WEBVTT - How Do Walkie-Talkies Work? 0:00:01.910 --> 0:00:07.530 Welcome to BrainStuff, a production of iHeart Podcasts. Hey BrainStuff, 0:00:07.590 --> 0:00:12.580 Lauren Vogelbaum here. Cell phone technology has been advancing at 0:00:12.619 --> 0:00:16.360 a mind-warping rate. But cell phones are still just really 0:00:16.420 --> 0:00:20.630 fancy radios, and they have an Achilles heel. They're completely 0:00:20.710 --> 0:00:25.860 helpless without a network of nearby cellular towers. Walkie-talkies, though? 0:00:26.610 --> 0:00:32.110 These old-school radios make short-range wireless communications possible in places 0:00:32.170 --> 0:00:37.409 where cell phones go to die. Walkie-talkies are wireless handheld 0:00:37.450 --> 0:00:40.410 radios that are small enough these days to take anywhere. 0:00:41.470 --> 0:00:43.610 They sort of look like a remote control or a 0:00:43.690 --> 0:00:47.450 flip phone topped with an antenna. Their main body includes 0:00:47.490 --> 0:00:50.470 a microphone and speaker, plus a few buttons and usually 0:00:50.510 --> 0:00:54.540 a small LCD or LED screen. The default mode for 0:00:54.580 --> 0:00:58.440 walkie-talkies is on speakerphone or loudspeaker, so anyone with an 0:00:58.560 --> 0:01:05.120 earshot can follow the conversation. Walkie-talkies are battery-powered transceivers, meaning 0:01:05.140 --> 0:01:09.250 they can both send and receive radio messages. They have 0:01:09.290 --> 0:01:12.990 what's called a half-duplex channel. This means that only one 0:01:13.069 --> 0:01:16.289 handset on a given channel can transmit a signal at 0:01:16.310 --> 0:01:20.119 a time, although many radios can receive that same signal. 0:01:21.190 --> 0:01:24.290 In other words, unlike your phone, in which both parties 0:01:24.370 --> 0:01:27.789 can interrupt or add to the conversation in a ceaseless 0:01:27.910 --> 0:01:32.170 flow of sound, walkie-talkies use a push-to-talk system. You have 0:01:32.190 --> 0:01:34.550 to press a button in order to speak, and you 0:01:34.569 --> 0:01:37.319 have to release that button to hear sound coming from 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:41.300 any other units. Because you don't have to dial a 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:44.860 number every time you want to transmit information, Walkie-talkies are 0:01:45.000 --> 0:01:48.000 quick and easy to use, and best of all, they 0:01:48.020 --> 0:01:52.820 don't rely on sometimes finicky cell phone signals. The handsets 0:01:52.900 --> 0:01:56.340 transmit directly to each other, so they still work when 0:01:56.400 --> 0:02:01.060 cell networks fail during natural disasters or power outages. They're 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:05.320 designed primarily for short-range communications, in which groups of people 0:02:05.420 --> 0:02:09.500 are within a few miles of each other. Businesses use 0:02:09.540 --> 0:02:13.260 walkie-talkies so that employees can chat efficiently in and around 0:02:13.340 --> 0:02:18.530 their indoor or outdoor structures. Wilderness lovers tote walkie-talkies so 0:02:18.540 --> 0:02:20.950 that they can keep in touch during hiking or hunting 0:02:21.010 --> 0:02:25.030 trips out where cell phone coverage is basically non-existent. Even 0:02:25.110 --> 0:02:29.030 baby monitors employ one-way walkie-talkie technology so that you know 0:02:29.090 --> 0:02:34.250 whether Junior is sleeping peacefully or attempting escape. Today, let's 0:02:34.310 --> 0:02:37.510 talk about how walkie-talkies developed going on a century ago. 0:02:38.150 --> 0:02:43.980 and why they're still such vital communication devices. All walkie-talkies 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:49.739 feature the same basic components. Those include a speaker, microphone, battery, antenna, 0:02:50.020 --> 0:02:55.190 some circuitry, and, of course, the iconic push-to-talk button. These 0:02:55.260 --> 0:02:59.769 parts work in tandem to create useful radio signals. Let's 0:02:59.810 --> 0:03:01.970 say you're rafting with a group of friends on a 0:03:02.050 --> 0:03:05.810 remote river. You depress the push-to-talk button on your handset 0:03:05.889 --> 0:03:09.800 to chat with group members. As you speak, the walkie-talkie 0:03:09.860 --> 0:03:13.639 converts your voice into radio signals. Those signals are part 0:03:13.660 --> 0:03:16.470 of the electromagnetic spectrum, so they travel at the speed 0:03:16.490 --> 0:03:19.390 of light, hundreds of thousands of miles a second, to 0:03:19.510 --> 0:03:22.070 all the other radios that are within range and on 0:03:22.110 --> 0:03:27.429 the same channel. Very basically, radios transmit and receive signals 0:03:27.690 --> 0:03:31.540 on any of millions of possible frequencies. In order to 0:03:31.600 --> 0:03:33.700 communicate with your buddies, you'll need to make sure that 0:03:33.720 --> 0:03:36.120 you're all using the same channel before hitting the river. 0:03:37.340 --> 0:03:42.320 Radio frequencies are regulated because they're in finite supply. Especially 0:03:42.360 --> 0:03:45.059 at the public level, the airways are often jammed with 0:03:45.120 --> 0:03:48.040 too many signals at once, which can result in interference. 0:03:48.880 --> 0:03:53.030 But that wasn't always the case. Walkie-talkies started out as 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:58.270 military communications tools. During World War II, the U.S. and 0:03:58.370 --> 0:04:01.410 Allied forces were the first to put these newfangled radios 0:04:01.530 --> 0:04:05.300 into widespread use. There were several groups working on this 0:04:05.320 --> 0:04:08.600 type of radio in the late 1930s, so it's impossible 0:04:08.660 --> 0:04:12.080 to attribute the exact genesis of the walkie-talkie to a 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:17.200 single person or company. Radio engineer Al Gross and Canadian 0:04:17.279 --> 0:04:21.180 inventor Donald Hings were on the forefront of this technological wave, 0:04:21.540 --> 0:04:25.260 as were research groups at Gavin Manufacturing Company, now better 0:04:25.300 --> 0:04:30.670 known as Motorola. Just before 1940, Motorola produced a portable 0:04:30.770 --> 0:04:34.950 transceiver that became known as a handy-talkie. This was an 0:04:34.970 --> 0:04:39.440 AM radio-based system, on frequencies from 3 to 6 MHz. 0:04:40.440 --> 0:04:44.020 It worked, but was prone to degrading signal quality, meaning 0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:49.460 static and interference often made communication frustrating. The first design 0:04:49.500 --> 0:04:52.040 to hit the battlefield in mass numbers, and the first 0:04:52.080 --> 0:04:58.040 to garner the walkie-talkie label, was the Motorola SCR-300. This 0:04:58.100 --> 0:05:01.880 was an FM radio-based device on frequencies from 40 to 0:05:01.880 --> 0:05:06.130 48 MHz, and much more resistant to interference than AM. 0:05:07.070 --> 0:05:09.690 It also had better range at around 3 to 5 miles, 0:05:09.790 --> 0:05:14.600 that's 5 to 8 kilometers. FM-based radio signals also offered 0:05:14.620 --> 0:05:17.960 the advantage of squelch, which just means that the speaker 0:05:18.000 --> 0:05:23.060 went silent until an incoming signal arrived. Prior to squelch capabilities, 0:05:23.339 --> 0:05:27.250 radio operators who monitored AM signals had to endure long 0:05:27.330 --> 0:05:30.470 periods of mind- and ear-numbing static when no one was 0:05:30.550 --> 0:05:35.590 transmitting on the channel they were monitoring. The SCR300 wasn't 0:05:35.810 --> 0:05:39.840 exactly as convenient as your average smartphone. It required a 0:05:39.880 --> 0:05:44.180 backpack that housed the battery, electronics, and a 33-inch antenna, 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:47.900 that's 84 centimeters, all of which weighed over 30 pounds, 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:52.020 or 14 kilos. In spite of its heft, the unit 0:05:52.080 --> 0:05:55.089 was rugged and reliable in war zones, and tens of 0:05:55.130 --> 0:05:57.350 thousands of them were deployed to troops in both the 0:05:57.410 --> 0:06:01.469 Pacific and European theaters in World War II. The end 0:06:01.529 --> 0:06:04.910 result was forces that could communicate and coordinate their activities 0:06:05.089 --> 0:06:09.800 much more effectively than ever before. After the war, walkie-talkie 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:14.560 technology hit the mainstream. Military versions got smaller, lighter, and 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:21.000 more powerful. Amateur radio enthusiasts adopted walkie-talkies en masse. Consumer-grade 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:24.200 versions appeared, too, with affordable price tags that made them 0:06:24.320 --> 0:06:27.630 perfect for basic communications around the house, in the field, 0:06:27.930 --> 0:06:31.970 and even as toys. Let's talk more about how these 0:06:32.010 --> 0:06:35.350 devices work. But first, let's take a quick break for 0:06:35.370 --> 0:06:46.060 a word from our sponsors. All walkie-talkies are made to 0:06:46.100 --> 0:06:49.980 work on specific frequencies that governments reserve for different types 0:06:50.020 --> 0:06:54.140 of transmissions. For example, police and firefighters have their own 0:06:54.180 --> 0:06:57.830 frequencies so that business and public signals don't interfere with 0:06:57.930 --> 0:07:02.510 emergency communications. In the U.S., the regulating body is the 0:07:02.589 --> 0:07:07.870 Federal Communications Commission, or FCC. The primary frequencies designated for 0:07:07.910 --> 0:07:12.230 general public use here are called Family Radio Service, or FRS, 0:07:12.610 --> 0:07:17.310 and General Mobile Radio Service, or GMRS, and they operate 0:07:17.380 --> 0:07:21.800 in the 460 MHz range. The government also sets aside 0:07:21.840 --> 0:07:26.140 frequencies for corporate use, called business band, which includes frequencies 0:07:26.200 --> 0:07:31.830 between 450 and 470 MHz. The FRS and GMRS channels 0:07:31.990 --> 0:07:35.780 overlap at some frequencies. but the actual radios that access 0:07:35.840 --> 0:07:40.780 these channels have some distinctive differences. FRS handsets are limited 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:44.600 to 2 watts, making them low-powered devices that often only 0:07:44.640 --> 0:07:46.880 work at a range of a few hundred feet, up 0:07:46.920 --> 0:07:50.230 to a couple of miles in good conditions. These are 0:07:50.310 --> 0:07:54.530 great personal-use devices, and anyone can transmit on FRS bands 0:07:54.670 --> 0:07:58.870 for any reason. GMRS devices can be much more powerful, 0:07:59.390 --> 0:08:03.440 up to 50 watts. What's more, GMRS systems can be 0:08:03.520 --> 0:08:06.720 used with repeaters, which are devices that boost the range 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:11.040 of the radio signal, meaning that GMRS devices always feature 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:16.090 better range than FRS-only handsets. There are plenty of hybrid 0:08:16.110 --> 0:08:18.910 devices available that will allow you to transmit on both 0:08:18.950 --> 0:08:23.090 groups of channels. When you're transmitting on FRS, the handset's 0:08:23.130 --> 0:08:26.040 power will automatically drop down to 2 watts or under. 0:08:27.130 --> 0:08:31.070 But while anyone can use the FRS channels, only licensed 0:08:31.150 --> 0:08:36.060 radio operators are allowed to use GMRS frequencies. That's because 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:39.040 these radios are more powerful and thus more likely to 0:08:39.059 --> 0:08:42.660 cause interference with each other. As of 2026, though, a 0:08:43.020 --> 0:08:46.740 GMRS radio license only costs about $ 35, and it's good 0:08:46.760 --> 0:08:51.500 for 10 years. Note here that FRS and GMRS are 0:08:51.580 --> 0:08:56.500 North American communication standards. Other regulatory bodies, like the European Union, 0:08:56.970 --> 0:09:00.450 use different sets of frequencies that are incompatible with handsets 0:09:00.570 --> 0:09:04.010 meant to work on FRS or GMRS. It would be 0:09:04.030 --> 0:09:08.040 illegal to even try. So when you're traveling abroad, it 0:09:08.120 --> 0:09:10.959 doesn't hurt to verify that your radios operate on a 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:16.320 legal frequency. In extreme circumstances, transmitting illegally on the wrong 0:09:16.360 --> 0:09:20.849 channels can result in fines or even jail time. With 0:09:20.990 --> 0:09:24.000 all of this talk about frequencies and wattage, you might 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:29.770 be wondering about the real-world range of walkie-talkies. Commercial-grade walkie-talkies 0:09:29.850 --> 0:09:32.610 have enough oomph to give them a range of several miles. 0:09:33.690 --> 0:09:38.510 But as with so many product specifications, manufacturers often exaggerate 0:09:38.530 --> 0:09:43.600 the range of their walkie-talkies, especially under less-than-ideal conditions. In 0:09:43.700 --> 0:09:48.000 areas where there are buildings, hills, trees, or any other obstructions, 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:51.610 expect the working range to drop in a hurry. In 0:09:51.710 --> 0:09:55.160 very congested areas, even good quality handsets may max out 0:09:55.179 --> 0:09:59.050 their range in several hundred feet. And once you're within 0:09:59.130 --> 0:10:02.199 range of another handset, there's still the matter of conducting 0:10:02.340 --> 0:10:07.140 a proper walkie-talkie conversation. Because only one person can speak 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:10.990 at a time, each walkie-talkie operator needs to know the rules. 0:10:11.970 --> 0:10:15.310 For example, saying over indicates that you're done speaking and 0:10:15.330 --> 0:10:18.540 that you're awaiting a reply. By saying over and out, 0:10:18.740 --> 0:10:21.420 you're telling listeners that you're done with your transmission and 0:10:21.440 --> 0:10:25.880 that the conversation is over. These so-called voice procedures are 0:10:26.059 --> 0:10:29.800 necessary to prevent people from talking over each other during transmission. 0:10:31.160 --> 0:10:34.090 As walkie-talkie features have become more advanced, some of these 0:10:34.270 --> 0:10:38.950 linguistic acrobatics are becoming less necessary. Handsets often now send 0:10:38.990 --> 0:10:42.130 a beep tone when you release the push-to-talk button, in 0:10:42.170 --> 0:10:47.469 effect replacing over with an automatic tone. Radio lexicon can 0:10:47.490 --> 0:10:51.170 be a strange language for novices, but even weirder is 0:10:51.190 --> 0:10:54.990 the sound of a stranger's voice on your handset. If 0:10:55.150 --> 0:10:58.770 another person's walkie-talkie is within range of yours, and happens 0:10:58.830 --> 0:11:01.310 to be set to the same channel, there's a chance 0:11:01.370 --> 0:11:04.850 that you'll hear what they're saying, and vice versa. To 0:11:04.870 --> 0:11:07.750 prevent this, your group can select a different channel, or 0:11:07.809 --> 0:11:11.910 you can invest in walkie-talkies with encoding, including what's called 0:11:12.010 --> 0:11:16.720 a continuous tone-coded squelch system, or a a digital coded squelch, 0:11:17.220 --> 0:11:24.199 most often seen as CTCSS and DCS. This encoding isn't encryption. 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:28.660 That type of functionality is only found in military-grade radios. Instead, 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:32.260 it's a type of filtering. Your radio's speaker will only 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:35.520 activate when it receives a transmission from another radio that 0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:40.700 precedes its message with a specific tone combination. So, as 0:11:40.780 --> 0:11:43.660 long as your group's radios are using the same privacy code, 0:11:43.900 --> 0:11:47.970 you'll be good to go. But even with privacy codes 0:11:48.030 --> 0:11:53.510 in place, walkie-talkie conversations are anything but secure. Radio signals 0:11:53.740 --> 0:11:58.140 often bounce around weirdly due to weather or other electromagnetic anomalies, 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:01.740 which is why they sometimes pick up other signals inadvertently, 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:04.900 such as in the case of baby monitors that have 0:12:05.200 --> 0:12:09.060 spewed foul language from truckers talking on their CB radios. 0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:15.070 Think of walkie-talkies as publicly accessible phone calls. Putting out 0:12:15.190 --> 0:12:18.860 weird rants or private details over the air violates basic 0:12:18.890 --> 0:12:22.980 radio etiquette and might garner some really unwanted attention from 0:12:23.140 --> 0:12:28.880 aggravated users. Even as smartphone and cellular technologies have improved 0:12:29.020 --> 0:12:34.140 to provide different and wider usages, walkie-talkies really aren't outdated. 0:12:34.160 --> 0:12:38.740 They're just different. Cell phones will always be dependent on 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:43.850 cellular towers, and they don't provide the instantaneous communication of 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:47.469 a walkie-talkie. For anyone who strays out of range of 0:12:47.510 --> 0:12:50.449 cell phone networks, or who needs to communicate when cell 0:12:50.490 --> 0:12:54.890 networks might be busy, there's no substitute for these handheld radios. 0:12:56.150 --> 0:13:00.710 Manufacturers are packing more power and sensitivity into smaller and 0:13:00.850 --> 0:13:05.060 often cheaper handsets than ever. Different models may have features 0:13:05.179 --> 0:13:09.569 like weather frequency reception, multiple charging and battery options for 0:13:09.630 --> 0:13:15.210 longer use, swappable antennas for higher-powered communications when necessary, and 0:13:15.290 --> 0:13:17.949 rewind buttons to review the past 30 seconds or so 0:13:17.990 --> 0:13:22.760 of audio. Many are water-resistant or even waterproof, and some 0:13:22.800 --> 0:13:26.220 are designed to float. And many models now come with 0:13:26.340 --> 0:13:29.640 voice activation, called VOX, so that you don't even have 0:13:29.660 --> 0:13:34.479 to press a button to begin speaking. Again, as of 2026, 0:13:34.480 --> 0:13:38.560 good FRS models on buyer's guide lists run for under 0:13:38.559 --> 0:13:44.800 $ 50 per handset, and good GMRS models run for under $ 200. 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:46.620 All of these advances speak to the continuing relevance and 0:13:46.760 --> 0:13:51.610 usefulness of walkie-talkies. For a decades-old radio technology, that's some 0:13:51.710 --> 0:13:54.690 serious longevity, especially in the face of so many new 0:13:54.750 --> 0:14:00.310 communications devices. For now, walkie-talkies and their radio-based brethren are 0:14:00.429 --> 0:14:08.229 here to stay. Over. Today's episode is based on the 0:14:08.290 --> 0:14:12.290 article How Walkie Talkies Work on HowStuffWorks.com, written by Nathan Chandler. 0:14:12.770 --> 0:14:15.430 BrainStuff is a production of iHeart Podcasts in partnership with 0:14:15.470 --> 0:14:19.310 HowStuffWorks.com and is produced by Tyler Klang. For more shows 0:14:19.370 --> 0:14:23.310 from iHeart Podcasts, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 0:14:23.430 --> 0:14:26.150 wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Over and out.