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FRS and GMRS Radio Guide


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By John Spooner, 02/02/04


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The Scoop on FRS & GMRS 2-Way Radios
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These ain’t your father’s walkie-talkies
OK, so your father never even had a walkie-talkie. And the only folks who did were your rich, spoiled cousin and the obnoxious neighbor kid who always had everything. Remember how their walkie-talkies didn’t work much better than a couple of tin cans tied together with a string? Nevertheless you gotta admit, that even in spite of the anemic range and transmission quality of early walkie-talkies, they really were kinda’ cool… inspiring fantasies, such as covert spy missions in the neighborhood, relentless games of capture the flag and radioing home from the park to have Mom make lunch. Well, like so many other wireless electronic items, 2-way radios have grown up, into handy high-tech communications devices that have inspired new and practical applications.









What do people use 2-way radios for?

Do FRS and GMRS radios require a license?


What are their advantages?

How much does a GMRS license cost?


How do FRS and GMRS radios differ?

How do I apply for a license?


What is an FRS/GMRS hybrid?

Can my family members share my license?


What is their effective range?

Where can I get additional licensing info?


Will "privacy codes" keep my
conversations private?

Browse our FRS/GMRS radio selection.


I read you loud and clear
These days FRS and GMRS radios are compact, quality transceivers that transmit and receive over greater distances and with superior clarity to "first-gen" walkie-talkies

 

[quote]ORIGINAL: nightglide

FRS and GMRS Radio Guide

By John Spooner, 02/02/04

The Scoop on FRS & GMRS 2-Way Radios
displayImg('en_US/images/articles/f/frs_gmrs.jpg','269','218',','right')


These ain’t your father’s walkie-talkies
OK, so your father never even had a walkie-talkie. And the only folks who did were your rich, spoiled cousin and the obnoxious neighbor kid who always had everything. Remember how their walkie-talkies didn’t work much better than a couple of tin cans tied together with a string? Nevertheless you gotta admit, that even in spite of the anemic range and transmission quality of early walkie-talkies, they really were kinda’ cool… inspiring fantasies, such as covert spy missions in the neighborhood, relentless games of capture the flag and radioing home from the park to have Mom make lunch. Well, like so many other wireless electronic items, 2-way radios have grown up, into handy high-tech communications devices that have inspired new and practical applications.









What do people use 2-way radios for?

Do FRS and GMRS radios require a license?


What are their advantages?

How much does a GMRS license cost?


How do FRS and GMRS radios differ?

How do I apply for a license?


What is an FRS/GMRS hybrid?

Can my family members share my license?


What is their effective range?

Where can I get additional licensing info?


Will "privacy codes" keep my
conversations private?

Browse our FRS/GMRS radio selection.


I read you loud and clear
These days FRS and GMRS radios are compact, quality transceivers that transmit and receive over greater distances and with superior clarity to "first-gen" walkie-talkies. They operate on UHF radio frequencies which are much less prone to the static and interference that plague CB (citizens band) radios. What that means in practical terms is a whole new range (no pun intended) of potential uses that just might justify putting an FRS or GMRS 2-way radio or two on your "must-have" electronics list.

 

Real World Ranges for CB, FRS, GMRS and MURS Radios

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If you're relying on the claims of the manufacturers, you'll probably be very disappointed.
Here's a realistic look at the true distance you can expect from your radios.
Part 3 of a 4 part series - click for Parts One Two Three Four
Going to the shopping mall? Expect your radios to have as little as a 100 yd range!
Wanting to keep in touch between two cars driving on the freeway? Expect as little as a 1 mile range.
Wanting to stay in touch with family at home while you drive to the shops? You'll be lucky to get 1 mile of communications, and in some conditions, less than 1/4 mile.

CB Radio Range
CB radios have the longest range of any of the different types of radio services, but only if used with a good antenna. And that presents as the major weakness of CB radios for most casual applications - the ideal length for a CB radio antenna is about 15 feet!
CB radios can be a sensible solution for communications between two cars (with external antennas), or for communications between a 'base station' at home or work (with a big high antenna) and a car. Expect two to five miles range between two cars, and as many as ten or more miles between a base station and a car. You might get twenty or more miles range between two base stations.
But CB radios are probably your worst solution for communications between two people using hand-held portable radios with short antennas. They are not nearly as small in size as the FRS/GMRS radios, they are much more expensive. Because of the very inefficient antennas in such units, their range is probably inferior to the FRS/GMRS radios too.
MURS Radio Range
I have not tested any MURS radios and so can't comment specifically on them. However, I guess that they will perform very much the same as FRS/GMRS radios.
MURS radios are not on the mass-market yet and so are the most expensive solution. On the other hand, the 'commercial' grade of MURS radios that are on sale are often made to a higher quality and with better performance than the cheap 'consumer' grade FRS/GMRS radios, and if you can find such radios and are willing to pay the price, you will definitely get better performance than from FRS/GMRS radios.
FRS Radio Range
FRS radios will give you as little as 100 yds or less in office buildings and shopping malls (less if no line of sight and you're on two different floors, more if you are more or less in line of sight and on the same floor).
In semi-open ground, you'll get about half a mile of range, sometimes less (especially if things block the line of sight between you), and seldom more (mainly if you can have direct visual contact).
You'll get similar or sometimes slightly better range if you are both in your cars, but if the road you're on turns a corner, and the line of sight disappears, the range will of course reduce again.
FRS radios are not allowed to have external antennas, and their maximum power is limited to half a watt.
GMRS Radio Range
A GMRS radio is identical to an FRS radio - it uses the same frequencies. But it might have two important differences.
The first difference is that it might be higher powered than the FRS radio. As discussed in part two and four of this series, extra power does not always automatically mean extra range, so don't be too excited by the extra power that a GMRS radio offers. All that extra power really means is your batteries won't last as long!!!
The second difference is that the GMRS radio can have an external antenna. As also discussed in parts two and four, the quality of your antenna is one of the

 

Man, I'll need a few cocktails before I can start reading all that.

 

NO DOUBT!!!!! [sm=boink3.gif] So what are you trying to say

 

That I need an excuse to start drinking some cocktails. Looks like this will do it....

 

Is that really a good idea? They could be discussing where you were next going to take them shopping or how much money they were going to spend.

 

CB on an Ultra isn't much good when your riding buddies don't have one!!!!!!!!!

I use it mostly for listening to the truckers....

 

They have alot that reach a good distance, most I think you will need fcc license.
Check out some here.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....p=15&iht=n

 

I ride with friends on Ultras and found the Midland 75-820 (under $100) with a Motocomm MC-751 (helmet mounted speakers/microphone, and handlebar mounted PTT; ~$60) works well for bike-to-bike communications. Others have good success with Cobra handheld CB units. The Midland comes with 5 weather channels, but to be honest, I don't use them.