Why 446 PMR

Before I start on this article I know there will be many people who jump on the band wagon and start saying “you don’t want to use them mate, you want to use X, Y or Z” or remarks along those lines. In reply I would  often tend to agree and yes there are more sophisticated and expensive solutions out there.

But what I have factored into my decision to use PMR is the simplicity along with price. I agree when it comes to being properly prepared for any given situation price should only be a low significance when it comes to choices but my logic in using PMR is that I can have a lot more for half the cost. It would be easy to implement a larger community radio network and the ease of use means I can get people to use the equipment with ease.

Should a disaster strike I would wish to have common easy to source equipment, relatively easy to replace or acquire new equipment. Many business in the UK use a PMR system, shops, catering, security and so on, so their is an abundance of devices out there ready to work. I do not require additional complex equipment to get them to work, no antennas to worry about, no antenna matching / tuners, no runs of coax and various plugs and sockets to worry about. Also equipment that can run on various power supplies such as common everyday batteries.

Of course the main down side of the PMR system as it is sold over the counter is it limited TX power 0.5mw which is not much at all. Maybe up to 3 miles direct line of site, some can get up to 12km and others a few hundred meters. There are many factors which we look at later that make significant differences in range.

UHF (ultra high frequency) does however have some good points, the signals tend to bounce off things or slightly bend around obstacles meaning it is more flexible for the low range.

With a bit of outlay though we can achieve greater distances, much greater, as we now see the market being flooded by Chinese radios, these do not have the restrictions built into them unlike many brands in the UK. Wouxun for example, Beofeng and so on. People may call these types of radios cheap and nasty but in all fairness those who have used them to have fun and see they have many advantages and benefits. In the UK we are restricted to PMR usage in terms of power as explained earlier and also the fact the antenna on the radio must be fixed, meaning it is built into the model and cannot be removed. However, we are seeing now many of the devices coming in do have detachable antennas and also the ability to change the TX power. These are illegal to use in the UK without an armature radio license.

BUT, if the SHTF happens I for one feel Ofcom will have enough to worry about and the last thing on their minds will be trying to find you and prosecute you. We are now looking at what we could do should the SHTF.

PMR would be an ideal solution if used properly for local communities, especially for defence and security of our local area. If you have bugged out and set up a base camp and others have joined you then you will want to secure your perimeters. In most cases you will not be direct line of sight to inform someone that something is approaching, or you need backup etc. The last thing you will want to do is be shouting at the top of your voice as someone approaches, likewise at night you will want the ability to inform others that someone is approaching. Obviously PMR is not just about local security and can be used for a wide range of tasks. The thing here is, and this depends on what has happened, you may not want others to know you are there so having a low powered system such as PMR helps us to hide our location from listening ears. This does not guarantee you will not be heard but goes a long way to reducing your signature.

Another good thing about PMR is all the extra goodies you can get with a radio all built in, in times of peace they may seem like gimmicks or toys like but in a time of crisis they may work out to be ideal. For example the old Action Man walkie-talkies used to come with a Morse code button and the Morse code was printed on the radio, now that sort of thing takes some money to do on more complex systems, but think of the advantage of that. Now a days many PMR radios have CtCCS built in to give you more channels and some privacy, some come with scrambles built in, VOX, even ringtones for different groups. People will probably always see them as children’s radios but when you stop for a moment and drop that onion you realise you have a good bit of kit in your hand. I have even seen ones with an alarm in terms of a sensor detector built in that when the PIR is broken it alerts the other radio, how good is that in a real life situation.

Using PMR and expanding its usage by using larger radios such as those designed to fit in a car with a detachable antenna and the ability to pump out more wattage also allows us to reach out further in terms of distance. We do not need everyone in a local community to have that ability but a centralised control station with that ability could then talk with other communities which may be some distance away. Just imagine for one moment the scenario where the UK has been hit by a deadly virus, you would after bugging out and setting up want to know what areas are contaminated, where medical resources may be located or food drops and so on. You would certainly want to know if people who have the virus are heading your way. Just a basic example, think about a dirty bomb going off in a town or city near by, you would want to know where the contamination is and wind direction.

With a PMR system, and this is a little more advanced, we can also set up repeaters, this means transmissions are picked up by a repeater radio and then retransmitted which depending where you are expands the ranges of local handheld sets as they talk to the repeater. In normal peace time e already have these running and it is possible using an internet gateway to talk though a PMR handheld radio (through the repeater) and actually talk to anyone in the world. Of course the chances are that a SHTF event happens the internet may no longer be accessible, but the same can be done using radio TX in a limited way by use of repeaters at key locations. These do not always have to be special radios neither, using a simple patch lead and two radios set to VOX on selected frequencies can extend (double) the range of the PMR network easily. If you have a big hill between you and who you wanted to talk with then place a repeater like this on the top of the hill and volar, you have communications.

PMR is a very flexible system if used properly, if your an armature radio user then the chances are you will be able to access the band, obviously PMR cannot access what you do but it is a common band plan for nearly all communication devices. Using a PMR we could even repeat onto another band such as HF, VHF, FM and so on by utilising more specialist radio devices that come under armature radio.

Wont all equipment like this be dead if we get hit with an EMP?

If its a nuclear device that delivered the EMP then yes most electrical devices would be fried. If its a solar flare then we may be ok. But again this is where PMR due to its cheapness comes in to play. Obviously whoever launches the device is not going to tell you in advance, so even if you have your own DIY faraday cage (which are easy to build) the chances are you are not going to be stood by it with your radios in your hand when you know its an EMP. Many people talk about protecting their equipment but their equipment costs a lot of money so they want to use it and not have it on standby packed away in a faraday cage on a shelf. But we can do that with PMR as they are so cheap we can have our everyday sets we use and a few stored away and protected. I do not think many people have the spare cash lying around to do that with a Yasue which comes in at several hundred pound.

Overall we can get a lot more out of PMR than what people realise, we can make it as a network even better by applying some common sense approaches and tactics, which also prove to be a bit of fun as we learn them.

No its not a solution that would work say in the depths of Alaska or somewhere like that, but we are a small Island and with some thought and design we can make it happen and work for us, and whats more anyone and everyone can join in and be part of it.