SSB - Is My Radio Legal?

Since the introduction of legal AM/SSB CB Radio in the UK in 2014 a lot of people appear to be unsure of what is and what isn't a 'legal' radio. Radios no longer have a special mark on them to show that they are legal (Remember the old CB27/81 logo?). So, I've been taking a look at the relevant documentation to see if we can make things a little easier!

First of all we need to take a look at the new Interface Requirement (2027.2) which allows CB radio to operate without a licence in the UK. IR2027.2 lists the minimum requirements needed for legal AM/SSB CB radio operation in the UK:

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As you can see the document lists the frequencies, transmission modes, power output and technical reference numbers for legal AM/SSB CB radio. There are many radios which will conform to the frequency and power output specifications but these radios will not automatically be legal as they MUST be able to conform to the technical specifications referred to in IR2027.2.

The technical specifications are ETSI EN 200 433-1, ETSI EN 300 433-2, ETSI TR 102 626 and ECC Decision (11)03 (Click on the relevant one for full documentation)

So how do I know if my radio conforms to these technical specifications?

Radio manufacturers must provide a certificate of conformity to be able to sell legal CB radios within the EU. Radio's come with the certificate, either a separate leaflet or as part of the instruction manual.

The certificate will look something like this one as provided with the President Grant 2:

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Only radios which comply with the required technical specifications (European Standards) can be classed as legal for use. Any other radio will not be legal and you may be prosecuted for using such a radio.

List of known fully legal AM/SSB radios:

Albrecht AE5890EU - LINK

Albrecht AE7500 - LINK

Albrecht AE2990 (Handset) - LINK

Midland 8001XT - LINK (Discontinued - Mid Band ONLY in Legal Mode)

President Grant 2 - LINK

President Grant 2 PREMIUM - Same as Grant 2 with updated filtering/firmware.

President Jackson 2 (Black/Chrome) - LINK

SuperStar 3900EU - LINK (Mid Band ONLY in Legal Mode)