PMR446

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PMR446 (Europe) - analog and digital license-free low power radio service, similar to FRS and GMRS in the United States and UHF CB in Australia and New Zealand. Harmonized throughout Europe and the UK. 500mW power limit. CTCSS, DCS and other selective calling and squelch systems are allowed in analog mode, digital "group" (selective calling) permitted in digital voice mode. Originally assigned 8 channels, then expanded to 16 analog/digital channels + 32 digital only voice/data channels in the 446.0 to 446.2 MHz range for a total of 48 available channels (in digital voice mode, not counting selective calling/group calling features available in analog and digital voice modes). In Europe this frequency spectrum is not part of the 70cm amateur band.

PMR446 channel 1 446.00625 MHz is the de facto calling frequency. These frequencies (both analog and digital) are heavily used in urban areas throughout Europe, much like other personal radio services are in other parts of the world. In some countries, channel 8 446.09375 MHz is used as the calling frequency (with 88.5 Hz CTCSS) instead of channel 1.

Analog and digital voice frequencies

Digital TDMA voice (DMR) also allowed on these 16 channels - referred to as DMR Tier 1 or DPMR Tier 1 - wideband digital - 16 channels.

Channel Freq MHz
1 446.00625
2 446.01875
3 446.03125
4 446.04375
5 446.05625
6 446.06875
7 446.08125
8 446.09375
9 446.10625
10 446.11875
11 446.13125
12 446.14375
13 446.15625
14 446.16875
15 446.18125
16 446.19375

Digital FDMA

Digital dPMR446 uses 32 digital voice channels separated by 6.25 kHz from each other with 4-level FSK modulation at 3.6 kbit/s. These frequencies overlap the original 16 analog voice/digital voice frequencies and operate in the same 446.0 to 446.2 MHz frequency range of the original PMR446 service. Kenwood designates the 6.25 kHz PMR446 digital band as DPMR446 or Digital DPMR446, not to be confused with digital DMR Tier 1 (which operates on the 12.5 kHz "wideband" channels, same frequencies as the analog channels).

Channel Freq MHz
1 446.003125
2 446.009375
3 446.015625
4 446.021875
5 446.028125
6 446.034375
7 446.040625
8 446.046875
9 446.053125
10 446.059375
11 446.065625
12 446.071875
13 446.078125
14 446.084375
15 446.090625
16 446.096875
17 446.103125
18 446.109375
19 446.115625
20 446.121875
21 446.128125
22 446.134375
23 446.140625
24 446.146875
25 446.153125
26 446.159375
27 446.165625
28 446.171875
29 446.178125
30 446.184375
31 446.190625
32 446.196875


Authorized in the following areas:

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, all United Kingdom territories, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man as well as all overseas or semi-autonomous territories of Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia and Spain.

PMR446 is also authorized in numerous countries outside Europe.


Further reading

  • ETSI EN 300 296
  • CEPT ECC Decision of 28 October 2005 on harmonised frequencies, technical characteristics, exemption from individual licensing and free carriage and use of digital PMR 446 applications operating in the frequency band 446.1- 446.2 MHz (ECC/DEC/(05)12) [1]



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