Tips on Remote Control Car Radio Frequencies

Radio frequencies are how the controller communicates with the car.  In the toy version, there are two frequencies and these work fine since the car  is normally run without any others in the immediate area.  When using your remote control car, it is important that each car be on it's own frequency.  Using hobby grade remote control car radio frequencies are better than using toy grade ones because they are more durable and go faster.

Using the same radio frequency for more than one remote controlled car results in interference referred to as "crosstalk." When crosstalk occurs, the radio signals get scrambled and one controller will attempt to direct more than one car. 

Standard ranges of toy grade car radio frequencies are:

• 26.995 MHz, referred to as Channel 1 or Brown


• 27.045 MHz, referred to as Channel 2 or Red


• 27.095 MHz, referred to as Channel 3 or Orange


• 27.045 MHz, referred to as Channel 4 or Yellow


• 27.045 MHz, referred to as Channel 5 or Green


• 27.045 MHz, referred to as Channel 6 or Blue

Hobby-grade remote controlled vehicles are more expensive, but have a larger range of radio frequencies available to use. Ranges are:

• Six channels in the 27MHz range


• Ten channels in the 50MHz range (these require a radio license)


• 30 channels in the 75MHz range

There are ways to avoid interference when multiple remote-controlled cars are in close proximity, such as the following:

Keep a Distance from Other RC Vehicles - To minimize the interference, keep vehicles that are using the same frequency at least 200 feet apart from each other.

Choose Different Radio Frequencies for Each Vehicle - Vehicles that are operating on different megahertz (MHz) frequencies can run close to each other without issue

Fail Safe Device - A fail safe device detects interference issues and slows down or stops the remote controlled car to avoid problems. 

Elimination of Interference - Using a 2.4GHz radio frequency range along with appropriate software, controllers and receivers will virtually eliminate car radio frequency issues.

Band Selectable Frequencies - Many RC cars specifically use a radio frequency of 27MHz (Channel 4), but are band selectable. This means that you can select a band, or small portion, of the frequency to use. In most cases, the ability to change bands is between two and six. With a band selectable car radio frequency, two vehicles can use the 27MHz frequency as each will have fine-tuned it to a different band.