Guides

An illustration of a girl talking into a walkie-talkie at her window at night while a hooded figure in headphones on the garden wall picks up the same radio waves on a scanner.

Are Walkie Talkies Private? What Privacy Codes Do

The privacy code on a consumer walkie talkie decides what your own radio plays. Anyone on the channel with the code off still hears you, and so does any scanner....

Are Walkie Talkies Private? What Privacy Codes Do

The privacy code on a consumer walkie talkie decides what your own radio plays. Anyone on the channel with the code off still hears you, and so does any scanner....

A dark suburban street at night in a power cut, with one red light glowing on a cell tower on the ridge behind the houses.

Walkie Talkies for Emergencies: What Still Works

Most outages leave the cell towers standing and the phone lines jammed. A few take the towers down. The right emergency radio depends on which one you are planning for,...

Walkie Talkies for Emergencies: What Still Works

Most outages leave the cell towers standing and the phone lines jammed. A few take the towers down. The right emergency radio depends on which one you are planning for,...