FRS Equipment Recommendation

[Hallmark]

My wife runs a one week summer camp for kids with medical need. They have 20 or so little Cobra walkie talkies that they use to coordinate moving the kids around and call for non-emergency help. They have access to full blown EMS communication equipment for real emergencies, but the little cheap hand held units are used all the time and kind of suck. Given that they can’t get all the volunteers trained/certified for GMRS, what are some suggestions for what FRS units to use. It seems like they could also use something non-portable that doesn’t need batteries (and could be a little heavier duty) in the medical cabin.
They need something fairly simple that they can unpack and use for a week each year. Any advice?

 

[nd5y]

Last year the FCC changed the rules expanding FRS to 22 channels and up to 2 watts on most channels. This basically allows people to use the common 22 channel FRS/GMRS radios without a GMRS license. If their current radios are 1/2 watt 14 channel FRS radios they would need to look at buying new ones.

 

[Hallmark]

I saw that the rules had changed, which is why I was asking. Every year they buy one or two more packs of cheap walkie talkies to replace the ones that broke. I was asked to sort through them and think they start from scratch, but don’t know what to suggest. She thinks that if there is a specific recommendation, she can apply for a small grant to pay for, but she doesn’t even know what to ask for. Are there specific features to look for? Brands to avoid? Is FRS even the right thing?

 

[KK4JUG]

Last year the FCC changed the rules expanding FRS to 22 channels and up to 2 watts on most channels. This basically allows people to use the common 22 channel FRS/GMRS radios without a GMRS license. If their current radios are 1/2 watt 14 channel FRS radios they would need to look at buying new ones.

....and, you might check some of the big box stores because they've been known to help out in cases like yours. Just make sure it's the newer radios.

 

[mmckenna]

Are there specific features to look for? Brands to avoid? Is FRS even the right thing?

Some more information would be needed to really answer your question well.

FRS and GMRS both use UHF frequencies that work primarily by line of sight. In other words, if the two antennas can "see" each other, than likely they can talk.
More power, as in going from the old 0.5 watt FRS radios to the newer 2 watt radios will not equal a 4x increase in range. It'll just slightly improve the readability when you get out on the fringes. Line of sight is still line of sight.

Describing the environment(s) they are used in would help. Also, a description of the topography of the area would help. Is it flat, hills, buildings, how far do you need to communicate?

Usually the common issue with any low tier consumer radio has to do with two thing:
Poor antenna (but hey, at leas the look cool, right?)
Poor receiver
Often the low end radios have receivers that are not very sensitive, so they tend to do poorly when surrounded by appliances and consumer electronics that make a lot of RF noise.

Without knowing all the details, it's hard to make a recommendation, but you might be better served by one of the following:

Check into MURS, Multi Use Radio Service. It's made up of 5 channels in the VHF spectrum and permits running 2 watts (like most FRS channels). The difference is that you can use replaceable antennas (FRS cannot by FCC rule). The radios cost more, but they might be a good investment. Ritron makes a nice model, my brother in law uses them for his tower crews: https://www.ritron.com/PTSeries-Ritron-2-Way-Radios He's using the PT-150M
They also make a few other models, including some desktop bases that will run off 110vac power: https://www.ritron.com/2-way-radios
VHF/MURS does a bit better in terrain where UHF might not work well.

The other thing you might want to consider, if this is a short term camp, or "summer" only, is renting some radios for a local radio shop. Again, it'll cost more, but then you don't have to worry too much about the radios. Rent them when needed, send them back when not. The shop takes care of maintenance, batteries, etc.

Another option -might- be some of the Motorola DTR series 900MHz radios. Again, more expensive than the consumer grade FRS/GMRS radios, but can work a bit better in some cases. Same line of sight issues apply, so test them first before buying a bunch.

Steer clear of the low tier Chinese radios. Any brand name you cannot pronounce, or that you buy in bulk off e-Bay or Amazon is a real bad idea. Many of them do not have FCC type certifications and would not be legal to use anywhere other than the amateur radio bands. They have little or no filtering on their receivers, so they can have issues in high RF noise environments. While cheap, you can and should do better.

Fill us in on some of the details (the more details, the better) and it would make it easier to make a recommendation.

 

[Hallmark]

The location is rural Missouri. So, lots of trees and some hills, but definitely no mountains. Total elevation change around camp is 100 to 150 feet. The longest range needed probably just over a mile, but I will say 2 just to be certain. There are buildings, but it is all one story, wood cabins with electrical service. Using the radios we have now, we have never truly lost contact. However, we have had to repeat things 3 or 4 times to get something intelligible through the static.
I hadn’t realized radio rental was a possibility, so I will definitely look into that. Thank you.

 

[Golay]

mmckenna touched on something I wanted to reiterate. The more you spend, the further you can hear. Because for the most part, that's what you're spending more money on, sensitivity. If you decide to stick with FRS, take a look at the Motorola Talkabouts. They start at about $30-40 a piece, and can go up to $100 a piece. But they receiver further, and you can find all kinds of accessories for them (mikes, earbuds, batteries, etc).

 

[mmckenna]

User training can often fix a lot of issues, too.

You said that often it requires repeating a message to get it through.
-you might find that making sure the users are speaking close enough to the mic can address some of that.
-Holding the radio so the antennas are vertical helps.
-Not wearing the radio on the belt -humans are big water bags and absorb RF pretty well-

From what you are describing, you might just be on the fringes of coverage, also. In that case, going from a 0.5 watt FRS radio to a 2 watt FRS radio might make the difference.

 

[CaptDan]

You might also want to read thru another recent thread, by another new guy, who has very similar issues as you. He is a Physicians Assistant at a camp where the kids will be going hiking and he is looking for communications recommendations also. Kinda parallels your issues, might give you some insight into options.