We plan a road trip through Switzerland and we want to use walkie-talkies for the communication between the cars. We have devices that are using the PMR446 frequency and according to the manufacturer they are licence free in the EU. But what about Switzerland?
asked May 20, 2019 at 9:36
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1These kind of "walky talkies" are pretty common in the mountains throughout Europe (inc Switzerland). They are frequently used by skiers, boarders and mountaineers and you can buy them from the larger sport retailers.– QwerkyCommented May 20, 2019 at 13:42
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Why would they be illegal?– Azor Ahai -him-Commented May 20, 2019 at 18:13
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10Because not all countries licence PMR446– StevetechCommented May 20, 2019 at 21:18
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1 Answer
Yes, you can use PMR446 walkie-talkies in Switzerland.
Usage of PMR446 in Europe is licensed on a country-by-country basis and not mainly by the EU. You can get an up to date list of European countries allowing PMR446 usage and a summary of national deviations from the European Communications Office. Swiss federal authorities also have an information page confirming that usage of PMR446 devices is allowed.
answered May 20, 2019 at 10:11
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2@MJeffryes If I could only read. Thanks for the advice. I have linked to the English page now. Commented May 20, 2019 at 10:13
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1@Tor-Einar Jarnbjo Yes, quite a bit. First of all, back then, you only had analog PMR446 in the range from 446.0 MHz, to 446.1 MHz. In the meantime, they added two incompatible types of digital PMR446, in the range from 446.1 MHz to 446.2 MHz. The newest change is that they then expanded the analog PMR446, so that it covers range from 446.0 MHz to 446.2 MHz, and they expanded the both digital versions of PMR446, so that they too cover span from 446.0 MHz to 446.2 MHz. Commented May 21, 2019 at 10:56
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2@Tor-Einar Jarnbjo Now comes the fun part: Not all CEPT/ECC countries allow everything, so some only allow analog PMR446 from 446.0 to 446.1, some don't allow the newest mixed version yet and so on. So in some countries which can be said to allow PMR446, you could theoretically get into trouble, if you're using wrong kind of PMR446. That's why I think it's important to note that the list is outdated. Commented May 21, 2019 at 10:58
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1Keep in mind that despite the devices being allowed, not any-and-all device using that band is allowed. There's a maximum amount of radiated power defined somewhere (probably around 0,5 - 5W Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) or something) and crossing that line makes them illegal.– MastCommented May 21, 2019 at 17:22