Types of two-way radios and walkie-talkies: 19 types in six families

Two-way radio types compared

A type of two-way radio is defined by three things: its band, its signal and its license. This guide compares 19 types in six families, from license-free walkie-talkies to public safety networks. Two radios can talk only when the band, the protocol and the channel match.

Pick any two types below to see their bands, power and channels side by side, and whether the pair can talk.

Radio types by family

The tiles show all 19 types, colored by family. Each family has its own section below.

License-free radios: PMR446, FRS, MURS, CB and LPD

License-free types need no individual license for the user. Eight types sit in this family, all low-power sets for a site, a trail or a campsite.

PMR446 is the European and UK service. Radios are hand-portable with an integral antenna, and repeaters are not allowed.2 Digital PMR446 comes in two standards, DMR Tier I and dPMR, and they do not decode each other.1 Examples: Motorola TALKABOUT T42, Kenwood ProTalk PKT-23, Hytera BD505LF (DMR446), Kenwood ProTalk Digital TK-3701D (dPMR446).10111213 Channel numbers and tones are in walkie-talkie channels and privacy codes.

FRS has no repeater channels, and MURS prohibits repeaters and signal boosters.1415 An example FRS line is the Motorola Talkabout T800.16 PMR446 is not a US service: 446 MHz sits inside the US 70 cm amateur band.17

LPD433 is not one harmonized service but use of the 433 MHz short-range band, so rules differ by country.8 The Midland XT50 PRO carries 69 LPD channels and 16 PMR446 channels as two separate systems.7

PMR446 is exempt from an individual license under the CEPT decision and in the UK, and FRS and MURS are authorized by rule in the US.2818 For the country view, see do you need a license for a walkie-talkie.

GMRS: a family license with more power

GMRS shares the 462 and 467 MHz channels with FRS and adds power, repeaters and a license. It has 30 channels, 16 main and 14 interstitial, and all 22 FRS channels are also GMRS channels.19

Hand-held power is 5 W ERP on the 462 MHz interstitial channels 1-7 and 0.5 W ERP on the 467 MHz interstitial channels 8-14. Mobile, repeater and base stations may use up to 50 W transmitter output on main channels.20 Repeaters transmit on the 462 MHz main channels, and hand-helds reach them on the paired 467 MHz repeater-input channels.19

The license is individual, for people 18 or older, with no exam, and one license covers the licensee's immediate family.21 A GMRS station may talk with FRS units.22 Coded messages are barred, but "10 codes" are allowed.23 Examples: Midland GXT1000 and Rocky Talkie Expedition Radio (5 W).2425 More in FRS and GMRS walkie-talkies.

Licensed business radios: analog, DMR, dPMR and NXDN

Business radios work on frequencies assigned to the user, and the license sets the power.26 Five types sit here.

US analog business systems must use 12.5 kHz channels.33 DMR comes in three tiers: Tier I is the license-free DMR446 variant, Tier II is conventional, and Tier III is trunked.30 DMR encryption is optional and vendor-defined: the DMR Association lists ARC4, DES, AES-128 and AES-256.34

The US Industrial/Business Pool takes companies, schools, clinics and clergy groups, and needs no exam.35 The UK Simple UK Light license allows hand-held or mobile radios at 5 W ERP on shared frequencies, and no base stations.36 Germany takes conventional digital business radio as an application for DMR Tier II or dPMR.37

Public safety radios: TETRA and P25

TETRA and P25 are built for agencies and networks. Access runs through an agency, a network provider or a system license.

More than 120 countries run dedicated TETRA networks.41 Europe designates 380-385 and 390-395 MHz for narrowband public safety.42 Terminals work in trunked mode through the network or in direct mode without a base station. Example lines are the Motorola MTP850 S and the Sepura STP9000.4344

P25 started in the US as a public safety standard. Phase 1 is used in conventional and trunked systems, and Phase 2 is for trunking only. AES and DES encryption are part of the suite.4033 Example lines are the Motorola APX 4000, 6000 and 8000, and the Kenwood NX-5200 with a P25 license key.4546

Amateur (ham) radios: FM and digital voice

Amateur radio is a licensed service with an exam, and business traffic is prohibited. The US classes are Technician, General and Amateur Extra, and the UK has Foundation, Intermediate and Full, with 25 W, 100 W and up to 1,000 W PEP.4748 Messages encoded to hide their meaning are prohibited.49

Amateur FM works on the 2 m and 70 cm bands. In the US that is 144-148 and 420-450 MHz, and in Europe 144-146 and 430-440 MHz.17 Band plans set channels and repeater offsets instead of fixed national channels.50 Example line: Yaesu FT-8900R.51

Digital voice comes in three systems. D-STAR uses GMSK in 6 kHz or less. System Fusion uses C4FM and keeps analog FM.5253 Amateur DMR is standard DMR on amateur bands.30 They do not decode each other on air.5253 An example line is the Yaesu FT-70DR, a System Fusion hand-held.54

Marine VHF radios

Marine VHF uses 156.025-162.025 MHz with 25 kHz channels and FM voice. Ship-to-ship traffic uses single-frequency channels, and ship-to-shore traffic uses duplex pairs through coast stations.55 Channel 16 (156.800 MHz) is the distress, safety and calling channel, and channel 70 (156.525 MHz) carries digital selective calling.55

In the US a ship station gets 25 W, reducible to 1 W.56 A ship not covered by carriage rules is licensed by rule, and other stations need an FCC license.57 Channel tables differ by country. A marine radio talks only to other marine radios on the same channel.

Analog vs digital radios

Analog radios send FM voice. Digital radios send symbols, and the protocol decides channel width and access method.

The CEPT decision names short messages among the reasons to allow digital PMR446.2 On analog PMR446, CTCSS tones and DCS codes only filter what a radio plays, so a radio with the codes off hears everything.2

A digital-only radio does not decode analog FM, and an analog radio does not decode digital. Only a radio with both modes can cross over, one mode at a time.59 The details are in DMR vs analog radio.

Which radio types can talk to each other

Radios of one type talk across brands when the channel, the tone and the mode match. DMR radios built to ETSI TS 102 361-1 interoperate across brands on the same frequency, color code and slot.30 Between types, the table gives the answer. A pair that is not listed cannot talk.

CB, UHF CB, MURS, LPD433, marine VHF and TETRA talk only to their own type. CB needs the same mode as well (AM, FM or SSB), and UHF CB the same channel plan (25 kHz or 12.5 kHz).9 Four rules explain every "no" in the table:

• Different band. The two types share no frequency, so the radios cannot hear each other.
• Different protocol. Both are digital but built to different standards, so even on one frequency they cannot decode each other.
• Different DMR tier. Tier I, Tier II and Tier III do not work across each other.
• Analog against digital. A digital-only radio does not decode analog FM.

How to link different radio types

A bridge joins types that cannot talk by themselves. Each keeps its own license and rules.

• Dual-mode radios. One radio has an analog and a digital mode, picked per channel. It does not relay between modes. Examples: Motorola MOTOTRBO CP100d, Kenwood ProTalk Digital TK-3701D.5913
• Mixed-mode repeaters. A repeater runs analog, digital or both, so a fleet can move to digital in steps. Example: Motorola MOTOTRBO SLR 8000, which needs a repeater license.61 Yaesu System Fusion repeaters do the same on amateur bands.53
• Multi-protocol radios. The Kenwood NEXEDGE NX-5200 runs any two of NXDN, DMR and P25 at once, plus FM analog. It joins each system but does not convert calls between them.46
• Radio-over-IP gateways. A box joins radio channels of different types to each other, to SIP phones, to LTE radios and to push-to-talk apps. Examples: Icom VE-PG4 and the Raven FlexGate, which Zello lists as tested. The license must allow a network connection.6566
• P25 and TETRA interfaces. P25 connects analog fixed stations through AFSI, and ISSI links separate P25 networks.4067 The TETRA Inter-System Interface links two TETRA networks, and 3GPP interworking links mission-critical LTE with TETRA and P25.6869
• Cross-band repeat. A dual-band FM radio such as the Yaesu FT-8900R receives on one band and re-transmits on another, so a VHF hand-held reaches a UHF one. It needs a repeater license and is not allowed on PMR446, MURS or FRS.5121514 Amateur use follows 47 CFR 97.205 in the US.50
• Internet links. The Free Radio Network (FRN) connects CB, PMR and LPD radios through a PC interface to an internet room. Its article names eQSO 446 as the earlier network; that story is in the eQSO history. The CEPT decision bars PMR446 equipment from acting as a repeater or as part of an infrastructure network. Australia's CB class license explicitly allows internet links for CB.7029
• Amateur cross-mode gateways. Hotspot software such as WPSD links amateur digital modes. DMR2YSF puts DMR radios into System Fusion rooms.64

Questions

Sources

1. ETSI EN 303 405 V1.1.1: Analogue and Digital PMR446 Equipment · ETSI
2. ECC/DEC/(15)05: 446.0-446.2 MHz, analogue and digital PMR 446 · CEPT ECC
3. 47 CFR 95.563: FRS channels · eCFR
4. 47 CFR 95.567: FRS transmit power · eCFR
5. 47 CFR 95.2763: MURS channels · eCFR
6. ECC/DEC/(11)03: CB radio in 26.960-27.410 MHz · CEPT ECC
7. Midland XT50 PRO manual (PMR446 and LPD) · Midland
8. UK Interface Requirement 2030: non-specific short range devices and PMR446 · Ofcom
9. Radiocommunications (Citizen Band Radio Stations) Class Licence 2025 · Australian Government
10. TALKABOUT T42 (PMR446) · Motorola Solutions