Tech Savvy Mama

Parenting in the Digital Age

Friday Fave: Motorola Talkabout MJ270R for Gadget Loving Outdoor Enthusiast (w. giveaway)

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Last weekend Little Miss Techie and I went on her first Brownie “camping” trip.  I unplugged for the entire time we were gone although it got me thinking about modern technology and the camping experiences I had as a former Brownie and Girl Scout.


Back in the day before you could pull out your smartphone to call back to the campsite during a hike or emergency personnel, the gadget of choice for communication was a good walkie talkie.  Walkie talkies are still a great gadget to have due to the remote location of many camp sites and the lack of good cell service.
I recently received the Motorola Talkabout MJ270R ($69.95 or $47.11 on Amazon) which are great for outdoor adventures or having on hand in your family’s emergency kit because it’s a lot more than a walkie talkie.

Motorola MJ270R Talkabout Radios


About the Motorola Talkabout MJ270R

The Talkabout MJ270R is a two way radio serves as a communication device between the two handsets and also features an emergency alert button that can be activated to transmit a siren, a built-in LED flashlight, and a range that is said to work up to 27 miles in optimum conditions where there are no “unobstructed lines of sight.”  While we haven’t tried the range at 27 miles, the long range makes this set great for taking on summer vacations involving water parks or other theme parks where families might want to go their separate ways but not necessarily want to risk drenching expensive smartphones at a splash park or on a log ride!

Another built in feature is the NOAA weather radio that provides the latest forecast on one of 7 dedicated NOAA channels.  Rather than having to go back to camp to listen to a radio, the ability to access NOAA from the Talkabout MJ270R allows you to monitor the weather while continuing your outdoor activities.  If these had come on our camping trip, I would have known about the huge thunderstorm that rolled in over our lodge in the middle of the night!
Keeping the Talkabout charged for constant use is also easy thanks to multiple ways to charge.  It comes with a desktop charger that can be used at home or a mini-USB car cable on when on the go. A mini-USB wall cable can be used to recharge in a hotel during a family vacation or the Talkabouts can be plugged in to charge directly from the USB outlet on your computer in the absence of a power outlet. Mini-USB car, wall and PC cables are sold separately.
Motorola Talkabouts in desktop charger

Motorola Talkabout MJ270R features:

  • Up to 27 mile range
  • 22 channels, each with 121 privacy codes for 2,662 combinations to reduce interruptions
  • 27 hr. alkaline (3 AA) or 9 hr. NiMH estimated battery life
  • iVOX hands-free communication without the need for an audio accessory
  • QT (Quiet Talk) interruption filter allows the radios to be set to communicate with other compatible Motorola products
  • Emergency alert button
  • Built-in Flashlight
  • Mini-USB charging port
  • 11 weather channels (7 NOAA) with alert feature
  • Backlit display
  • Battery meter
  • 10 call tones
  • Advanced priority scan
  • Audible low battery alert
  • Keypad lock
  • Time-out timer
  • Talk confirmation tone
  • Battery save feature

GIVEAWAY: Win a set of Motorola Talkabout MJ270R valued at $69.95.

TO ENTER: Share a comment about your favorite outdoor adventure and a feature of the Talkabouts that would be helpful to have on your next excursion by Sunday, June 26.  You must leave your email address or Twitter handle in order for your comment to be eligible for the giveaway.
For extra entries, complete the above and do any of the following:
  • Tweet this daily and leave a comment with the link to your tweet: @TechSavvyMama has a #giveaway for @Motorola Talkabout MJ270R 2 way radios! I entered here: http://bitly.com/kVv2aQ
  • Subscribe to this blog’s RSS feed and let me know in your comment
  • Subscribe to this blog via email and tell me you’ve done so below
Fine print:  Winner will be selected from eligible entries and will be notified via email or Twitter.  Winner will have 24 hours to respond with their U.S. mailing address before another winner is selected. Leticia- Tech Savvy Mama and Motorola are not responsible for shipping delays or items lost during shipping.
Items were provided by Motorola for review purposes.  No compensation was received for this post and all opinions are my own. Amazon affiliate links are included in this post. 

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Original post by Tech Savvy Mama
©2012

Reader Interactions

Comments

  12. Omega Doom (Alan) says

    Cool Review! For three weeks during the summer after my 9th grade year, I went caving with a group of 30 other students from across the state of Arkansas. That was an incredible experience, though I haven’t been caving since the. I miss it a lot, not just the caving part but the social part. I made many friends that summer. If I go caving again, the most important feature would be the built-in flashlight. 😛

    omegadoom1 at gmail dot com

    Thanks Leticia!

  19. tannawings says

    We do quite a few things that this would be great for, but one of the more recent is hiking- I am forever wandering off the beaten path and looking at what is growing and at wildlife- drives my husband bonkers since he cant get in touch!

    baypayments@yahoo.com

  24. John says

    We love to hike. And with kids 4 and 6 sometimes we get spread out into two groups. Having these along would allow us to stay connected.

  40. Shelly says

    QT (Quiet Talk) interruption filter allows the radios to be set to communicate with other compatible Motorola products
    would be good for our extended family vacation in December

  49. Anonymous says

    My favorite outdoor adventure is going hiking with my friends. Every fall we go to the local State Park and hike up a hill they have there. The leaves are beautiful in the fall! I really like the built-in flashlight component–this would be handy if you ended up hiking at dusk.

    -Heidi

    writeme at heidimail dot com

  52. JoeyfromSC says

    I love that it has a built in flashlight! nice!

    My fave outdoor adventure is when my Aunt took us hiking in VA to the cascades..2 mile hike..uphill lol.but the reward: 16 foot waterfall! so nice!

    Thank you for the chance to win!

    ajoebloe(at)gmail(dot)com

  58. Shooting Stars Mag says

    i really enjoy going away and camping if it’s in a cabin or something. I can’t do tents. LOL Swimming at night is an outdoor activity I love.

    the feature I like the most is that you can get the weather

    lauren51990 at aol dot com

  65. Terra H. says

    Our favorite outdoor adventure is camping. These would come in handy during camping. My favorite feature is the emergency alert button.
    partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com

  73. Janet says

    My favorite outdoor adventure is a walk in my favorite nature preserve. Since it’s quite a large preserve, the 27-mile range of the Talkabouts would be helpful to have on my family’s next excursion. janet(dot)twokay@gmail(dot)com

  84. ewffan says

    My favorite outdoor adventure will be camping with the family. We haven’t been in a long time and would like to make that my next on my to do list. I really love the flashlight feature, especially if we were using during camping and need the flashlight for night time bathroom breaks. LOL
    sylivys at hotmail dot com