Hi all,

I'm wanting to get my hands on some decent two way radios, ideally 2x handheld and 1x vehicle mounted.

I need better range than my pmr446 radios give. I also ideally want to be able to use them in the UK and abroad (Europe as a minimum).

UHF seems to be best for UK use (I know I'd need a licence) but they don't appear to be legal in Europe.

CB seems second best but I can't find a straight forward answer on legality outside the UK....?

Use will mainly be in the mountains and for convoying vehicles.

Any advice on the above would be very much appreciated!

Thanks

Toby

Cb is legal in Europe, and most places in the world. you just have to make sure you use the correct frequencies. Simple in the EU, buy a CB in the UK that is 40/80 channel, switch it to UL in the UK, then when in Europe switch it to EU, or 80

Do you need a licence to use a CB radio in the UK?
The simple answer is NO, the CB licence was scrapped in late 2006. You can use the 2 CB bands that are legal in the UK, the old UK40 band, and the European CEPT (mid block) both bands are FM, and give you a total of 80 Channels to use in the UK.

Ofcom have announced amendments to Wireless Telegraphy regulations that will enable AM and SSB Citizens Band operation on 27MHz from Friday 27 June 2014. The permitted frequencies are the 40 CEPT Harmonised channels, which are the same as the American 40 channels. The power limits are 4W ERP for AM and 12W ERP for SSB. The full Ofcom statement can be found at http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/proposal-wireless-telegraphy-exemption-2014/statement.

So it looks like CB is going to be the way forward, and if set up correctly will have better coverage than UHF, you can even talk to the USA in ideal conditions.

As you say you are going to use in mountains, then any type of two way radio will have difficulty passing over the tops on peaks if say your in one valley, and the person you want to talk to is in another valley. Mountain territory is quite difficult to say what radio type would be best to use.

As sonicm1etn has already said, it looks like CB is the way to go for your requirements but just as he has also said, mountainous terrain presents many challenges (unless you're standing on the top).

Higher RF powers can't be used without an understanding of the implications and how to control that power. Validation of that understanding is by licencing; in the case of a business user the understanding is by the maintenance contractor and for the individual there's the amateur licence.

So unless you want to go down the route of getting a licence then you're stuck with 4 watts max on CB or 500mW erp on PMR466.