Best radio for GMRS/FRS/HAM Bands

[jeepsandradios]

Wow same conversation on mygmrs.com and same answers but you continue to not listen.

A commercial radio is going to cost. Your not going to get an APX8K, VP8000 or similar for CCR prices.

 

[pcunite]

Wow same conversation on mygmrs.com and same answers but you continue to not listen. A commercial radio is going to cost. Your not going to get an APX8K, VP8000 or similar for CCR prices.

Not true. Please don't characterize me that way. On mymgrs, I'm being told that it is impossible from a legal standpoint. But here, I've been told something different. I never made the question about price. I don't want to carry two radios that are identical. Do you know which radio works for everything?

 

[bill4long]

I don't want to carry two radios that are identical. Do you know which radio works for everything?

As you've been told, no radio will legally work for everything. You can use any radio on ham radio if it is within certain specs.

FRS-only, GMRS-only, FRS/GMRS combo, and MURS each have certification requirements that disallow mixing bands on the same radio, and none of them allow ham radio capability on the same radio.

It may be true that some radios, such as a Baofeng UV-82, UV-82, UV-82C, MURS-1 and GMRS-1 are all identical radios except for firmware settings that restrict the channels and frequencies and power settings, but you're still not legally allowed to use them on bands they are not certified for. The FCC rules are kind of stupid, behind the times, and a lot of people just flout the rules anyway. I'm not advising that you do it but the likelihood of getting caught is infinitestimal unless you are operating in a fixed location for a long time and causing harmful interference that gets reported and investigated.

I will note that the use of Part 90 radios on GMRS is widespread. People talk on and on about their Part 90 radios freely on all the networked GMRS repeater systems. Most of the repeaters use Part 90 transmitters. No known FCC enforcement. The FCC apparently just doesn't care. And why should they. Technically, Part 90 radios that cover 462/467mhz are perfectly good radios for use on GMRS. Again, de facto it's all about harmful interference. You hiking with a Part 90 radio and using it on GMRS and ham and MURS just isn't going to matter. Legal disclaimer: This is my opinion and I am not advising that you do it.

 

[sallen07]

The easier way to do this is to get a commercial LMR radio that meets the FCC type certification requirements for GMRS and use that.

I don't think there are any 'current' Part 90 radios that also have Part 95 certification. @mmckenna do you know of any? In theory it would still be possible for a vendor to get a new radio type-accepted under Part 95 E and Part 90, but Part 95 E explicitly forbids certification for any radio that can transmit on Part 97 frequencies. So I guess a vendor could submit a UHF Part 90 radio with a frequency range that was higher than 70cm ham for certification ... but I am not familiar with any that have done so.

 

[sallen07]

Do you know which radio works for everything?

I could list a number of radios that you can buy brand-new. None of them are type-accepted for GMRS, so they are not legal to use there.

 

[pcunite]

I could list a number of radios that you can buy brand-new. None of them are type-accepted for GMRS, so they are not legal to use there.

Okay, I know I keep stumbling over this point. I was hoping against hope there is some loop hole somewhere, a dual certification that the VP8000 has or that any radio can have. But it seems that GMRS is like kryptonite or cancer, it ruins the radio if it comes with that feature.

I wonder how the UV-5R (the non-G version type certified for GMRS) on Amazon came to be? Super confusing how all this gets interpreted in practice.

 

[bill4long]

Okay, I know I keep stumbling over this point. I was hoping against hope there is some loop hole somewhere, a dual certification that the VP8000 has or that any radio can have. But it seems that GMRS is like kryptonite or cancer, it ruins the radio if it comes with that feature.

I wonder how the UV-5R (the non-G version type certified for GMRS) on Amazon came to be? Super confusing how all this gets interpreted in practice.

Because they lock down the firmware to prevent it from being used on frequencies, power settings and modes outside the certification requirements, put a different model number on it, and pay to get it certified. It's that simple.

 

[pcunite]

Because they lock down the firmware to prevent it from being used on frequencies, power settings and modes outside the certification requirements, put a different model number on it, and pay to get it certified. It's that simple.

Understood. There are two UV-5Rs setup different ways. Option 1, Option 2. Its the same radio, the same name, model number, but different software "settings". This means, that I can could change the firmware.

 

[bill4long]

Understood. There are two UV-5Rs setup different ways. Option 1, Option 2. Its the same radio, the same name, model number, but different software "settings". This means, that I can could change the firmware.

If you change the firmware on the GMRS radio to jail-break it for out-of-certification use, it will no longer be a certified GMRS radio and therefore not legal for GMRS use. (Although you could legally use it on ham radio if it meets the spurious emissions requirement.)

 

[prcguy]

There is a lot of discussion that a Part 90 commercial radio is legal to use on GMRS. This goes back to the mid 1970s for me where everyone in the business said it was ok and I may have seen it in writing back then, but the wording doesn't exist today in the FCC rules. I think we need clarification from the FCC on this as nobody I know of has this information in writing from the FCC, so its just a guess at this point.

 

[rescuecomm]

Buy the Baofeng UV-9G and UV-9R. Now you have FRS covered and 2M/440 for ham bands. Batteries should interchange too. The 9G should work as well as any "LEGAL" FRS radio that your hiking friends may have. The 9R is okay for ham radio although the hard squelch threshold is irritating. Maybe the guys can think of two radios sharing batteries that are lightweight enough for backcountry hiking.

 

[nd5y]

. This means, that I can could change the firmware.

Except the microprocessor they use has a security feature only allows one time programming of the firmware. You can't change it or even reload the original firmware it shipped with.

 

[rescuecomm]

Looks like the Wouxun KG-UV9D and the KG-935G might be another pair, but I can't vouch for the battery interchange. These will be about $300 for both. The Baofeng pair will be less. What you do depends upon whether the main plan is hiking or playing with radios. Whether you do used public safety radios, jail broken CCRs, or simply use modded dual band ham radios, using two radios setup for the frequencies will be easier. No bricking, buying software, cables, new antennas, and new batteries to get on the trail.

 

[bill4long]

Another option a bit off topic: create a hiking club with actual name, and make an LLC for it for good measure. Cost about $100. Obtain a license for the club for Part 90 Land Mobile itinerant frequencies on the VHF and UHF bands. Under reason, "For the purposes of coordinating hiking activity and safety management" or some such. No frequency coordination necessary. Cost for the license, $200 for 10 years. Now you can use Part 90 radios legally on your hiking trips on Land Mobile frequencies. There are plenty of cheap Part 90 certified radios on Amazon. Or use some expensive Motorolas. Your choice. You can even use digital.

 

[pcunite]

Another option a bit off topic: create a hiking club ...

Interesting option. What I'm dealing with is most everyone I know that hikes does not have a HAM license nor are they interested in getting one (they want to talk not tinker). I want to use my nice Yaesu (Motorola someday) radios and I don't care what they use. I do not want to get a Wouxun, Baofeng, or any other sub quality radio. I already have a nice radio. Why in the world can not I use simply TX on 462.550?

To me, its just crazy. So, I have to carry two silly radios to talk to them and still hit the HAM repeaters in the area should the need arise. There are so many identical radios (one for GMRS the other identical for HAM) that this is starting to feel like a scam. In fact, I'll just say it, this is a scam. I think that we are better than that. The industry should do better.

 

[alcahuete]

this is starting to feel like a scam. In fact, I'll just say it, this is a scam. I think that we are better than that. The industry should do better.

It's no scam. It's all about spectral purity, etc. Radios need to meet different requirements. Part 90 has some, Part 95 has others, Part 86 has others yet. The lowest denominator of all is amateur radio, where you can literally build your own radio and put it on the ham bands. The FCC doesn't want that "garbage" polluting the business/public safety bands, for example.

We're at 2 pages here and have accomplished nothing. At the end of the day, there is no legal way to do what you are trying to do, outside of ungodly expensive radios. GMRS around me is a bunch of kids playing army, endless roger beeps, and people using huge amps like it's a CB. It is a wasteland, just like CB. Nobody polices it, nobody cares. If you use a ham radio or Baofeng or whatever else to cover ham, MURS, GMRS, nobody is going to care. As long as you are not interfering with public safety, or running a pirate FM radio station, the likelihood of the black helicopters showing up is basically zero.

So just do what damn near everyone else does on GMRS.

 

[AI7PM]

....Why in the world can not I use simply TX on 462.550?......

How many times would you like that explained to you on this forum? Seriously, and I'm not trying to be an a**hole to you, but it's been explained ad nauseam by several posters I know to be knowledgeable and competent.

 

[AK_SAR]

To me, its just crazy. So, I have to carry two silly radios to talk to them and still hit the HAM repeaters in the area should the need arise.

When you say "....hit the HAM repeaters in the area should the need arise" it sounds like maybe you are thinking of calling for help in an emergency? In this case, an InReach is a far more reliable option than any radio you might carry.

 

[pcunite]

How many times would you like that explained to you on this forum? Seriously, and I'm not trying to be an a**hole to you, but it's been explained ad nauseam by several posters I know to be knowledgeable and competent.

I understand what others are saying the rules state (not that I understand the rules myself). But no one has offered a reasonable explanation as to why the rules are written the way they are. That is an entirely valid question to ask.

Why can I not use my extremely pure and beautiful Yaesu/Motorola radio on GMRS bands? I'm not asking what the rules say. The rules do not make sense. Can anyone explain the reason for the rules?

 

[n0xvz]

On mymgrs, I'm being told that it is impossible from a legal standpoint. But here, I've been told something different.

Nope...I've read through the entire thread. You've been told the same thing here.