Walkie-talkie

A walkie-talkie (more formally known as a handheld transceiver) is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio] transceiver. Developed during World War II, similar designs were created for other armed forces, and after the war, walkie-talkies spread to public safety and eventually commercial and job site work. Typical walkie-talkies resemble a telephone handset, possibly slightly larger but still a single unit, with an antenna mounted on the top of the unit. Where a phone's earpiece is only loud enough to be heard by the user, a walkie-talkie's built-in speaker can be heard by the user and those in the user's immediate vicinity. Hand-held transceivers may be used to communicate between each other, or to vehicle-mounted or base stations.

In simple terms a Walkie Talkie is any small, handheld portable transceiver/two-way radio. These radios can operate on many different bands, including CB, FRS, GMRS, HAM, and more. They may be called by other names such as "handi-talkies" or "pack sets."

There are different Radio communication technologies and you should consider their advantages and limitations when you select a radio. Generally speaking the use of walkie talkies in a survival situation will require the use of predetermined protocols.

The range varies from under 100 feet to global coverage based on exactly which radio you have, the conditions at the time of transmission and other factors. Though it should be noted that most consumer models that require no use of a amateur radio license aka HAM Radio License have very limited ranges. Packaging will often claim ranges of 12-30 or more miles. This range can't be expected and is based on a best case scenario of topography and other conditions. Most such radios have a real world range of only 1/2 - miles, regardless of packaging claims.

See Also

• Portable radio
• Amateur radio
• Amateur radio glossary
• Radio communication technologies

• Radio: Radio waves, Electromagnetic wave, Radio frequency, AM/FM, modulation, amplitude, amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or single-sideband modulation (SSB), Shortwave, Two-way radio, Portable radio, Walkie-talkie, Citizens band radio, Family Radio Service (FMS), General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), Multi-Use Radio Service (MRS), Motorola, Marine VHF radio, History of radio

• Amateur Radio: Emergency communications, Amateur radio operator, Call sign, Selecting a radio, Amateur radio glossary, Amateur radio repeater, Base station, Amateur radio frequency allocations, Amateur bands, Amateur radio station, UHF (70-centimeter band), VHF (2-meter band), HF, Morse code, Telegraph, Mobile rig, Radio codes and alphabets, QSL card

• Antenna (radio): Antenna theory, Portable operation (amateur radio), Dipole antenna, Antenna tuner, Homebrew antennas, Coaxial cable, Balun, Packet radio, Propagation, Protecting your HT Antenna

• Radio Standards Organization: Radio legalities, Amateur radio license, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), American Radio Relay League, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

• Satellite: GPS and Satellite phone

• Cellular telephone: Mobile devices: Smartphones and tablets
  • Apple iOS for iPhone-iPod-iPad
  • Android
  • Blackberry
  • Microsoft Windows Phone with Windows 8
  • Cell phone health scare, Mobile phones and brain tumor risk

• Bug-out bag (BOB) and Everday carry (EDC)

External Links

• A Walkie Talkie For your BOB
• Two Way Radio Range Estimates