Since the ECC Decision 15(05), which took effect in January 2018, there have been significant changes to radios manufactured for the License Free market, but what do these changes mean for the general users of PMR446 License Free radios?
In simple terms, the frequency bandwidth allocated as “License Free” has now been doubled for both analogue and digital frequencies, opening up the way for far more channel combinations, making it far easier for users to tune to a channel that doesn’t have other users on it. Additionally, the lowest carrier frequencies for digital have been increased from 446.103125 MHz to 446.003125 MHz for 6.25 KHz and from 446.10625 MHz to 446.00625 MHz for 12.5KHz.
This means that newer radios in manufacture will now carry these broader range channels; including some additional technical enhancements; giving users the ability to communicate with minimal interference. The essence behind the decision is to harmonise these frequencies throughout Europe for both analogue and digital PMR 446 applications, benefiting both users and manufactures alike. However please be aware that not all EU countries currently accept the use of these new additional frequencies.
This article does not cover every specific technical detail in the ECC decision but is designed to be generally informative to everyday handheld radio users. For more detailed information please see: https://docdb.cept.org/download/b8797390-4577/ECCDec1505.pdf
