communication?

[andyn1976]

Looking into frs radios. Anyone have any suggestions?

[Benn Gleck]

I don't have any suggestions but I do own a pair and they don't transmit anywhere near the distance advertised.

Gmrs has a better range.

[Bearman202]

I own the GMRS and their range ain't great either. Usually it's line of sight. They advertise 35 miles, but that's on the water. i.e. nothing in the way. Also, with GMRS you have to buy a license to use them. It's $85.00 for five years. The set I bought (Midland) comes with a hands-free option, with a push-to-talk button on the headset wire. You can push it once and keep using it, though.

[Cimarron]

[QUOTE=Bearman202;11941] . Also, with GMRS you have to buy a license to use them. It's $85.00 for five years.



A few things about the quoted I would mention:

1 Almost all GMRS radios also have FRS frequencies. If you bought the radio and wanted to be sure you were doing things "right" then you could still use it on FRS channels .

2 GMRS radio frequencies are self "policing". Meaning, the people that use those radios/frequencies are the ones that report someone to the FCC if they are using the radios with out a license. The FCC does not monitor GMRS. Unlike Amateur radio (HAM) where you are required to give your license ID GMRS you do not have to. If you did want to use the GMRS frequencies the chances of getting caught are between slim and none.






Disclaimer: The above statement in no way advocates the use of any radio "illegally". And should not be construed in any way-shape-or-form as being a "spokesperson", "model", "Litigant" for Survival&Preparedness, it's owner's or members there of.

[qrprat77]

I think FRS/GMRS are a good idea for squad level comms, keeps your units talking. I don't trust them outside of a mile of seperation without anything more than the rubber ducky antenna they come with. There are GMRS repeaters, and that can make things more interesting. A repeater is a radio that listens on one frequency and retransmits what it hears on another. Ham radio is famous for repeaters. GMRS repeater equipment and radios that can use them are a little more expensive than the handytalkies you get at Radio$hack, but they do extend your range to 40 or more miles depending on how much time and effort you are willing to spend stting up your system. Ham radio clubs have the advantage of size to be able to pool their resources and create systems that are redundant, linked, backedup and whatnot. When I lived in Atlanta, we had nets that covered West South Carolina, East Tennessee, all of Georgia, and most of Alabama. It would be difficult to set up a system that extensive on GMRS frequencies, but with time and money, I bet it could be done.

[andyn1976]

Thanks for the info. Need something that works for at least seven to ten miles not really line of sight.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Thanks for the info. Need something that works for at least seven to ten miles not really line of sight.

that is going to be trial and error on getting that to work. Make sure you try it and in different types of weather too. Read the sig line and apply

[2682nscovell]

Does anyone know how to make their own radio? One of my most favorite movies is Stalag 17 and there is a scene where they kind of put together one. I would love to try that out.