PMR446 & CB
PMR446 devices are the simplest radio solution: buy, switch on, talk. No licence, no fees. For families and neighbourhoods the fastest fallback level when the mobile network is gone.
How to start
- Buy a device set (from about 40 CHF)
- Agree a common channel + sub-tone with the group
- Practise radio discipline: short, clear, acknowledge
- Plan for spare batteries
PMR446 in detail
PMR446 is licence-free in Switzerland. Permitted are 16 analogue channels in the 446 MHz band with a maximum of 0.5 W ERP and a fixed built-in antenna. Digital devices (dPMR446) are also permitted.
- Range (experience value): in the village 1–3 km, from mountain to valley considerably more, inside buildings less.
- Channel 8 with sub-tone 16 (CTCSS 114.8 Hz) is used in Europe as a hiking emergency-call channel – a convention, not an official requirement.
- For beginners: agree on a fixed family channel plus a fallback channel and write both on the devices.
CB radio: more range, larger devices
CB radio in the 27 MHz band has been licence-free in Switzerland since 2013. Available are 40 channels in the transmission modes AM and FM (each max. 4 W) as well as SSB (max. 12 W PEP). External power amplifiers are prohibited.
- Channel 9 (27.065 MHz) is the traditional emergency and calling channel (German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino; in French-speaking Switzerland, channel 4 serves as the calling channel).
- Channel 19 (27.185 MHz) is the traffic/"trucker channel".
- CB reaches further than PMR446, but the devices and antennas are larger and need more power.
Understanding CTCSS and DCS correctly
CTCSS and DCS are selective-calling methods, not encryption and not a range trick. CTCSS sends along an inaudible continuous tone (approx. 67–254 Hz), DCS a digital code stream. The receiving device opens only when the matching tone/code is present.
- Important: CTCSS/DCS do NOT increase the range – they only filter whom you hear. The frequency is still shared by everyone.
- No real "sub-channels" arise: anyone listening without a sub-tone still hears everything.
- For beginners: same channel and same sub-tone on all devices, otherwise you will not hear each other.
Good to know
- Range: in the village 1–3 km, mountain-valley considerably more
- CB radio (27 MHz) reaches further, the devices are larger
- Channel 8, sub-tone 16, is often used in Europe as a hiking emergency-call channel
Further sources
- OFCOM Radio for everyone
- Satellite communication When range must be global: Starlink & Iridium
- Guide: Reporting clearly with SALUTE and the W-questions A short situation report in the neighbourhood – following a fixed scheme