The Migration Continues...

[Guzzy]

hang on..hang on....i am not anti uhf at all...i was using 934 alongside 11 metres years ago...me and my mate still dig out our transcievers now and again...what i am against is this flag waving for a kids toy!!!!...folks who think 446 uhf is the future...folks who read radio reviews and youtube garbage by experts paid by manufactorers to sing the praises of their products....who hasn't heard of those 50 mile or more copies to be had from hilltops using a bog standard 446 radio...who of you have managed these super copies....none, because its a load of bull****....and whats this local comms mean??..what a stupid thing to spout about...most of my cb buddies are within 5 or six miles of me...do you think i dont value a copy with someone unless they are the other side of the world!!!...I will talk with anyone who can hear me,be they down the road or the far side of the moon....thats what cb radio is about...if you hams dont like 11 metres...be it local comms or dx...then stay with your vhf/uhf radios its quite simple... if ya wanna talk theory do it on the ham bands...let cb radio be what its meant to be good fun

I think you feel as if you have fitted yourself into the 'opposing' camp somehow.

No one is saying we should give up 27MHz CB radio, we are just saying that we should have a UHF CB radio system as well.

AT THE MOMENT ... the only UHF system that even remotely allows for this is PMR446, not all PMR446 radios are £14.99 Argos specials. There are many £49.99+ PMR446 radios that are very good hand held radios.

All "we" (whoever "we" are ) are suggesting (pro-actively ) is that with a little bit more power (say, 5W instead of 0.5W) and some extra channel space (say, 16 instead of 8 ), PMR446 could be a perfectly usable UHF CB system. "We" know this because some people are already using the 16 channels as an illegal UHF CB system.

Hmmmm ...... a bit like people did back in the late seventies with 27MHz CB radio...

Why limit (or ignore) what we have available?

[Guzzy]

let cb radio be what its meant to be

Last time I checked, it's Olga telling her Taxi drivers where to pick up fares.

[Donga]

Hi folks. I have a set of mitex 5W handhelds that i use when i go hill walking / camping. They are a great bit of kit and in open country get a really great range. Is there anything on the market that can increase its range. IE an outside antenna. Any idea what simple mods i can do to use them as a CB type bit of kit. I see this anytone radio operates on PMR freq. what then would be its adverage range. Would it be better than a CB. My hansets have 16 chanels. Anytone AT588 (400-489mhz) UHF covers those chanels. any advice pls

[Guzzy]

Hi folks. I have a set of mitex 5W handhelds that i use when i go hill walking / camping. They are a great bit of kit and in open country get a really great range. Is there anything on the market that can increase its range. IE an outside antenna. Any idea what simple mods i can do to use them as a CB type bit of kit. I see this anytone radio operates on PMR freq. what then would be its adverage range. Would it be better than a CB. My hansets have 16 chanels. Anytone AT588 (400-489mhz) UHF covers those chanels. any advice pls

The Mitex radios you have are programmed up with the UK simple Business frequencies (which you need a licence to use legally). They are not designed for casual hobby use. ALL of the people sharing the frequencies with you are licensed and registered business/organisation users. They are not licensable for hobby or casual use.

Having said that, no one really monitors what you do on these frequencies, but if you were to start having long casual overs (like we do on CB), then you could attract unwanted attention from other legal users (paid up licence holders) on the frequency who have a legitimate right of complaint about you 'hogging' the channel with non business related waffle.

From a purely technical perspective: Attaching a higher gain antenna and mounting it at a higher elevation will dramatically improve your range.

The Anytone AT-588 is a legitimate radio to use on the UK simple business licence as long as you only run it at 5W into a low gain mobile antenna (NOT home based - that's not allowed). Anything more than that would be in breach of your licence.

[Donga]

Cheers mate. I only use them for camping so no long drawn out chats. Things like (oh by the way pick up some bacon and sausage while you at the shops and when we went up scotland in convoy we had them in each car) they are a good bit of kit. Can you give me examples of a low gain antenna and a home based set up that would put out more. I have also recently discovered that the mitex are not pmr446 they are buisness use 449mhz so wont pick up those that have 0.5Wpmr

[Guzzy]

Things like "oh by the way pick up some bacon and sausage while you at the shops"

Just like the professional users then.

Can you give me examples of a low gain antenna and a home based set up that would put out more.

I don't see any listed on the Thunderpole website, so out of respect for our hosts, may I suggest you do a Google search for suppliers who sell "UHF mobile/homebase antennas". Look for a UHF antenna that covers 440-470MHz.

Remember though, homebased use is illegal and can be easily pin pointed if they do look for you.

I have also recently discovered that the mitex are not pmr446 they are buisness use 449mhz so wont pick up those that have 0.5Wpmr

Correct. They are programmed up with three of the Business Radio (Simple UK) licence frequencies. It's just the same three frequencies with different CTCSS/DCS combinations. So if you have more than three groups chatting locally, it can get a bit busy.

[Donga]

What then would you suggest about reprograming to pmr chanels. is that possible

[Dragonfly]

CB radio was originally licenced for short range but gradual relaxations in power output and hombase antennas allowed longer distances , and PMR may possably go down the same route though the abillity to ride the skip should ensure that there will be lots using 27 mhz .

[needle bender]

UHF 446 zzz zzz zzz zzz zzzzzzzz...somebody give me a nudge in the ribs when 27 mhz is back on the agenda...in the meantime dream on with the belief that extra power and frequencies are on the way for 446....zzz zzz zzz..

[Guzzy]

UHF 446 zzz zzz zzz zzz zzzzzzzz...somebody give me a nudge in the ribs when 27 mhz is back on the agenda...in the meantime dream on with the belief that extra power and frequencies are on the way for 446....zzz zzz zzz..

No one said they were on the way, but an attitude like that is why it will never happen.

Thank goodness that back in the 1970's and into 1981, that people weren't thinking like that.

If you don't push and prod at the current rules and regulations, the radio regulators will just assume we are all happy with what we have got. Well, some of us aren't happy with what we have got. Some of us would like a more useful UHF allocation (as well as expanding the existing 27MHz allocations). The population is growing, not shrinking, we should be expanding the capabilities of CB radio, not settling for what we were given back in 1981.

[needle bender]

Hey guzzy,,come off it.i mean yer riding that high horse again....for the umpteen time i aint anti uhf!!!...hell yeah i'm for more frequency allocations...be it on vhf/uhf/hf medium or longwave...yes if 446 specs were improved like 10 watts and maybe 20 channels that would be great...so who on here is interested in fighting for uhf then ?? nobody thats who!! ...what about all the hot air that was spouted for all mode 11 metres also!!! who stood up to be counted...nobody thats who!!!...so whats the point of it all....as ive said before wouldn't deregulating 2 metres be the answer....yer a ham guzz...go for it =D>

[Bionic Budgie]

I get the feeling that you,ve got a bit of a chip on ya shoulder about hams NB?...

[needle bender]

Na budgie,i got no probs with the ham sandwhich,,,what i have a prob with is the i know whats best for cb radio brigade!!!..which in the main comes from hams!!!.11 metres is fine,and works...you yourself said its a choc box...from day to day you dont know what yer gonna get!!!..is it yer buddy down the road or dx from the other side of the world...its pointless arguing that cb radio is about local comms...it aint!!!...its about comms full stop!!!...the true spirit of radio is reaching out not in!!.....I am more than happy to listen to advice...try antenna designs..anything!!!...but nobody can tell me what cb radio is about....

[Bionic Budgie]

This is what is stated CB Radio SHOULD be..

Citizens' Band radio (also known as CB radio) is, in many countries, a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27-MHz (11 m) band. Citizens' Band is distinct from the FRS, GMRS, MURS and amateur ("ham") radio. In many countries CB operation does not require a license, and (unlike amateur radio) it may be used for business or personal communications. Like many other two-way radio services, Citizens' Band channels are shared by many users. Only one station may transmit at a time; other stations must listen and wait for the shared channel to be available.

A number of countries have created similar radio services, with varying technical standards and requirements for licensing. While they may be known by other names, such as the General Radio Service in Canada,[1] they often use similar frequencies (26 to 28 MHz), have similar uses, and similar technical challenges. Although licenses may be required, eligibility is generally simple. Some countries also have personal radio services in the UHF band, such as the European PMR446 and the Australian UHF CB.

A radio system designed to be used by a local community is made useless when jammed up by DX stations and is not what CB is about..if you want to dx..get a ham licence.

This is what HAS happened around here... a large group all local just wanting to chat daily and keep in touch cannot do this anymore on 27mhz because of conditions allowing stations in other countries to swamp the band. This is my last posting on this matter.

Budgie.

[needle bender]

There we go,you are doing it also....11 metres is what it is,its in the hf band so if your local net is buggered then thats tough...if ya want a uhf cb system then go for it.dont moan about it....i did my bit to get 27 mhz legalized...you do it for uhf....if you are happy with 446 use it!!...do you think i have a prob with that...you also have access to vhf/uhf with your ham ticket...use it!!....now you know why ex cber's who move to ham then come back to cb telling cber's how it should be get my goat! cber's around the world accept the fickle nature of 11 metres...if you cant, stay with ham....your advice is welcome on any matter...but dont give sermons on what cb radio should be from a ham perspective.... 8)