“Well, does anyone use a walkie-talkie these days?” What! Did I hear you right? Now that’s a backward thought because walkie-talkies have been great devices since the invention and they are still awesome till now.
Trust me; your walkie-talkie can be a lifesaver especially in areas where your phone won’t pick up signals. You might be yearning for some adventure, say a hunting trip or family camping, and you feel reluctant because your neighbor says there’s no network coverage in that area, well, this might be the perfect time to gift yourself a walkie-talkie.
I guess you are on this page because you don’t know how to connect it but now that you are here, let’s take a walk through connecting your walkie-talkie.
Usually, walkie-talkies use a single radio channel, and only one channel can transmit at a time although any number can listen. The walkie-talkie is generally in the receive mode, and you’d have to press the Push-to-talk (PTT) button to turn it into a transmitter which carries your message to the receiver.
Connecting your walkie-talkie
To connect your walkie-talkie, your two devices should be compatible walkie-talkies. The reason why most walkie–talkies won’t connect is either because they do not have compatible DCS (Digital Coded Squelch codes) which may be resolved by putting off the DCS feature.
Next, you have to be within range, or line- of- sight with the receiver, usually within a short distance or if your device allows it, a longer distance.
Then you tune in to the same frequency band with your friend or group of friends. The frequency band is also known as the radio channel. The static hissing sound of the channel may seem a bit strange to you, but it’s not abnormal as it shows that they all are receiving.
The static sound stops immediately a signal is received such as someone wanting to talk in the group; more like the loudspeaker units being switched into a microphone. The radio allows one person to speak at a time, and the words are converted into radio waves traveling at a light’s speed. This speed enables the other parties to pick up the waves almost immediately.
To communicate with the other party, you’d need to press down the push to talk button (PTT button), pass your information and end it with over. Once the recipient hears over, he knows your part of the conversation is finished after which you release the push to talk button to switch back to the listening mode to get the response.
How to get walkie-talkies on the same channel
A walkie-talkie functions majorly as a transceiver serving only one function at a time. In other words, it cannot receive while transmitting and vice versa. To do this, you need to get your walkie-talkies on the same channel. It doesn’t matter how many walkie-talkies you are connecting to, as long as they all are on the same channel and in most cases, within communication range.
It is also important to note that you can use different walkie-talkie brands to communicate. I’ve had people ask me if a brand of walkie-talkie can connect to another and my response has always been yes as long as they are on the same frequency.
To get your walkie-talkies on the same channel,
On your radio:
- Select a channel you want for your team from the range of channels made available. Whether you are out on an adventure (camping, hiking or hunting) or in a business setting, you’d need to pick a channel to communicate on.
- Identify the selected channel on the screen.
- Press the PTT button to save your chosen channel.
- Share with others
- For the other radios
- Scan the channel lists until you find yours
- Set your walkie-talkie to the same channel.
- Press the PTT button to save the channel.
Once you are on the same frequency, you can then begin to transmit. Typically, all FRS and GMRS supported radios function on the same frequency and therefore compatible.
How to sync walkie-talkies
Often you may have an old and a new pair of walkie-talkies you need to connect or in most cases, two different walkie-talkie brands and may need to sync both radios to get them working together. To synchronize both radios, ensure that the private code numbers on the radios are set to the same number after which you can set both walkie-talkies to the same channel.
Most radios have 22 channels. To figure out what channel number your radio is on, you check the display and then save the channel.
By the way, If your two-way radios don’t connect on the same channel, you have to find a way around it. You have to solve the issue by ensuring that the Continuous Tone Coded Squelching System (CTCSS) function is deactivated on your device because in most cases, it sends a beep tone along with your voice message, the sound in most cases is unacceptable on the other radio, and it blocks the signal. More like spam in your mail blocked from entering your primary inbox.
In other cases, be sure that the two radios you are trying to sync are on the same channel numbers. Not all radios work with the same numbers. Channel number 8 on radio A maybe channel number 1 on radio B. you may have to confirm the different radio channels and their equivalent channel numbers on other frequency levels.
