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mrsmelly

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1 hour ago, mross said:

PMR radios transmit at 500mW which is pathetic.  We have commercial-class UHF radios on a business license and they are effective over a mile (line of sight) but you must tuck them inside your jacket and use a remote mic/speaker as the radio with straps is a real hazard when working locks.  We bought ours second-hand.

IIRC the license is £75 for five years.  Commercial class radios are 5 Watts.  That's 1,000 times more powerful than the PMR radios.  We never hear the morons on what used to be called CB radio (an American term) saying 'breaker-breaker 1-9' or 'copy' or 'over and out' - all incorrect in radio terminology.  I have a restricted VHF license, so I am able to use the correct terminology.

500mW is half a watt, so 5W radios are ten times the power of PMR radios, not a thousand times the power.

 

MoominPapa the pedant is now returning you to your normal scheduled program.

 

MP.

 

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The £75, 5-year licence mentioned operates on the frequencies listed below. Note the word "business".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
164.0500 MHz = Private Business Radio (UK General Licence).
164.0625 MHz = Private Business Radio (UK General Licence).
169.0875 MHz = Private Business Radio (UK General Licence).
169.3125 MHz = Private Business Radio (UK General Licence).
173.0500 MHz = Private Business Radio (UK General Licence).
173.0625 MHz = Private Business Radio (UK General Licence).
173.0875 MHz = Private Business Radio (UK General Licence).
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I have a business licence for these channels. The first 5 are heavily used by a local university and the upper two by the local council on market days. If we started chit-chatting on any of them, I'm sure they would soon be complaining to OFCOM. 

The licence also covers VHF low-band and UHF but they are still for business use.

 

Edited by Aguila
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13 minutes ago, Richard10002 said:

Why doesn’t he just do a vhf course?

Cos hes a tight arse pratt that will let me use my vhf on the Tidal bits for OUR safety. He probably doesn't realy want radio contact with me, I cant blame him :) I will end up it looks like buying a pair of the pmr jobbies, I gave the last ones away never having used em B) If I gave him a vhf radio to use he wouldn't because he is a stickler for the rules even though he is x military and knows all the jargon so hey ho.

15 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Why not just use mobile phones? No capital outlay (unless you are one of the few who doesn't yet have one) and no useage cost if you are on an unlimited tariff or one with more minutes then you ever use.

We have fones but I would need my poxy reading glasses on and then it has to ring etc etc with a switched on radio sat ont roof it makes a noise and you pick it up and press the transmit button, its less hassle. :cheers:

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1 hour ago, mross said:

PMR radios transmit at 500mW which is pathetic.  We have commercial-class UHF radios on a business license and they are effective over a mile (line of sight) but you must tuck them inside your jacket and use a remote mic/speaker as the radio with straps is a real hazard when working locks.  We bought ours second-hand.

IIRC the license is £75 for five years.  Commercial class radios are 5 Watts.  That's 1,000 times more powerful than the PMR radios.  We never hear the morons on what used to be called CB radio (an American term) saying 'breaker-breaker 1-9' or 'copy' or 'over and out' - all incorrect in radio terminology.  I have a restricted VHF license, so I am able to use the correct terminology.

Only PMR446 licence-free radios are limited to 500mW. Licenced VHF PMR radios are allowed up to 25 watts and licenced UHF PMR radios up to 40 watts.

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28 minutes ago, MoominPapa said:

500mW is half a watt, so 5W radios are ten times the power of PMR radios, not a thousand times the power.

 

MoominPapa the pedant is now returning you to your normal scheduled program.

 

MP.

You are correct and I was wrong.  Blame it on the whisky :giggles:

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500 mW compared to 5 Watt radios are (agreed) 1/10th of the power, but will have much more than 1/10th of the range, as it is a logarithmic relation. 

Business radios operating on VHF will tend to have better range per watt than UHF radios, such as PMR446 and business radios operating at UHF.

Land masses (e.g. banks etc) will block almost all signal at VHF and UHF...

Radios that have removable helical wound aerials ("rubber ducks") would significantly benefit in range from e.g. a magmount straight whip for the frequency in use, a 1/4 wave in undulating terrain or a 5/8ths wave in mainly flat terrain, to the extent that it may be outside the licence permit.

I agree that phones will probably be the best practical option, especially if on unlimited contracts, followed by VHF commercial (PMR) sets running as much power as possible / needed, but if its simply one boat following another a few tens of metres away, I would go for a set of the PMR446 radios which can be found at £20 a pair, so not the end of the world if dropped in !

 

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14 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Hi Peeps

Right so in the spring myself and bro in law are bumbling together on our respective boats we are intending doing the north south circuit again and I was just wondering re keeping in chatter contact with each other on the rivers and indeed other places when needed. I have vhf but he is a pretend boater that doesn't :D so being as he is so straight he would never use vhf I wondered what the panel suggests is best? I have in the past used those little handheld jobbies but they are not much cop and need charging etc etc so was thinking about static mounted kit to the boat lectrics. What is available these days? Years ago there was CB that seemed good but when it became legal didn't seem as good? Is CB of any kind any use or what would any of the panel suggest. Yes we have mobile fones but I was more meaning constantly open and available for waffle.

Thanks in advance.

Please explain  why VHF is unacceptable while CB is potentially acceptable . 

 

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2 hours ago, MartynG said:

Please explain  why VHF is unacceptable while CB is potentially acceptable . 

 

The licence. I thought any muppet could use CB? they certainly can the pmr 446 jobbies. Bro in law doesn't have a vhf permit and is too tight to take one and will not be norty.

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13 hours ago, David Mack said:

Why not just use mobile phones? No capital outlay (unless you are one of the few who doesn't yet have one) and no useage cost if you are on an unlimited tariff or one with more minutes then you ever use.

I suspect it may be because they are a mundane piece of kit used daily by everybody, and not a "big boys' toy".  Set up your smartphone for a distinctive ring tone when a certain party calls, and Roberto's your Italian mother's brother.

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I will be going for some sort of radio for several reasons amongst others

Using a poxy mobile fone is a chore, silly screens, little buttons, reading glasses needed and if it goes overboard a hassle to get another sim etc whereas getting another radio is easy peasy and just a transmit button to press simple as.

Radio fixed to boat can have a louder and positionable speaker and will not go overboard and no charging or batteries required.

Thanks so far for input I am still looking at stuff and now know more about availability of different kit. On for instance fleabay there are some CB radio base stations at only about sixty quid or so what is the main difference between CB and PMR 446 stuff?

 

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Main difference is the length of the antenna. CB requires a long whip aerial that would need to be removed every time you go through a bridge. 

Legal PMR446 radios have a rubber aerial that is permanently fixed to the radio and cannot be removed. 

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20 minutes ago, Aguila said:

Main difference is the length of the antenna. CB requires a long whip aerial that would need to be removed every time you go through a bridge. 

Legal PMR446 radios have a rubber aerial that is permanently fixed to the radio and cannot be removed. 

You can use a shorter, quarter wave aerial with a CB radio, and I am sure i have seen PMR's with removable rubber aerials. 

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3 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

The licence. I thought any muppet could use CB? they certainly can the pmr 446 jobbies. Bro in law doesn't have a vhf permit and is too tight to take one and will not be norty.

Tim,

If bro in law is so tight, just ask him to stay in line of site at all times and use semaphore or find a cheap Aldis lamp? :D

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