Jump to content

Replica: PRR (Personal Role Radio) Marconi, Full Set


KWP

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 420
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Noveske, what power does it claim to have?

 

It would be illegal to use it in the UK as shipped. The band it is using is allocated to fixed business radio licences, and a there's a "Home Office" freq allocated in there too. This used to be a euphemism for security service use.

Do you know what frequencies are allocated to each channel then? How do you know what band the radios are in? stating 440mhz does'nt mean much until we have more information.

 

I have one user saying the channels are set with 446mhz range. Best wait until we get more facts about these radios- we are all guessing and conjecturing based, well nothing really!

Link to post
Share on other sites

between 440 and 470mhz is thousands upon thousands of channels. Of all of them, the only ones legal to use this radio in unlicensed are the 8 6.25khz spaced channels from 446.0 to 446.1, and even then only if it's 0.5w.

 

The above example is using channel spacing that is wildly huge. Even if they started some UK models at 446.0, using the same methodology they'd be out of the PMR band by channel 2.

Link to post
Share on other sites

That;'s not quite how it works. Radios capable of operating between 440 and 446MHz and supporting the right channel spacing can certainly be preset with 8 channels in the 446mhz range with the spacing needed. I have three such radios.

 

I'm not saying you'd get radio shipped with 8 channels ranging from 440mhz to 470 mhz. Just that the radio is capable of being factory set to operate anywhere between those two.

 

Let's just wait until we get more info rather than sharpening the blinkers and judging the world through a very narrow margin.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I know some radios can - I have far too many that can. However, based on the available evidence, this radio does not and it's not user-programmable, so it's not really recommendable to anyone who might read this thread and just buy one expecting it to work with his mates. I am trying to urge caution before purchase at this point.

 

It really depends if the manufacturers are prepared to produce a model that has the PMR frequencies in, in the correct spacing, with appropriate power level. In addition, it obviously doesn't have any CTCSS mobility, so even if they were to be programmed with the PMR freqs, they've have to have fixed CTCSS tones set for each channel, or you'll be listening to every user in the channel on every code as in the example shown, with no CTCSS encoding set.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Well now that some people have them, let's see some detailed pictures! Something I am curious about is the audio connector and if I can use a different headset with this radio.

Remark: Couldn't do a performance test, a jolly fellow forgot to buy the batteries for me. My fault anyway, that's what you get when you rely on others. :(

 

Retailers in HK seem to gradually stock in this radio. Shops that have them or will have at the moment are: Global Airsoft (Online Shop), PX-Airsoft (not yet) and AMD (Walk-in shop, on display and available)

 

More pics and details:

 

Photo 1/2: This thing is very close to real specs. The single PTT looks and feels like the real one and it's only millimeters that prevented my real PTT from successfully docking onto the radio's main body. The com socket is the same 5-pin design as found on the real deal.

PRR_Replica_Top.jpg

 

Photo 2/2: According to the manual output power is 1W/3W, has a built-in scrambler and what is CTCSS/DCS?

PRR_Replica_Manual.jpg

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

According to their manual they are using LEMO 5-pin connectors (if indeed it is LEMO) then they are using the exact same connector as the real PRR.

 

Which opens up a few possibilities. Such as using my issued SORDIN headset with this radio, if the suitable connectors can be found and an adapter fashioned.

 

For reference, these might be the connectors as used on this replica PRR.

 

Input on radio: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/LEMO/E...QbuAT34mw%3d%3d

Plug on headset: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/LEMO/F...E19ZwTJ6w%3d%3d

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

KWP, CTCSS/DCS is the tone signalling system familiar from PMR radios, though used across all radio applications. It's essentially a tone squelch. Under the signal in the inaudible band between 67hz and 220-ish Hz, there is a tone of one of these frequencies. This is used to make a receiver only open up its squelch if it hears a signal with that particular tone. This is how PMR446 only have 8 channels but seemingly hundreds of different privacy combinations. Of course, if someone on 1-23 and 1-16 are transmitting at the same time, they will not get out. It relies on short duty cycles for messages to make efficient use of the band.

 

If as it seems it is programmable, then it may be possible to make it PMR446 compatible, if it can be tuned to the right frequency steps - but it will only have preset CTCSS codes in the channels, like a Kenwood "pro" PMR. The low output of 1w is better for PMR use, though still strictly illegal - much much preferable though with an antenna like that to someone using a 4w unit on PMR.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
Good luck getting 1-3W PMR's through customs :(

It is not illegal to own radios that exceed power statutory output levels, it is illegal to use them so customs will not hold these radios for being specified at 1W/3W power level.

 

These radios look absolutely fantastic. I'm definitely up for a pair of these radios as long as I can program them for UK PMR frequencies.

Link to post
Share on other sites
It is not illegal to own radios that exceed power statutory output levels, it is illegal to use them so customs will not hold these radios for being specified at 1W/3W power level.

.........

 

but...... they'll still be illegal as soon as you push that transmit button :P

Link to post
Share on other sites
It is not illegal to own radios that exceed power statutory output levels, it is illegal to use them so customs will not hold these radios for being specified at 1W/3W power level.

 

These radios look absolutely fantastic. I'm definitely up for a pair of these radios as long as I can program them for UK PMR frequencies.

 

 

Are you well acquainted with belgian customs and their attitude to radios?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and the use of session cookies.