Hello to everyone...
In my last post on this site and during the meeting on the last Club run, I mentioned GMRS, (General Mobile Radio Service), radios and suggested it's something the club might want to look into.
There are several advantages to using GMRS over CB radios and there are a lot of the larger clubs using them. The big difference is that CB radio is on the AM band, around 27MHz. GMRS is FM, UHF and 470MHz. It's like listening to AM compared to FM on your car radio. AM usually sounds slightly "fuzzy", where FM sounds clear. Another point is the amount of power allowed. CB radios are legally limited to 4 watts on transmitting power, where as GMRS can transmit with up to 50 watts. And the more expensive GMRS units are repeater capable. The one negative point is the cost, you can purchase a new CB radio for under $50. GMRS units are more.
There are two ways to go with GMRS radios, handheld and permanent mount.
HANDHELD: You can purchase handheld radios a couple of ways, singularly and in pairs. You can buy pairs of radios in "blister packs" at places like WalMart. These are not very expensive and will work with other GMRS radios. The only drawback is the output, usually only a couple of watts which means limited range. The package may say 16, 24 or 36 mile range, but that is greatly exaggerated. You can go with a better handheld putting out 5 watts or more, which is more than stock CB radios. Example: I own a GMRS handheld that I got from eBay. It's a Radioddity brand, model GM-30 and puts out 5 watts and was $39.95.
PERMANENT MOUNT: While handhelds work well, permanent mounted radios with external antennas work even better. I have researched permanent mount radios and found the least expensive unit is made by Midland and is little over $100 and puts out 5 watts. You can purchase a good quality antenna for less than $50.
BRANDS: The following companies produce GMRS radio...
Midland
Cobra
Baofeng
Radioddity
And others...
Caution: If you intend to purchase a GMRS radio, please be aware of the following: A GMRS radio operates on UHF frequencies, from 400 MHz to 512 MHz. Also, if you purchase any radio that is listed as a "dual band", or "quad band" radio, that is not a GMRS unit, that would be an Amateur, or Ham radio.
NOTE: Technically, a license from the FCC is required to operate a GMRS radio. No test is required and the cost is $70, which is good for 10 years. However there are a few club members that already use GMRS radios and not all of us have a license. I know the FCC will be lowering the price of the license to $35 and when that happens, I will obtain one.
I hope I have supplied enough information for everyone to make an educated decision about obtaining a GMRS radio or not. If anyone has any questions or comments, please post them here.
John Grothe: Club Director
