Walkie Talkie Hire for Events: How Many, What Type and What to Avoid

Most event managers think about walkie talkie hire about three days before the event. They Google it, find a hire company, order what seems like a reasonable number, and then spend the day of the event dealing with radios that don’t reach across the site, dead batteries at 2pm, and staff who don’t know which channel to use.

This guide covers what to order, how many, and what to avoid — so radio communication is something that quietly works on the day.

How many walkie talkies do you actually need?

The most common mistake event teams make is ordering by headcount rather than by role. You don’t need a radio for every person on site. You need a radio for every decision-making point on site.

Event management and coordination: Your event manager, deputy, and anyone responsible for calling decisions needs a radio. Usually two to four people.

Entry and ticketing: Each entry gate or ticket point needs at least one radio — more if staff are spread across a wide entry zone.

Security and stewarding: Security teams need individual radios. Shared radios slow response times at exactly the wrong moment. One per operative is the right model.

Stage and technical: Technical managers, production staff, and anyone responsible for stage changeovers needs direct communication.

First aid and welfare: First aid coordinators need a dedicated radio — and ideally a dedicated channel, so medical communications don’t get crossed with logistics.

Parking and transport: Often the furthest from the main event footprint and the most likely to be forgotten.

A practical example: a one-day outdoor event with 2,000 attendees, four entry gates, a security team of six, two first aiders, a parking team, and a production crew would typically need 18 to 24 radios — not the six or eight that often get ordered.

How far do hired radios actually reach?

Consumer-grade walkie talkies quote ranges of “up to 10km” that are essentially meaningless for event use. That figure assumes line of sight across open water.

Open outdoor sites (fields, parks, outdoor festivals): professional licensed radios will typically cover 1–2km reliably, sometimes further on elevated sites.

Mixed outdoor/indoor (sports grounds, race tracks, exhibition venues): range drops significantly as soon as signals have to pass through buildings, tents, or crowds.

Predominantly indoor (indoor arenas, exhibition halls): radio performance in steel and concrete structures is highly variable. If you’re running an event in a complex indoor space and you haven’t tested radio coverage before the day, you’re taking a risk.

Channels and how to organise them

A common approach for multi-team events is to use separate channels for each operational group: event management, entry and ticketing, security and stewarding, technical and production, first aid, car park and transport. This means that when security has an issue, they’re not competing with the production team managing a stage changeover.

The important thing is to agree the channel plan before the day, brief every radio user on which channel they’re on, and test it before the gates open.

Earpieces and audio accessories

For most event use, a simple single-wire earpiece with a push-to-talk button is sufficient. For security staff needing a discreet setup, acoustic tube earpieces are the standard choice. For noisy environments — stages, generators — remote speaker microphones are more practical than earpieces.

Ask your hire company what’s included. Some companies include basic earpieces; many don’t.

Batteries and charging

For a full event day — 10–14 hours from setup to pack-down — standard radio battery life is usually sufficient, but needs managing. Put all radios on charge the night before the event. For multi-day events, establish a charging rotation.

Licensing — do you need to worry about it?

PMR446 (unlicensed): These radios operate on shared frequencies that anyone can use. No licence required, lower cost, but you share spectrum with the public. On a large outdoor event site, channel congestion can be a problem.

Licensed business radio: Radios operating on licensed frequencies that your hire company has licensed for use. More reliable, exclusive to your event. For anything complex — large sites, professional security teams, multi-day events — licensed radios are worth the modest additional cost.

Questions to ask when you call a hire company

• Are these licensed or PMR446 radios?
• What’s the battery life on a full charge?
• Are earpieces included, or is that extra?
• Can you advise on the number of radios for my site and team structure?
• What happens if a radio stops working on the day?
• How is the hire returned, and what’s the damage/loss policy?

If you’re organising an event and want straightforward advice on how many radios you need and what type will work on your site, our walkie talkie hire service includes that conversation as part of the booking process. Call 0871 234 0878 or get a quote online.

Yesway Communications are professional two-way radio specialists based in Lincoln, providing walkie talkie hire for events, construction, security and business use across the UK. Our engineers have over 30 years of radio systems experience.