Callsign format for PMR446?

[andrew30]

Hey,
been wondering about this - do you all use your CB/11m callsign format on PMR446 bands? Seeing that PMR is more local, there is more traditional approach with a callsign consisting of a op name + qth, for example "Jake Plymouth", but it's a regional habit in my area, and not sure how far away it reaches.

Which calls do you guys/gals use on PMR446/433/ISM bands?

[Mitch]

Mine's usually "Can you hear me misses" with the handhelds, being line of site. Gets about 100 yards (metres) around the local housing estate so no need to ID, turn a corner and it's "eh, what did you say?". I only use it for local. Max range is about a mile if there's no obstructions, like in the countryside.

[andrew30]

Well, it's no real achievement to do 100-200km QSOs on this band. It's mostly for hilly areas, but it performs very well in line of sight. I'd assume forming local ragchew nets on it, is no stretch of imagination.

[bigpimp347]

Well, it's no real achievement to do 100-200km QSOs on this band.

worked a guy in France on 446 a few years back.,
i was only on 50w vertical X300
he was on 400w and a four stack though, but hey..

[andrew30]

Nice! FM or something narrower?

That 200km figure was meant on stock 500mW/27dBm power. Had 180km qso on 1st of Jan actually.

[Mikel]

To be fair 70cm is a big band at 10 megs wide, so what's that, 3,120 channels with 12.5kHz channel spacing ? (if my maths are correct!).

PMR446 on the other hand is 16 channels (analogue) with 12.5kHz channel spacing, so it doesn't take much to fill it up.

It is easy to claim 70cm is dead and unless you have a decent band-scope/SDR then that's how it will appear at times.

Pity they got rid of the 934Mhz CB allocation in 1999, I bet the Chinese radios and antennas would have been cheap for that band these days.

[26mb04]

I use my CB callsign on there. It's the same idea as CB, just a different frequency.

[bigpimp347]

I use my CB callsign on there. It's the same idea as CB, just a different frequency.

Although the band was never intended to be used as a CB band.

[Mikel]

Seriously though - the 11m band was not a CB band in the UK until some people (I was one of them) started using it illegally in the late 70's and the early 80's and then as we all know, due to popular demand it was legalised in 1981.

What's the difference?

[bigpimp347]

True, originally 11Mtrs (starting at 25Mhz) has been home to Military, hospital pagers and even at one time Radio Amateurs.
the CB part came about because of those pesky Americans and their fashions.
why we had the portion we did we'll never fully understand,

446 falls in line with a few EU countries who also use 446 as a licence free band, same way we got Mid band.

just a shame all this radio freedom is coming now while it's too late.

[andrew30]

Guys, appreciate the responses, but please keep on topic.
PMR446 is great for local nets, when one can't have a proper antenna on the roof.
For me, range is 20-30km from my home QTH, 50-300km from mountaintops. On 500mW of course.
It's bit more specific band, not so many possibilities as with CB, but still, useful at times.

So CB handles or nothing? There must be some nets around europe

[Mikel]

So CB handles or nothing? There must be some nets around europe

Like I stated I frequently use my Charlie Tango callsign, as do a lot of other people I hear around south Wales and the West country area. The Charlie Tango callsign is certainly not just for 11m CB use and in fact the majority of people on 446 who use callsigns are Charlie Tango members in my experience.

One advantage, just in case you are unaware, is that there is a searchable database of callsigns and the owners locations on the Charlie Tango website.

Obviously there is not going to be anything official for a freeband activity like this, but I would say this is the closest you will get if you want some kind of order to things, of course the TM1 callsign that you have will be OK, but around here anyway I have not heard one on air on 446 myself.

A while back, I think it may have been on here, but I can't remember TBH, someone did try to start a specific pmr446 callsign register, the prefix of which was going to be the beginning of your postcode, but the idea whilst a good one did not catch on.

If I am just talking locally I tend to use my name and location, but if for example participating in a net like the one on every Sunday at 20.00 hrs on channel 8 where stations are coming in from a very large radius it makes more sense to give my CT callsign (and my name!) so that a contact (or a listener) can check on the database to determine my location if they want to, if my transmission is broken up to them.

Sounds like you think there is a gap in the market for another callsign register/database or are you asking for another reason that makes you think that the callsigns already in use are not sufficient for some reason?

[Whisky1]

On 500mW of course

Yeah right

[Mikel]

On 500mW of course

Yeah right

Is that your callsign? Yeah Right? Cq, cq, cq, this is Yeah right calling, Yeah right calling, located 5 miles north of 'Your avin a laugh'

[26mb04]

Treat me stupid if you like, but please explain why somebody would want to use a callsign PMR446

[/quote]

Callsigns are great for DX, which does happen on '446 (I managed 79 miles a few summers ago, handheld-to-handheld). They're much quicker and easier than saying "I'm the OTHER dave from near Newquay" etc. There's no central register, and someone could use the same one, but the userbase is so small it's unlikely at the moment.