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Two-way Radios

Two-way radios are excellent for bill-free communication between people in groups, whether cycling, walking or sight-seeing. Usually operating across line of sight (so if there's a hill or a tall building between the two radios, the signal is unlikely to get through), they make life much easier if you're moving at a different speed to the others.

There's nothing worse than cycling past a junction and wondering if everyone else turned or went straight on. With a radio, it's easy to find out where you should be turning.

Walkie talkies are sold in pairs or fours (quads), but are often available as singles too if you want to cater for odd numbers in a group.

They're fairly robust, with many being dustproof and waterproof.

Features to look for include battery life, range, number of channels (more means less chance of interference with other users in the area), limits on the number of users, volume control and availability of headsets, ear buds and so on. Once cycling, you won't want to have to keep stopping to use the radio, so voice activation in convenient and saves on battery life. A remote microphone used in combination with an earpiece converts the unit into a hands-free radio.

Makes include:

• Atlantis
• Binatone
• Cobra
• Doro
• Kenwood
• Motorola
• Pama
• Uniden

Headsets and earpieces, both usually with microphones, may be included with the two-way radio, or available separately.