Newbie.. Some questions

[Rmar]

Hi everyone, This is my first post here on the forums, I've been browsing for a little bit, and found nothing that answered all of my questions.. Please bare with me, I'm a complete newbie.

So, I've been looking to get some new radio's for me and my buddy's personal use, and we stumbled upon some BaoFeng radios that appealed to us, and seemed a little bit more than the standard, radio-shack stuff. So, we are interested in buying them, however, I don't know much at all about it, and If i would need a license, since i don't want to get in trouble for not knowing the rules!

So, We were looking at the BaoFeng 888S model radios, this is the eBay listing that we found.. 5 Pcs BF 888s Walkie Talkie UHF 5W 16CH 2 Way Radio 5 Pcs Speaker Mic US Stock | eBay

The questions I have, and I have not been able to find, are that these are UHF radios. They have the 400-470 frequency, and I'm not sure what type (FRS, MURS, GMRS, or CB) that is, since doing some searching, I have not found anything that answers that.

Would I need a license to operate these out-of-the-box, can I operate these out of the box? ie. Can I take it out of the package, put it on one of the channels that the radio has, and use it?

These radio's seem like they are a good compromise for the terrain where we live, which is a sub-urban environment, some places are all trees, and some places are buildings and town settings. It also had a price that appealed to us, and decent reviews on eBay and other sites, even though it is from china, and I can expect it not to be the best thing in the world, but for $22 per radio, including the hand-piece, and the charger, I think it is a decent deal..

Thanks again, sorry I'm so new to this.

Sorry if i posted in the wrong section.. I'm new and this is my first post.. Please move sections if needed!

 

[robertmac]

Well, they aren't scanners nor receivers. They have been mentioned in a large number of threads. Check with your local FCC to see if they are legal. Look at threads on MURS, GMRS and FRS. If you transmit on some other frequencies than MURS, GMRS, FRS you could be interfering with licensed users. Plus you do not even mention what country you are in. However, mentioning MURS, GMRS, FRS means you are in the USA.

 

[W8RMH]

Those radios will require a license to transmit.

 

[Rmar]

Those radios will require a license to transmit.

Is it possible to re-program them to not require a license? what frequencies would I need to use?

If i were to obtain a license, what process would I need to go through?

 

[DPD1]

FRS and GMRS work in that band. FRS you don't need a license, GMRS you do, mainly because of the higher power level. You will likely have to program them to do anything, as you do with most commercial type radios. Some vendors will do that for you. There's no point in using them for FRS. You may as well just get regular consumer FRS radio for that. GMRS you would need a license, but it's not that big a deal. MURS you would not need a license, as long as you stick to the power limit, but that takes a radio that can do VHF. CB typically has to be done on a radio made for CB, and the antenna size can be limiting.

Unless you just really hate studying for tests, getting a ham license gives you the best options, because not only can you talk on multiple bands, you can also buy equipment pre-programed, and also potentially utilize repeaters in your area. Without repeaters, you're only going to be able to go so far, radio to radio.

 

[W8RMH]

Is it possible to re-program them to not require a license? what frequencies would I need to use?

If i were to obtain a license, what process would I need to go through?

Everything requires a license, except CB, and FRS which those radios are not approved for.

 

[Rt169Radio]

Everything requires a license, except CB, and FRS which those radios are not approved for.

And also MURS does not require a license.

 

[WB4CS]

Some good posts here, but bottom line is that to be legal with the radio you're looking at each person using one will need an FCC Amateur Radio License.

While those radios will cover the spectrum that FRS and GMRS are located, the radios are not certified to be legal on those bands. Plus GMRS requires a license as well, but it's a different license than an Amateur Radio license.

If you want to use something without a license, you'll need either a FRS radio which you can find at any big box store, or a MURS radio which can be found at Dakota Alert, Wireless Alarms and Security

For more information on getting your Amateur Radio License, see here: Getting Licensed

For more information on getting your GMRS license (but will require a radio that is FCC part 95 approved) see here: General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) | FCC.gov

For more information on the MURS service, which also requires an FCC Part 95 approved radio but not a license, see here: Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS) | FCC.gov

Also, you can search the RR forums under Amateur Radio and GMRS/FRS to find more information that might help you decide what radio and license you need.

Feel free to ask any other questions you have, and welcome to RadioReference!