PMR 446 - Licence Free Systems

In the spring of 1999 the Government with the European Union agreed to free up the frequency 446 MHz for non-licensed hand portable radio use.

It is a short range voice only communication system which provides a basic, but very effective radio service for both the business and non business user. The radios need no license and there are no call charges to pay. It can be used by anyone of any age.

The frequencies are shared which means you may get interference in heavily used areas. To reduce this there are up to 8 channels available, each with 38 different codes, this gives a maximum of 304 channel options. Changing channels and/or CTCSS tone should reduce interference from other users.

To conform to PMR446 legislation - radios must be hand portable, with a non- removable antenna and a maximum output power of 500mw.

In an open area License free radios can achieve a talk range of up to 3 Km, perhaps even more if the conditions are right. In built up areas the range can be restricted to perhaps 0.5 Km, but this is really dependent on how clear the path is between you and the other person to whom you are communicating.

There are many off-the-shelf 446Mhz transceivers on the market but they never seem to live-up to the customers expectations or manufacturers claims. If a package says 5-mile range, expect to get 500 yards! By the same logic, if you pay £30 for a pair, you don't have much to complain about. After all, two yoghurt pots and some string costs £30 these days, and these 'supermarket radios' offer the same level of sophistication and capability. Belmont Communications will NOT sell these types of radios. Our PMR446 range is restricted to units which we KNOW will work well, and without hessitation we would suggest that the Entel Eurowave is one of the best performing PMR446 units on the market for the money.