Published on : 2025-12-01 13:45
Ham radio - formally known as amateur radio - is a hobby and
service that allows licensed operators to communicate over the air
using a wide range of frequencies, modes, and equipment. Unlike
commercial or broadcast radio, ham radio is intended for personal
experimentation, emergency communication, technical learning, and
worldwide friendship.
📻 Ham radio operators often enjoy:
* Building and modifying equipment
* Communicating locally or worldwide
* Participating in emergency and disaster response
* Exploring digital modes such as FT8, APRS, or packet radio
* Experimenting with antennas, propagation, and radio science
Right now, I really enjoy my 2 Baofeng radios:
(DIR) Baofeng UV-5R
(DIR) Baofeng UV-5RM Plus
To transmit on amateur bands, you generally need a
government-issued license. However, there are also unlicensed
radio services - such as PMR446 in Europe - that anyone can use
with appropriate equipment.
📡 PMR446 Frequencies
Below is a table of the 16 PMR446 channels. These are licence-free
UHF FM frequencies commonly used for short-range communication
in Europe.
+---------+-----------------+
| Channel | Frequency (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 |
+---------+-----------------+
🧠Closing Thoughts
Ham radio offers an enormous world to explore, from local handheld
communication to long-distance ionospheric propagation experiments.
If you find PMR or general radio operation interesting, getting an
amateur radio license is a great next step.
Happy listening, and 73!
(DIR) Back to my phlog