Retevis walkie-talkies and PoC radios

At a glance

Who makes Retevis walkie-talkies?

Retevis is a Chinese two-way radio brand. Its company history starts in 2008, it began selling radios in 2009 and launched the Retevis brand in 2010. It reports more than 500 employees, sales in over 170 countries and regions, and more than 40 million radios sold.1

Retevis opened warehouses and service centers in the US and Canada in 2011 and sells mainly online, through its own stores and Amazon.1 In 2016 it split its range into three lines:1

• Ailunce for amateur radio, with the HD1 (2018) as its first self-developed radio and the H1 (2025) as its first digital one.
• MateTalk for commercial radio, including the MateTalk L2 PoC radio and the MateTalk E2 intrinsically safe DMR radio (2025).
• EZTalk for consumer walkie-talkies.

Retevis says its products meet FCC and CE requirements. It exhibited at PMRExpo in Germany in 2024 and 2025 and at IWCE in the US in 2025.1

Which Retevis walkie-talkies need no license?

Retevis's license-free radios are FRS walkie-talkies for the US, such as the RT22S, and PMR446 walkie-talkies for Europe, such as the RA619 and EZTalk 61. GMRS radios, also sold by Retevis, need an FCC license in the US. PoC radios need no radio license at all, only a SIM card with data.2345

The rules for each band are on the FRS and GMRS and PMR446 pages. The analog side of the MateTalk L2 is not license-free: it transmits on VHF and UHF at up to 5 W.11

Which Retevis radios are for ham and business use?

For licensed users, Retevis sells amateur radios under the Ailunce name, DMR digital radios, business radios for licensed channels, mobile radios and repeaters. These are conventional radios that talk radio to radio, so their range depends on power, antennas and terrain, not on a mobile network.1910

• Amateur radio. Ailunce handhelds and Retevis ham radios need an amateur license; see the ham radio guide and the license checker.9
• DMR. Retevis's DMR handhelds use the DMR standard, so they can talk to DMR radios of other makers on the same frequency, color code and talkgroup.10
• Business radios. Licensed UHF and VHF radios for sites such as construction, security and warehousing, plus repeaters to cover a larger area.1

Which Retevis PoC radios are there?

Retevis sells five PoC radios: the L51 and L61, two small radios for Asian and European networks; the Android L71; the MateTalk L2 with a built-in VHF/UHF radio; and the MateTalk L1S. Prices on Retevis's US store in October 2026 ran from $49.99 to $205.99.811121314

The L51S, sold on Retevis's Philippine store, is an upgraded L51 with a 4,000 mAh battery, more than two days of typical use and a lifetime free platform plan.15

The MateTalk L2 has four modes: analog, PoC, MIX with both on one screen, and RPT, which relays between a PoC group and an analog channel. Its analog side covers 136–174 MHz and 400–470 MHz at 5 W or 1 W.1116

How does the Retevis PoC service work?

Retevis runs its own PoC platform. After an order, Retevis support creates a management account, the buyer adds each radio with a 5-year validity, groups the radios and programs them over the air; a separate dispatch console shows them on a map. The L71 and L2 also run Zello.171612

• Account. A new customer sends an account name, password, radio model and quantity to the sales representative; Retevis's after-sales team creates the account.17
• Groups. The L51S and L1S form groups with one button or an 8-digit invitation code, and a team-up firmware brings invitation codes to the L51.81415
• SIM card. The MateTalk L2 comes with one SIM card with 800 MB of data a month for the first year; after that you renew it or use a local SIM.16 Retevis also sells a USA annual-plan SIM for the L2.18
• Zello. Retevis says the L71 supports Zello and the L2 has Zello built in, with its own PTT key; see the Zello page for its plans.1211

How much data a PoC radio uses per month is worked out in the PoC data usage calculator.

Are all Retevis walkie-talkies compatible?

No. Retevis FRS and PMR446 radios talk to any radio on the same channel and privacy code, including other brands, and Retevis DMR radios talk to other DMR radios. Retevis PoC radios talk only to radios and apps on the same push-to-talk platform, not to walkie-talkies over the air.671017

The MateTalk L2 is the exception in the PoC line: in analog mode it talks to FM radios on the same VHF or UHF frequency, and Retevis describes its RPT mode as a bridge between a PoC group and an analog channel.1116 The compatibility tool shows how PoC and analog radios connect, and through what.

What should you check before buying a Retevis PoC radio?

Check that the radio's LTE bands match your network, which platform it runs, what the SIM plan costs after the first year and where spare batteries come from. Retevis labels the band lists of the L51 and L61 for Asian and European networks.813

• LTE bands. The L51 has no band 20, the 800 MHz band most EU networks use outside cities; its European sibling, the L61, has B20 and B28.813 Compare a radio's list with your operator in the LTE band checker.
• Version. The MateTalk L2 is sold as a US and an EU version with separate firmware.11
• Platform. The L51 and L61 run on Retevis's own platform; the L71 and L2 also run Zello.81211
• Running cost. Bundled SIM plans cover the first year on the L2, and Retevis sells further SIM plans.1618 The cost calculator compares the monthly cost per user.
• Sales in Europe. Retevis's European distributor shop, retevis.eu, says it is temporarily closed and takes no new orders.19 On 9 October 2026 Amazon.de listed the L71 at €101.68 including VAT.20

Retevis radios in our catalogue

Retevis

L51

IP54

Retevis

L71

Android 10 · touchscreen · IP54

Retevis

MateTalk L2

Android 10 · IP67

Questions

Sources

1. About Retevis · Retevis
2. RT22S license-free FRS radio · Retevis
3. RA619 license-free PMR446 radio · Retevis
4. GMRS walkie-talkies · Retevis
5. General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) · FCC
6. Family Radio Service (FRS) · FCC
7. ECC/DEC/(15)05: harmonised frequency range 446.0–446.2 MHz, PMR 446 · CEPT ECC
8. L51 PoC radio · Retevis
9. Ham radios · Retevis
10. DMR radios · Retevis