Some walkie-talkies are extremely lightweight and compact, whereas others are larger and heavier. If you'll carry your walkie-talkie for long periods of time, you may prefer a relatively lightweight option. That said, some compact walkie-talkies can be flimsy, so you'll need to find the sweet spot between lightweight and durable. How you use your walkie-talkie makes a difference as to how durable you need it to be.
If you only use it occasionally, and you aren't taking part in any extreme activities, you probably don't need an extremely rugged walkie-talkie. However, if you use it daily, take it with you while engaging in activities like rock climbing or mountain biking, or generally expect it to get its fair share of drops and scrapes, it's worth investing in a durable model that will stand up to some abuse.
The biggest drawback to walkie-talkies is that they're not private. Anyone with a compatible device can tune into a channel you're using, and only one person can use it at a time. The more channels you have available on your walkie-talkie, the less likely it is that anyone else will be using them. If you plan to use your walkie-talkies in a remote area, a model with just a handful of channels will suffice.
However, you'll probably need access to a greater number of channels if you use them in a busy place where there may be a lot of radio activity, such as a large event or music festival.
FRS walkie-talkies are limited to 0. The amount of watts your radio has essentially equates to transmission power, so the larger the wattage, the further your messages will reach. While walkie-talkies often advertise very large communication ranges, this range is really only achievable given perfect conditions. A more realistic range factoring in obstacles and weather conditions is around one mile per watt.
While you can buy single walkie-talkies, most come in a set. Think about how many you need you might be buying for yourself, your whole family, or a group of colleagues , and select a set size accordingly. Even at crowded events like an air show or busy campground you should be able to find an available channel.
In order to operate a radio with access to more frequencies you may need licensure. Walkie talkies will make some pretty wildly skewed claims about range. It seems that every cheap radio claims it can communicate at absurd distances like 20 miles or more. For general use on the FRS radio frequencies a maximum power output of 0. These units can reach power levels up to 50 watts for stationary base units but often operate on watt handheld devices in the field.
These higher powered radios are useful for scout camps , job sites, or major construction projects. Most recreational users will want to stick with the low power FRS units.
For businesses and power users, look into the GMRS radios. Line of sight impacts signal in a very real way. Weather can impact signal. Clear skies tend to allow radio signals to travel further. Cloudy, stormy, or even foggy atmospheric conditions all reduce range in most cases. You could try smoke signals, I guess… or…. Using interference codes essentially gives you an extra set of channels to communicate on.
Most radios will have channels but each channel can have a sub-channel. These sub-channels for instance: Channel 5 Code 2 each provide an extra exclusive chat channel on their own. It just provides more lanes if traffic is busy, so to speak. Battery life is important to users with low access to to charging stations. This means hikers, backpackers, and hunters are likely to all prioritize battery life features. This is determined by two things.
First the power of your radio makes an impact. The higher power wattage the more battery it will consume. For two radios with the same battery size, the one with a higher wattage will go dead faster. Second the sheer size of the battery inside your radio makes an impact. Battery size ranges from model to model but is measured in mAh or milliamp hours.
When you need more battery power one good solution could be a spare battery. Before buying a walkie talkie, find out if it has changeable batteries. Some small devices operate off of AA batteries. Others have proprietary battery packs. Because we often write about outdoor sports, we know weather is an important tool for you. Having access to a weather report, even if crude, can be very critical in the backcountry.
Luckily, some two way radios and walkie talkies have built in weather band channels. A: Usually not! Check the users manual that came with your radio to be sure. A: We talked about this a little earlier in the article. When it comes to walkie talkies I think that AA batteries are a good choice for most recreational users.
There are many situations where recharging an internal battery is hard or impossible. However, taking along some extra AA batteries or buying them from the campground store is very easy! Best of all, we like the Midland GXT and Cobra's ability to run off standard alkaline and rechargeable batteries—this seems the best of both worlds. We measured each radio's dimensions and weighed it with batteries installed.
Then we noted how the radio felt as we carried it in real life. The shape or distribution of heavy elements of a walkie talkie could make a heavier radio feel lighter.
In contrast, a blocky shape could make a lighter radio feel more bulky and noticeable in your pocket. They are all similar in size and weight, and we easily forget we were carrying it even for weight-conscious activities like climbing or trail running. These four supply excellent size and weight savings but lacked performance in other areas, so buyers should decide the importance of the small size before picking one.
Just larger than that group was the Midland X-Talker 36 , which used its larger size to perform well in the range tests compared to the other small radios. This design splits the weight between two pieces, making it harder to notice in real-life use.
The external microphone is nicely proportioned to be comfortable on your backpack shoulder strap. The radio's body fits fine in the smaller pockets of any backpack or even in a jacket pocket, and it's a good shape and weight to not feel like a brick. Yes, it is quite large and heavy compared to others, but we did not feel this hindered its performance for anything but the most weight-conscious activities.
A good set of radios can be one of the best devices for the backcountry because effective communication is crucial for avoiding or dealing with accidents. However, electronics must be capable of withstanding the rigors of the harsh environments we adventure in, or they won't be worth taking along. We put these radios into the hands of experienced testers who use radios daily, professionally, and recreationally to see which ones are worth the weight and cost for your next outing.
Best Walkie Talkies of Share this article:. Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. Learn more. Need a two-way radio? We tested these in the field and the lab to find the strengths and weaknesses of each one. We put these radios through the wringer, clipping them to our backpacks for recreation in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
We measured clarity and range in varying conditions and undulating terrain, let them get wet in the rain and snow, and tested battery life until each one died. From radios that are tiny and simple to radios that are fully featured and waterproof, we rate, assess, and recommend the best radios for your next adventure. Top 9 Product Ratings. Displaying 1 - 5 of 9. Backcountry Access BC Link 2. Motorola T Midland X-Talker Midland X-Talker T Show full specification details Hide full specification details.
See all prices 3 found. Range and Clarity 7. Weather Resistance and Durability 7. See all prices 2 found. Range and Clarity 3. Weather Resistance and Durability 6. Simple, small, and lightweight. Weather Resistance and Durability 9. Range and Clarity Weather Resistance and Durability 5. Score Product Price Our Take Motorola Talkabout T Radioddity FS-T2.
Cobra ACXT A batch of radios ready for testing. The X-Talker fit nicely in our hand and worked fairly well considering its small size and reasonable price. The X-Talker 36 is a good looking middle ground between the small inexpensive models and the larger, powerful models for significantly more money. Range tests put all of the radios head to head in real life radio calls. While none of them got anywhere near their claimed maximum range, clear winners did emerge. With this extremely powerful BaoFeng model, you can transmit across much larger distances than most consumer-grade radios.
However, with great power comes great complexity. A license is required to transmit with this model. On land, we think there are better options available. On water, though, the Motorola T is a great call. The external microphone is a defining characteristic of the BCA radio.
It keeps all the basic adjustments and indicators at your fingertips. It fits nicely in hand and the orange rubber PTT button is easy to find without looking.
Volume and privacy channels are easy to access and manipulate as well. The X-Talker has a complete set of features that many other price-friendly models don't without sacrificing relative simplicity.
Basic operation requires little to no learning curve, and utilizing more in-depth features takes just a minute with the manual. We loved the convenience of having easy adjustments and a PTT button at our fingertips.
While Midland will not support a warranty claim for water damage, their claim that the X-Talker is water-resistant was upheld when we got it wet in our tests. The light on the bottom of the Motorolla T flashes when it is dropped in the water, and this is the only radio in our test that floats! Being rugged starts with being waterproof and dustproof. This walkie talkie can stay submerged in water up to a depth of one meter for 30 minutes.
DeWALT says their walkie talkie will survive a 2-meter drop. That claim is believable and indeed the design of the DXFRS encourages confidence in its abilities. A 2-meter height might not sound much, but it is a good distance and a way to make a reliable claim. Instead, they consider an indoor coverage for this walkie talkie, suggesting an area of , sq. The way walkie talkie transmission works with line of sight and presence of obstacles, the actual range might be a lot smaller, but it might still be satisfactory.
Notable features here are:. I guess it is a bit of both. There are no frills here, just the basics to transmit and receive signals. An included auto-Squelch function works to improve sound quality, though its usefulness in a basic unit like this is questionable. And then Motorola went ahead and claimed a range of 16 miles. It has a small effective range, but can work comfortably on a ship. Besides, the low price point makes it a breeze to pick this walkie talkie.
The two-way radio runs on three AAA batteries and has a small screen that displays the channel in use and other pertinent information. You can set the ringing to mute if necessary, though it will reset eventually. When it comes to managing security, warehousing, and even retail operations, you need the best commercial 2-way radio available.
The Motorola Professional ClS was a no-brainer for this category. Plus, employees can always stay hands-free thanks to the VOX feature. Last but not least, the ClS covers an area of , square feet or 15 floors.
Moreover, the fact that it operates on UHF signal means that your transmissions are able to penetrate walls very effectively. This makes coordination between multiple departments an absolute breeze.
However, we firmly believe that the investment is worth it, especially if your business operation is quite large. Get it now on Amazon. But what makes the T a must-have for hikers is the talkabout app that you can download onto your smartphone. Developed by Motorola, the talkabout app gives the user a whole new set of features.
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