So, I have a pair of young boys that have been asking for a pair of walkie-talkies since Christmas. They and their friends get up to nerf gun fights regularly, and they want to use them for “tactics”.
My only concern is that they might get too excited at some point and shout out a false Mayday or other distress call over the walkie-talkie. I’ve talked to them about not doing that, of course, but that’s not too much of a guarantee.
So, my question: are there walkie talkies on a frequency band where they wouldn’t cause trouble or break the law by accidentally making a false distress call?
Any guidance is very appreciated. My googling thus far hasn’t turned up much. Thank you
Your family radio is a bit like our PMR446, isn’t it? Unregulated, unlicensed and unmonitored. It goes back to the Thunderbirds Episode from the 60s - the boy who cried wolf.
These unregulated systems are designed for non-emergency communication, with no callsigns or standard of behaviour required, so kids will always say Mayday, call for help, and play games with them. Nobody will get cross if people do really crazy things on them.
Our version in the UK warns users NOT to use them for anything important or serious, and not to save lives.