Motorola T42 Two-Way Radios
A licence-free PMR446 radio set from a trusted brand — simple, light and ideal for keeping a family or group in contact off-grid.
- Licence-free and legal in the UK
- Simple enough for the whole family
- Light and pocketable
Two-Way Radios
When phone networks are down or you're out of signal, two-way radios keep your group in contact. Essential for coordinating a family, a hiking party, or neighbours during an outage.
Why it matters
Mobile networks can fail in an emergency — overloaded during a major incident, or simply out of range in the hills. Two-way radios work independently of any network, letting your group stay coordinated when it matters most.
Keeping in contact means you can split up safely, call for help, and make decisions together. For families with children or a group on the move, that shared awareness is a genuine safety multiplier.
When to use it
Use them on the hill to keep a walking group together, around the home and street during a power cut, or on any outing where a child might wander. Agree a channel and a check-in time before you separate.
Keep them charged and test them periodically. A radio with a flat battery in the drawer is no use — treat charging as part of your routine kit maintenance.
Features to look for
Genuine usable range
Advertised ranges assume perfect line-of-sight. In towns and woodland real range is much shorter, so favour proven models and test them where you'll actually use them.
Rechargeable with AA backup
Rechargeable packs are convenient day to day, but models that also accept AA batteries let you keep going when there's no power to recharge.
Licence-free PMR446 channels
In the UK, PMR446 radios need no licence and are legal to use out of the box. Check the set is PMR446 for hassle-free, legal operation.
Common mistakes
Trusting the box's range claim
A '10km range' radio may manage a few hundred metres in a built-up area. Test realistic range before you rely on it for safety.
Not agreeing a channel
In an emergency there's no time to fumble settings. Agree a channel and sub-code in advance and write it inside the case.
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