The History of the Walkie-Talkie (Continued)

In a previous two way radio blog post I briefly talked about the origin of the hand-held walkie-talkie radio. More than just the basic concept for a two way radio was developed around War World 2 though. Many of the basic features common to most two way radios were also first introduced.

The most interesting one is the push to talk button. Yup, the PTT button found on most two way radios and even cell phones. While a lot larger than the buttons found today, the SCR-536 handie-talkie had a push to talk button on the side. The SCR-536 handie-talkie is regarded as the first hand held two way radio. To turn it on, a collapsible antenna would be extended (activating a switch), then to send a message you would then hold down the push to talk button. It also weighed around 5 pounds, think about that clipped to your belt!

The replacement for the SCR-536 was the AN/PRC-6. The AN/PRC-6 was used from the 1950s through the 1960s, even into the early 1970s. It used 13 vacuum tubes, a metal case, and had a removable 24 inch antenna. It was VHF and had a range of about one mile. Some things never change... In the 1970s, a series of new handie-talkies were introduced including the AN/PRC-68 made by Magnavox.

So do you have any stories, or fun facts about the early two way radios? Just leave a comment, send us an email, or head over to our walkie-talkie radio forums!