The License

As members of REVCOM we are allowed to use P.M.R. sets to talk to each other privately. This is possible because REVCOM holds a license that has been issued to us by the Radio Agency (R.A.), a part of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

However, as with most things, it is not as straight forward as it first appears. The license comes with certain restrictions. Below is a list of the main points, followed by a brief description of each point and how it affects our use of P.M.R.'s.

• All radio equipment must be type approved.

• Only specified frequencies are allowed.

• Transmission signal strength cannot exceed 5 Watts.

• Transmission mode may be AM or FM.

• The antenna cannot be directional.

• Base Station configurations are not allowed.

• Only voice communications are allowed - not data.

• No sound pre-processing is allowed.

• All sets must be registered and have a unique identifier.

• When transmitting, a station must always identify itself.

• All transmissions must have a stated 'End Of Message'.

• The frequencies can only be used for REVCOM business

• The R.A. has to be informed before the P.M.R.'s are used.

• Any or all of the above may be changed.

A quick look at the list above could make you wonder why, if it is so limiting, have we bothered getting a P.M.R. license in the first place? In reality, it is easy to work within these limits, and make full use of the radios. As I promised, I will now go into each of these items in a little more detail, illustrating how they affect our use of the radios.