Walkie talkie, pmr 446 radios for hiking. 4 field tests. Useful?

I wanted to know if using personal mobile radios, which are licence free in the UK, would be useful for hiking. Would their low range and power of up to 10km and 0.5 watts be enough?
I tested them over hills, woods and lakes to see if different parties could usefully stay in touch.
I did not test them to their distance limit but would be confident that would be fine in the right conditions.
Most useful was learning which terrain would block the signal. Small rises of land were fine, but bigger mountain bulk and especially woods were somewhat problematic.
Knowing your contours and the the last known position of the party you are trying to contact will make communication a lot more predictable.
They will be excellent for hiking and all sorts of outdoor activities.
I did the tests using the Cobra AM1035,( waterproof and floating) the Cobra AM 845 and the Motorola T82.
I am raising funds to buy an emergency beacon to help keep myself and the youngsters including Scouts I take out safe. Thanks! www.buymeacoff...
Here is a link to much of the equipment I use and trust. I earn a small commission from using this link at no cost to you, so thanks! amzn.to/42MWyvS

[@RobertNezz]

Just a PRO TIP: Stay upright and have the antenna straight up when talking. Any other angle brings in considerable attenuation. Thanks for the nice video!

[@Fellmandave1]

Thr errors of my ways have been remarked on Robert'

[@Samurai161177]

Good Video

[@Fellmandave1]

Thanks!

[@Samurai161177]

@@Fellmandave1 maybe come more Videos about PMR Radio. 👍

[@Fellmandave1]

Kind of unlikely

[@CornwallWorld]

Have a look at the mitex Radio that transmits on 449mhz. The licence fee is £75 for 5 years and the radios have an output of 5w

[@Yantou65]

Tout le monde ecoute le 446. Pour demander des secours personne sur le 449 pour nous entendre. On peut trouver des 446 en 5w ( midland G9 pro, Retevis rt86....). Canal PMR 446 pour randonnée et montagne 7.07

[@andykirby]

good test, little tip, always hold the radio upright and make sure the antenna is in as much clear space as you can.

[@thingblaze5754]

Great video. The PMR446 is not as bad that people's thinking. In the right condition they can be a life saver.

[@Fellmandave1]

Yes, underated! Thanks for contributing..

[@casper2yall]

Great review, thank you

[@Fellmandave1]

You're welcome.

[@willowwobble]

Thank you, very helpful as we consider buying a two way radio. Thanks for sharing your hiking trip in Lake District ... reminds me of happy scouting days!

[@Fellmandave1]

Glad it was helpful!

[@grvfirst]

Hi. Was looking for a PMR 446 and while searching, came across your video. Beautifully made. I don't have access to Cobra. The options infront of me are Motorola T82 extreme and Baofeng UV 10R. Both are rugged, waterproof and shockproof. I am a bit in favour of Motorola though Baofeng has better range and costs half of Motorola. Can you please tell me your opinion.

[@Fellmandave1]

Not used the baofeng, so sorry, cant help. Just get the one you fancy!

[@richardmillican7733]

It's a pity we dont have a similar system to GMRS here in the UK. The inbuilt limits of 446pmr creates the restrictions of use. A chinese HT radio like the UV-5R or newer will give a greater range but they dont conform to Ofcom's regulations. I do think that the limitations will be retracted as newer "cheap chinese" radios technology continues to improve. I use these radios on PMR, but mainly for Marine VHF comms. In the Marine Band, despite what some will say.. they're fine!

[@Fellmandave1]

Absolutely agree that we are underpowered. I have a handheld marine unit (and licence). Much better! Thanks for commenting.

[@davidpearce6831]

A Brilliant video David, demonstrating how radio's can be used to give leaders more confidence and encouragement to take groups of Scouts out on high level routes. Very helpful thank you.

[@Fellmandave1]

Too kind David!

[@StraightOuttaUrbex]

pmr can work well plenty of good radios on the market that can be better than others

[@bogdantimkovsky7836]

Thank you very much for this video! I have a question for you, I am just deciding between the two models Cobra am1035 and Motorola T82. Can you tell me which one of these models works more confident over longer distances?

[@Fellmandave1]

Hi, in my testing , there was no discernible difference. i think the features of the cobra are better, but the T82 is slightly smaller. Also the T82 has the emergency call feature if that is important to you. Thanks for commenting and I hope that helps

[@cqdx1677]

All telecommunication equipments are useful FIR viking travelling in nature

[@Fellmandave1]

agreed!

[@hexxe]

Hi, I need advice good 446 PMR walkie talkie for Urban

[@Fellmandave1]

All about the same power mostly. Go motorola.

[@michaelloughlin734]

Excellent test a lad used the waterproof cobra on the Sunday 8@8 and he got a really long distance with these radios height is might enjoyed the views lovely place and the radio's performed very well in the terrain thanks for posting.

[@Fellmandave1]

Thanks Michael!

[@DogFishAttack]

Hi, when the Cobra AM1035 charges via usb, is there any indication that the charging is complete?

[@Fellmandave1]

Yes, full lcd bars

[@DogFishAttack]

@@Fellmandave1Nice, Thanks!

[@Fellmandave1]

I am raising funds to buy an emergency beacon to help keep myself and the youngsters including Scouts I take out safe. Thanks! www.buymeacoffee.com/fellmandave

[@VicGreenBitcoin]

Next time buy the FRS usa or Canada version, those work better due to 2 watts

[@Fellmandave1]

Laws in the UK restricting wattage unfortunately

[@Fellmandave1]

@VicGreenBitcoin Help, I'm melting! You can probably tell that I am trying to set a good example for young people , not to encourage them to break laws. A video presenting anything else that is not popularly available would be pretty useless.

[@VicGreenBitcoin]

@@Fellmandave1 I see 🙈