Walkie Talkie 101: What is a Two Way Radio?
What is a Two-Way Radio?
With over 40 years of experience working with radio communication at Wall to Wall, the two-way radio has been a groundbreaking piece of technology since it’s development over eight decades ago. But what is a two way radio?
Capable of transmitting and receiving radio signals, two-way radios make light work of often complex situations, including busy events, internal communications, security and crowd control to name a few. As previously mentioned, a handheld, two-way radio – later more commonly known as a ‘Walkie Talkie’ – is a portable radio device. It stands alone within its kind as it transmits and receives radio communications, but also as a popular method of quick communication. The term ‘Walkie-Talkie’ was adopted by journalists as the phenomenon was publicly on the rise.
When was the Technology Invented?
The two-way radio was invented in 1937 by Donald Hings, a UK born Canadian inventor. He initially named his invention the ‘PackSet’, with other handled radio devices of a similar (even identical) nature referred to as ‘Two-Way Field Radios’ and ‘Wireless Sets’. The earliest device was 17 inches long and weighed around 5 pounds. It was rumoured that the first two-way radio was invented in 1933, however, these devices only communicated in code.
When the war broke out, British and German soldiers made heavy use of the radios and Hings’ C-58 PackSet model became iconic. Thousands were manufactured and distributed around the world because of the host of needs that had added to the model. As the War progressed, walkie talks were used for tank units and field artillery. Commonly made from metal, the radios became increasingly more popular in recreational use, then onto enhancing public safety and ultimately establishing their place in the world of commercial and construction projects.
What is a Walkie Talkie Used For?
Many large scale corporations and businesses use these handheld communication devices and depend on their features to maintain operational flow within day-to-day operations, while the concept of a ‘Walkie Talkie’ is also highly common within smaller businesses and even children’s recreational play. In order to successfully use a two-way radio, each user must ensure they are tuned into the correct radio channel. Two-way radios come with a range of channels so more than one line of communication can be made at one time.
Walkie Talkies, if used correctly, can be crucial to your business or project, helping to support instantaneous communication and provide enhanced protection and security. In return, two-way radios will ensure you can depend on reliable battery life and resilient signals.
As time and technology have developed these devices, it’s more than likely for you to come across two-way radios today with a heap of additional features like weather alerts, LED flashlights and SOS signals.
Learn more about two-way radios by reading How to Use a Walkie Talkie, and Which Radio is Best for your Business.
At Wall to Wall Communications we have been providing two-way radio rental in the UK for over 40 years. Because of this, we like to think of ourselves as ‘radio experts’. If you and your business are thinking about hiring walkie talkies to enhance the levels of communication between workers, then do not hesitate to contact us to speak to one of our experts.