living in the deep southeastern state of Georgia in Savannah, we have serious storms blow through frequently so, GMRS is nice for communications among family locally or on the go in the event of evacuation.
Thanks for the info. Just got a license for doing rv travel with my wife. Getting a pair of handhelds plus one to mount in vehicle, including my truck.
They are both excellent radios. The RA87 is easier to program since it doesn't use non-standard numbering of codes while it is 40w compared to the Midland's 50w and its about half the price of the Midland.
OR, jailbreak or factory unlock the radio. Use the memory slots and use it as a scanner to listen to weather, marine, or HAM frequencies.....................and even broadcast on those frequencies in emergency situations if needed.
Thx for a helpful video. I just received my GMRS license and plan to road trip with my son who will be in a separate car. Given that he can use my license what is the protocol for announcing the call sign given that we will both be using the same one?
I do have a few GMRS 2-ways for personal use for trips which are VHF (mobile to mobile) and the FCC told me I was not required to have a license for VHF only banded frequencies so I'm not. Our farm 2-ways are UHF which are repeated and do require license with the FCC. Your video has a repeater, so I'm just curious if you are referring to UHF channeling when you say a license is required?
If you are using a GMRS (not FRS) radio on channels 1-22 then you must have a GMRS license. This is clearly defined on the FCC website. GMRS is not VHF so those cannot be GMRS radios.
@@TrailTraveler you're probably right. I honestly question the type of 2-ways I have now!!! I do know all my channeling is VHF. I'll have to check them out to sooth my curiousity
As mentioned above, GMRS radios operate in the UHF frequency range, not VHF. I wonder if your radios might be MURS radios (Multi-Use Radio Service). They operate in the VHF range and do not require an FCC license. Or maybe they are radios that operate in the VHF ham range - in which case, the FCC would require you to obtain a license in order to transmit on them - but since they are so widely available, many who buy them and use them are not aware of the license requirement. My point is, there are some VHF frequencies that require a license and some that do not. It's odd the, "...FCC told me I was not required to have a license for VHF only banded frequencies..." without further info on the actual VHF frequencies in question.
Sir, I would appreciate your recommendation for GMRS base station - handheld combination. The base station will be in the house and the handheld will be with the wife riding her horse. The house is up on an escarpment on the edge of a basin. Wife will ride her horse in the very large basin (approx. 13k acres) below by maybe 600 ft. Also, what type of antenna for each unit should I select? I am very new to comm radios. Thank you.
@@wesleykidwell7787 if you paid for it (on the right site as listed in the video description, you should be able to log back in within 2-3 business days and get see your callsign
When traveling why not just use your cell phone? Yes, i know you may not get a phone signal. But in this day and and age you usually do. I can see during civil unrest or emergency situation such as hurrican it could be usefull. I see the use of these radios mainly for emergeny use. What your thoughts on this,
Hello. I've watched quite a few of your videos, they're terrific. I'm confused by what you said at 34:53. You cannot link repeaters for GMRS? I was hoping you could. Say in theory if I had people stretched over 100 miles that I wanted to stay in contact with, and each person was around 20 miles apart, could each of us have a repeater so that the person at mile 1 could speak to the person at mile 100?
What you mean is to daisy chain repeaters. What I mean by linking is to connect repeaters via the internet. That is only allowed on HAM. I don't think you could daisy chain them, but I've never looked into it.
Well, I got the base station you recommended. Still in the box but setting it up today. Question: I have a 40-foot steel tower next to my house for weather instruments. Can you recommend a good antenna and cable (I'd need about 100 feet) to go with it? I really appreciate these videos, and I've shared a bunch of them with friends around the area (south of Denver). In the process of getting my license. Thank you, Sir!
The front range repeaters are in some fantastic locations. I am in Berthoud and can hit the one west of Fort Collins at 21.5 miles away and with a couple of radios, I can even hit the Denver repeater at 36 miles.
LMR400 is a decent coax for the 70cm band. The shorter the better but it should be fine out to 100ft. Retevis makes a 462-467mhz vertical antenna that they sale on Amazon for sub $80 that would work great on a tower.
I just picked up a pair of handheld gmrs radios from baofeng. Just got my license last week, so total noob to gmrs. We live on an island, and the wife works on the south end about 35 miles away from the house. Do you think we will be able to communicate over that distance with these radios? There is a repeater across the water from us, so that may be an option. Nothing but trees between the wife's work and our house, and I'm guessing that's an issue.
You would have to have a really clear line of sight. If you could put up a tower with an antenna and out in a small repeater, that might work. If you can both hit the existing repeater, that would be cool.
do you mean watts instead of Hz? you can go up to 50 watts but you can't boost a handheld which is 5 watts up to 40 or 50 watts without an amplifier and the cost of the amplifier its cheaper to just buy another radio. So while it can be done it's not cost effective. Just purchase a 40 or 50 watt GMRS mobile radio and install in your vehicle. And carry a 5 watt handheld for more local stuff.
If you have a privacy code set, couldn't you be unintentionally interrupting other people's conversations on the same channel if they do not have a different privacy code set?
You could interfere regardless of any "privacy" code if on the same frequency. The privacy code only keeps you from hearing other radios not using the same code, it won't stop interference.
@Wildcard: When it comes to electronics such as FRS GMRS please for your own safety do not attempt to make a pig fly. You will become frustrated, and the pig will turn on you, ever been around a miffed pig/hog? I do not know how someone could boost the power of the FRS, radio its power is set by the FCC which manufactures are required to follow. FRS is not CB where folks illegally amp-up their systems. Suggestion, if you want more power purchase a radio with more power, easy-peasy lemon-squeezy. Although a GMRS HT is 5 watts max, a mobile (for a vehicle) is allowed to produce up to 50 watts. If you do not have a GMRS license, get one. The more folks getting their GMRS license demonstrates to the FCC they should not sell off those frequencies, which is what they have been and are doing to amateur radio (ham). Maybe the FCC would actually increase the number of repeater pairs. The ole "use it or lose" thinking.
@TrailTraveler Just a little wary after being banned and/or censored for much of the last 4 years for just talking about what I see happening to people around me.
Qwildcatrd3942: Its small battery could overheat causing a fire or worse. Also, the battery would not last long on a charge, most likely longevity life cycle of the battery would be short. You want more power, do it the proper way, purchase a more powerful base or mobile unit. FRS and GMRS are not CBs.
I have had my Ham ticket for 20 years and also hold a GMRS license, just wanted to thank you for your super accurate video, thanks 73’s
living in the deep southeastern state of Georgia in Savannah, we have serious storms blow through frequently so, GMRS is nice for communications among family locally or on the go in the event of evacuation.
This was the most informational and instructional video that I've seen! Excellent work...thank you Sir!
Thanks for the info. Just got a license for doing rv travel with my wife. Getting a pair of handhelds plus one to mount in vehicle, including my truck.
People don't want rules and regulations. Without them, there will eventually be total chaos. CB is the best example of that.
In a past video, you liked the Midland MXT 500. What are your thoughts on the comparison of that radio with the Retevis RA87 mentioned in this video?
They are both excellent radios. The RA87 is easier to program since it doesn't use non-standard numbering of codes while it is 40w compared to the Midland's 50w and its about half the price of the Midland.
OR, jailbreak or factory unlock the radio.
Use the memory slots and use it as a scanner to listen to weather, marine, or HAM frequencies.....................and even broadcast on those frequencies in emergency situations if needed.
Thanks for all the info
Thx for a helpful video. I just received my GMRS license and plan to road trip with my son who will be in a separate car. Given that he can use my license what is the protocol for announcing the call sign given that we will both be using the same one?
You can just use the same call sign or use an identifier like “abc123 dad” and “abc123 Tim”
@ thx. i will do it that way
I do have a few GMRS 2-ways for personal use for trips which are VHF (mobile to mobile) and the FCC told me I was not required to have a license for VHF only banded frequencies so I'm not. Our farm 2-ways are UHF which are repeated and do require license with the FCC. Your video has a repeater, so I'm just curious if you are referring to UHF channeling when you say a license is required?
If you are using a GMRS (not FRS) radio on channels 1-22 then you must have a GMRS license. This is clearly defined on the FCC website. GMRS is not VHF so those cannot be GMRS radios.
@@TrailTraveler you're probably right. I honestly question the type of 2-ways I have now!!! I do know all my channeling is VHF. I'll have to check them out to sooth my curiousity
As mentioned above, GMRS radios operate in the UHF frequency range, not VHF. I wonder if your radios might be MURS radios (Multi-Use Radio Service). They operate in the VHF range and do not require an FCC license. Or maybe they are radios that operate in the VHF ham range - in which case, the FCC would require you to obtain a license in order to transmit on them - but since they are so widely available, many who buy them and use them are not aware of the license requirement. My point is, there are some VHF frequencies that require a license and some that do not. It's odd the, "...FCC told me I was not required to have a license for VHF only banded frequencies..." without further info on the actual VHF frequencies in question.
Sir, I would appreciate your recommendation for GMRS base station - handheld combination. The base station will be in the house and the handheld will be with the wife riding her horse. The house is up on an escarpment on the edge of a basin. Wife will ride her horse in the very large basin (approx. 13k acres) below by maybe 600 ft. Also, what type of antenna for each unit should I select? I am very new to comm radios. Thank you.
I paid for my gmrs license have not got a call sign. How do i go about getting a call sign?
@@wesleykidwell7787 if you paid for it (on the right site as listed in the video description, you should be able to log back in within 2-3 business days and get see your callsign
When traveling why not just use your cell phone? Yes, i know you may not get a phone signal. But in this day and and age you usually do.
I can see during civil unrest or emergency situation such as hurrican it could be usefull. I see the use of these radios mainly for emergeny use. What your thoughts on this,
We use them when off-roading because there is no cell signal and it is far easier when dealing with a group of people.
Hello. I've watched quite a few of your videos, they're terrific. I'm confused by what you said at 34:53. You cannot link repeaters for GMRS? I was hoping you could. Say in theory if I had people stretched over 100 miles that I wanted to stay in contact with, and each person was around 20 miles apart, could each of us have a repeater so that the person at mile 1 could speak to the person at mile 100?
What you mean is to daisy chain repeaters. What I mean by linking is to connect repeaters via the internet. That is only allowed on HAM. I don't think you could daisy chain them, but I've never looked into it.
Well, I got the base station you recommended. Still in the box but setting it up today. Question: I have a 40-foot steel tower next to my house for weather instruments. Can you recommend a good antenna and cable (I'd need about 100 feet) to go with it? I really appreciate these videos, and I've shared a bunch of them with friends around the area (south of Denver). In the process of getting my license. Thank you, Sir!
I use an antenna from Retevis and have been happy with it. The real experts in Denver are in the Front Range GMRS group on Facebook.
@@TrailTraveler Thank you! I'll look them up. I imagine I can hit the repeater at Franktown from my location. Possibly Denver. This is great stuff!
The front range repeaters are in some fantastic locations. I am in Berthoud and can hit the one west of Fort Collins at 21.5 miles away and with a couple of radios, I can even hit the Denver repeater at 36 miles.
LMR400 is a decent coax for the 70cm band. The shorter the better but it should be fine out to 100ft.
Retevis makes a 462-467mhz vertical antenna that they sale on Amazon for sub $80 that would work great on a tower.
@@justincompton4593 We use the Retevis MA09 which is about $75 - amzn.to/40pAD0n
I just picked up a pair of handheld gmrs radios from baofeng. Just got my license last week, so total noob to gmrs. We live on an island, and the wife works on the south end about 35 miles away from the house. Do you think we will be able to communicate over that distance with these radios? There is a repeater across the water from us, so that may be an option. Nothing but trees between the wife's work and our house, and I'm guessing that's an issue.
You would have to have a really clear line of sight. If you could put up a tower with an antenna and out in a small repeater, that might work. If you can both hit the existing repeater, that would be cool.
No way
Do I have to be licensed to join the front range gmrs club. Just bought a couple of td - h3 gmrs radios and want to learn to use them.
Yes
Can you boost a GMR walkie-talkie to 40 Hz like the travel one?
do you mean watts instead of Hz? you can go up to 50 watts but you can't boost a handheld which is 5 watts up to 40 or 50 watts without an amplifier and the cost of the amplifier its cheaper to just buy another radio. So while it can be done it's not cost effective. Just purchase a 40 or 50 watt GMRS mobile radio and install in your vehicle. And carry a 5 watt handheld for more local stuff.
If you have a privacy code set, couldn't you be unintentionally interrupting other people's conversations on the same channel if they do not have a different privacy code set?
Technically speaking, yes. You could overpower a weaker transmission.
You could interfere regardless of any "privacy" code if on the same frequency. The privacy code only keeps you from hearing other radios not using the same code, it won't stop interference.
There’s never any traffic on gmrs…
So if I took a FRS walkie-talkie and somehow boosted the power like crazy that would be OK
It would violate FCC rules. Also, a high powered UHF transmitter and antenna next to your head could be an issue. ☠
@Wildcard: When it comes to electronics such as FRS GMRS please for your own safety do not attempt to make a pig fly. You will become frustrated, and the pig will turn on you, ever been around a miffed pig/hog? I do not know how someone could boost the power of the FRS, radio its power is set by the FCC which manufactures are required to follow. FRS is not CB where folks illegally amp-up their systems. Suggestion, if you want more power purchase a radio with more power, easy-peasy lemon-squeezy. Although a GMRS HT is 5 watts max, a mobile (for a vehicle) is allowed to produce up to 50 watts.
If you do not have a GMRS license, get one. The more folks getting their GMRS license demonstrates to the FCC they should not sell off those frequencies, which is what they have been and are doing to amateur radio (ham). Maybe the FCC would actually increase the number of repeater pairs. The ole "use it or lose" thinking.
Who, exactly, determines what is "false or misleading" information? The government???
@@DSandwich the FCC
@TrailTraveler Awesome. We can 100% trust what the FCC says.
@@DSandwich Hard to argue there. However, nobody has ever received a citation for "false or misleading information".
@TrailTraveler Just a little wary after being banned and/or censored for much of the last 4 years for just talking about what I see happening to people around me.
First!!!
You rock buddy!
Can you boost a GMRs walkie-talkie to 40 Hz like the travel one?
You mean 40w. Assuming you could, would you want to fry your brain?
Qwildcatrd3942: Its small battery could overheat causing a fire or worse. Also, the battery would not last long on a charge, most likely longevity life cycle of the battery would be short. You want more power, do it the proper way, purchase a more powerful base or mobile unit. FRS and GMRS are not CBs.