Yes it does indeed talk out of the box and almost all the functions are announced. Playing with the radio I notice that not all functions are spoken the band function button for example which changes between VHF and UHF function only beeps but you can go to any frequency directly at any time when in VFO mode which is spoken and you can then just type the frequency in directly. The VFO A/B is the same but again the same applies. Would imagine make an excellent radio for a blind op and you won't go far wrong at the price, best regards.

MrX