Walkie Talkies in Europe?

June 16, 2007 10:21 AM

Can I use my 462.5625 Mhz walkie talkies in Europe? I know this frequency band is for public use in the US. Is it also for public use in Europe (Netherlands, Germany and Italy)?

My family of four will be in Europe for one month on vacation and want to use our walkie talkies to keep in touch with one another, instead of using cell phones.

posted by gnossos to technology (3 comments total)

No: PMR446 is the equivalent, operating on 446MHz. 433MHz is also permitted for two-way comms in the countries you're visiting, but the FRS frequency isn't approved.
posted by holgate at 11:18 AM on June 16, 2007

Holgate nailed it, but I just wanted to make sure it was clear that "isn't approved" means "is illegal." I've never been to Europe, but it looks like the FRS frequencies match up with things like fire department frequencies over there.

If you're there for a whole month, it might be worth looking into buying the radios.
posted by fogster at 8:56 PM on June 16, 2007

No -- FRS transmits on a fire frequency in the UK, and that's probably Euro-wide.

Many FRS radios can be converted to the European equivalent (and visa versa) by connecting or cutting a jumper trace, but you need the tools to hack it -- and it really helps to have a schematic.

Given how cheap they are, just buy a set on the other side of the pond.
posted by eriko at 9:19 PM on June 16, 2007