Buying Walkie Talkie Radios- A Beginner's Guide

We supply a wide range of walkie-talkie radios and associated accessories to suit most budgets and applications.

There are several factors that you should consider when deciding what type of walkie-talkie radios to buy. 

Unlicenced or Licenced Walkie-Talkie Radios (licenced radios typically have 8x the power of unlicenced radios)

The first choice to be made is whether to go for the cheaper, but less powerful and so shorter-range, "licence-free" or "PMR446" radios, or for the more powerful and longer-range radios for which an Ofcom licence is required.

"Unlicenced" radios can only legally have a power output of 0.5 watts - what ever brand you choose, they all will have the same power and so will have very similar range. They also ALL use the same eight frequencies.

The "Licenced" radios can be significantly more powerful at 3, 4 or 5 watts, and so will have significantly longer range, again all brands will have basically the same power and range. 

A basic licence costs only £75 and is valid for five years, and we have the Ofcom form available to download and print to apply for the licence. If you want a more specific licence we can advise and apply for you.

Another factor to consider is build quality and durability. In general, the more you spend, the tougher and longer-lasting a radio will be.

We sell cheaper but fairly "light duty" radios such as the A66 right up to much better quality but more expensive walkie-talkies such as the Kirisun DP405 and Quansheng TG330 and the totally submersible Entel DX482

What you require depends on how much actual daily use the radios will get, and in what circumstances ("outdoors on a building site, used all day" needs a different radio to "in a school for our once-a-month fire drill" for example).

Walkie Talkie Size

We sell some very tiny and lightweight radios indeed, such as the CP183, CP228 and CP226, and then much bigger ones too.

If smallness and light weight is what you need, our range of CPS Telecom radios is your best bet.

These small radios are popular in environments such as retail, hotels, restaurants, schools etc.

The lightest higher-powered radio we sell is our own-branded and very keenly-priced Amherst A66.

Water and Dust Proofing

We sell some radios that are mostly or completely water and dust proof, such as the CP226, and Entel DX482 and Entel DX485.

They also have extra-loud speakers so they can be heard in noisy areas, and are a good choice for outdoor use such as hiking, climbing, or for use on building sites etc.

IP ratings consist of two numbers, the first relates to dust resistance, the second to water resistance.

The higher each number the more resistant to dust and water the radio is. Look out for higher IP ratings if you want walkies that will survive in a dusty or wet environment!

General Purpose Licensed Full Power Walkie Talkie

Probably our best value general-purpose 4 watt (licensable) walkie-talkie currently is the Quansheng TG330, costing only £79 + VAT, or £69 + VAT if five or more are bought together.

Please Contact Us With Any Questions About Choosing a Walkie Talkie (call us on 020 7328 9792)

Please take time to read this web site, and consider the different options and types of walkie-talkie available, and do not hesitate to call us, or send us an email, to discuss your radio requirements.