Digital PMR 446 has arrived!

[ryan_paul]

Dear all

According to this months Radio User magazine the new digital PMR446 transceivers are now available.

I think that first ones to hit the market are from Icom.

The new digital PMR446 standard addresses may of the shortcomings with the original PMR446 standards.

New features include

- There are 16 new channels for digital voice giving you the option of 24 channels in total.

- The new channels use less RF bandwidth at 6.25 KHz wide rather than 12.5 with analogue .
- Better sound quality at shorter ranges.
- The ability to send text style messages from the terminal.
- The ability to use thousands of unique digital ids to allow more users to use the same cannels without interfering with each other.
- Can be used from new on in any CEPT country except France.

This is a great move forward and will hopefully eliminated congestion in this crowded band.

The only thing that would have been nice would have been a slight increase in power to say 1 watt ERP.

[andyandy]

Soon to be one less thing to scan . Unless you got a digital scanner .

[ryan_paul]

Dear Andyandy
Yes but having said that the 8 analogue channels are still available on the new transceivers.

I should think that there will soon be mid range digital PMR446 available for around ?50 so it should not be to expensive to monitor.

If we are lucky someone will write some software to decode digital PMR446.

Cheers.

[andyandy]

If we are lucky someone will write some software to decode digital PMR446.

That would be nice to have .

[kc]

See
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs ... n/summary/

Measures to permit the use of the a range of new technologies and novel applications of radio without the need for users to obtain a licence from Ofcom:
Digital PMR 446 (?walkie talkies?).

so presumably digital 446 requires a licence at the moment.