PMR446 walkie-talkies: the UK rules and a simple family plan for when phones are down

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PMR446 walkie-talkies can be used in the UK without a licence, as long as the radio meets Ofcom's rules: 446.0 to 446.2 MHz, no more than 0.5 W, handheld and used on the move, not as a base station. Ofcom describes them as short-range, so test the range around your home. They are for talking to family nearby. They cannot call 999, so keep a charged mobile for that.

What is PMR446?

PMR446 is the name for the licence-free walkie-talkies sold in UK shops. Ofcom's licence-exempt devices page describes it as a short-range, peer-to-peer voice and data system, and gives the walkie-talkie handset as the example. It says PMR446 is ideal for short distances, such as inside office buildings, factories and building sites.

In a power cut or a mobile network problem, that makes them useful for one thing: keeping in touch with people close by, such as family in the same building, on the same street or at an agreed meeting point.

What are the UK rules?

Ofcom's PMR446 information sheet sets them out:

Ofcom says the technical requirements are in UK Interface Requirement IR2030. It also warns you may be committing an offence if you use equipment in 446.0 to 446.2 MHz that doesn't meet the PMR446 licence-exempt rules, even if it is sold with a CE mark.

Analogue or digital? Ofcom says analogue PMR446 is harmonised across Europe, so a UK analogue set can be used licence-exempt in any European country. Digital PMR446 is not harmonised, so check the list of countries printed next to the CE mark.

How far do PMR446 radios reach?

Ofcom describes them as short-range and doesn't give a distance. Range depends on buildings, trees, hills and where you stand. Box claims are not a guide to your street. The only reliable answer is your own test, which takes ten minutes (see the plan below).

Can I use US walkie-talkies (FRS or GMRS) in the UK?

No. Ofcom's information sheet says American Family Radio Service (FRS) equipment cannot be used in the UK on a licence-exempt basis, and that using it here is likely to cause harmful interference to frequencies used by the Home Office.

GMRS is a US service too. US federal rules (47 CFR 95.1705) say a valid individual licence is needed to operate a GMRS station, and only people aged 18 or over can get a new one. In the US, other Personal Radio Services such as FRS can be used without an individual licence (47 CFR 95.305). None of that makes US sets legal to use here. If you buy online, check the listing says PMR446 and UK or EU use.

Can a walkie-talkie call 999?

No. A PMR446 radio only talks to other radios on the same channel. For an emergency, use a phone. GOV.UK Be Ready says if your landline has no back-up power in a power cut and you have a life-threatening emergency, try calling 999 or 112 on a mobile. It explains that emergency calls automatically roam onto all available networks, so you may get a signal from a nearby area that still has power.

So walkie-talkies sit alongside your phone, not instead of it. Keep a charged power bank for the phone.

A family walkie-talkie plan

Be Ready's emergency checklist says to agree a meeting point in case you can't get home or reach each other, and to write important numbers on paper. A radio plan fits inside that.

Agree these once, and write them on the plan:

• Main channel: for example, channel 5. Write it on a label on every radio.
• Back-up channel: for example, channel 9, if the main one is busy.
• Listening times: for example, on the hour for 5 minutes. Leaving radios on all day drains batteries.
• Call names: first names are fine. Keep messages short: who, where, OK or not.
• Meeting point: the place Be Ready asks you to agree, such as a relative's home or an easy-to-find public place.
• Spare batteries in a bag with the radios, or a charging cradle you can run from a power bank if the radio supports it.

Test it this weekend:

1. Charge or fit batteries in every set and choose the same channel.
2. Leave one radio at home. Walk to your meeting point with the other.
3. Call at a few points on the way. Note where it stops working.
4. Try from inside your home, from the back room and from a neighbour's house.
5. Write down what worked: "Reaches the shop on the corner. Doesn't reach the park."

Teach children to press the button, wait a second, then speak, and to let go to listen. Simplex means only one person can talk at a time.

Where walkie-talkies help most

• Families in a block of flats or on one street during a power cut.
• Street or neighbour plans. Some streets agree a channel between a few houses. See our street plan with neighbours.
• Checking on an older neighbour a few doors away without walking out in bad weather.

They don't replace a battery or wind-up radio for news. For updates, Be Ready says keep a battery or wind-up radio and write down your local station's frequency. Our BBC local radio frequencies list helps with that, and our wind-up radio guide explains what to look for.

For the wider plan when mobiles struggle, read mobile network down: how to reach family and our communication guide.

Related guides

• Staying in touch when networks fail
• A street emergency plan: how neighbours can help each other
• Emergency contacts list template (UK)
• How to make a household emergency plan (UK template)

Free tools

• Make a household emergency plan

We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.

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