Abstract: The universal dictation input apparatus and method disclosed employs multiple wireless dictation devices (“WDD”) and base stations each of which include a 900 MHz radio for communicating with one another over selected radio frequency (“RF”) channel pairs to conduct dictation sessions on centralized dictation systems (“CDSs”). Each base station is uniquely assigned a single channel pair. The WDDs are programmed with code representing the exclusive channels of a select number of base stations. When a user takes a WDD off-hook, a WDD sequentially and cyclically scans for carrier transmitted by authorized base stations until an idle base station is identified and linked to over the authorized channel. The user of a WDD must be authorized to conduct dictation sessions on one or more CDSs. To this end the WDDs includes a dialing address keypad to address authorized CDSs. The CDSs are third party systems addressed from a WDD by DTMF dialing digits.