How Far Will Your Walkie Talkies Transmit?
All of our hire walkie-talkies, and most of the walkie-talkies that we sell, have 4 watts power output, which is as high as you will find on any brand of UHF professional walkie-talkie in the UK, or in fact, anywhere else.
There is very little difference in the performance of different brands of radio with the same power output. They are all subject to the same laws of physics after all.
The “range” depends massively on where the radio is used.
Radio signals travel from the transmitting radio in straight lines.
Every solid object that the radio signal passes through absorbs some of the radio signal. The denser the object, the more it absorbs / blocks radio waves.
So, radio signals might get 2 miles or more in open, flattish countryside.
Perhaps even further in “ideal” applications – such as hilltop-to-valley communications where there is perfect “Line Of Sight” with no hills, trees or buildings to get in the way.
But only maybe half a mile, perhaps even less, in a city with lots of big buildings, or within a large building.
Within buildings, the “range” depends a lot on what the structure is made of: metal walls, or very thick stone or brick walls, can totally block radio signals.
Use of a repeater with a set of walkie-talkies can increase the area of radio communication coverage.
But I Have Seen Walkie Talkies For Sale With Advertised Ranges Of 10 Or Even 20 Miles!
They presumably get these figures by testing in very “ideal” but unrealistic conditions, for example as in the diagram, by communicating from two hill-tops several miles apart – so that there is perfect “Line Of Sight” between the two radios. Or just by lying about it.
Of course this gives an “artificially” high range which bears little resemblance to what you might expect in more normal usage.
Curvature Of The Earth Limits Radio Range
One limiting factor that affects walkie-talkie range is the curvature of the earth.
The world (as most people know!) is round, and this means that beyond around six miles maximum, radio signals from radios at near ground level are blocked by the curvature of the earth, and that’s if they weren’t blocked much sooner by hilly terrain, buildings, etc.
Sadly, some radio manufacturers have got into a ridiculous rivalry, whereby they claim bigger and bigger “maximum range” figures for their products, with the distances claimed bearing less and less relationship to what customers will usually achieve in normal conditions of use.
They know that the typical uninformed customer, looking at several models of radio on the shelves in a shop, or online, will see that one brand claims a range of “up to 3 miles” and another says “up to 8 miles” and just choose the one with the biggest number of miles.
When in fact, the radios usually have the same power output and the same size of aerial, and so their real “ranges” will be very similar – they are subject to the same laws of science and nature, one company has not invented some unique magic technology that the others don’t use.
We prefer to be honest about what is likely or realistic in terms of radio range.
Three Ways To Increase Walkie Talkie Radios Effective Range
We list here 3 technologies that can result in walkie talkies having a greater range in use.
Using Repeaters With Walkie-Talkie Radios
A repeater is a more powerful radio device that simultaneously receives and then re-transmits a radio signal from a walkie-talkie, expanding the overall area over which a group of walkie talkies can communicate.
Meshing / Relaying Walkie-Talkie Radios
We now sell and hire a walkie-talkie radio (the Talkpod A50P) that creates an ad-hoc network or “mesh” with other similar radios used nearby. Each radio seamlessly forwards messages on, so increasing the area of coverage of group of these radios.
Mobile Data SIM Card Walkie-Talkie Radios
We now sell and hire a totally new type of “radio” that contains a SIM card like a mobile phone, and that transmits its signal via the mobile phone data networks.
These radios get around the point-to-point range limitation of conventional walkie-talkies, and can transmit over any distance at all, provided that both ends are positioned somewhere that has a mobile phone signal.
They are best suited for events in towns and cities where there is good mobile network coverage, and where “normal” walkie-talkies range is badly affected by lots of big buildings between one radio and another.
They are not suitable for use in country areas where mobile network coverage is absent or patchy. They can also run into problems if used at events where there many thousands more people than usual in a small area, because (as many people who have visited a large festival or other mass event will know!) in such situations, the mobile phone networks can get “swamped” by the sheer number of people all trying to call, text and send videos, photos etc.
VHF and UHF Walkie-Talkie Radios Compared – Which Is Best?
VHF (136 – 174MHz) signals generally work best outdoors, giving a somewhat longer range for the same power output than UHF (400 – 470MHz).
However, VHF signals really do not work well when there are obstructions like buildings around.
For most users who want their radios to be “good all-rounders”, UHF is the best choice.
But if you plan to use your radios only in open countryside (or at sea – maritime radio is VHF) then VHF is better for absolute range.
Most of our “hire fleet” of walkie-talkies are UHF, although we do have some VHF ones available.
Want To Learn More About Radio Signals And Range?
Here are some external links to web sites going in to more detail about walkie-talkies, radios generally and range.
ARTICLE FROM INTERCOMS ONLINE ABOUT RADIOS AND RANGE
Useful Youtube video explaining a lot about walkie-talkie radios and range: