The recent spate of robberies against hikers in remote country parks has helped to revive consumers' interest in the use of walkie-talkies.
To assist consumers in their choice, the Consumer Council has conducted a market survey of 28 models of walkie-talkies ranging in price from $138 to $580.
First and foremost, in Hong Kong, only walkie-talkies operating on specific channels within a designated radio frequency range are allowed for use by the general public without the need for a licence from the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA).
These licence exempt walkie-talkies operate on 20 channels in the radio frequency range of 409.74 to 410 MHz, with effective radiated power not exceeding 0.5 W. As long as the walkie-talkies are of the same operating frequency, they can be used to communicate with each other even if they are of different models or brands.
Walkie-talkies in compliance with these requirements may or may not bear the OFTA label which is a voluntary labelling scheme. The label is helpful for consumers to distinguish and choose the model complying the local specifications.
But consumers should beware that some models in the market are designed to operate on different public channels abroad, and using such devices in Hong Kong is an offence liable to prosecution and a maximum fine of $50,000 and two years' imprisonment.
Consumers travelling abroad are advised to observe the telecommunication regulations of the destination before bringing their walkie-talkies along. They should ascertain if the operating frequency of their walkie-talkies match with the channels opened for public use in the destination concerned.
Currently, only the Mainland shares the same 409 MHz public channels as in Hong Kong from information of some manufacturers.
To reduce the chance of eavesdropping to conversations of other people, consumers may wish to find out if their sets are provided with interference elimination codes of usually up to 38.
As part of the survey, a simple test was carried out to evaluate the voice quality of reception between two walkie-talkies at different locations. In general, the shorter the distance the better is the voice quality. The quality also improves if there is no obstacle (such as buildings) between them.
In addition, to avoid absorbing excessive radiation from the antenna, according to some instruction manuals, users are advised to keep the device at least 5 to 7.5 cm from the head while talking.
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