Can a Baofeng BF-888s be programmed to PMR446 for non-licence use?

0.5W of power, I think the BF-888 is around 3W

kester76

0.5W of power, I think the BF-888 is around 3W

Yes, shortly after I foudn this out and the fact that PMR446 only allows upto 0.5w of power. The 888 can go down to 1w I think in it's lowest setting.

My next question is though, what's the likely hood of being caught at 1w? I read that PMR446 can be clogged with users using more than 0.5w and are fine.

I use mine in lake district and never had any problems .
Don't gave any licence . didn't know I needed one

M0nk3h

Yes, shortly after I foudn this out and the fact that PMR446 only allows … Yes, shortly after I foudn this out and the fact that PMR446 only allows upto 0.5w of power. The 888 can go down to 1w I think in it's lowest setting.My next question is though, what's the likely hood of being caught at 1w? I read that PMR446 can be clogged with users using more than 0.5w and are fine.Read lessRead more

Not sure but the consensus is that you only need to worry about ofcom if you're using the legal amateur channels. I assume you should be able to attenuate the siginal with some sort of inline antenna attenuator.

srp111

I use mine in lake district and never had any problems .Don't gave any … I use mine in lake district and never had any problems .Don't gave any licence . didn't know I needed oneRead lessRead more

Indeed it's a common misconception UNLESS you're using a conventional store bought Walkie Talkie as these will more likely be using a maximum of 0.5w and using the PMR446 range already.

Even if you configure your HAM radio to use the PMR frequencies, the chance it'll be outputting over 0.5w is high, most will output at it's lowest 1w or so requiring you to have a licence that accepts up to 5w or over. So even though the bands are licence-free the wattage determines your need to pay for a licence (£75/5 years).

kester76

Not sure but the consensus is that you only need to worry about ofcom if … Not sure but the consensus is that you only need to worry about ofcom if you're using the legal amateur channels. I assume you should be able to attenuate the siginal with some sort of inline antenna attenuator.Read lessRead more

Yes I got that. According to some folk, Ofcom just don't really regulate the PMR446 like they use to meaning I should theoretically be fine if I stuck to 1w and outputted on these channels without misuse and being malicious and annoying.

It really is annoying because they could easily allow upto 1w rather than limiting below.

M0nk3h

Indeed it's a common misconception UNLESS you're using a conventional … Indeed it's a common misconception UNLESS you're using a conventional store bought Walkie Talkie as these will more likely be using a maximum of 0.5w and using the PMR446 range already.Even if you configure your HAM radio to use the PMR frequencies, the chance it'll be outputting over 0.5w is high, most will output at it's lowest 1w or so requiring you to have a licence that accepts up to 5w or over. So even though the bands are licence-free the wattage determines your need to pay for a licence (£75/5 years).Yes I got that. According to some folk, Ofcom just don't really regulate the PMR446 like they use to meaning I should theoretically be fine if I stuck to 1w and outputted on these channels without misuse and being malicious and annoying.It really is annoying because they could easily allow upto 1w rather than limiting below.Read lessRead more

I think it just to lower range so that the channels don't get too congested.
ofcom.org.uk/__d…pdf

use chirp to programme them to the uk pmr

yes you should have licence for these though as they are programmable
dont use them in greece though!