The PMR-506TX is another new radio from TTi in Korea. Whilst there are many new PMR radios out there to choose from there are only a few that offer anything different. In this case the 506TX is one of the slimmest and lightest PMR radios on the market and certainly won’t weigh you down. There are two different packages available containing this radio. One is a standard PMR radio, the 506TX with desktop drop-in charger and the other, the 506MH is specifically aimed at Motorcycle riders as it contains the necessary hands-free kit for both rider and passenger and allows the radio to be used as an intercom device.  In both cases the radio contains a built in lithium-ion battery pack which is an excellent choice for long battery life between charges and doesn’t suffer from the memory effect of other battery technologies meaning you can “top up” the charge of this radio at any time you wish.

Perfect 'Lockwheeling' Territory for PMR446 sets

David Robinson takes a look at using CB and PMR-446 Radio on the Canals in the UK.

After 30+ years’ experience of summer holidays spent on various parts of the English canals, I thought that others might find my experiences of interest regarding the usefulness of 11M CB and PMR446 on the canals network.

Our very first canal holiday convinced me that there was a real need for both long and short range portable/mobile communications between skipper and crew. 

This review was made possible by Sharman MultiCOM Ltd, with thanks to Murli for the loan of the equipment.

It’s hard to believe that over ten years have passed since PMR-446 was introduced across Europe as a licence free short range radio service. The simplicity of the service combined with low cost radios has been a key point that ensured the popularity of the concept from day one and proved to be a credible alternative to expensive licensing and contracts for small to medium sized businesses alike.  PMR-446 isn’t without its problems in heavy use areas due to the limited number of available channels but in most cases CTCSS and DCS can help minimise the issue of busy channels.

Alinco DJ-446 PMR446 Radio

Initial Impressions

My reason for purchasing a PMR 446 radio was to enable bike to bike communication. I needed a radio that would be robust, have a good battery life, and be able to accept the standard headphone & mic accessories. When I discovered that Alinco did this PMR 446 version of their VHF DJ-193E, which has the same body, chassis, and internals (except for being UHF) I decided it would fit the bill. My initial impressions of the radio were biased by the fact that I already had a very good experience using the Alinco DJ-596 (HAM VHF/UHF Multi-band) Hand held Transceiver. The build quality and functionality are of the same standard. The DJ-446 just doesn’t have quite so many features!

If you have been online recently looking at the radio category on the popular auction website eBay then you have probably seen a large number of Chinese sellers selling radio communication products at incredibly cheap prices. Some pieces of gear and well known brand names in the communication industry such as Icom and Yaesu but there is a growing number of unfamiliar names to the radio scene. Jington, Puxing, Wouxun, Linton and Weierwei and Abell may not yet be “household” names but they are doing their best to get the western radio amateur interested in their products. So are these two way radios junk or do they compete with the big names? At the lower prices they are sold for on eBay you could be forgiven for dismissing them as junk but as the following article proves, that is not necessarily the case and they may also appeal to those on a limited budget and just starting off on the air.