PMR446 walkie talkies

[ilovemybed]

Hello all,
I'm looking at picking up a couple of PMR446 radios for occasional leisure use. Do anyone have any recommendations?


I found this:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=46202&TabID=1&source=1&doy=29m11&ForceUpdate=Y

which seems to be a reasonable deal on a reasonable cheap radio set. They have a privacy function which seems useful...

Any other recommendations?
(Assume I know nothing about radios. Because I know nothing about radios)

Cheers,
Neil

 

[magicaltrevor]

Hi there,

That deal looks pretty good to me. Without having a quick check on the interweb, it seems like a competitive price. Only question, does it also take AA/AAA batteries, or does it rely on the rechargeables?

As a side note, you never know how much fun you can have with a set of walkie talkies! I remember (vaguely) a hazy New Year's Eve camping in the Lakes. Intercepting other people's conversations! Ah the drunken behaviour of supposed adults! Yes, yes I know it's naughty!

 

[Buckshot]

I have a trio of Cobra PMR radios I use when we go out shooting.
Very good, never let us down (excepting the 'line of sight' issue)
They cost me £50 each with rechargable batteries, charging station and a leather case. Not the cheapest I know but good kit.
The range with these is reasonable for PMR's.
I like functions like the ability to lock the key pad so you can't accidently change the channel when taking out of your pocket !!! Remember I give one of these to the shoot captain Who hasn't used it since this time last year so needs reminding how it works each time. Things like noticing which channel it's on is the last thing on his mind.

I'll have a look at the model number if you want?

cheers

Mark

 

[bothyman]

I thought about some of these but was told some have problems going through walls and over hills.
I was told this by a Friend who has an outdoor shop he thought it was better to tell me first rather than receive abuse afterwards or thats what he told me maybe they have got better as that is a few years ago.
What is the range on them ??
If they are good I may get some myself would be useful if the range is good and they go through trees etc.

 

[Grooveski]

I picked one of those Cobra 525 4-packs from Maplins and they've been pretty good.

The package contained three chargers instead of two and one of them had dual connections so all four radios can be charged at the same time.

Range is severly limited by hills. Between two sea coves with a large hill in the way we get about 1.5km range and it's well ropey. [Edit-...as in, most of the time they didn't work at all, but on occasions did, badly]
On top of the fells reception is still quite clear at the full range specified.

The privacy functions are only sub-channels. There's no real privacy, just the ability to set the radios to another sub-channel so that you don't pick up any signals from folk who are just using the 8 base channels.

Haven't noticed how trees affect them. We've used them about 2km apart where both parties were in heavy woodlands and they worked well. [Edit-but thinking about it, we were on opposite sides of a valley so most of the distance would have been clear air]

Call function is really handy but we all reckon the speaker is a bit loud even on its quietest setting. Being able to turn off the bleep when you switch the radio off and on would be good(but you can't). Battery life does a full weekend of moderate usage but using the signal booster a lot can flatten it in 4 hours. Standard batteries can't be used, just the ones that come with them.
Good thing about getting the 4-pack is that if you're only using two of them you have a spare battery each.

They're not waterproof - they're not supposed to be but it's worth bearing in mind if you're prone to ditching canoes . The dismantled unit dried out overnight and has worked fine since but I marked that one as the last to use in future in case it's reliability has been affected.

All in all, well pleased with them at the price.

 

[Rebel]

For that price with rechargeable battery packs I'd get them. They've got 500mW output power which is the maximum permitted for PMR446 radios and subchannels which is great for blocking out other people's conversations when you are at a place like a festival where there are loads of other people with walkie talkies.

Prepare to be a little disapointed though. The range won't be as good as advertised. The sound quality can get low and you need to get used to holding the handset up, talking clearly, and pressing the PTT button at the correct moments so that you don't clip your conversation at the beginning and end.

Training my kids to use them and speak clearly is a constant battle but they are extremely useful when we are out in the woods or in a crowded place.

I have these ones http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=38263&&source=14&doy=29m11
and I've been very satisified with them.

I also have these
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=45504&&source=14&doy=29m11
They are tiny and easy to carry. I let the kids use these because they are easy for them to carry. Quality seems okay but not as good as the Motorola and the automatic roger has stopped working on one handset.

 

[Spacemonkey]

I used a pair of motorolas in SPain earlier in the year. I was flyfishin gon the beach on a sandspit, while my mate walked along it. The range wasn't as good as hoped, even on a flat sand bar. Although he was out of sight due to distance, even when close enough to see clearly, it kept breaking up. Close up (yet far enough not to be able to hear properly) it was fine.

So, as PMR is 500mW, what is the range on current 4w handheld CB radios? They used to be quite impressive from what I remember. They could certainly cope with out of sight distance, and even fairly well with walls. So does anyone have any current experiences and recommendations??

 

[magicaltrevor]

Sorry for hijacking the thread but:

In the US Garmin sell the RINO series, I've been specifically interested in the RINO 130 which I have seen on Ebay. Unfortunately I believe that you can't use GMRS in this country. The question I have: Is FRS the same protocol used by the radios in this country?
What's really stopping somebody buying one the these and then using it and how likely are you to get caught? Not very, me thinks!

 

[Doc]

American FRS and GMRS sets use frequencies around 462MHz and can't be used in the UK without a license (which would not be granted, as the frequencies are allocated elsewhere).


Although 27MHz (=11metres wavelength) CB handhelds can output the maximum legal power of 4 watts, they do so to a very inefficient short 'rubber duck' antenna. An effective antenna (a dipole) at this frequency is half a wavelength long (5.5m!!!) and the 'effective radiated power' of the handheld/rubber duck is going to be much less than 4 watts. The rest disappears as heat in the coils.

There are currently two 40 channel CB allocations; the UK 27/81 frequencies may well be withdrawn in the future, leaving the CEPT frequencies which are in use throughout Europe.

CB is fine for local comms just now, but come the next sunspot peak you will find a lot of interference from across Europe, especially during daylight hours.

 

[magicaltrevor]

Hmm, assuming that people in the UK have bought the Garmin RINO, or in fact any other GMRS radio, they must be using it illegally. So I guess what I'm actually asking is, how does the law see the use of illegal radios? For example the iTrip which attaches to the iPod is technically illegal because it broadcasts on radio frequencies. However the law must be turning a 'blind eye' to this. Is it the same for GMRS radios.

Sorry, my questions are leading this thread off topic!

 

[Doc]

The info is here:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/ifi/enforcement/rtandthelaw?a=87101

'Installing' an unlicensed transmitter is an offence - you don't have to use it.

The Garmin Rino is undeniably a very handy piece of kit. No doubt Garmin could offer it in a 446 version (European wide market) but current rules prohibit data transmission on 446. This could change.

Automatic GPS position reporting on amateur radio is well established, though not in one box like the Rino. Amateur radio also allows use of repeater stations, satellites, short wave, data and up to 400 watts of power .

 

[Spacemonkey]

Although 27MHz (=11metres wavelength) CB handhelds can output the maximum legal power of 4 watts, they do so to a very inefficient short 'rubber duck' antenna. An effective antenna (a dipole) at this frequency is half a wavelength long (5.5m!!!) and the 'effective radiated power' of the handheld/rubber duck is going to be much less than 4 watts. The rest disappears as heat in the coils.

There are currently two 40 channel CB allocations; the UK 27/81 frequencies may well be withdrawn in the future, leaving the CEPT frequencies which are in use throughout Europe.

Yep, I know all that as I used to be into CB big time about 15 years ago. So how do the modern handhelds compare with PMRs in practice?

 

[Doc]

I used portable CB before I got my ham radio licence, but usually with telescopic whips rather thanthe rubber duck.

I've not done head-to-head trials, but from experience would say that 4 watt cb handhelds with telescopic whips give rather better range than PMR446. I've very limited experience of cb with rubber helical antennas but, from the few times I've used them, I reckon roughly equivalent to PMR446. Your CB batteries will not last as long at 4 watts out though.

 

[bushman (Instructor)]

I can recomend without hesitation the kenwood. Do not get the rubish from maplin it will lead to tears. Kenwood are mil speck and industrial tough.
I know because i use them every day. You can get them for approx £160
they can be programed for other frequencies. E-mail me if you want help over this

 

[Spacemonkey]

Recent delving on the internet revealed these lovelies:
www.446user.co.uk/review_16.html
They are Entel Eurowaves. They retail at approx £60 each and have quite a large antenna so to exploit the max of 500mw. The reception on them seems to be what sets them apart though. They come highly recommended and I shall invest in a trio next year. Entle also do a waterproof version with an even bigger antenna, but it's twice the price or more. Their website is linked in the review above.

I also found this site dedicated to PMR radios in the UK, with some great advice and reviews:
www.446user.co.uk

 

[stoddy]

I am having flash backs to studying " antennas and propagation" from my army days...

what you need is a couple of Clansman PRC 319 sets, a Near Vertical Incident Skywave antenna, morse key and a one time message pad or Batco.....



just printing this will have me locked up for 90 days

 

[Spacemonkey]

I am having flash backs to studying " antennas and propagation" from my army days...

what you need is a couple of Clansman PRC 319 sets, a Near Vertical Incident Skywave antenna, morse key and a one time message pad or Batco.....



just printing this will have me locked up for 90 days

"Nonsense!" Damn, looks like I'll be joining you now...

 

[Goose]

I am having flash backs to studying " antennas and propagation" from my army days...

what you need is a couple of Clansman PRC 319 sets, a Near Vertical Incident Skywave antenna, morse key and a one time message pad or Batco.....



just printing this will have me locked up for 90 days

Antannae theory and battery charging formulae!
aaaarrrrgggghhhh :BlueTeamE
My brain hurts even thinking about it!

 

[bushman (Instructor)]

Look stop the talk and check out my advice give us a call and i can get you the best pmr 446 for £160 a pair military speck the works.

 

[Goose]

I have several PMR radios including motorola T5422s and a pair from the disney shop that were on special offer, the disney ones have the same range (if not better) and channel selection as the 5422s and the added advantage of a buzz lightyear call button .
I have used several types of PMR radios and all the legal no licence required UK radios are pretty much the same as regards range, although I can see the advantage of spacemonkeys reccomendation as regarding the ariel although I haven't used them to confirm this.
I have also used the American version that do have a little more range due to the extra power they have, but these are not compatible to the UK legal ones.
I have used lots of mil spec radios and the term mil spec when applied to radios means (to me) overweight,overpriced and overcomplicated.