I have a question about a band just above 30MHz

[MUTNAV]

Maybe not in Canada, but absolutely in the USA. Radio Shack sold them. I used to have a few. They were absolutely 49MHz, because at the time I had a radio that would pick them on 49MHz.
Cordless phones used 49MHz for part of their link (other half of the link was down near 1800kHz, if I recall correctly)
Radio controlled toys used 49MHz also, I found out pretty quick that if I whistled at the right pitch, I could make my friends RC car take off in the wrong direction...
Baby monitors, too. Had a neighbor with one. We figured out we could trick the mom. All fun and games until we got caught.

Check out page 57 on this old Radio Shack catalog:

1991 Radio Shack Catalog

Flip through the 1991 Radio Shack catalog containing: stereo systems, tape players, radios, computers, scanners, gaming devices, HAM radios, TVs & VCRs, phones, electronics, test equipment & more!

radioshackcatalogs.com

Page 153 has the models aimed at children.

49MHz was a dumping ground, at the time, for short range radio devices.



Same in the USA, Channel 14, 100mw or less, was under FCC Part 15 and a lot of low end walkie talkies worked there. Different than the 49MHz walkie talkies….

Wow... I remember the one on page 57 (on the left), in the AF they were used by some people, it's surprising how helpful a little bit of even short range communications can be. (Installing equipment, during exercises etc...).


BTW, I loved seeing the catalog again, reminds me they weren't all cell phones and garbage at some point.

Thanks
Joel

 

[KevinC]

My wife and I used a pair of those 49 MHz headsets when we lived in our first apartment way back when. When she pulled in the parking lot she'd let me know and I'd go walk her inside (aren't newlyweds so cute?). I turned into a criminal when I rigged a mag mount with a low band rubber ducky to her side and doubled the range from 100' to almost 200'!

 

[nd5y]

49 MHz walkie talkies are still receiving FCC certification and probably still being manufactured. I have seen several new FCC IDs in the past few years. I even posted about one a while back that was in the 6 m amateur band around 50.1 MHz.

 

[Omega-TI]

Hey guys, thanks for the idea. I think I'm going to put my SDR to task scanning the 49Mhz band on record today and see what I can pick up while I'm gone. I'm guessing next to nothing on that "forgotten band", but it'll be a trip. Now if I'm not mistaken, wasn't 46Mhz used as well?

 

[u2brent]

Cordless Phone - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

 

[trimmerj]

As i recall, Fair Radio Sales used to have military surplus radios that covered that range.

 

[MUTNAV]

As i recall, Fair Radio Sales used to have military surplus radios that covered that range.

A lot of the older (and newer) radios cover 30-88 MHz. Like the AN/PRC-25 and
AN/PRC-77.

I had to use a PRC-77 at one point, very heavy for a radio that puts out 2 watts or so.
You see it in a lot of Vietnam movies.
Thanks
Joel

 

[Omega-TI]

49 MHz walkie talkies are still receiving FCC certification and probably still being manufactured. I have seen several new FCC IDs in the past few years. I even posted about one a while back that was in the 6 m amateur band around 50.1 MHz.

Here's a 49Mhz rig from the past...

 

[wtp]

Cordless Phone - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

i would give you a thumbs up, but all the fingers were removed...like

 

[u2brent]

i would give you a thumbs up, but all the fingers were removed...like View attachment 167433

Lol, thanks.,

 

[GlobalNorth]

No adult would ever use these for serious communication like for a boss to talk to his workers on a construction site.

Agreed, but I know more than a few cops, firefighters, and military types that wish their command staff had Archer Space Patrol radios as command sets.

 

[KE7IZL]

Maybe not in Canada, but absolutely in the USA. Radio Shack sold them. I used to have a few. They were absolutely 49MHz, because at the time I had a radio that would pick them on 49MHz.
Cordless phones used 49MHz for part of their link (other half of the link was down near 1800kHz, if I recall correctly)
Radio controlled toys used 49MHz also, I found out pretty quick that if I whistled at the right pitch, I could make my friends RC car take off in the wrong direction...
Baby monitors, too. Had a neighbor with one. We figured out we could trick the mom. All fun and games until we got caught.

Check out page 57 on this old Radio Shack catalog:

1991 Radio Shack Catalog

Flip through the 1991 Radio Shack catalog containing: stereo systems, tape players, radios, computers, scanners, gaming devices, HAM radios, TVs & VCRs, phones, electronics, test equipment & more!

radioshackcatalogs.com

Page 153 has the models aimed at children.

49MHz was a dumping ground, at the time, for short range radio devices.



Same in the USA, Channel 14, 100mw or less, was under FCC Part 15 and a lot of low end walkie talkies worked there. Different than the 49MHz walkie talkies….

Didn't RadioShack have stores in Canada too? Or was RadioShack only here in the US?

 

[rf_patriot200]

If my dusty memory recalls correctly, the 5 channel 49mhz radios, had 49.860, .875, .890, .910, .930 and were shared with RC remote controlled toy cars, boats and planes too. Some talkies even had the morse code function.

 

[mmckenna]

Didn't RadioShack have stores in Canada too? Or was RadioShack only here in the US?

Yes, they had stores in Canada. I used to drop in when I was up there and get their local frequency print outs.

You can look at some of the Radio Shack Canada catalogs here (no 49MHz….)

2002 Radio Shack Catalog (Canadian)

Flip through the 2002 Radio Shack catalog containing: stereo systems, tape players, radios, computers, scanners, gaming devices, HAM radios, TVs & VCRs, phones, electronics, test equipment & more!

radioshackcatalogs.com

2003 Radio Shack Catalog (Canadian)

Flip through the 2003 Radio Shack catalog containing: stereo systems, tape players, radios, computers, scanners, gaming devices, HAM radios, TVs & VCRs, phones, electronics, test equipment & more!

radioshackcatalogs.com

 

[Omega-TI]

Agreed, but I know more than a few cops, firefighters, and military types that wish their command staff had Archer Space Patrol radios as command sets.

Yeah, recently that would have actually benefitted the USSS. Pretty sad, huh.

 

[TAC4]

Didn't RadioShack have stores in Canada too? Or was RadioShack only here in the US?

Sure did, as kids that is were we would blow are allowance
money on and for the free batteries of course, remember those ?

 

[mmckenna]

Sure did, as kids that is were we would blow are allowance
money on and for the free batteries of course, remember those ?

Took 5 months to get enough free D cells to fill up that free 5 D cell flashlight they used to give away. Epic marketing to get people in the store.

And Lord help you if you had one of the large CB walkie talkies that needed 10 AA batteries to work. Took almost all year to get enough free batteries to make that thing work for a few hours. Was hard being a kid with a radio shack addiction.

 

[Omega-TI]

Took 5 months to get enough free D cells to fill up that free 5 D cell flashlight they used to give away. Epic marketing to get people in the store.

And Lord help you if you had one of the large CB walkie talkies that needed 10 AA batteries to work. Took almost all year to get enough free batteries to make that thing work for a few hours. Was hard being a kid with a radio shack addiction.

... unless you lived close to the store and had a dozen or so cards.

 

[TAC4]

Another great marketing trick they had was having a scanner
antenna on there roof and having there police scanners turned
on behind the counter so you could listen to them.

Sorry OP we are getting off topic but man did Radio Shack
had some great radio stuff when we were kids.

 

[Omega-TI]

Another great marketing trick they had was having a scanner
antenna on there roof and having there scanners turned
on behind the counter so you could listen to them.

Shortwave antenna too.