Non-Commercial Two-Way Radio Use Ideas

Join the exciting world of two-way radios! If you think that two-way radios are just for police officers, firemen, emergency medical services, security personnel and construction crews, think again! There are many personal uses that can make a two-way radio system invaluable for families, friends, volunteers and other non-professionals. Spend a few minutes reading this article, and we'll give you many suggestions.

Divide and Conquer on a Family Shopping Trip Two-way radios are great to have while out shopping with the family. In addition to making sure that no one gets lost in the mall, they're also useful for considerably reducing your shopping time. Send everyone to different stores (or to different aisles in that gargantuan supermarket), and if they have any questions as to which type of dog food or ice cream to purchase, help is just a "push-to-talk" button away. Don't use up those minutes or waste your cell phone batteries. The rechargeable batteries in two-way radios last far longer, and there are no usage fees. If you transmit using the Family Radio Service (FRS) band, there are no fees whatsoever, since an FCC license is not required.

Connect the Campground If you've gone camping with the extended family or a group of friends and are at different campground locations, it's not a problem. With two-way radios, you're always connected, even if you're on the other side of the camp. They're especially useful in remote locations, where there might not be a cell phone tower nearby and coverage is spotty or non-existent. Use walkie-talkies to plan a hike, invite to a campfire and organize meals.

Commandeer the Ski Slopes Imagine being able to be connected to all your friends and family members while you're taking on the slopes. Not all ski resorts have great cell phone reception, and there are usually various trails and slopes. This means that people can easily get separated. But when everyone is equipped with a two-way radio, the lines of communication are always open. Many radio models are designed to withstand extreme temperatures, shock, vibration and other harsh conditions and are built extremely tough, so there's no need to worry if it starts snowing. Radios feature hands-free operation, and there are lightweight earpieces and microphones available, so you can speak to your crew while navigating the mountain. Besides the obvious reasons, such as setting up a meeting time or planning for dinner, two-way radios are extremely important tools to have if an emergency situation arises. Many models are also equipped with NOAA weather channels, which is very helpful if there's a storm approaching.

Communicate Easily and Cheaply While Traveling It's fun to travel, but depending where you are, it's sometimes difficult to stay in touch with your traveling party. If friends or family members go off exploring on their own, they're never far away with a portable two-way radio. You can save expensive cell phone surcharges and not have to worry about coverage in certain areas outside of major cities.

Organize a Backyard Wedding Are you having a big wedding at your home or renting out a large estate? Walkie-talkies are a great way to coordinate groundskeepers, security staff, caterers, servers, event planners, valet parking attendants and the wedding party, so that the big day goes off without a hitch (so to speak). If you've ever been married, you'll know that there's a lot that can go awry if you haven't planned for everything or if there's a lack of communication. You can minimize the confusion with a two-way radio system.

Coordinate a Multi-Family Yard Sale Yard sales are fun and they can be profitable. If you're planning a big neighborhood sale, you can use two-way radios to make everyone hawking their wares far more efficient. For example, if someone needs to break a $50 bill, there may be someone a few houses down who has the change. Rather than run around, just send out a request to the entire sales force with a single radio message.

Vanquish the Theme Park or Renaissance Faire (without anyone getting lost) Does your family enjoy going to theme parks, amusement parks or the Renaissance Faire? A family walkie-talkie system keeps everyone from getting lost. Kids will enjoy using them (they'll feel like they're on a cop show on television), and parents will have peace of mind and be able to relax and enjoy themselves.

Those are just a few ideas of how you can make the most of two-way radios for non-commercial use. Be safe and have fun!