Thanks; For some reason, I thought 70CM Repeaters were unavailable in
UK, and my W32A might be "contraband". Yes the W32A can work 420-450
MHz, (Mine will :-) ). Yes voice GSM is what we need for the trip. WIFI
will have to suffice for data needs. --- On Fri, 11/1/13, Joe Leikhim
<[email protected]> wrote:
I am planning a trip to UK and was wondering about VHF repeater usage.
1) I have an ICOM W32A and it does not generate 1750 Hz tone
as far as I can tell (US Version). Is CTCSS widely used in OK?
All 2m repeaters use CTCSS, info on repeaters and coverage maps are at
http://www.ukrepeater.net/
2) The radio is dual band 2M/70CM but I can disable 70CM
band from front panel. Will Customs hassle me for that
model?
Don't know but I've not heard of anyone having problems. BTW can't you open up
the 70cm coverage to give 420-450 MHz ? That would enable you to use the UK
70cm repeaters.
3) Any recommendations for good PMR446, dPMR or similar
radios (low cost) to communicate with my wife should we get
separated? Preferably something readily available and using
AA (not AAA) batteries.
4) Is GSM still the way to go for basic cell phone service
in UK? We got my son a used blackberry? "world phone"
for his trip last year and it seemed spotty. Maybe he was
getting SIM cards for the wrong provider?
If all you want is voice and SMS text messaging then yes GSM is what you are
after. For data/internet use you'd need 3G. It's worth checking the coverage
provided by each of the Four networks in the areas you'll be visiting before
you buy a Sim.
Personally I've found Vodafone and O2 give best voice/text coverage as they use
the 900 MHz band, other networks EE (Orange/T-Mobile) and 3 are only on the
higher bands, 1800 and 2100 MHz with shorter ranges.
Coverage Maps:
Vod -http://www.vodafone.co.uk/our-network-and-coverage/uk-coverage-map/
O2 -http://www.o2.co.uk/coveragechecker
EE -https://explore.ee.co.uk/coverage-checker
3 -http://www.three.co.uk/Support/Coverage
73 Trevor M5AKA
--
Joe Leikhim
Leikhim and Associates
Communications Consultants
Oviedo, Florida
[email protected]
407-982-0446
WWW.LEIKHIM.COM
_______________________________________________
Sent via [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
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