Motorola TalkAbout Earbud with Microphone for All Series Reviews

• A *must-have* for skiing or boarding!

  
  By A18SHK5HLUCFK0 on 2000-03-07
  I ski (or board) all day with this earbud and a 280SLK on a NiMH battery. I have used TalkAbouts while skiing for a few years - but just got the 280 and the earbud, and it makes a WORLD of difference! The 280's lock feature lets me pack it down under layers. The earbud and wires stay well under layers (hat, shirt, etc) as well. Only the mic sticks out from the side, which I can click to talk at any time. It has been over a foot under the snow with my head when I blow a 360 - and still works perfectly. This earbud is a *must* for skiiers (or boarders! I do both.)
  
  

• Nice product, but...

  
  By A3VBGRQ863LA5L on 2002-01-10
  The product itself is very nice and easy to use. I use it for skiing and find it very convinient except VOX. The earbud is not voice activated even though my two way radios support VOX, so every time you want to talk, you have to push the button on the microphone what is really unconvinient.
  
  

• Very Useful

  
  By A19L4D1K8IKB9K on 2000-04-01
  I tried the ear bud while skiing recently and it work excellently, it is far more comfortable than i expected having read other reviews. The PTT mic is easy to use when clipped to the top of the collar of ski jackets although if it becomes unclipped it is difficult to clip back on while wearing ski gloves. A very good purchase.
  
  

• Good quality, but could be better...

  
  By AURW67ORPANXK on 2001-02-02
  Excellent Motorola quality and when paired with the TA280's excellent volume levels (plus control), it allows you to use it even in crowded, noisy environments. The ease of use and its inconspicuousness make it an invaluable addition to the Talk Abouts, but there is room for improvement. My biggest complaint is that the TA280/289 don't allow for the alert tone (call tones / menu tones / etc.) volumes to be regulated. This makes for some very uncomfortably loud noise spikes with that earbud only an inch or so from your eardrum. The TA280/289 DO allow the alert tones to be disabled, but that makes it a little more difficult to operate (especially when you have them tucked away under your outer clothing). My only other complaint was in the design of the PTT/MIC housing. I would've preferred something a little easier to use with gloves on (the PTT button is 1/2" from the MIC and pressing it with gloves on covers the MIC....). In closing, the alert tone volume issue is a TA280/289 one, not this units and I'd buy this again if I were to lose this one, but I sure wish they'd improve on it.
  
  

• Recommended accessory for FRS radios

  
  By A3A15L96IYUO6V on 2001-06-12
  I have only one complaint about this earbud/mic unit - the cord is too short. Otherwise, the sound quality is good and the built-in mic with PTT works fine. A 2.5mm extension cord from radio shack (meant for phone headsets, #43-2003) alleviates the cord problem, however. The earbud cushion is comfortable. To be discreet, this is an excellent accessory for your Motorola FRS radio.
  
  
• Do you work for the Secret Service?
  By ACV94A9S1PPG5 on 2000-03-13
  These come in handy when communicating is important but attracting attention isn't. The earbud keeps conversations private. The mic is easy to use with the "push-to-talk" button located on the front and a sure-click operation. The mic delivered clear sound to the other person - but had a "hollow" characteristic. Locate the mic high on your collar for best sound. We also found they work best with jacket or shirt with a collar for the mic. It is a little awkward clipping it to just a t-shirt. Overall we were pleased with the items and use them often.
  
  
• A Necessity
  By A37Z65SZVT0TVB on 2001-09-15
  ...There are quite afew out there that are more bulky looking. This particular one is more compact. Its features include: an earbud with a mic and PTT (push-to-talk). THe cord is a bit short; however, with my height (5,6), it stands to be just right. I was told that an extension can be pick up at a local Radio Shack.
  
  
• Good product. Short wire
  By A3S84AU8UJ9P9D on 2002-08-26
  This product does exactly what its supposed to do. I don't understand people who expected this product to support VOX. It does not say anything about VOX in product description. I personally don't like VOX, because I don't want my children to hear what I'm saying when I fall down while skiing :-).
  Anyway the product is OK. The only problem for me is a very short wire, that's why I gave it 4 stars.
  
  
• Staying in touch with friends is a snap with this.
  By A1R4YZGWS9176N on 2000-11-26
  I've been playing paintball for several years now and have been using the Motorola 250 with an earbud/mic. The boom mic was to large and cumbersome to fit inside my paintball mask.

  With time comes upgrades so it was only natural that I would upgrade to the 289 with an earbud/mic. With the range of the Motorola 289 and this you can easily stay in touch with your teammates and allow the other team to know if anything is going on. There is a slight discomfot when you first use the earbud however it does go away.

  Without the earbud I doubt I would hear the radio when someone was trying to get in contact with me. If your outside and want to stay in touch with your friends you need a Motorola and one of these. I gave this product 4 stars for its dependabilty and ease of use.

  ***
  
  

• Not for all day wear
  By A2Q7WCRAJB1Y83 on 2003-12-04
  I (like many others) use the radios when riding my snowboard.

  The sound quality can't be faulted, both sending and receiving are crystal clear (and now private). Wearing it all day you can now hear when people are paging you, not just when standing in line.

  Now the bad; the build quality should be questioned, the speaker inside the earbod rattles around in mine, and the "PTT" button is difficult to press when wearing gloves. The earbud's a little big for my ear, and isn't as comfortable as it could be (although it fits under my helmet fine).

  The other problem I've had with this is that it pops out of the headphone jack on the radio with annoying regularity. I've solved this with duct tape, which isn't pretty but it is functional....
  
  

• Does not support VOX
  By A23KMKQ0EN18BB on 2001-11-14
  I should have realized that this mic does not support VOX. I guess when you buy a microphone its can be either PTT (push to talk) or VOX.

  I'll have to return this and get a VOX enabled one, though I'm not sure which one at this point.
  
  

• do you ship in Italy?
  By ABEEOQLN6LAEQ on 2004-03-23
  i wont know il you ship two headset for motorola talkabaut
  
  
• Good and long lasting
  By A1GBVVA2B0Z5UN on 2005-08-20
  The product is useful and the last one I had lasted for over two years with nearly daily use.
  
  
• Good for traffic control.
  By AMCAQVNCVI811 on 2006-04-17
  I work a side job directing traffic near a busy Texas highway. Without this, I had a hard time hearing the other officers on my Talkabout. Using the earbud makes things MUCH easier and I can concentrate on the cars and not the radio.
  
  The earbud is a little large...I have to reposition it every now and then and the distance from the earbud to the microphone is too long. I run the cord behind my neck to solve this. All in all, this was a good investment.
  
  
• Motorola Earbud
  By ABKSTEJVAZZXY on 2006-07-10
  This device performs exactly as expected and I am completely satisified with the purchase. It is consumer grade equipment and I have used better, but this is by far the best value.
  
  
• Works Good
  By A382LWDO66YB28 on 2007-01-09
  Make sure you purchace Amazon direct. We had big problems with the 3rd party resellers.
  
  
• Motorola Earbud
  By AA4EBHQOPPEDC on 2007-03-18
  It sucks. Actually it didn;t work. Sent it back and they sent another one.. That didn;t work either. Motorola sent me one for free directly, a cheaper model, but at least it works. How often does that happen? Two orders of the same thing and neither work.
  
  
• Good, but fragil
  By ACAXOL8E27ODG on 2007-05-10
  They have been very good. They look a little Fragil (thats why i took the star off), but besides that, they seem ok.
  
  
• Motorola TalkAbout Earbud
  By A23N79UIUEA4EE on 2007-08-04
  There is a slight delay when you push the Push-To-Talk button on the earbud. However it works well. I receive messages clearly. I'm not a big fan of earbud-type headsets because they do not stay in my ear well and I'm constantly adjusting them. I wish Motorola made a headset that hooks over the ear.
  
  
• V3 EARBUD
  By AVQ18JWOP0PO on 2008-05-08
  For the $, it's wonderful. Clarity & ease of use. The earpiece does not snugly fit, though. I just used spare earpiece covers from my MP3 player. It did the job.
  
  

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