People often compare the walkie-talkie and the cellular phone often assuming that one is a direct substitute of the other. Sadly however, that is not the case. Although they are both handheld communication technologies, these two gadget were developed for entirely different functions in mind. In fact, there is no point of comparison.
The other popular connotation is that the cellular phone is a more ‘advanced’ version of the walkie-talkie. Under this belief, the cellular or mobile phone is the evolved version of the walkie-talkie which makes the walkie-talkie and old, even outdated technology. But the fact that both of these gadgets are still similarly popular today suggests that they are not exactly older and newer versions of one another. In fact, a look at recent models of digital walkie-talkies in Singapore would show designers and manufacturers still continue developing the gadget despite many ‘advanced’ cellular phones around. Tale of Two Communication Technologies So how exactly do they differ? When or where is one more useful than the other? What are the advantages of one over the other and vice versa? First we need to understand the technology. A walkie- talkie is a communication gadget that utilizes ‘frequencies’ in order to transmit sound. The same technology is used in transistor radios which collects transmissions from frequency signals in the airwaves. Thus, among walkie-talkie users, the term ‘channels’ is a basic concept since this is practically the main variable for the gadget to work. Imagine this channels as the transmission and reception lines where communication transpires except they are virtual lines. Cellular phones on the other hand uses satellite signals which is a vast communication network distributed over land areas called cells, each served by at least one fixed-location transceiver. Among cellular phone users, this is commonly familiar as cell sites or base transceiver stations. They are similar to the transmission channels of walkie-talkies. Reliability versus Range In terms of advantage and disadvantage, frequencies or channels are limited whereas satellite signals are wide ranging almost global in scope. As such, even the best walkie talkies in Singapore have limited range and the clarity of communication and their usefulness diminishes as the distance between users extends. The satellite signal utilized by cellular phone technology has considerably wider coverage but without cell sites, they a mobile phone becomes basically useless. In other words, walkie talkie, although limited in range, can function where cellular phones cannot. But going back to the original point, they are different technologies. Walkie talkies are reliable and may be used in different and more encompassing emergency situations where cellular phones have lost signals or extreme weather events that make it hard to sustain signal connection. They can also be used in isolate areas where cell site signals cannot penetrate. The cellular phone on the other hand is more useful for long-distance or long-range communication where radio signals can no longer connect. And considering the features of modern cell phones like image and video functions, it is more multifunctional even than branded and advance models like the best Singapore Motorola walkie talkies.
0 Comments
|
AuthorA technology junkie Archives
February 2019
Categories
All
|