Anglers Net - The UK Online Fishing Magazine | Carp Fishing | Coarse Fishing | Sea Fishing | Sea Fishing | Kayak Fishing | Fly Fishing: MOTOROLA Talkabout T6222 Two-way Radio MOTOROLA Talkabout T6222 Two-way Radio ================================================================================ Steve-Burke on 16 December, 2002 02:00:00 Why a review of a two-way radio on Anglers Net? Simply because they can be incredibly useful for fishing! Just imagine these scenarios: 1) Youre fishing with a mate and roving for any number of species. Your partner finds the fish and radios for you to come and join in the action. 2) Youre struggling and your mate calls to say that he too was at first, but a change of bait or lure and hes absolutely bagging up. 3) You can talk with your mates without having to leave your swim. You thus dont miss bites and make less disturbance. Hopefully, itll also cut down on unattended rods. Yes, O.K. you could use a mobile phone, but mobiles cost money to run. Two-way radios are absolutely free, and in fact you dont even need a licence! You can talk to anyone else whos got such a 2-way radio, even if its another make or model. Their only limitation is range. Over water with a good set you may be able to pick up and transmit up to 2 miles away. In practice, unless youre boat fishing, its likely to be somewhat less, especially if there are buildings in the way. However, even then you can expect a range of at least a mile, which is plenty on the vast majority of waters. Bear in mind though that theres quite a difference in quality between the various sets. I compared the mid-price Motorola T6222 with others that my syndicate members have. The T6222 knocked the spots off all of them for both range and clarity of reception. Whats more, the shape of the T6222 made it much easier to hold and operate  in fact all you need is one hand. The T6222 is powered either by AA batteries or a NiMh rechargeable battery. The AAs last longer, but the rechargeables are very much cheaper in the long run. During field testing I found the rechargeables easily lasted a whole days fishing but the AAs managed a long weekend. The only problem of any kind I had was using the belt clip provided. It was difficult to take the radio off the clip, and its not much use when youre dressed like Michelin Man! The aerial also tended to dig into you if you bent over. However, Ive just taken delivery of an accessory arm strap and thats proved invaluable, saving having to dig into a pocket. Velcroed round your upper arm it works a treat. Alternatively, if your fishing jacket has epaulettes on the shoulder, fit it there and look like a copper! As youve gathered Im convinced of the usefulness of 2-way radios when fishing, especially on big waters. So too are my bailiffs, and the radios also proved invaluable on a recent trip with my wife to an antiques fair. Im sure you can think up a multitude of other uses as well. However, one request: please set them so that they vibrate rather than ring  otherwise you could be mighty unpopular with your fellow anglers! So where do you get such a piece of kit? Mine was supplied by Maximon Solutions, who really know their stuff and have a wide range of makes and models in different price ranges. The T6222 is available in black, blue or yellow and costs £65.30 plus £7.93 for 1 working day delivery. Optional extras include the NiMh battery and charger for £35.24 whilst the arm strap/holder costs £17.61. You can go straight to the T6222 page on Maximons web site at www.maximonsolutions.com/talkabout.html Copyright Steve Burke, July 2002.