Looking for a family handheld two way radio setup

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dragon48

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This is for a country house with a main floor and a basement and around 1/2 acre of land. The radios would need to have bands that don't require licensing to transmit on. I'm looking to get around 4 units without having to set up any kind of base or antennas not on the units themselves.


I don't want to spend tons of money, but need something decent that would cover the area. What are some good recommendations?

Thanks
 

INDY72

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FRS radios. You can get em pretty cheap anywhere.

Sent from my LG-K330 using Tapatalk
 

mmckenna

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I agree with milf. FRS, under the new rules, allows up to 2 watts. Should have no trouble doing what you want to do.

A couple of recommendations:
Get a radio that has a "lock" function, most do. This prevents the settings from accidentally getting adjusted. I've found this invaluable with my son/nephew/niece.
Get radios that come with rechargeable batteries. This will save you a load of money on batteries. If they get left on, and they will, they'll chew through batteries pretty quick.

There are other options, like MURS, but they'll cost you more.
 

spongella

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Agree with previous posters, FRS is the way to go as 1/2 acre should be easily covered, assuming your house is not made of metal. Probably not the case :).
 

marksmith

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Yep. FRS is the way to go. Cheap low power FM radios that don't require licensing.

Mark
536/436/ws1095/996p2/996xt/325p2/396xt/psr800/396t/HP-1/HP-2 & others
 

KC4RAF

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As all the other posters have said, FRS. You can go to Wally World and get them. They are cheap and for a 1/2 acre coverage, you'll do just fine.
And as MMCKENNA stated, you're allowed up to 2 watts of power. That would give you a pretty decent coverage area.
 

SteveC0625

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Are there 2 watt FRS radios being produced now? Any model numbers known? These manufacturers claim stuff like 35-mile range it's hard to tell what you are getting these days.



Most of the FRS/GMRS radios currently out there are about 1.5 watts at best. Under the new rules, they're all legal at the high power setting on 1-7 and 16-22. All of them should be low power only (0.5 watt) on 7-15.

It will be interesting to see what they offer on the market under the new rules.
 

spongella

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It'll be interesting when the new higher powered units are available to see what the manufacturers state the operating range to be mileage-wise.
 

Golay

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Pay more for bigger ears

Are there 2 watt FRS radios being produced now? Any model numbers known? These manufacturers claim stuff like 35-mile range it's hard to tell what you are getting these days.

First, ya got to realize the manufacturer's range is based upon standing line-of-site on two skyscrapers 35 miles apart.

The key to better range isn't the TX power, it's the sensitivity of the receiver. That's essentially why two $80 FRS hunting radios from Cabela's can talk further than a $30 bubble pack special from Walmart. Both are putting out the same power. One just has much better receive.
 

nd5y

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Are there 2 watt FRS radios being produced now?
Yes. The same ones that have been produced since the FCC allowed FRS/GMRS dual service radios many years ago.
It'll be interesting when the new higher powered units are available...
There are no new higher powered units. If they put out more than 2 W ERP they wiill be reclassified as GMRS-only.


People don't understand the recent rule changes or never read it.
 

dragon48

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I want a pair of FRS only (no GRMS - no weather radio channels) portable units, but am having a hard time finding this. Can somebody please post a link or two?

Thanks
 

SteveSimpkin

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I want a pair of FRS only (no GRMS - no weather radio channels) portable units, but am having a hard time finding this. Can somebody please post a link or two?
Thanks

Finding FRS-only radios may be hard. It costs the manufacturer about the same to make a 7-channnel <500mW model as a 22-channel unit and the latter is more marketable. The closest you will probably find are 3-channel kids models like the following.
https://www.amazon.com/Channels-Handheld-Talkies-Outdoor-Adventures/dp/B071FN81MN

Out of curiosity, why do you want FRS-only handhelds?
 

dragon48

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Finding FRS-only radios may be hard. It costs the manufacturer about the same to make a 7-channnel <500mW model as a 22-channel unit and the latter is more marketable. The closest you will probably find are 3-channel kids models like the following.
https://www.amazon.com/Channels-Handheld-Talkies-Outdoor-Adventures/dp/B071FN81MN

Out of curiosity, why do you want FRS-only handhelds?

I am a very law abiding citizen and GMRS requires a license to operate. I realize that the license doesn't require a test and will also cover my immediate family, but if leave these laying around the house, non-family members will end up using them. It's also unrealistic to trust all users to only transmit on certain channels.

Thanks for the link.
 

SteveSimpkin

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I am a very law abiding citizen and GMRS requires a license to operate. I realize that the license doesn't require a test and will also cover my immediate family, but if leave these laying around the house, non-family members will end up using them.
***It's also unrealistic to trust all users to only transmit on certain channels.***
Thanks for the link.

Well the FCC finally got their act together and agreed with you. FCC rule changes effective September 28, 2017, now redefines FRS to include the typical 22 FRS-GMRS combined channels. This includes the vast majority of the 22-channel combination FRS-GMRS "bubble pack" radios (under 2 Watts) sold over the years. Those radios are now considered "FRS" radios and can be used without a license.
See the followering for new FRS channels and power levels.
https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/FRS/GMRS_combined_channel_chart
 
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dragon48

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Well the FCC finally got their act together and agreed with you. FCC rule changes effective September 28, 2017, now redefines FRS to include the typical 22 FRS-GMRS combined channels. This includes the vast majority of the 22-channel combination FRS-GMRS "bubble pack" radios sold over the years. See the followering for new FRS channels and power levels.
https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/FRS/GMRS_combined_channel_chart


Excellent info! It appears to me that this is the relevant section from your link:

"Consequently, all FRS frequencies will now be shared with GMRS, while the eight GMRS 467 MHz main channels (repeater input channels) will remain exclusively GMRS. In other words, existing GMRS/FRS combination radios already in operation will be reclassified as FRS if the power is less than two Watts ERP and they do not use the 467 MHz main channels, so no individual license will be is required. Otherwise, devices not meeting these requirements will be classified as GMRS where an individual license is required."


Does the term "467 Mhz main channels," only refer to these frequencies:

467.5500
467.5750
467.6000
467.6250
467.6500
467.6750
467.7000
467.7250

I assume now that any FRS/GRMS radio is legal to use without a license, provided the output on all channels does not exceed 2 watts and the radio isn't capable of transmitting on any of these frequencies.

Please confirm.

Thanks!
 

dragon48

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Yes, you are correct on all counts. All of the existing 22-channel FRS-GMRS combo radios that are under 2 Watts and cannot transmit on the GMRS repeater input frequencies are now "FRS" radios and do not require a license.
Another link with a good summary of the changes.
https://bettersaferadio.com/fcc-adopts-long-awaited-changes-prs-bands-gmrs-frs-cb-murs/


Thanks again for all of your help.

I picked up a pair of these:

Midland LXT500VP3


I won't be at the house for while, but I wanted to play with them. So far, I verified all of the channel frequencies with my scanner and I'm about to go outside to try and engage in some conversations.
 
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