If you are an avid outdoorsman or just a parent with kids that like to run around the neighborhood on long summer evenings one of your best friends can be walkie talkie radios. Walkie talkies have been around for a long time, and are not a recent invention by any stretch of the imagination. Even though they have been around for a while, they are one of those products whose usefulness does not diminish with time (kind of like kitty litter or a good fly swatter). As a matter of fact, continued improvements in the technology that used to support these hand-held communications devices have really enhanced their performance. Even so, there are some things you should consider before purchasing some of these radios.

Do Your Homework – Find Out What Other Consumers Are Saying
Most 2 way radios on the market today will provide the consumer with the estimated max distance they can be used to communicate across. Be aware that this estimate is based on a perfect day when perfect environmental conditions are in effect and there are no structures (man-made or otherwise) to obstruct the signal. Radios rely on the ability to send and receive a certain range of frequencies. There are many things that can inhibit the functional range of walkie talkie radios. One of the best ways to get a realistic idea of how far a particular model will operate across is to go out on the Internet and do some research. Read user reviews…they are typically brutally honest.

Know What You Need – Before You Make A Purchase
Once you know which brands tend to perform the best, evaluate your need. If you are buying a set of walkie talkies for your kids to carry around the neighborhood you probably want a two way radio that is very rugged and inexpensive. The reason I recommend inexpensive is that kids have a tendency to lose things. The last thing you want to hear is “Dad, I lost the $250 radio you sent with me when I went to play in the field.” It’s just the way kids operate. If you have a cheap $30 set and they get lost, it is a whole lot easier to swallow. Also, if you are a serious hunter or outdoors-man, you will want a model that is highly ruggedized with great transmit and receive speeds. Sure this radio will cost you more, but when you are out on the backside of some mountain you want a radio that works.

Remember The Age Old Axiom – You Get What You Pay For
Keep your expectations realistic. If you go to your local Big Box Store and shell out $20 for a pair of talkies, expect them to last about a week and have an operational distance of about 100 yards. However, if you are in need of higher end radios that will perform consistently well over the long haul you can find them and they will be worth every penny you spend on them.

Walkie Talkie Radios

Let’s face it, children love walkie talkies. There’s something magical about these little handheld devices that seems to capture the imaginations of young people and draw them to these little toys. As an adult, you know that the walkie-talkie is a simple two-way radio that facilitates communications between different parties. As a child, you know that this magical device gives you the ability to talk to your friend regardless of whether they are 10 feet or 10 blocks away. Add to that the ability to emit Morse code, and kids are hooked. Kid walkie-talkies are a surefire guarantee to keep young people entertained for hours.

Girl's Walkie Talkies

I remember when I was growing up that most children’s walkie talkies were designed in a very similar manner. There wasn’t a whole lot of deviation regarding what the unit looked like regardless of who made it (Motorola or whomever). These days, marketers understand that in order to sell your product you have to tailor it to meet the needs of your niche. Marketers also understand that children’s walkie-talkies are every bit as interesting to girls as they are to boys. As a result, they have a whole host of girl walkie talkies that make use of designs and color schemes that will appeal to little girls. So, if you’ve got a little girl wants to be able to communicate with your friends around the neighborhood one of these little girl walkie-talkies may specifically make her day.

Likewise, kid walkie talkies are still huge with the little boys. I think somehow these little handheld communications devices help them feel like they are fighting a battle someplace. This type of a toy taps into their most basic boyness. If you give your sons a pair of walkie-talkies, that will disappear for hours and revel in the excellence of these little toys. Additionally, as a parent, if you buy the right model of walkie-talkie you can get a significant range will allow you to stay in touch with your boys as they are out gallivanting around the neighborhood.

Boy's Walkie Talkies

One of the things you have to be careful about when selecting your walkie-talkie, is the range that you’re looking for – do you need long range walkie talkies or will short range ones meet your need. You need to determine if you’re looking for 10 mile walkie talkies or 100 mile walkie talkies… or somewhere in between. Once you’ve determined the distance you need to walkie-talkies to be able to cover, you will need to evaluate by brand which walkie-talkies will meet your needs. However, you are still not done with your research. At this point, once you’ve identified the walkie-talkie you think you want to use, I would strongly encourage you to go out on the Internet and read reviews from other individuals who have purchased that particular make and model. It has been my experience that while a package may say you can get up to 27 mile coverage, the reality is you may be hard-pressed to extend communications around the neighborhood. So, whether you’re looking to purchase some simple walkie-talkies for your children, or purchasing talkies to support your business walkie talkie need, you have to be careful and do your research to ensure the unit will meet your need.

Headset Walkie Talkie

If you’re in the market to buy headset walkie-talkies or two way radio accessories, there is no shortage of options available to you. The Internet is full of sites that sell the latest and greatest handheld units with varying costs and features. Sites like Amazon and eBay are chock-full of radios and accessories that will meet just about any need that you have.

There are several manufacturers that make walkie talkie headsets, today we’re going to be looking at the Motorola hands-free walkie-talkie headset. This headset is designed to be attached to a push to talk (PTT) walkie-talkie unit. Connecting the headset into the base unit allows the user hands-free access to the features and functionality of the walkie-talkie. This unit comes equipped with a swivel boom microphone that allows you to also use the voice operated transmission (or V0X) to operate the unit. Basically the VOX feature allows you to use the headset walkie-talkie microphone without any hands. This type of a headset is great for those individuals that need to have their hands free to operate equipment or focus on other activities while using the radio. Well-suited activities would be things such as hiking, caravanning, or boating and can be used with either FRS or GMRS walkie talkie headsets. Additionally, I could see it coming in handy during intense paintball matches. The other super nice thing about this unit is that it is relatively inexpensive. My initial research on the Internet provided me with many different stores that carry this product for right around $20 including shipping. That is my kind of technology…cheap and efficient.

Two Way Radio Accessories

The other nice thing about this technology is that it has come far enough along that it has a wide array of two way radio accessories that are available to buy. The accessories and features that will be available to you will depend on the model of walkie-talkie that you choose, so keep that in mind when you’re making your initial purchase. Evaluate why you’re buying the walkie-talkie and then determine what accessories you’ll need to purchase with. Several of the accessories I was able to find in a relatively short amount of time are items such as the hands-free headset described up above, throat microphones (these basically attach to your walkie-talkie unit and transmit based on the sound emitted by your vocal cords… pretty sweet), a handheld microphone similar to the one that was used on CBs back in the good old days, and customized clips to attach the walkie-talkie to your belt or backpack. This is just a short list of accessories found in just a couple of moments. The bottom line is – you need to know what equipment you need to buy before you purchase the walkie-talkie.

Walkie Talkie Headset Accessories

One of the recent advances that has led to the improved functionality of walkie talkies is the evolution of the frequency ranges used to support the devices. For commercial grade (non-military) radios there are two distinct frequencies that we need to discuss…Family Radio Service (FRS) and Ground Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). Both of the these frequencies operate in the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) spectrum (300 MHz to 3000 MHz) range. They are offset (or interleaved) between each other but have enough signal separation to prevent bleed over between the frequency sets.

FRS is a free range of frequencies that is primarily used by radio manufacturers to support the handheld units you would typically pick up at a Wal-Mart or Target type store. Brands such as Cobra, Motorola, and Uniden all sell radios that operate in this spectrum range. These types of small, hand-held walkie talkies are ideal for family use. They are inexpensive, and can provide communications capability up to 18 miles depending on the terrain, weather conditions and radio brand. A word of caution regarding the range of the different units…do your homework prior to purchasing your radio handsets. I have spent some time researching actual range capabilities of the handsets and it can vary wildly from what is advertised. I will be writing an article on this in the future, but for today…just make sure you do your homework prior to making a purchase.

GMRS Radio Handset

FRS is also the spectrum allocation that is used to power smaller walkie talkie applications such as walkie talkie headsets and walkie talkie watches. This free frequency makes the use of these smaller walkie talkie application especially useful for those folks that use the technology to support their hobbies. For instance, I know many folks that play paintball and airsoft on the weekends. To facilitate the tactical movements of their teams they use items like the walkie talkie headsets to communicate with other team members or squads. Let me tell, having the ability to communicate in those types of situations makes all of the difference in the world.

Additionally, the smaller form factor of the new civilian radios makes them perfect for family hiking and camping trips. Because these units are smaller and more manageable than their predecessors, it is much easier to give one of these little handsets to your children while they are running around in the mountains or at the lake. This provides us parents with a little piece of mind because we can reach out and touch our young ones to ensure they are ok. If you have kids, you know that this is priceless.

The GMRS range of frequencies is set aside more for commercial applications. Any individual that is over the age of eighteen and a US citizen can apply for a license to use this spectrum range (you can find more information here GRMS License Info). There is not an exam, but there is a fee associated with the application. Of interest also, is the fact that all family members attached to the licensee are authorized to use the same license as well. The GMRS radios typically have a better range, and if you by a hybrid radio you can gain access to the FRS and the GMRS channels. This hybrid capability provides you increased options for you communications needs.

If you are looking at purchasing any type of walkie talkie equipment be it hand-held units, walkie talkie headsets or walkie talkie watches, I highly encourage you to take the time and do your research. Identify your personal radio needs and determine which frequency range will best meet your needs. Then evaluate the cost of the equipment (and license if you are looking at GMRS), and then make an informed decision.

Walkie Talkie Headsets