Communication type
According to the type of communication, all modern walkie-talkies are divided into
analogue and
digital. Here is a detailed description of each option:
— Analogue communication. The simplest, from a technical point of view, way of working: the sound received by the walkie-talkie microphone is "embedded" into the radio signal directly, without converting to digital format. Accordingly, the main advantages of analogue radios are the simplicity of design and low cost. The key disadvantages of this option are the relatively low sound quality, which, moreover, strongly depends on the actual signal power: the weaker the signal, the worse the audibility and the higher the level of interference. In addition, the connection itself is not protected from eavesdropping: any user in the range of the walkie-talkie, having tuned in to your range and channel, will be able to hear your conversations. On the other hand, this can be both a disadvantage and an advantage — for example, if we are talking about a CB range car radio, often used to communicate with unfamiliar people. And you can protect the channel from listening, for example, using a scrambler.
— Digital communication. With this communication format, the analogue audio signal (electrical oscillations) is first converted to digital (a sequence of zeros and ones), and only then is sent to the transmitter. In the receiver, accordingly, everythin
...g happens the other way around: the digital-to-analogue converter restores the original sound from the stream of numbers. Digital walkie-talkies are noticeably more complicated and more expensive than analogue ones, but they have a number of advantages over them. First, the signal is much better protected from interference. Secondly, its quality does not change when the power changes: the receiving party either hears the sound in its original quality (even at the minimum signal level), or hears nothing at all. Thirdly, the digital format allows the use of various additional features, such as text messages. And fourthly, in such walkie-talkies it is much easier to implement eavesdropping protection. So, within the same range, hundreds or even thousands of channels can be provided, with random selection and periodic switching between them (a similar technology is used in mobile networks and Wi-Fi equipment). And interconnected devices can "agree" on a common unique encryption key — as a result, an outsider will not be able to decrypt digital data, even if he finds a communication channel.Number of channels
The number of channels on which the radio can operate. Each channel is essentially a fairly narrow subband within the main operating band (see "Frequency range"). The division into channels allows several groups of users to work simultaneously on the same territory and in the same range so as not to overlap on the air and not interfere with each other. The
more channels provided in the design of the walkie-talkie, the more likely it is to find a free channel and the better it is suitable for working in conditions of intense extraneous radio traffic. This is especially important for powerful "long-range" models. At the same time, simultaneous operation of several groups on one channel is also possible thanks to subcodes (see below).
Ringtones
The number of ringtones provided in the design of the radio. The more such melodies, the wider your possibilities for choosing the most pleasant call signal.
Talk Time
The maximum operating time of the radio in talk mode — i.e. with continuous radio traffic and approximately equal distribution of time between work for reception and transmission. You should pay special attention to this parameter if you plan to communicate intensively. Note that when receiving, much less energy is consumed than when transmitting. And therefore, in fact, the time in the talk mode, even with continuous radio exchange, may differ from the claimed one both downward (with large volumes of transmissions) and upward (when working mainly for reception).
