With the recent increase in activity on the PMR446 band here in the UK I wonder if it's time to revisit the idea of 'PMR446 Long Distance Records'.....
Back in the early days of PMR446 there was very little in the way of non-standard radio equipment which could operate on the 446 band. You certainly couldn't get your hands on a Baofeng, so users made do with tiny handhelds, tiny antennas and half a watt of power.... in other words, LEGAL PMR446 radios. But that didn't stop them making some amazing long distance contacts. They just had to put a bit of effort into it by climbing up to the top of a hill or other high spot.
Things are different these days, anyone can order a high power radio from eBay or Amazon including modified Amateur Radio equipment which can be capable of putting out very high amounts of power. You see people boasting online that they made a 50 mile contact...
Well let's be honest, anyone can make a 50 mile contact using a Yaesu/Icom/Kenwood/Baofeng with 50 watts coming out of the back into a co-linear or beam antenna.... It really is nothing special!
What is special and very rewarding is making the same contact on a standard, type approved, PMR446 radio.
How about starting a points system? Maybe one point for every mile achieved between two operators using STANDARD (Type Approved) PMR446 radios.
Personally, back in 2003, I made a 535.8Km (333 Mile) contact using a Motorola T6222 radio. This was during a period of Tropospheric Ducting which allowed my signal to be carried from North East England to a small town near Amsterdam. Of course these conditions don't happen very often and you should not expect distances like that but it just goes to show what is possible.
If you get up to the top of a hill or other high spot you should easily be able to make some amazing contacts. You can certainly expect to cover 10-20 miles, and much further depending on your height.
So how about it? Let's see and hear about amazing long distance contacts made using proper PMR446 radios.
Of course we shouldn't leave out those who wish to use non-standard equipment, therefore I suggest we have 2 categories:
CATEGORY ONE: Standard, type approved radios which have NOT been modified in any way.
CATEGORY TWO: Modified PMR446 radio or other non-standard equipment.
You could list your contacts as:
STATION 1 (CAT 1) to STATION 2 (CAT 1)
STATION 1 (CAT 1) to STATION 2 (CAT 2)
STATION 1 (CAT 2) to STATION 2 (CAT 2)
Of course we shouldn't leave out those who wish to use non-standard equipment, therefore I suggest we have 2 categories:
CATEGORY ONE: Standard, type approved radios which have NOT been modified in any way.
CATEGORY TWO: Modified PMR446 radio or other non-standard equipment.
You could list your contacts as:
STATION 1 (CAT 1) to STATION 2 (CAT 1)
STATION 1 (CAT 1) to STATION 2 (CAT 2)
STATION 1 (CAT 2) to STATION 2 (CAT 2)
Obviously a CAT 1 to CAT 1 contact would be the GOLD standard as this is the hardest to achieve.
You could post videos online to verify your contacts and we would be very happy to feature them on the blog.....
Yuo can also post details on the PMR446DX Facebook page: https://fb.me/PMR446DX
I'll have a go at the Category 1 to Category 2 (presumed) with the 500mW standard setup at my end. Google Earth tells me this contact was a fraction over 80 miles, from the West Sussex coast (near Worthing) to Utah Beach near Fecamp in Lower Normandy. Do I get a bonus point for speaking French lol.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geAyGrNMaKg
I'm sure you can claim a few bonus points for speaking french 😂
DeleteI've been to Fecamp - it may just be 80 miles - but crossing the Channel then driving there, it seems a great deal further! Well done!
ReplyDeleteCan I claim an early record - I think it was shortly after the launch of PMR446 - 4 miles with a pair of Goodmans Trackers. This was from Hay Tor, Dartmoor to a friend's cottage on a nearby hill, (don't laugh, well don't laugh too much!).
ReplyDelete