How to Change Channels on the Motorola Talkabout
By Melissa King
The Motorola Talkabout two-way radio enables you to communicate with family and friends during sporting events, conventions or outdoor activities. The Talkabout has 22 channels and covers a 35-mile range. To talk to someone on the Talkabout, the channels on both radios must match. If you know what channel the other Talkabout is using, you can change the channel on your radio manually. Some Talkabout models, such as T4900, also give you the option to scan for channels automatically.
Change Channel Manually
Turn the power knob clockwise to turn on the Motorola Talkabout.
Press the "Menu" button to see the current channel flash on the screen.
Press the "+" or "-" button to adjust the channel.
Press the "PTT" button to save the channel.
Scan for Channels
Power on the Talkabout and press the "Mon" button to begin scanning for channels. The radio stops scanning when it detects activity on a channel.
Press "+" or "-" to keep scanning if the Talkabout stops scanning on an unwanted channel.
Press the "PTT" button within five seconds after the radio finds a channel to transmit on that channel.
Tips
If you don't want the Talkabout to include a channel in its scan, go to the channel and hold down "-" or "+" for three seconds. Turning the radio off and back on restores the channel.
The Talkabout has an interference eliminator code feature that enables you to check for activity on certain channels. To change the code, go to a channel and hold down "Menu" until the channel's code flashes. Press "+" or "-" to change the code and press "PTT" to save it. Set the code to 0 if you want to scan all channels for activity regardless of their code. Set it to 1-38 to scan only channels using code 1-38.
References
Resources
Writer Bio
Melissa King began writing in 2001. She spent three years writing for her local newspaper, "The Colt," writing editorials, news stories, product reviews and entertainment pieces. She is also the owner and operator of Howbert Freelance Writing. King holds an Associate of Arts in communications from Tarrant County College.