Digitial PMR446 Any experience/Advice?

[Kris369]

Recently sourced 4 Icom IC-F4029SDR PMR446 16Ch digital/8Ch analogue handhelds and a IC-6062 PMR446 only base station. As a result of a work comm's upgrade. Some very nice and pricey kit.

Currently waiting for programming cables for the units.

Have alot of experience using them, digital PMR446 is super clear and even travelling around yet to find anyone else using them, while i have.
My only problem is that i have no experience programming them, they are currently locked to just a few channels on the mobile and one on the base unit as this is all that was required.

So how easy is it to reprogram and unlock them back to factory and thus 16Ch digital/8Ch analogue?

This is a new prep area for me so please keep advice simple, the primary reason for these units is small group use when helping out with youthwork/scouts and will be lending out spare units to adults.

Thanks in advance.

[Hamradioop]

No knowledge on this kit. PMR446 is restricted to 16 channels Digital FDMA

Digital dPMR446 uses sixteen digital voice channels separated by 6.25 kHz from each other with 4-level FSK modulation at 3.6 kbit/s.[4]
dPMR446 Channel Frequency (MHz)
1 446.103125
2 446.109375
3 446.115625
4 446.121875
5 446.128125
6 446.134375
7 446.140625
8 446.146875
9 446.153125
10 446.159375
11 446.165625
12 446.171875
13 446.178125
14 446.184375
15 446.190625
16 446.196875

being FDMA Frequency Division Multiple Access or FDMA is a channel access method used in multiple-access protocols as a channelization protocol. FDMA gives users an individual allocation of one or several frequency bands, or channels. It is particularly commonplace in satellite communication, their is some security as the voice is digitally encoded but any one with the same equipment will be able to set their up the same and monitor your comms. Comms will be clearer when in range but just like digital TV once they are out of effective range they come to what is know as the digital cliff.

I would imagine all the can program would be things like ctss and call groups. NO FREQUENCY changes will be allowed.