Tutorial: How to sync two different Walkie Talkies

Have you ever wondered if all the walkie-talkies can work together?

Does a walkie-talkie of one brand work with a walkie-talkie from another brand?

Can different walkie-talkie models work together?

If at any point you’ve asked these questions, then you are not alone. They are the most common questions asked by walkie-talkie owners.

Before we get to answering this question, let’s first understand how walkie-talkies work.

Walkie-talkies work on radio signals. When you speak into its microphone-cum-loudspeaker, your voice converts into radio waves, becoming a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Traveling at the speed of light, these radio waves are received by transmitters of the connected walkie-talkies, where waves are converted into voices.

The most important thing for walkie-talkies to communicate is that they should be on the same frequency band/channel.

Fun Fact:
Did you know that Government has allocated different frequency ranges for consumer, business, and law enforcement agencies? Family Radio Service (FRS) and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) operating in the 460 MHz range is for general purpose and business’ services work between 450 to 470 MHz. This prevents any overlapping of law enforcement channels with the public space.

Can all Walkie-Talkies work together?

To answer your question, yes, all the walkie-talkies can work together despite their models or brands, but to a certain extent. I mean by ‘to a certain extent that there are certain technicalities and limitations to syncing two different walkie-talkies. To give you a better understanding of things, we are going to explore this topic in detail.

Note:
Buying walkie-talkies of the same brand reduces overall cost and saves time since you will be familiar with set-up procedures and maintenance.

Let’s say you buy one from Kenwood and one from Doro. You will be able to communicate from a Kenwood walkie-talkie to a Doro one, but the frequencies or channels might be different privacy codes and whatnot. It will be smart to buy either two Kenwood walkie-talkies or the Doro ones.

 

Syncing two different Walkie-Talkies

The first and foremost is to get both or all the walkie-talkies on the same frequency band/channel. After finalizing a channel, follow the below-mentioned steps to sync your walkie-talkies.

Step 1: Check the channels on the walkie-talkie display screen

Step 2: Once you get the selected channel, use the PTT button (push-to-talk) to save the channel

Ask your team members to follow the same procedure using their walkie-talkies.

If your walkie-talkies are of the same brand, then they will connect in the first go. But if everyone has a different brand or model, then here are some scenarios that might occur.

• Different channels:
  Channel 1 on device A might be channel 10 on device B. So, ask everyone with different brand walkie-talkies to check for the equivalent channels and frequencies to connect.
• CTCSS/DCS:
  These technologies prevent strangers from eavesdropping on your conversations. If CTCSS or DCS is activated on your walkie-talkies, then you might not be able to communicate with the rest of your team. So, deactivate CTCSS and DCS or remove the privacy codes added from the last time to sync two different walkie-talkies.

 

Syncing a Cobra Walkie-Talkie with Motorola

Have a Cobra and a Motorola walkie-talkie? Wondering if you can sync/connect them? Then the answer is yes.

Yes, you can use Cobra and Motorola walkie-talkies together. Get the channels to sync, and you will be good to go. Follow the steps mentioned above to sync the walkie-talkie channels.

Also, make sure you are within the range or line of sight of each other to test and use the walkie-talkies. It also depends on the walkie-talkies. If you have long-distance variants, then the communication range will be wider.

 

Syncing Midland, Cobra, Motorola, and other Walkie-Talkies

Do you wonder if you can use 4-5 different brand walkie-talkies at the same time? The answer is yes. You can connect all of them at the same time. The only thing to make sure of is that you are sharing the same channel/frequency. There’s a possibility that different brands might have different channel numbers or order of channels, so check and connect accordingly.

If you are using standard FRS/GMRS walkie-talkies, there won’t be any issue connecting any brand or model. Such walkie-talkies usually have a limited number of frequencies/channels (22, to be precise), and hence, the syncing process should not take more than 2-3 minutes.

 

Syncing UHF and VHF Radios

UHF (Ultra High Frequency) radios operate on the frequency range of 400-512 Megahertz (MHz), and VHF (Very High Frequency) radios operate in a range of 136-174 MHz. Since they both work on different frequency ranges, you will not be able to connect a UHF radio with a VHF radio.

UHF radio waves are shorter and more powerful. You can use UHF radios in buildings and thickly wooded areas. VHF radio waves are longer and closer to the ground and are best for communicating when sender and receiver are in the line of sight.

Note:
It is possible for a walkie-talkie to have alternate communication options or a dual-function. In that case, you might be able to connect a UHF with a VHF radio.

 

Pro Tip:
If you currently own a VHF or UHF, buy similar radios to avoid wastage of money and time.

 

Syncing different Business Radios

Business radios operate on different types of frequencies; UHF, VHF, custom frequencies, or even in the range of 800/900 MHz. So, before investing in new business radios or diversifying your stock, make sure that each of them operates on the same range of frequencies.

Pro Tip:
Sometimes same frequency business radios might not communicate with each other because of different programming. So, ask for expert advice if you already have a radio and want to add more business radios to your inventory.

 

Over and Out

To sum up, all walkie-talkies can be synced and used to communicate. The essential step is to sync their frequencies or channels, and you will be good to go. Whenever you are not sure of the compatibility, reach out to an expert.