Talkabout smartphone app enables communication options beyond push-to-talk on the radio. The Talkabout app uses the T8xx as a modem to send messages, locations and others through the radio frequencies to the other T8xx users.

The Bluetooth enables data transmissions, it does not enable audio transmission from phone to radio or vice versa, nor is it used for connection to a Bluetooth headset.

Turn ON Bluetooth on your radio to connect with Talkabout APP installed on your smart phone. Make sure Bluetooth on your smart phone is turned ON.

1. Press Menu/Lock until appears. The current Bluetooth setting will flash.
2. Press + or – to change the setting.
3. Press the PTT button to set and exit menu to continue set up.
4. Once Bluetooth is turned ON, the glows static for five seconds, then move to “Waiting to be Paired” mode.
5. In “Waiting to be Paired” mode, flashes fast for 90 seconds before switching OFF to save battery life. Before it switches off, you will get two warning alerts (one beep at 60 seconds and two beeps at 90 seconds) before Bluetooth turns OFF.
6. If pairing is successful, the glows static for three seconds, then move into “Bluetooth connected” mode.
7. When Bluetooth is connected, the bluetooth icon will continue blinking slowly.

Setting the call tone to Setting and Transmitting Call Tones

Your radio can transmit different call tones to other radios in your group so you can alert them that you want to talk. Your radio has 20 call tones from which to choose.

To set a call tone:

1. Press Menu/Lock button until Tone sign appears. The current call tone setting will flash.
2. Press + or – to change and hear the call tone.
3. Press the PTT button to set the new call tone and exit Menu.

To transmit your call tone to other radios set up to the same channel and Interference Eliminator Code on your radio, and press Call Tone button.

Dual Watch Mode

Enables you to scan the current channel and another channel alternately.

To set another channel and start Dual Watch.

1. Press Menu/Lock until 2CH appears. The 2CH will flash.
2. Press + or – to select the channel, then press Menu Lock button.
3. Press + or – to select the code.
4. Press the PTT button or wait until the time out to activate Dual Watch. The screen will alternate between Home Channel and Dual Watch Channel.
5. To end Dual Watch mode, Press Menu Lock icon.

VibraCallTM Alert

VibraCallTM is a vibrating alert that notifies you that your radio is receiving a message. This is useful in noisy environments. The Vibrate Alert will be triggered when you received a call. It will then only be triggered again if there is no activity within 30 seconds after the previous call.

1. To turn vibrating alerts on, press Menu/Lock button until phone icon is displayed. The current setting will flash.
2. Press + or – to change the setting to on/Off.
3. Press the PTT button to confirm and exit Menu or Menu/Lock button to continue set up.

Keypad Tones.

You may enable or disable the speaker key tones. You will hear the key tone each time a button is pushed.

1. Press Menu/Lock button until  appears. The current setting on/Off will flash.
2. Press either + or – to turn On or Off.
3. Press the PTT button to confirm and exit Menu or Menu/Lock button to continue set up.

Note: When the keypad tone feature is off, the following are not disabled:

• Transmit timeout alert tone
• Call tone
• Low battery alert tone or
• The transmitted talk confirmation tone

Transmitting a Talk Confirmation Tone

You can set your radio to transmit a unique tone when you finish transmitting. It is like saying “Roger” or “Over” to let others know you are finished talking.

1. Press Menu/Lock button until the bell icon appears. The current setting on/Off flashes.
2. Press + or – to turn On or Off.
3. Press the PTT button to set and exit.

Easy Pairing and Location Sharing Button

This button   has dual functionalities:

Easy Pairing

The Easy Pairing feature allows a group of radio users to program all their radios to the same Channel and Interference Eliminator Code settings quickly and simultaneously. Any one radio within the group can be designated as the “Leader’s radio” and have its Channel and Interference Eliminator Code settings transmitted to and copied by all the other radios in the group (Members’ radios).

1. Pick any one of the radios as the “Leader’s radio”. On this radio, program the Channel and Interference Eliminator Code to the desired settings. (See “Selecting the Channel” and “Selecting the Interference Eliminator Code” sections in this user manual).
2. To copy the channel and Interference Eliminator Code combination to all the other “Members’ radios”, press and hold the button on the Members’ radios until you hear a beep. Release the button after the beep, and wait for the transmission from the Leader’s radio.
3. Location Sharing

Short press  once to share and request location update. This functionality is only activated when paired over Bluetooth to your smartphone.

Scanning Channels

Use scan to search all channels for transmissions from unknown parties, to find someone in your group who has accidentally changed channels or to quickly find unused channels for your own use.

There is a priority feature and two modes of scanning (basic and advanced) to make your search more effective. The Basic Scan mode uses the channel and code combinations for each of the channels as you have set them (or with the default code value of

1). The “Advanced Scan” mode will scan all channels for any and all codes, detect any code in use and use that code value temporarily for that channel.

Priority is given to the “home channel”, that is, the channel (and Interference Eliminator Code) your radio is set to when you start the scan. This means the initial channel (and code settings) is scanned more often than the other channels and your radio will respond quickly to any activity occurring on the home channel as a priority.

To start Basic Scanning:

1. Briefly press the Scan/Monitor button. The scan will appear in the display and the radio will begin to scroll through the channel and code combinations.
2. When the radio detects channel activity matching the channel and code combination, it stops scrolling and you can hear the transmission.
3. To respond and talk to the person transmitting, press the PTT button within five seconds after the end of the transmission.
4. The radio will resume scrolling through the channels 5 seconds after the end of any received activity.
5. To stop scanning, briefly press the Scan/Monitor button.

To start Advanced Scanning

1. Set the Interference Eliminator Code to “zero” or OFF.
2. Briefly press the Scan/Monitor button. The scan will appear in the display and the radio will begin to scroll through the channels. No Interference Eliminator Codes will filter what is heard.
3. When the radio detects channel activity with ANY code (or NO code), it stops scrolling and you can hear the transmission. Any Interference Eliminator Code that may be in use by that party will be detected and displayed.
4. To respond and talk to the person transmitting, press the PTT button within 5 seconds of the end of the transmission. The radio will transmit using the newly detected Interference Eliminator Code.
5. The radio will resume scrolling through the channels 5 seconds after the end of any received activity.
6. To stop scanning, briefly press the Scan/Monitor button.

Scanning Notes

1. If you press the PTT button while the radio is scrolling through inactive channels, the transmission will be on the “home channel”. Scanning will resume five seconds after the end of your transmission. You may press the Scan/Monitor button to stop scanning at any time.
2. If the radio stops on an undesired transmission, you may immediately resume the scan by briefly pressing + or -.
3. If the radio repeatedly stops on an undesired transmission, you may temporarily remove that channel from the scan list by pressing and holding + or – for 3 seconds. You may remove more than one channel in this way.
4. To restore the removed channel(s) to the scan list, turn the radio off and then turn back on, or exit and re-enter the scanning mode by pressing Scan/Monitor button.
5. You cannot remove the home channel from the scan list
6. In Advanced Scan, the detected code will only be used for one transmission. You must note that code, exit scan and set that detected code on that channel to permanently use the detected code.

Entering Weather Mode

1. From two-way mode, press Mode button to enter weather mode. .

Setting the Weather Channel

Your radio receives weather frequencies:

1. In weather mode, press Menu/Lock button until weather channel number flashes.
2. Press + or – to select the appropriate channel with good reception in your area.
3. Press the PTT button to set and exit Menu or Menu/Lock button to continue set up weather alert.

Setting the Weather Alert

Your radio can be set to respond to NOAA Weather Radio emergency messages. A special alarm tone sounds an alert and turns on the weather receiver to give you immediate weather and emergency information.

1. In weather mode press Menu/Lock button twice until displays.
2. Press + or – to select on/Off.
3. Press the PTT button or Menu/Lock button to exit the weather menu set up.
4. Press Mode button to return to two-way mode. If you activate Weather Alert and return to two-way mode.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How does the Motorola T800 function?
  The T800 two-way radio operates like any other radio, transmitting data via radio channels to keep you connected while you’re off the grid. Once your smartphone is connected to your radio through Bluetooth, the Motorola Talkabout smartphone app allows you to communicate in ways other than push-to- talk.

• What is the Motorola Talkabout’s range?
  This bright two-way radio has a range of up to 16 miles* and 22 channels, giving you everything you need to reach out to family and friends right away and know they’re safe.

• Do all Motorola Talkabout radios communicate with one another?
  Yes, it is correct. You can link them all at the same time. The only thing you need to make sure of is that you’re on the same frequency/channel.

• What’s the best way to use the Motorola Talkabout app?
  Users just install the TALKABOUT software on their iPhone or Android device and pair it with the T800 radios through Bluetooth. The T800 is used as a modem in the app to relay messages and locations through radio frequencies.

• Is it better to use UHF or VHF?
  If in doubt, choose UHF because it is the better all-around signal and by far the most popular. UHF signals do not go as far outside as VHF signals, but they penetrate wood, steel, and concrete better, providing you improved range and performance in urban areas and around structures.

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