Two Way Radios

Two way radios, is also known as walkie-talkies. It is called as a two way radios because it can both transmit as well as receive signals. In the general sense, the two way radios work on two frequencies, one for sending and the other one for receiving.

The first two way radios (the form that is being used nowadays) were developed by Frederick William Downie, a Senior Constable with the Victoria Police of Australia. This department was also the first to use these radios in their cars, which vastly improved their methods of communicating while on the move. Just a little tidbit – the first two way radios used in the world were in the Lancia Police Cars of the Victoria Police.

The major characteristics of two way radios include a half-duplex channel. This is where only one radio transmits messages at a time, though any number can listen, and a push-to-talk switch that starts transmission. The typical two way radios resemble a telephone handset, possibly or slightly larger but still a single unit, with an antenna sticking out of the top. A two way radios built-in speaker can be heard by the user and those in his immediate vicinity.

The most popular kinds of two way radios that are used nowadays :-

• Single Channel and Multi-channel Radios – Single channel means, at the same time only one can transmitting message and the other will received it. Whereas, for multi-channels, both can transmitting and receiving messages simultaneously.

• Trunked Radios – For trunked radios, the user does not select the channel, but the radio itself picks up the right frequency to transmit and receiving messages. On these radios, several communications can occur on one physical channel.

Nowadays, the two way radios are widely used for any purpose including business, public safety, outdoor recreation, and so on. The devices are available at various price ranges from inexpensive analogue units sold as toys up to ruggedized (i.e. waterproof or intrinsically safe) analogue and digital units for use on boats or in heavy industry. Most personal two way radios sold are designed to operate in UHF allocations, and are designed to be very compact, with buttons for changing channels and other settings on the face of the radio and a short, fixed antenna.

Two way radios size can be made very small, with some personal two-way UHF radio models being smaller than a pack of cigarettes. There are various accessories available for two way radios such as rechargeable batteries, drop in rechargers, multi-unit rechargers for charging as many as six units at a time, and an audio accessory jack that can be used for headsets or speaker microphones.

When headsets are used with voice activation (VOX) capability the user can talk with hands free operation. Several types of audio accessories are available such as speaker microphones that clip near the ear, security type earpieces with a pendant push-to-talk switch and a built-in microphone, a headset that has a a push-to-talk switch earbud that looks more like what you would find on an music player, or a single-ear lightweight behind-the-head headset with boom microphone and pendant push-to-talk switch similar to that worn by a telephone call center agent.

Two way radios have certainly come along way, and they are no longer restricted to child’s play. In fact, the two way radios now offer extensive range, convenience and advance technology which make them ideal for keeping your children safe. At the shopping center, when traveling, hiking, or any other time where distance may separate you, two way radios will close the gap.

All two way radios have a range of operation. Some recent radios are capable of sending and transmitting information over longer distances and some for short distance only, and this might be subject to legislation within the area of usage. The use of two way radios is strictly controlled by governmental laws in most areas of the world.