The term "walkie-talkie" refers to a hand-held, two-way radio that communicates with another radio on the same frequency. Invented in the 1940s and used in World War II, two-way radios appeared in lighter and less expensive toy versions in the 1960s and 1970s. Over the years, walkie-talkies have become smaller and remained a simple, effective short-range communication device. Cobra, an American company, has manufactured two-way radios for many years.
Step 1
Charge your Cobra radios by turning them off and inserting them bottom-first into the desktop charger. Verify the charging light on the charger comes on. Unplug the charger and remove the radios when the charging light goes out. Charge your radios when the low-battery light on the radio comes on.
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Step 2
Turn your radio on by pressing down on the power button until you hear a succession of tones, indicating the radio has been turned on in standby mode. This allows you to receive transmissions from other radios with no further action.
Step 3
Communicate with another person by pressing the talk button. Hold the mouthpiece of the radio approximately 2 inches from your mouth and speak in a normal tone of voice. Release the button when you are done speaking -- otherwise you will not receive transmissions.
Step 4
Press and release the call button when you wish to alert the other person that you wish to transmit to them. They will receive a brief tone indicating that a transmission is imminent.
Step 5
Press the channel "up" or "down" buttons to change the channels of both radios. Change channels when there is too much background noise or if others are using the same channel. Make sure all radios are on the same channel.
Step 6
Switch one or both radios to low-power output if in close proximity to each other, as this will save battery power. Switch to high-power output for maximum power when needed.
Step 7
Press the "light" button to illuminate the display for 10 seconds, if desired.
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