Hi all thank you for letting me join
I am a complete beginner but interested to learn about two way radio base stations repeaters etc
I bought a quad pack of the titled radios for my business
A site around 120m x 220 m with two warehouses on the site
THe radios work fine on site but once off the site they are practically useless
They have no line of sight on the site and work perfect but once I go 400-500 m
Down the road there is no comms between units. Motorola boasts a 10km range for these units but Im not getting even 1 km . I know hey work on PMR446 MHz Range and they are set up for the 16 channels not just the default 8 . Are all channels and sub channels of which there are many the same strength ? Give the same range? Can these units be linked to a repeater so I can add users to my group on an adjacent site maybe 1km up the road. Or am I on the wrong track completely . Do I need licensed radios? I was hoping to avoid this. Or can I optimize what I have and get what I need from them. Country : IRELAND Thanks all in advance
Sadly, this range is exactly what they are capable of, and is exactly the same as other units of this type. Site comms - short range, small area. Half a Watt, small antennas and held in the hand are killers for range, but to be honest, is exactly what the EU intended with this unregulated, unprotected band. It’s how the users don’t annoy each other, and why nobody uses this band for longer ranges - because higher power and roof top antennas are needed for distance. They get away with the 10KM tripe because it’s always got the ‘depending on local conditions’ caveat, or the more common “up to” before the range statement. Marketing spin, but legal.
If you want half a mile, then think maybe 5W but even that at each end can be thwarted by buildings and people.
Sorry - but reliable comms over that distance means much more outlay, and buying a licence and proper comms kit.
Basically, as my friend says, you are using short-range consumer-quality radios for business use. It will never work. The advertised “range” is basically mountain-top to mountain-top, with no obstructions in between.
If you are serious about your business, you should be serious about buying products designed for commercial use, not disposable consumer stuff sold in big-box stores for kids to play with.