GMRS Question

[Gilligan]

Found this article on the net:
Then Truth Behind the Marketing Claims The Mystery of Range is Revealed.
by Doug Smith

http://www.popularwireless.com/gmrsrange.html

And then this page on distance: http://www.southernce.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/range.htm?E+scstore

 

[DPD1]

I would be willing to bet there are groups dedicated to FRS DXing.

Yeah, I think the record is some ridiculous distance, like a couple hundred miles or something... Mountain top to mountain top of course.

Dave
http://www.dpdproductions.com
- Custom Scanner, Aviation, MURS, GMRS, Marine & Ham Antennas -

 

[SLWilson]

Junk !

Manufactures? No, it's more like the consumers are doing the licensed radio community a disservice by not reading, or not respecting the license requirement.....That would be like saying the auto manufactures are doing the walking pedestrians a disservice by producing automobiles that people buy, and operate without a driver's license. It's the individuals responsibility ....But again, it's "people" causing the problems, not "manufactures".

It's actually BOTH. Some of that equipment is simply JUNK....Steve/KB8FAR

 

[Mischief810]

I opened up one of these radios last night.

The antenna that is affixed to the unit is about as bad as it gets. In the Uniden 1038, there is no ground from the negative battery terminal and the antenna consists of a single, thin gauge wire coiled into a 3-inch housing. I'm surprised these things have a range longer than spittin' distance.

You could get a ground by coming off the negative battery terminal and soldering that lead and the wire to the feed points on a J-Pole or dipole. I might do that in the next few days, just for ****s and giggles.

The best solution is to get a pair of GMRS units that allow removal and replacement of the stock antenna.