Communicators

The Communicators were wrist-worn devices created by Billy for the purposes of communication with other Rangers and the Command Center, but could also be used for teleportation.
First seen	Day of the Dumpster
Last seen	A Line in the Sand (used) Grid Connection (worn)
Series	Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Power Rangers Zeo Power Rangers Turbo Power Rangers in Space

Creating the Communicators

In the days following the teens recruitment as Power Rangers, Billy had been investigating a way to communicate with Zordon and Alpha 5 in the Command Center. Billy explained to Kimberly and Zack that he had been able to complete a narrow-beam transmission module that would allow wave function over an extended interval. Unsure of of what Billy was describing, Trini translated that Billy had created a communication device using microwaves. From his locker in the Youth Center, Billy presented a set of five Communicators to the teens, who each proceeded to place them on their wrists. Billy stated that the devices responded to tactile pressure followed by auditory stimulus, meaning that they could be used just simply touching them and talking.

As the teens attempted to test their Communicators, they became engulfed in colored energy and disappeared, teleporting to the Command Center. Billy observed that the neutrino power grid may have cross-molecularised. The Ranger materialised in the Command Center, landing in an uncoordinated pile on top of Alpha 5, instead of the distinct, separate way in which they normally would.

Zordon commended Billy on the invention, stating that he had managed to tap into the Command Center’s teleportation unit. Zordon stated that with proper adjustments, the Communicators would allow the teens to teleport to the Command Center in an emergency.

Alpha 5 took Billy’s Communicator and attempted to make the adjustments. However, he appeared to make a mistake, causing him to rapidly move through the Command Center, bouncing off of the consoles.

Later that day, Alpha 5 completed the adjustments, meaning that the teens would be able to have two-way communication between each other even when not morphed. [MMPR1: “High Five“]

 

Design and appearance

The Communicators were similar to wristwatches, possessing silver metal bands with Ranger-colored inserts between them. The face of the communicator was round, with a green and silver mesh grill protected by three silver bars across it. The outside of the face had two red notification lights. To the south of the face was a yellow triangular button with the word “Set” printed on it. There was a small crown to the east of the face, which could be extended to form a small antenna. The device would normally make a six-tone chime when a teen had an incoming message.

When Jason’s Communicator alarm went off in front of a curious Ernie, Zack explained it away as a new watch. When the Red Ranger was isolated in the fight against King Sphinx and Goldar, communication was for some reason, impossible. [MMPR1: “A Pressing Engagement“]

When morphed in their Ranger forms, the Rangers were able to communicate with each other and Zordon over distance without speaking directly into their Communicators. [MMPR1: “I, Eye Guy“] When the Chunky Chicken monster kidnapped Maria, the Rangers were unable to contact the Command Center or teleport due to a systems failure. When used, the Communicators would make a distinctive four-tone error chime. [MMPR1: “Big Sisters“]

 

The sixth Communicator

Following Green Ranger’s attack on the Command Center, the Communicators would once again be rendered inoperable for a short while. [MMPR1: “Green With Evil, Part I“] When Tommy agreed to join the Power Rangers, Billy presented him with a Communicator of his own, complete with storage case. [MMPR1: “Green With Evil, Part V“] When Tommy passed his Power Coin to Jason and returned to civilian life, he stopped wearing his Communicator. [MMPR1: “The Green Candle, Part II“] Tommy would begin wearing it again following his return to Ranger duties. [MMPR1: “Grumble Bee“]

Tommy appeared to be able to tell the time with his Communicator despite it appeared to have no watch face function. [MMPR1: “The Trouble with Shellshock“] Zordon would sometimes only alert one teen’s Communicator when they were gathered together. [MMPR1: “The Spit Flower“]

 

Modifications

At some point in late 1993, the Communicator was modified so that the antenna no longer need to be extended, as it was never seen again the fight against Chunky Chicken. [MMPR1: “Big Sisters“] When Tommy became the White Ranger, he soon began wearing a Communicator with white colored inserts rather than green inserts. [MMPR2: “White Light, Part II“]

The design would be further refined in 1994, as the yellow “Set” button was gradually removed from each Communicator. [MMPR2: “The Ninja Encounter, Part I“] Billy would go on to add new chips to the Communicators in 1995 that allowed for greater audio clarity as well as interplanetary communication. [MMPR2: “A Friend in Need, Part I“]

Limitations

Goldar stated that Communicators would not work in Rita’s Dark Dimension. [MMPR1: “Green With Evil, Part II“] Just as Goldar had told Jason previously, Tommy found that his Communicator would not work when he was abducted to Rita’s Dark Dimension. [MMPR1: “The Green Candle, Part I“]

Communication and teleportation signals could be blocked by the cocoon created by Scorpina’s Silkworm monster. In an unusual turn of events, the Rangers appeared to wear their Communicators on top of their morphed, gloved hands. Despite this, they could still not use them to teleport. [MMPR1: “A Star is Born“]

Tommy’s Communicator was inexplicably offline when the Rangers were preparing to fight the Frankenstein monster, causing Alpha 5 to track down his signal. [MMPR1: “Life’s a Masquerade“] When Rita abducted the Rangers to the Island of Illusion, their Communicators appeared to be missing. [MMPR1: “Island of Illusion, Part I“] Upon defeating the Island’s hallucinations, the Communicators returned. [MMPR1: “Island of Illusion, Part II“]

Following their defeat by Cyclopsus, the Rangers were unable to contact the Command Center, with Billy guessing that Rita was jamming the frequency. Billy believed that he would be able to adjust the frequency of their Communicators with the equipment at his garage.

Alpha 5 confirmed to Zordon that Rita was jamming the frequency, leaving them vulnerable to Rita’s attacks. As Billy adjusted the Communicator modulator to read an alternative signal, the teens were attacked by Goldar and the Putties. As Goldar began destroying Billy’s equipment, Billy managed to fix the Communicators, and the teens teleported to the Command Center. [MMPR1: “Doomsday, Part II“]

 

Dimensional jamming

Tommy accidently broke his Communicator in early 1994. The damage caused his Communicator to alert even when nobody was calling him. The frequently beeping device was misinterpreted as a pager by Miss Appleby, who confiscated it from Tommy during her class. At the end of the day, she gave it back to him. [MMPR1: “Second Chance“]

Like the Dark Dimension, the Jellyfish’s dimension prevented the Communicators from working. [MMPR1: “Reign of the Jellyfish“] Unsurprisingly, the Communicators would not work in the Rhinoblaster’s dimension. [MMPR1: “Football Season“]

When Zedd used a Green Crystal to raise a forcefield around the Command Center, the Communicators were jammed and remained inoperable until the Green Crystal was destroyed. [MMPR2: “Green No More, Part II“]

The mountains around Bass Lake appeared to shield the Communicator signals, causing Jason to be late to the battle with Zedd’s Mirror Maniac. [MMPR2: “Beauty and the Beast“]

When Kat lured Tommy to an alternate dimension in her car, Tommy’s Communicator signal was so weak that Alpha 5 was unable to lock on to it. Despite using tracking devices to trace the signal, Alpha 5 was unable to find him. Zordon advised that this was due to a powerful shield being generated by Rita and Zedd. Zedd had previously accomplished something similar with a Green Crystal. [MMPR3: “A Ranger Catastrophe, Part II“]

In a scenario similar to Rita’s Island of Illusion, the White Ranger’s Communicator stopped working when walking through the Caves of Deception as he encountered several adverse illusions. [MMPR3: “Master Vile and the Metallic Armor, Part II“]

 

Time and space travel

The Communicators could could not contact the Command Center of 1994 when the teens were sent back in time to 1790’s Angel Grove, nor could they appear to contact anyone else in that era. [MMPR2: “Return of the Green Ranger, Part II“] The storybook dimension of Grumble the Magic Elf’s book did not allow the Communicators to work at all. However, the signal could be traced by those outside it. [MMPR2: “Storybook Rangers, Part I“]

Just as when she had been sent back to 1790’s Angel Grove, Kimberly’s Communicator would not contact the 1880 Command Center when she found herself trapped in the past after falling through a timehole. Her Communicator appeared to malfunction in other ways during this era, electrically shocking Doc Skullovich when he touched it. [MMPR2: “Wild West Rangers, Part I“]

Whilst the Rangers were on Edenoi, Alpha 5 was unable to contact the Communicators. Alpha 5 noted that there was nothing but dead air and static. [MMPR3: “A Friend in Need, Part II“] Alpha tried to scan through all possible transmission wavelengths but was still unsuccessful. Zordon instructed Alpha 5 to route the signal through the galactic phase shifter to cut through the interference, which allowed contact to be made. [MMPR3: “A Friend in Need, Part III“]

 

The Orb of Doom

The Communicators were designed to work in conjunction with the Ranger powers and so stopped working when the Orb of Doom regressed time to a point before the powers existed. [MMAR: “Alien Rangers of Aquitar, Part I“] Despite the Communicators no longer working, the Rangers, now reduced to children, continued to wear them. [MMAR: “Alien Rangers of Aquitar, Part II“]

The Communicator would no longer be able to access the teleportation systems of the Command Center. [MMAR: “Climb Every Fountain“] However, when the Zeo Crystal returned the Earth and everyone to their normal ages, the Communicators became functional again, despite the loss of the Ranger powers. [MMAR: “Hogday Afternoon, Part II“]