UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post

SiriusHardware · 25th May 2021, 6:35 pm

No, the EU has not adopted the CB/27/81 frequencies but for some time now there have been 'multi standard' radios which are legally available Europe-wide and what you are required to do in any given country is set it to that country's operating mode and it will then only operate on the correct frequencies and modes for that country. Originally, this was meant to solve the problem of truckers and other travellers who were trying to drive from one country to another having their radios seized at each border.

The UK is / was unique* in having 80 legal 27MHz FM channels, 40 of which are the same as the standard set used in the EU. Obviously, a lot of our European cousins are taking those sets and setting them to UK mode, which gives them their 40 standard channels plus another 40 which they ought not to be using.

The fact that they do, though, means that UK operators using their legal UK equipment have a good chance to work them on the less used, clearer UK CB/27/81 frequencies when conditions are up, as they have been at times over the past week or so.

* I recently discovered that Germany also has an extended range of 40 additional legal channels, but they are immediately below the standard 40 EU channels, ie, on 26MHz.

25th May 2021, 6:35 pm	#4
SiriusHardware Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK. Posts: 11,548	Re: SpE Opening No, the EU has not adopted the CB/27/81 frequencies but for some time now there have been 'multi standard' radios which are legally available Europe-wide and what you are required to do in any given country is set it to that country's operating mode and it will then only operate on the correct frequencies and modes for that country. Originally, this was meant to solve the problem of truckers and other travellers who were trying to drive from one country to another having their radios seized at each border. The UK is / was unique* in having 80 legal 27MHz FM channels, 40 of which are the same as the standard set used in the EU. Obviously, a lot of our European cousins are taking those sets and setting them to UK mode, which gives them their 40 standard channels plus another 40 which they ought not to be using. The fact that they do, though, means that UK operators using their legal UK equipment have a good chance to work them on the less used, clearer UK CB/27/81 frequencies when conditions are up, as they have been at times over the past week or so. * I recently discovered that Germany also has an extended range of 40 additional legal channels, but they are immediately below the standard 40 EU channels, ie, on 26MHz.