PMR446 is a European standard licence-free radio service utilising 8 (12.5khz spaced) channels in the 446 Mhz band. PMR is license exempt in Ireland and other EU states. The first country which introduced these frequencies for licence-free use was Ireland and it did so on 1st April 1998. The United Kingdom introduced PMR446 service in April 1999. For an updated list of current status in different European countries see the page of European Radiocommunications Office. PMR is commonly used by bouncers, farmers, construction workers, cleaning companies etc..

The range of the PMR446, just like any VHF or UHF radio, is dependent on many factors like environment (in city range is far less than in open field), your height above surrounding obstructions and to a very much lesser extent weather conditions. The antenna type and location, transmit power and receive sensitivity also affect range. However with PMR446 most of these variables are fixed at manufacturing to comply with the PMR446 specifications.
Range may be many kilometres e.g from hilltop to hilltop, or only a few hundred meters if for example a hilltop or large metal construction is in the transmission path i.e. between radios.
The best known long distance record is 535.8 km (333 mi) from the town of Blyth in United Kingdom to the city of Almere in The Netherlands.

Due to the considerable uptake of the service, PMR446 radio sets can now be bought from as little as €30 Euro a pair. The Odtr requires that radios have a maximum of 500mw (1/2 watt) ERP (Effective Radiated Power) to an internal antenna. This limites range to, realistically 1/2 to 1 mile around town and up to 2 miles in open country. In line of sight conditions and at altitude ranges of over a hundred miles have been obtained.

CTSS (continuous tone squelch system) is incorporated in most radio sets as a means to prevent interference with only 8 channels available - the radio ignores all incoming signals except those that are also transmitting this sub-audible tone.

There are eight 12.5 kHz simplex frequencies which can be used anywhere in Ireland. The frequencies have been harmonised (but not necessarily authorised) for use across Europe. The channels centre frequencies are as follows:

1. 446.00625
2. 446.01875
3. 446.03125
4. 446.04375
5. 446.05625
6. 446.06875
7. 446.08125
8. 446.09375

The frequencies are shared and users may, under local heavy use conditions, experience interference and problems with sharing channels. These may be reduced by changing frequency and/or CTCSS tone and/or DCS code. PMR 446 is not suitable for safety of life use or for users who need to have access to frequencies at particular locations and times.

Before speaking you should check that a frequency is free by either listening or using the channel busy indicator. When you speak you should identify yourself and the person you are calling. The radios allow communication in only one direction at a time so you will find it helpful to identify when you have finished speaking. It is expected that the frequencies will become particularly busy in cities or where large numbers of people gather such as large sporting events. All users will benefit if messages are kept short.