Transmission1

This was known for many years, it's only recently been officially confirmed, the fact of the matter is if you don't interfere with licensed-businesses or life-safety systems, the regulators do not care.

Werthers wrote: ↑11 Aug 2021, 12:31 There was an old thread on here somewhere about ofcom having a crackdown on illegal PMR446 users but can't find it.

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not trying to bump, but kind of amusing when ofcom tell you some thing you dont want to hear like -bit like being a ham a g7 finding some git is using your call 90s ofcom saying long as ur licenced you can talk to pirates like they gave a toss! different back in early eighties just keying a repeater was hell to pay with no call just saying lol

I suppose if a licensed ham was using PMR446 on a amateur or business PMR transceiver like many do and ofcom found out about it then that person could have there license revoked for transmitting out of band on PMR446. Although no prosecutions have been made it don't mean to say they haven't acted in some way on illegal PMR446 users.

I’ve often wondered why people who use non 446 kit on the band don’t just go up or down a bit, and nobody would ever even notice the activity. If you used a huge beam and 100W on 446.5 nobody would ever know. Why do it in a band where people would get cross and try to report you? A beam and rotator would look like a ham one.

paulears wrote: ↑12 Aug 2021, 07:07 I’ve often wondered why people who use non 446 kit on the band don’t just go up or down a bit, and nobody would ever even notice the activity. If you used a huge beam and 100W on 446.5 nobody would ever know. Why do it in a band where people would get cross and try to report you? A beam and rotator would look like a ham one.

There are a couple of issues with that. Moving to other areas of the 446 band where there is no free band activity, making contacts would be less likely to happen in which case you may as well use the 70cms band. The other issue is that there are other users outside of 446 to 446.1 MHz and any interference caused to legitimate users in 446.5 would attract ofcom's attention for sure. There is also Two meters as a VHF option which will go much further. Nobody will notice as the band is under used plus ofcom have no interest in Amateur radio frequencies as long as its not causing interference to those with priority of the band such as M.O.D users and devices within parts of the 70cms band. 433.400 to 433.700 MHz could also be used and rarely used by amateurs. Keeping within the license exempt 446 frequencies would be the most sensible idea but running 100watts on 446 would be pointless if other stations are running a lot less, they would hear you but you wont hear them. Height is the solution for best RX/TX reception. Running power will do nothing for the receive side of things.

Take it no many use the second set of 8 analogue channels on 446mhz or even dpmr or DMR on 446?

gmham wrote: ↑12 Aug 2021, 13:44 Take it no many use the second set of 8 analogue channels on 446mhz or even dpmr or DMR on 446?

Around here (South East Wales/Somerset area) channels 8 - 16 are where most of the 'DX' activity takes place, mainly because most other users like businesses and kids are still using 1 to 8. (8 is still the calling channel)

Very little dpmr or DMR takes place at all, you are more likely to hear SSB.

Of course this will vary from area to area most likely.

paulears wrote: ↑12 Aug 2021, 07:07 I’ve often wondered why people who use non 446 kit on the band don’t just go up or down a bit, and nobody would ever even notice the activity. If you used a huge beam and 100W on 446.5 nobody would ever know. Why do it in a band where people would get cross and try to report you? A beam and rotator would look like a ham one.

Yes your thinking is sound, because It is already happening locally, for example there is a regular late night net on 445.01875 Mhz that has been active for around 2 years now.

The same small group have also been monitored on 200.00625 Mhz. They seem to think no one can hear them for some reason with their ‘secret’ channels.

And as I’ve stated in a previous thread there is a group around hear using 143 Mhz regularly as well and that is before I give you details of the HF nets I have found, like the one on 29.750 Mhz who were having an ‘interesting’ discussion recently and no doubt there are others around here I simply have not got the time or the inclination to search out.

I can only assume that if OFCOM were that concerned they would have stopped them by now, but who knows, the regulator moves in mysterious ways.

Not a bit like the days of the RA/DTI – we live in interesting times as the old saying goes.

The notion of doing illegal things in a band where people become aware and a few might complain just seems so odd, when as you say - 143 and 200 are places few would even notice.

Has anybody tried the SATCOM frequencies? I hear the Brazilian pirates on them occasionally I can't remember the exact frequencies. I think one of them is 255.550 MHz.

Can't believe how polite and pleasant this forum is compared to FB and others.
Interesting to read,
without offensive "bants".

Great stuff,

Mike.

Sounds like alot of hams are jealous of the activity on PMR446. Getting boring listening to static ?

LondonCbRadio wrote: ↑11 Jun 2022, 20:45 Sounds like alot of hams are jealous of the activity on PMR446. Getting boring listening to static ?

I go on 446 to *avoid* hams. There's a certain atmosphere there that will never exist on the ham allocations, and it's sometimes fun to give signal reports to people who genuinely believe they're having a private conversation. They benefit from this too.

I think Ofcom are in a difficult position re: prosecutions. They don't want to use public money going after people, but they need to assert the rules. Reading between the lines, I think it's a case of Be Sensible. If you're going to use 1W, at least be on the correct 6.25kHz channel raster, use narrow dev, and don't be a knob head.