Different Usages Of Walkie Talkies

By Author: Papia Fernandas
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Gone are the days when walkie talkies were considered for usage only by military or police forces. The versatility of these devices has ensured that they are popular in all environments and are used by people from varying fields and sectors.
I have a cell phone. Is that not enough?
Most people assume cell phones are an updated version of walkie talkies and do not bother with the former device. They would be surprised to know that there are a lot of features of walkie talkies that are superior to any model of smart phone available in the market today. This article will help understand the features of these radio devices and their various uses in everyday world.
What is a walkie talkie?
A walkie talkie is a handheld communication device that sends and receives information through radio channels. The first walkie talkie designed had to be back mounted and had very less range. They were used during the Second World War and were designed by the Galvin Manufacturing Company in 1940s.
As technology improved, the size and weight of these devices reduced drastically and right now they are handy enough to ...
... carry around in the hands and are packed with a lot of features and better functionalities.
Why a walkie talkie?
• No air time charges like cell phones
• Can work in areas where cell phone towers are not available
• Can connect to several people at the same instant
• Perfect to send and receive information between a group of people
• Can be operated with just a click of a button
Where all can one use a walkie talkie?
For the sake of easy understanding, we will be dividing the usage of walkie talkies into three primary categories.
1. Professional usage
2. Commercial usage
3. Personal usage
Professional Usage
Professionally used walkie talkies are licensed devices that are packed with powerful functions and features to ensure they work in rough and rugged conditions. Most professionally used walkie talkies are put to use in defense systems like the Military and Para-Military forces and the army, in airports, railways, ports, huge factories and industries, iron ore and coal mines, heavy construction sites, tunnels, fire fighters, police units and so on.
Basically these devices are designed to withstand external damage like water, fire, dust and mishandling. Most of the professional walkie talkies are certified by Ingress Protection Classes 67 or 56 and are very high quality devices.
They have the highest possible range and are also expensive devices.
Commercial Usage
This is the next classification and as the name hints, these walkie talkies are used for commercial purposes like security services, hotel and resort management, mall security, hospitals, recreation facilities, automobile service centers, retail outlets, small and medium scale businesses, warehouses and by people who conduct event management and parties, wedding planners, caterers, film directors, camera operators, crane operators and so on.
They are not as strong and rugged as the professional use walkie talkies as they are used amidst preset, safe environments. The range of such walkie talkies is good enough to connect their entire work team and they are usually licensed devices that come with a warranty.
Commercial usage walkie talkies are the most commonly used ones in the market and can be chosen for a majority of work places.
Commercial range walkie talkies are cheaper than the professional ones, but have almost the same features and even come with digital displays in few cases. The TalkPRO H250A is a good example for a digital display, commercial range walkie talkie.
Personal Usage
A lot of people do not realize walkie talkies can be perfect for communication within family and friends. It is true though. For a family that lives in a huge penthouse spanning a large area with several rooms, getting in touch with each person can be difficult, especially when they need to be called for dinner or to pass on an information. Walkie talkies are great to use here. When the kids are out playing with their friends, parents can contact them using these devices easily.
Another popular usage of walkie talkies are during trekking, mountaineering, camping trips. Usually people go in small groups and explore newer places and most of these are outside the reach of cell phones. Using walkie talkies can ensure fellow mates are not lost and can prove life savers in case of emergencies.
Walkie talkies can also be taken when a group of people go for vacations. Cruise trips are also another popular travel option and cell phones have no use in the middle of the sea. In this case, walkie talkies prove inevitable.
How to choose the right walkie talkie?
There are 2 options to choose from when it comes to buying walkie talkies in India.
1. Unlicensed
2. Licensed
What are unlicensed devices? These are cheaper versions of radios/walkie talkies sold online in sites like eBay, Amazon or Flipkart. They are usually available for a couple of thousand rupees and do not come with a warranty. The problem with these devices is that most of them operate in redundant frequency range that offers no or very less coverage. This frequency is affected by noises from computer monitors, generators, two wheelers etc. and are of no use.
Few unlicensed devices work on 400 MHz band and this, in India, is used by the Para-Military and is illegal to tune into. Hence it is risky buying such devices from unknown vendors.
Licensed devices are usually tuned to 350 MHz band and come with a warranty, after sales service and other features. These are obviously more expensive than the above category devices, but they are worth the money spent. Once a proper license for a walkie talkie is obtained, there is no need to spend money on using these. Good brands like the Iconet’s TalkPRO helps the user ill the forms, submit it to relevant government department and facilitate the licensing process. It is beneficial to approach such sellers to prevent any confusion with the licensing process.
Other than the initial licensing cost and cost of device, every couple of days, the batteries need to be plugged electrically and charged and the next day the device will be good to go. For people who are looking to use the walkie talkie regularly for years together, it is advisable to invest on licensed ones once and enjoy the benefits.