Equip your Bug-Out Bag with the Motorola Talkabout T480

Earlier this month, I attended a conference on preparing your family for emergencies. This event was not full of crazy, unrealistic ideas for you and your kids (like building a bunker.) In fact, I came away with some really good ideas for keeping items on hand that can be used in the home and also tossed quickly into a travel bag during an emergency.

For those of you who were reading in 2011, we had a flood here along the Missouri River that displaced a lot of farms and families. We were fortunate to not have to evacuate, but we did move a lot of our items out of the way, just in case, and it was very disruptive to our world. We made sure to have lots of items on hand, including a pair of Motorola Talkabouts that were new to the market at the time.

It's a new season, and, since September is Preparedness Month, I couldn't let October get here without letting you know about some of the newest items on the market designed to keep your family safe and connected. One of those items is the Motorola Talkabout T480. We received a sample to review, and I'm pretty impressed!


Even if you are not tech-savvy, you'll find set up for this device to be a breeze. You must get it ready to go BEFORE an emergency, however. Even though it is easy to use, it requires a bit of set up to get started. Everything you see below comes in the package for one Talkabout. (We have two, so that we can communicate with each other.) You get the radio, the battery (rechargeable), cord, and station. There is also a pretty detailed manual to guide you through all the features.


This radio has thought of everything. In addition to having the Talkabout 2-way communications feature for up to 35 miles, you get:

Emergency whistle (comes off the unit and shown below):


There is a built-in flashlight that's pretty bright. We've used it to search for critters in the yard threatening our livestock. When the Motorola is plugged into the base, it senses with power goes out, and the light automatically turns on!

It includes an NOAA weather channel, which is very important for Nebraska. We have tornado warnings all spring through fall. Having a radio that works and is portable is so necessary! It also includes an FM radio. (We may or may not have used it to listen to football games!)



Finally, if you are in an emergency situation and run out of juice on the rechargeable batteries, you can use disposables with these. We have used these in so many situations, including when cell coverage was bad or if the kids go biking (my sons don't have cell phones.) It gives me peace of mind for every day use, but they are so easy to toss into our bug-out-bag in case of a very serious situation, as well!




Learn more about these amazing and affordable devices (they are priced at under $70 each) at the Motorola Web Site.  You can also find them on Facebook (search for @MotorolaTalkaboutWalkieTalkies or click here.) Get additional updates on Google+InstagramLinkedInPeriscopeTwitter, and YouTube

*Sample received to review. Opinions are my own.


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