Kenwood Protalk XLS Two Way Radio. Keep in Touch on the Job Site
Written: Nov 19 '08 (Updated Nov 20 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Instant communitcation on the job site. Clear sound, Volume can get loud!
Cons: A loud squeal when turned on. No real privacy in calls.
The Bottom Line:
The Kenwood Protalk is perfect for the business we are in. The guys and gals sign them out for the day and we are in excellent contact with all instantly.
popsrocks's Full Review: Kenwood Protalk™ XLS TK-3130 (2 Channels) Two Wa...
We use the Kenwood Protalk Two Way Radio on our job site. They keep everyone connected at all times and with a touch of a button, a ny person's loud and clear voice is heard through the system.
Kenwood Protalk XLS
This is a small compact two way radio. It's less than 2" X 5" in size and fits neatly into the hand. The radio has a clip on the back that is durable and holds the radio well whether on belts or a work apron strap. I have never had one drop of me when at work and I am doing all kinds of physical work.
The radio is said to work inside of a 200,000 sq ft. area. We don't need quite that range but it is good to know it works well through walls and ceilings without a problem. We don't have reason to use the phone over long distances but this phone is supposed to have a few mile radius.
Quite frankly there are a lot of bells and whistles that this radio offers that we simply don't need or use. Our use is for instant paging and though private conversation can be had by switching to a more private channel, we don't use it often. We don't use the Voice Activation either. No need for such a thing in our business the way I see it because I would have to use a headset. I like less radio communication, not more.
The voice activation is a rubber button on the side. It presses easily and we don't get cut off messages because of inadequate pressure. That for me is important. I dislike having to ask anyone to repeat themselves.
The radios work a very full eight hour shift and there are many times that hours are extended. Though the phone is said to hold a charge for ten hours, it seems to do much better. That said, we don't use the phones all that much individually but the power must be on the full time the radio is on so as to hear any broadcasts. That means it's always working and they haven't failed us in that regard ever. There have been other problems though.
Though we don't use them in such manner they can be on different channels with different people in the building hearing the radio call.
That could be good where perhaps a sales team and secretaries keeps in touch with each other and maybe the warehouse team uses another channel. In our case everyone hears everyone. That's the way we wanted it.
Our Experience
We have a number of these two way radios on the site. Each day everyone has to sign out for theirs and sign it back in at the end of the day. We keep them by the gal who takes our telephone calls. The chargers are lined up and either a red light or green light indicator on the chargers lets us know which phones are ready for action. I don't know exactly how long it takes a Kenwood Protalk to charge but the way we use them, during the day anywhere from 7am til 11PM and then charge them overnight, they are always ready to go to work in the morning with a full charge.
We have had a couple of radios with problems. I can't tell you the phones in question were not dropped or whatever. The guys never own up to negatives like that. We had two problems of which I am privy. On one the screen, that indicates which channel the phone is on was completely scrambled one day and couldn't be repaired by us. The Kenwood people did make good on the Protalk and exchanged it for another. We had to get another such exchange to another used or possibly rebuilt phone. A second phone simply lost all receiving and transmitting power. It too was replaced, no charge. The radios have a two year warranty.
I happen to like this Kenwood Protalk XLS and haven't had any other magor problems aside from what I aired.
I do not like the loud squeal these things make when I turn them on. It's there unexpectedly one moment, and after being in action, that squeal is gone. Aside from that I am happy that the tone is so clear and quite loud too! For me, the hard of hearing dude, this radio is perfect for my needs. The dial on top allows for quick volume control. There are times when I use this phone as a conversation starter or a way to keep tabs on where the guys are and what they are up too.
The pocket clip of these phones may have to be tightened. Lets make that a priority. The first radio I used lost one of those teeny tiny little screws I was trying to find. I was fortunate. The screw dropped right near where the clip came apart on one side.
The radios have a short rubber antenna that doesn't get in the way and is extremely flexible. It's well made as is the whole phone...and it's really lightweight. That I like feature and at the same time it doesn't feel like a cheap toy.
I do wonder how well two way radios would work on a cruise ship in keeping in touch with family and friends? For that matter I believe they may be good at a resort too. I don't know if there are any restrictions on such radios out of country. There are some here in the states. This two way radio seems to bypass any such restrictions from what I read on our packaging. Mmm, a cruise with the two way radios. Is that good or bad? Perhaps the kids can try and find us without one. : )
Very Last Thoughts
My last thoughts is that these Protalk two way radios are excellent for quick response to each other and everyone on a job site. When I need someone I simply call their name. If they are out of the building others can respond and tell me where they went because they hear the call at the same time. The calls certainly do have a big lack of privacy but that's not what these radios are about.
We had Nextel phone service for all the guys in my business years back. This is much the same but without the cost. Of course I don't get the range either.
All in all these Kenwood Two way radios stand up pretty well and I like the overall service they provide.
The ProTalk XLS is the latest member of the ProTalk family of on-site radios. This lightweight and compact radio has a number of innovative features a...More at eBay
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