The Gadget Show tests digital and analog walkie talkies

The Gadget Show, broadcast on the UK TV station Channel 5, recently compared two PMR446 walkie talkies, the ICOM Digital F4029SDR and the Motorola FM TLKR-T7.

The Gadget Show Wild Challenge took to the Lake District to pit old technology FM analog voice, in the form of the Motorola, against the new ICOM using the Digital PMR446 standard. As might be expected the Digital ICOM proved superior to the FM Motorola.

This particular digital technology uses 4FSK/FDMA modulation and supports both voice and data. It operates with 6.25 kHz channel spacing instead of the 12.5 kHz channels required for FM enabling twice as many channels to be carried in the same spectrum.

You can watch the programme on the web at
http://fwd.five.tv/videos/wild-challenge-part-1

Icom IC-F4029SDR Transceiver for Digital PMR 446
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/march2008/
digital_pmr_446.htm

PMR Digital Voice - NXDN™
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/october2008/
pmr_digital_voice.htm

OFCOM Digital PMR446 Interface Requirement IR2009
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radiocomms/ifi/tech/
interface_req/IR2009.pdf

ETSI PMR
http://www.etsi.org/WebSite/Technologies/
PrivateMobileRadio.aspx

CMX7141 Digital PMR Processor
http://www.spectre-online.co.uk/products/wireless/pmr/
chip/cmx7141_digital_pmr_processor