Welcome to my two way radio resource page where you can find many useful articles, necessary accessories, as well as brand specific information on handheld radios.

A modern two way radio being used by a professional.Two way radio devices have been commercially available since around 1907. Portable two way radios were not introduced until 1923, when Senior Constable Frederick William Downie of the Victorian Police developed a portable radio set with which the police cars could be equipped. They were not actually “portable” by a human, since they took up the entire back seat of the patrol cars, but it was a start. As equipment became both more powerful and more compact, it could be installed in smaller vehicles. The first extensive use of handheld (or better, man-held as a soldier had to carry the big device on his back) was in World War I. Since then, devices have gotten a lot smaller and are now truly handheld, while offering astonishing communication capabilities for their size.

With the increased penetration of cell phones, and cell phones with push to talk capability, the use of two-way radios has slowly declined over the past several years. However, since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the major natural disasters such as hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, people have discovered that you can’t always depend on the cell phone network. The cell phone network may go down, but the airwaves will not. Additionally, as you will discover in the Cell Phones vs Two Way Radios article, there are applications for which two way radios are just better suited than cell phones. But besides all that, they’re great fun to use and the feeling of  independence they offer is unique.

Check the “Introduction” article for a brief introduction to two way radios and the rest of the articles for further information. You can find more advanced information by reading the other articles. Information about two way radio brands is also available, while two way radio accessories are covered in the “Accessories” section. Throughout the articles you will find examples of products which are carefully selected as the best in their category, saving you the hassle of a market research if you just need a quick solution to your problem.