BobbyBellpepper
Newbie
Bought a GMRS radio need orientation.
Want to be a prepared citizen-
So please contact me
630 913 7861
- Bobby
Want to be a prepared citizen-
So please contact me
630 913 7861
- Bobby
-
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New User in Kendall County IL needs help getting started with GMRS-
- Thread starter BobbyBellpepper
- Start date
-
- Tags
- kendall county
What are you looking to do with your radio? What are your communications goals? Are there specific people that you want to talk to?
BobbyBellpepper
Newbie
I want to ensure that I can get emergency info and know which frequencies I can use for best reception and ability for two way radio communications for multiple radios. We have 6 radios that are from the same manufacturer that we want to use together.
Kendall County Illinois
Kendall County Illinois
What is the radio ? Are you all in the same house ? Where do you think emergency info will come from ? Where did you get the assumption GMRS will get you emergency info ? A weather radio will give you weather alerts.
BobbyBellpepper
Newbie
I need education- I want to be able to pick up local emergency radio messages, and also know how to manage communication between 4 people on the radios.
Lots of YouTube stuff out there, but not a lot of it is practical instruction on exactly how to set up Basic protocols for a communication group and advice on choosing and saving a couple programmed frequencies to get outside information from.
Right now, I feel like I’ve basically got walkie-talkies that have about a four or 5 mile range.
Radio is a BaoFeng AR 5RM. I bought a aftermarket antenna that is better - a Nagoya 771.
We have three sets of these radios at three different households that want to be able to communicate. One of the houses is 5 miles apart and the other is 10 miles apart, but these don’t seem to do much good. I can talk with the 5 mile away home, but there’s quite a bit of static at that distance.
I am able to access the weather radio. I figured that one out… but I really would like to get with a group that can explain how all this stuff works to me and help me program things and know how to use them, here in Illinois, outside Chicago.
Lots of YouTube stuff out there, but not a lot of it is practical instruction on exactly how to set up Basic protocols for a communication group and advice on choosing and saving a couple programmed frequencies to get outside information from.
Right now, I feel like I’ve basically got walkie-talkies that have about a four or 5 mile range.
Radio is a BaoFeng AR 5RM. I bought a aftermarket antenna that is better - a Nagoya 771.
We have three sets of these radios at three different households that want to be able to communicate. One of the houses is 5 miles apart and the other is 10 miles apart, but these don’t seem to do much good. I can talk with the 5 mile away home, but there’s quite a bit of static at that distance.
I am able to access the weather radio. I figured that one out… but I really would like to get with a group that can explain how all this stuff works to me and help me program things and know how to use them, here in Illinois, outside Chicago.
In the event of an emergency that impacts a wide area, broadcast radio and TV will generally be your best source of information. Kendall County is close enough to Chicago that you should be able to receive the major Chicago radio and TV stations. A GMRS radio won't help you with that, though some have the ability to receive FM broadcast radio.
Another good source of information for your general area is NOAA All Hazards Radio, aka NOAA Weather Radio, on 162.400 through 162.550 MHz. Some GMRS radios can receive NOAA Weather Radio, so you may want to look for that feature.
To maintain communications within a particular group of people, the key factor is distance. A "walkie-talkie" is going to have a limited range between radios, probably 5 miles or less. Talking radio to radio is known as "simplex". To get more distance between GMRS walkie-talkies, you'll need to use a repeater which makes you dependent on fixed infrastructure which may not be available in an emergency. Good antennas and elevation above ground can help increase the distance over which you can communicate with GMRS walkie-talkies, but you'll still be limited to maybe 10 miles. And, don't forget that if the SHTF, everybody else will be trying to do the same thing as you and there are only so many GMRS channels available.
Another good source of information for your general area is NOAA All Hazards Radio, aka NOAA Weather Radio, on 162.400 through 162.550 MHz. Some GMRS radios can receive NOAA Weather Radio, so you may want to look for that feature.
To maintain communications within a particular group of people, the key factor is distance. A "walkie-talkie" is going to have a limited range between radios, probably 5 miles or less. Talking radio to radio is known as "simplex". To get more distance between GMRS walkie-talkies, you'll need to use a repeater which makes you dependent on fixed infrastructure which may not be available in an emergency. Good antennas and elevation above ground can help increase the distance over which you can communicate with GMRS walkie-talkies, but you'll still be limited to maybe 10 miles. And, don't forget that if the SHTF, everybody else will be trying to do the same thing as you and there are only so many GMRS channels available.
As you observed, 5-miles on simplex is about the limit at ground elevation. If you get base stations at all houses with antennas up 20-30 feet, you might have a chance at reliable communications between houses. This all depends on the terrain and buildings that may or may not be in the way.
This is the basic line of site considerations based on "flat" ground and the curvature on the ground as published in the NIFOG. Big hills and valleys negates all these rules.
This is the basic line of site considerations based on "flat" ground and the curvature on the ground as published in the NIFOG. Big hills and valleys negates all these rules.
