General Question Regarding GMRS

[Drkatzjr45]

I was wondering if all these radios, that advertise that they have (for example)
a "48 mile range" actually achieve it?


What would be the very best (realistic) range that one could achieve (in a town)
and ....with what specific radio.... Brand and Name ......that does not require any official license.


Thanks.

 

[iMONITOR]

I was wondering if all these radios, that advertise that they have (for example)
a "48 mile range" actually achieve it?

What would be the very best (realistic) range that one could achieve (in a town)
and ....with what specific radio.... Brand and Name ......that does not require any official license.

Thanks.

In real life use, typically most all GMRS radios have a range between 1-3 miles, depending on terrain and conditions. You need a license to operate GMRS radios on GMRS channels/frequencies.

 

[KB7MIB]

Mountain top to mountain top, yes, you can get 10's or more miles out of an FRS-only or FRS/GMRS hybrid radio. A few of the FRS/GMRS hybrids have the capability to operate through repeaters, and that can give you the kind of range that is advertised, provided you have a GMRS license, and permission of the repeater owner.

At street level, radio-to-radio, a mile or two max is the best you can realistically expect.

Any of the 22 channel FRS/GMRS hybrid radios will typically require you to have a GMRS license in order to utilize channels 1-7 and 15-22. 1-7 are shared by the FRS and GMRS, but, IIRC, hybrid radios typically operate at power levels that exceed FRS regulations, so you would need an GMRS license to use them. Channels 8-14 are FRS only, and do not require a license as the FCC regulations give us a license by rule to use them. Channels 15-22 are GMRS only, and require you to acquire a GMRS license.

Look for 14 channel radios. These are FRS-only, and do not require you to acquire a license.

I have a pair of several years old GE brand FRS-only radios. I can't give you a list of specific makes and models that are currently being manufactured.

GMRS - WPXJ598

 

[rapidcharger]

I was wondering if all these radios, that advertise that they have (for example)
a "48 mile range" actually achieve it?


What would be the very best (realistic) range that one could achieve (in a town)
and ....with what specific radio.... Brand and Name ......that does not require any official license.


Thanks.

This has been beaten to death here recently.
http://forums.radioreference.com/gmrs-frs/295949-whats-longest-frs-gmrs-range-claim-these-days.html

http://forums.radioreference.com/gmrs-frs/296471-deceptive-frs-gmrs-range-claims-article.html

you didn't even have to search, all you needed to do was scroll down on the same page to get your answer.

 

[Jaxco]

If there is a repeater in your area, you could potentially go 60 miles radio to repeater to radio, but simplex operation, a couple of miles. If you are talking in an urban/suburban environment, GMRS is the way to go, especially if there is a repeater in the area, due to the way UHF penetrates buildings. In the sticks - with no GMRS repeaters around, MURS radios with their VHF frequencies will work better.

Either way, given the absolute BEST conditions for line of sight radios on flat ground, on foot, 6 to 7 miles on the outside.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

If there is a repeater in your area, you could potentially go 60 miles radio to repeater to radio, but simplex operation, a couple of miles. If you are talking in an urban/suburban environment, GMRS is the way to go, especially if there is a repeater in the area, due to the way UHF penetrates buildings. In the sticks - with no GMRS repeaters around, MURS radios with their VHF frequencies will work better.

Either way, given the absolute BEST conditions for line of sight radios on flat ground, on foot, 6 to 7 miles on the outside.

If your stuck using hand helds, MURS can get you up to 9 miles or so depending on the radios and assuming fairly open terrain. In an urban environment, you'll probably only see a mile.

GMRS without repeaters would be better if you had mobile access…it's a case of 50W (and a practical ERP of 200W) versus 2W VHF (and a practical ERP of 4W).

 

[Jaxco]

Yep, kinda what I said... Hunting, fishing, camping with significant separation without repeaters, I'd use MURS for that reason. I am an amateur operator and could use better gear but family / friends don't have that option - one of the reasons I also got a GMRS license.

I made a pvc encased J-pole that I tuned just for GMRS I can fasten to the roof of my jeep while parked if I absolutely needed to. but I REALLY hate messing around with antenna lines and other things that are working perfectly in place in autos.

 

[Project25_MASTR]

Yep, kinda what I said... Hunting, fishing, camping with significant separation without repeaters, I'd use MURS for that reason. I am an amateur operator and could use better gear but family / friends don't have that option - one of the reasons I also got a GMRS license.

I made a pvc encased J-pole that I tuned just for GMRS I can fasten to the roof of my jeep while parked if I absolutely needed to. but I REALLY hate messing around with antenna lines and other things that are working perfectly in place in autos.

When we go skiing, we usually leave a small repeater.in the truck on a mag mount mobile antenna. It easily covers ski resorts without a backside (Sipapu, Red River, Monarch, Wolf Creek).

Nearly all of the family "fun" vehicles are setup for GMRS. I have a Comet CA2x4SR on the spare tire carrier of my Jeep that is used for anything VHF and anything 440-470 MHz. I usually keep HTs (not bubble packs) on my 4 wheelers (working on setting up some surplus radios to just stay on the quads like mini mobiles).

I use the service a lot. I have several repeaters up though...

 

[Jaxco]

I have a couple of spare HTs and a repeater interface I can plug them into with a couple of ladder wire jpoles and make a strong local repeater but I rarely want to go through the trouble lol

 

[Project25_MASTR]

I have a couple of spare HTs and a repeater interface I can plug them into with a couple of ladder wire jpoles and make a strong local repeater but I rarely want to go through the trouble lol

Motorola: Motor, for vehicular application. Ola, for sound.
When having a small repeater in the vehicular becomes handy.