Two Way Radios And How They Are Different From A Radio Station?

What is a walkie-talkie?

A Walkie-talkie is actually a portable radio that is designed as a hand held device. This device employs radio waves to wirelessly communicate on a single frequency band. This battery-powered handheld device is fitted with a transmitter, which switches functions as a receiver as well. It also contains an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves, a loudspeaker that also works as a microphone, and a push-to-talk button, which has to be pressed while talking on the walkie-talkie.

How does a business walkie talkie work?

One of the key things to keep in mind while using a business walkie talkie is to ensure that the people who are using it are tuned to the same frequency band. A walkie-talkie handset is set to receive messages by default, so when no one is talking on the walkie talkie, the device is set to receive audio messages. However, when someone wishes to talk on the walkie-talkie, they simply have to press the push-to-talk button, which switches the default loudspeaker function of the handset to a microphone. Now that we know that a walkie-talkie is a two-way radio, which clearly suggests that unlike a normal radio, it can both send and receive messages.

More information on business walkie talkie

What is a Radio station?


In contrast to a walkie talkie set, radio station is actually an installation of one or more radio transmitters or receivers, which are employed for radio communications. A radio station is used for mass broadcasting of audio sounds by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a mass audience. 

What is the frequency a walkie-talkie operates on?

Modern walkie-talkies operate using frequency bands from 134MHz up to around 900 MHz. These 2 way radios systems operate at the following frequency bands...Very High Frequency (VHF), which operates at 138-174 MHzUltra High Frequency (UHF), which operates at 400-512 MHzOther very high frequency bands, which operate at 800-869 MHz and 900-940 MHz

What is the purpose of having different frequencies?

The purpose of operating on different frequencies is primarily related to the reach of the transmission. The benefit of using a radio wave with a higher frequency is that it can easily travel through walls and that's why it is used for broadcast in a densely populated area. On the other hand, radio waves with a lower frequency are more effective for communication over large areas. This is primarily due to the fact that a lower frequency with a shorter wavelength is able to travel through long distances without any disturbance. 

A great example of using different frequencies is the AM and FM radio channels operating in a country. The FM channels are more suited for transmission in a city area, which is only restricted to a limited distance in all directions. However, when it comes to broadcasting across the country over very long distances, AM radio channels are always better suited for the purpose because they broadcast over a frequency band of 0.525- 1.705 MHz, which is able to travel long distances of hundreds of miles without any distortions or disturbance.