What is a walkie talkie? A walkie talkie is a portable handheld radio that allows wireless communication on a single frequency band. It was initially developed in the 1930s by two inventors, Donald Higgs from Canada and Alfred Gross from the United States. Originally known as two-way radios or pack sets, they became popularly known as walkie talkies due to their unique feature of allowing users to walk and talk simultaneously.
A walkie talkie consists of a battery-powered handset with a transmitter-receiver, an antenna for sending and receiving radio waves, a loudspeaker that also functions as a microphone, and a push-to-talk button. The loudspeaker and microphone are combined into a single device, using the same components such as a magnet, coil of wire, and a cone made of paper or plastic. The direction of the electrical current determines whether it functions as a loudspeaker or a microphone.
To communicate using walkie talkies, users must ensure they are on the same channel or frequency band. The handsets are set to receive, with the loudspeaker functioning as a speaker. When no one is talking, the device may produce static noise. To talk, users simply press the push-to-talk button, which switches the loudspeaker to microphone mode, eliminating the static noise. Their words are converted into radio waves and transmitted across the chosen channel. The radio waves travel at the speed of light and are received almost instantaneously by the other handsets, where they are converted back into sound and broadcasted through the loudspeaker.
When the speaker finishes talking, they say "over" to indicate they are done speaking, release the push-to-talk button, and the handset returns to listening mode. Walkie talkies are two-way radios, allowing both sending and receiving of information. However, only one person can talk at a time on the same channel to avoid interference. To address this, modern walkie talkies offer multiple channels, allowing users to switch frequencies and avoid interference from other users.