Conventional Simplex Two Way Radios are the most basic type of radio you can get. They are also the most commonly used radios in New Zealand with about 80% of all two way radio users opting to use them over a trunking radio.

Two way radios are very complex which is why you’ll mostly only find a few very good radio technicians or engineers in New Zealand. It is a very specialized industry which takes years of training to become proficient at.

So what does conventional simplex mean?

In basic terms conventional  simplex two way radios operate on a fixed frequency which is programmed into a channel on the radio set. If the radio has multiple channels then multiple frequencies can be programmed into the set. You can only operate on one channel at a time.

Simplex means that only one person can talk at once. So when the transmitting radio has the PTT (push to talk) button down transmitting your voice, the receiving set must wait until you have released your PTT before they are able to transmit back to you.

Conventional radio doesn’t just mean talking between two radio sets. You can transmit to any number of radios as long as they are within your transmit radius and they are on the same frequency (channel) as you.

Conventional radios are set to set with a range of between 1-5 kilometers. The range depends entirely on what kind of power your individual radio set has. Most licenced conventional radios have a range between 4-5km leaving the PRS or ‘Free to Air’ radios at the lower end of the scale.

So what is licenced and unlicenced?

A licenced radio means you have applied to the Ministry of Commerce (Radio Spectrum Management) for a licence to operate on a particular frequency. If the ministry approves your application you will be allocated a frequency which is private to you. You are then able to have a radio technician program your radios with your frequency. No one else is able to transmit on your frequency like you would get on PRS. You must pay a yearly licence fee to the ministry and every time you have a radio programmed with your frequency the radio technician must report this to the Radio Spectrum Management.

You are not limited to one channel, you are allowed to apply for as many channels (frequencies) as you like, each channel is liable for a yearly licence fee.

An unlicenced radio uses shared frequencies which the Ministry of Commerce has allocated as public channels. There are a number of channels available and most PRS radios have the option to choose between at least 40 different pre-programmed frequencies.