PMR 446 Modifications
- Alucard
- Super Member
- Posts: 187
- Joined: 14 Jul 2021, 16:00
- Call Sign: TW4T
- Location: ✨Berkshire✨
PMR 446 Modifications
You can pick up 446 radios marketed for kids for a couple of quid on Ebay, I have a few and they're often surprisingly good quality.
I was wondering if anyone has tried modifying them for other frequencies ? This is something I intend to look into maybe as a cheap monitor for the local repeater. Has anyone tried this ?
I was wondering if anyone has tried modifying them for other frequencies ? This is something I intend to look into maybe as a cheap monitor for the local repeater. Has anyone tried this ?
Never ask a starfish for directions.
- ch25
- Top Poster
- Posts: 1675
- Joined: 03 Dec 2016, 11:07
- Call Sign: Lemmy
- Location: Poland
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
PMR per se can't be modded.
WE ARE MOTÖRHEAD, AND WE PLAY ROCK N' ROLL
You can't have too many antennas...
You can't have too many antennas...
- Alucard
- Super Member
- Posts: 187
- Joined: 14 Jul 2021, 16:00
- Call Sign: TW4T
- Location: ✨Berkshire✨
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
I appreciate modding the radio will no longer make it PMR licence free and I'm not really interested in transmitting. They're so cheap that they could make handy channel monitors for a few quid
Never ask a starfish for directions.
- Metradio
- Radio Addict
- Posts: 605
- Joined: 28 Apr 2016, 19:10
- Call Sign: G7HID
- Location: Box 500, Slough UK
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
A few years ago my son in law got hold of a pair of PMR446 radios and asked the same question, I was surprised after some research that the radios could be set to other frequencies by a number of solder links, the alternate bands were legally used in other parts of the world - one of the alternates covered part of the UK 70Cms repeater allocation !Alucard wrote: ↑03 Sep 2021, 20:58 You can pick up 446 radios marketed for kids for a couple of quid on Ebay, I have a few and they're often surprisingly good quality.
I was wondering if anyone has tried modifying them for other frequencies ? This is something I intend to look into maybe as a cheap monitor for the local repeater. Has anyone tried this ?
Mike
Connect Systems CS750 and CS800, Hytera PD-365, Motorola DP4600.
Raspberry Pi 2 and DV4Mini HotSpot.
AOR AR-DV1 Digital Voice Receiver / eSPY on ARD V1.
Whistler WS1088 / TRX-1 / Whistler Q / UBCD3600XLT / WTR Browser.
Raspberry Pi 2 and DV4Mini HotSpot.
AOR AR-DV1 Digital Voice Receiver / eSPY on ARD V1.
Whistler WS1088 / TRX-1 / Whistler Q / UBCD3600XLT / WTR Browser.
- Alucard
- Super Member
- Posts: 187
- Joined: 14 Jul 2021, 16:00
- Call Sign: TW4T
- Location: ✨Berkshire✨
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
Thanks Mike, encouraging news -definitely something to explore further !Metradio wrote: ↑03 Sep 2021, 21:35 A few years ago my son in law got hold of a pair of PMR446 radios and asked the same question, I was surprised after some research that the radios could be set to other frequencies by a number of solder links, the alternate bands were legally used in other parts of the world - one of the alternates covered part of the UK 70Cms repeater allocation !
Mike
Never ask a starfish for directions.
-
- Top Poster
- Posts: 1096
- Joined: 10 Jun 2007, 22:41
- Call Sign: G4RMT
- Location: North East Suffolk
- Contact:
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
I think now it’s just programming. I’d bet that in the factory they plug them in and program in
UK US or other countries allocations. Getting the software would be the thing. Our system, is a bit offset so radios starting a 00 get a bit out of step too. Some 446 channels wont exactly fit some radios.
UK US or other countries allocations. Getting the software would be the thing. Our system, is a bit offset so radios starting a 00 get a bit out of step too. Some 446 channels wont exactly fit some radios.
- Mudslinger
- Legend
- Posts: 7491
- Joined: 28 Jul 2010, 07:11
- Location: Oxfordshire
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
Why not just get a Baofeng? Cheap to buy, already has lots of frequencies which you can program, can be used with external antennas and is just as legal as a modified PMR
Last edited by Mudslinger on 04 Sep 2021, 20:11, edited 1 time in total.
Mudslinger - Simon
26TM274
26CT612
There is no such thing as a Fidelity 1000 which is too good to scrap.
26TM274
26CT612
There is no such thing as a Fidelity 1000 which is too good to scrap.
- Mikel
- Radio Addict
- Posts: 715
- Joined: 18 May 2009, 08:40
- Location: South East Wales IO81jo
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
This is an old one, but is all I can remember at the moment so don't go all Victor Meldrew on me guys
The Binatone Action 950 PMR446 radios which I believe are no longer made but you can pick them up on ebay regularly.
They are an 8 channel radio but there is a secret channel 9 available, to access channel 9, hold both up and down buttons and switch on.
The display will say CH9 in the top left hand corner, this will give you channel 9 which is actually 447.005 Mhz
When in channel 9 mode the radio is actually transmitting and receiving on 447.005 Mhz and not what it says on the display.
I have checked this out with another radio and it does work - incredible eh?
The Binatone Action 950 PMR446 radios which I believe are no longer made but you can pick them up on ebay regularly.
They are an 8 channel radio but there is a secret channel 9 available, to access channel 9, hold both up and down buttons and switch on.
The display will say CH9 in the top left hand corner, this will give you channel 9 which is actually 447.005 Mhz
When in channel 9 mode the radio is actually transmitting and receiving on 447.005 Mhz and not what it says on the display.
I have checked this out with another radio and it does work - incredible eh?
................................................................................................2W0NBF.........................................................
- Alucard
- Super Member
- Posts: 187
- Joined: 14 Jul 2021, 16:00
- Call Sign: TW4T
- Location: ✨Berkshire✨
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
I've got 2 but I also have a load of 446 radios
I've heard that a few radios do that, I don't think any of mine do. Some of them display interesting stuff when turning on and holding various buttons but I haven't investigated any further.
I've got a couple of Wintec (aka Vector VT-44 military ! ) radios which apparently sold for around 150 quid each when they came out. Great radios, sensitive receive compared to all my others. Anyway read on a Russian radio hacking site they could be converted to 255 channel 420-470 Mhz by a combination of soldering pads and holding buttons while turning on. Might be rubbish dunno but messing about with radios is the most fun part of the hobby for me
Never ask a starfish for directions.
- Bogget
- Top Poster
- Posts: 1199
- Joined: 27 Jul 2011, 23:33
- Location: North East lincolnshire
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
The little Midland G7 446 radio was the best you can snip the link and make it 4w and also up it to 69ch i still have 4 of them brilliant sets.
But yes it goes on to the amatuer band so if you do anything but listen make sure you have a licence.
Bogget
But yes it goes on to the amatuer band so if you do anything but listen make sure you have a licence.
Bogget
Amateur does not have a CH its pronounced "am-a-tore" NOT am-a-chure !
-
- Regular
- Posts: 16
- Joined: 20 Mar 2021, 02:13
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
The WLN C1 is a fixed antenna 16 channel radio that can be programmed with CHIRP. They are about 2w power. I've got a couple of them. I programmed one to hit the local repeaters and made the other one do PMR. They're about ten quid each and use those little Nokia style phone batteries. Great little bits of kit with nice sound quality and enhanced PMR performance being as they're over powered. But from what I can tall there almost nobody anywhere ever on any of the 16 PMR channels anyway so they would make neat little radios for camping, poaching and four wheeling.
- LeakyFeeder
- Top Poster
- Posts: 2020
- Joined: 07 Feb 2011, 23:00
- Location: In the BedWreck Cafe
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
Ive modded a few cheapo 446 sets but by far the best ive done is the 16ch Motorola T82 extreme.. bunged on a SMA socket from a busted bf888... went hilltopping at Holme Moss and it was unreal the stuff it eas pulling in n decoding the ctcss..
yup its only .5W but its front end is surprisingly good considering it was hooked up to a 7ft Maldol dual band antenna 20ft in the air... pity it wont drive my Henry amp though as a few more Watts would be nice.
yup its only .5W but its front end is surprisingly good considering it was hooked up to a 7ft Maldol dual band antenna 20ft in the air... pity it wont drive my Henry amp though as a few more Watts would be nice.
-
- Super Member
- Posts: 257
- Joined: 23 Nov 2017, 20:14
- Call Sign: 26DG01
- Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Devon
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
70cm is an LPD allocation, as long as the power is (I think) 10mW you can go there, legally, without a licence. There is at least one PMR/LPD dual bander which, according to Ofcom, is legit. It includes repeater inputs and outputs, a bit crazy but that's the deal!Metradio wrote: ↑03 Sep 2021, 21:35 A few years ago my son in law got hold of a pair of PMR446 radios and asked the same question, I was surprised after some research that the radios could be set to other frequencies by a number of solder links, the alternate bands were legally used in other parts of the world - one of the alternates covered part of the UK 70Cms repeater allocation !
Mike
Sent from my GP300 using DTMF
- Admiral
- Legend
- Posts: 10109
- Joined: 08 Mar 2011, 21:20
- Call Sign: 26TM157
- Location: MK-UK
Re: PMR 446 Modifications
If you want to reprogram those cheap sets that share a chassis with wideband units but have half the components absent you'll need to find the JTAG pinouts, and more often than not it's not an unpopulated JTAG connector slot, they could be dotted all over the place. Plus you'll need to hope it's not a one time flash chip as you'll need to read the firmware, recompile and reflash it. With a project like that the fun is the journey rather than the destination as if you start with a crappy radio, you'll end up with a crappy radio on a different frequency.
Winner of the 2017 IBTL 'Summer Sizzler' competition