UHF CB in ireland?

towel401

Will these yokes they have in australia ever see widespread use over here?

there are a few people campaigning to have them legalised in england but the government over there will probably just keep the spectrum for things like mobile phone companies and other boring, expensive methods of communication

watty

No. The band doesn't exist. It's not much better than PMR446 (A kind of UHF CB for Europe)

The regular 26.5MHz CB is probably better for cars/trucks/home base.

There are also lower power 864MHz CE marked Irish/EU legal handhelds. A few models have 446MHz @ 500mw and the 864MHz (10mW or 50mW?) channels. (Technically there is also CE 49MHz 10mW licence free, but those are really toys)

CB is 4W FM, 4W peak SSB and 1W AM and you can have any non-directional aerial (Yagi or similar is forbiden).

The attractiveness is that the Aussie regular allows UHF CB repeaters. Repeaters for CB, PMR446 or SRD864MHz isn't allowed in Europe. Only the Licenced Wireless Experimenters (Hams/Amateurs) can have repeaters (29, 50, 70, 145, 435, 1250, 2300, 5600 & 10,000 MHz bands possible). Ireland has some 1.2GHz TV repeaters, many 145MHz and 435MHZ band repeaters, at least one 29MHz repeater and some beacon/Simplexer on 50MHz and 70MHz bands.

All licenced and supported by voluntary contributions from the users.

PauloMN

UK had legal UHF CB up to the late '90s. It wasn't hugely popular due mainly to the cost of the equipment though, and the band was withdrawn.

Some information here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CB_radio_in_the_United_Kingdom

Many CB users who witnessed the noisy and unruly conditions on 27 MHz wanted to get away from all that and use the superior 934 MHz UHF CB allocation. In fact, the cost of cutting edge (at the time) UHF radio equipment meant that only the more serious CB operator would use the band, a nice though expensive haven for mature CB operators, and radio hams who didn't like the 'red tape' of amateur radio. At first the range was limited, but as antenna restrictions were lifted and better equipment started to appear, the number of UHF CB operators grew. Sadly, after just a few years in 1988, it was announced that no more new equipment for 934 would be made, the specification was withdrawn and the band was 'frozen'. Due to the relatively low number of users, the 934 MHz band was eventually discontinued by the government on 31 December 1998. Compared to cheap 27 MHz, the main reason for the lower user numbers on the 934 MHz band, was its cost (up to £500 for a radio), coupled with the fact that by the time reliable Japanese equipment became available in the mid-1980s, most people had opted for the noisier but cheaper 27 MHz, or gone on to take the Radio Amateur Exam. Though many people think mobile phones have taken over 934 MHz, the band remains unused to the present day [Dec 2007], and could still be in use for people who spent lots of money on their radio equipment, that still functions perfectly. Arguably, the real reason for the 934 MHz band's demise, was the lucrative sale of the band to the mobile phone industry; the start of a trend which continues with the move from analogue to digital TV.

watty

934MHz is now slap bang in middle of GSM/GPRS/EDGE Phone Basestation Transmit band. It's very much used and was in use in 2007.

In UK 880 .. 915 & 925 .. 960MHz is GSM-R, GSM-E and GSM-P

Here 880 .. 884 and 925 .. 929 is empty but assigned in theory to CIE.