Does GMRS replace CB Radio
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ต.ค. 2023
- #GMRS #MidlandRadio #CBRadio #midlandgmrs #MXT275
In this video we try our GMRS radio while traveling 600 miles on I90 in New York to see if CB Radio has been replaced by GMRS.
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The big advantage that CB has is that most over the road drivers (truckers) use it and they have a wealth of knowledge. After coming out of a restaurant on I-65 there was a lot of chatter on Ch. 19 about a multi-car accident about 20 miles ahead. The drivers shared a workaround: Take this exit, drive four miles East, turn left and follow that highway and it will take you right back to I-65 beyond the accident. Great to hear. I was thankful to those drivers for saving me hours sitting in a three lane parking lot.
Thanks for commenting and sharing that story.
I had the opposite happen. My GPS alerted of a slow down due to an accident and had me hop off. The CB was surprisingly inactive. I tried calling out to others on Ch 19 to warn them but no one answered 🤷♂️ my mother always said that I have a face for radio so maybe that was the reason. I opened up Waze and it was quite the back up, easily saved 30 minutes
Thanks for the reply. It is great when other drivers are willing to give a heads-up!@@RustyZipper
Truckers are actually switching to gmrs now
No don’t leave cb 😢😢😢😢
As a truck driver even on CB radio there's not a lot of chatter but if there's a wreck that son of a gun will light right up
Thanks for commenting and sharing. I’m going to be trying CB soon.
@@paulethier3416Anytone AT6666 is my favorite right now
@@timin770 ok thanks I’ll check it out
That's why they're called "backup radios". People only use them to ask why there is a back up.
and then there's that one dude somewhere with a booster preaching on a sunday morning. That was crazy.
Here in Washington State we have a whole series of repeaters on the west side of the state. A couple are located high in the mountains and offer coverage of 130 miles or so. I regularly communicate with general contacts, friends and coworkers not only from my mobile radio, but also from a HT. I spend a lot of time hiking the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula and from above 200p feet, I can easily reach friends in Seattle over 35 miles away on 5 watts.
Thanks for leaving a comment and for sharing all of this information. We don’t have any repeaters in our area, but I do use repeaters, but they are on a fringe area for me. I do have access to a mountaintop site that I am looking to install a repeater, probably in the spring.
Yes, he can! I am Extra Class and have experienced similar results with a 5 watt radio.
We recently used the Baofeng 2w radios on a trip to N Ga. Traveling with 2 other vehicles they worked great communicating with each other vs cell phones. We stayed on ch 22 so did not hear any other radio traffic. Our main purpose for GMRS is for traveling with others, camping, and trail riding. Also very handy around the property.
Yes, that is what they are best for. In this video I was trying to see if it was being used for traveling in general but its not. Its a friends and family thing for sure. Thanks for commenting.
cb would have been better and more useful than your bufangz
The Baofeng radios are not type accepted for GMRS.
Thats exactly what I would use them for.
@@user-uq2rr4xt9g They have GMRS 'only' radios.
And hacking one handheld to push 8 watts with a 3-5dBi gain antenna still keeps them well within legal limits outside the FMRS channels.
No one cares what you transmit with as long as you are not interfering with a channel.
I have both GMRS and CB Radio... and all the internet forum experts say that CB is dead and GMRS is the way to go. I disagree, thus your video is spot on correct!
When traveling the highways CB radio is as alive as ever. All the gypsies, clowns, and trouble-makers that I used to love to harass as a kid are still are still cuttin' it up with their power boosters and echo microphones on the 11 meter band.
Thank you Paul (and Mrs. Paul too) for a great factual video!🙂
Thank you for the comment I'm happy you enjoyed the video. We are doing the same trip in a couple weeks and this time we are taking a CB with us. Stay tuned for another video.
I’ve traveled many miles this summer/ fall with two CB’s on. One dedicated on 19 and one on scan. It’s very quiet from actual trucker traffic. Lots of skip on 6, 9, 19 and 28 from high power base stations. Really about the only traffic is the Wide load (escorts) or two drivers from the same company running in convoy. And they are transmitting on low power so only 2 miles of range.
@@RustyZipper But ya' got to admit... The Boomhour boys working skip are hilarious.😅
Not many people using GMRS radios yet. I got my Midland 50W with 3 dB Ghost antenna, it works very well, clear and loud, talk to people 30 miles away in the Portland area. I'm happy with the radio, quality and simplicity. Got my call sign by the way, $35 for 10 years
Thanks for commenting and sharing
Cool relaxing video. Beautiful couple. CB for Life ✊
Thank you for the comment. Happy you enjoyed the video.
Drove from Orlando to Gatlinburg, Tennessee using both CB and GMRS. Nobody answered on CB. I got plenty of contacts simplex and repeaters on GMRS
That is awesome. Thanks for the comment and info
On that route, you were in the North GA GMRS network which stretches from central FL to Cafe's Cove,TN. They have almost 50 linked repeaters.
How did you manage to install BOTH CB and GMRS equipment in the same vehicle at the same time without their respectively approved wires or transceivers interfering with one another or the vehicles equipment?
@@dariusvilla5680 They don't interfere at all. Both Antennas are about 5 feet apart
And the CB band is much much lower than the Gmrs band. @@dariusvilla5680
This is good news. It means the GMRS frequencies are open. Great for folks at an event (as long as you avoid the FRS frequencies) or out in a hunting party, etc..
Thanks for commenting. Yes I believe that’s exactly what GMRS was meant for so that is good news.
We travel with a group and we usually carry GMRS as we move along to communicate vehicle to vehicle. We have also used then when flying to out of the way spots (ALASKA) by taking portables. In my area I get some comms on my base station, especially from Va and Pa.
Thanks for commenting and for sharing. I’m finding the same thing here with GMRS.
My experience as well. Ham also. Off roading GMRS is used. Thanks for doing this.👍👍😎🇺🇸
Thanks for commenting. Seems to be a regional thing to. Some areas are GMRS more than others.
I use CB for situational awareness while travelling. We use GMRS for convoy comms while travelling in groups.
That sounds like a great way to use both radios. Thanks for sharing.
I did a trip from west MI to central South Dakota in September and again in November. Had my BTech GMRS Pro scanning for some of the journey. In September I picked up a couple guys chatting somewhere southwest of Chicago while I was on I-80, but other than that, nothing. I'm still glad to have the radio as an alt means of reaching out if needed, but yeah, not a lot of casual conversation on the highways.
Thanks for commenting and sharing your experience. I’m going to give CB a try in two weeks when I do the same trip again.
I live in West Michigan. I have 2 Baofeng gm-15 pro ht units. On channel 16 I can pick-up a repeater in Grand Rapids and listen on conversations.
i been playing with GMRS for a couple months now -- i have yet to talk to anyone, am fixing to hook up a Mobile unit in my Truck very soon, waiting on parts. When i was a teen and had a nice high power CB Base,,, i could turn it on no matter what the time was and talk to someone -- even far away a Tahiti... :) Nice informative Video - Thanks.
I have the road king CB in my truck the antenna is wilson 5000. i have Midland 15 watt radio also in my truck cant go bad with both, happy travels.
Back in July i made a road trip from Missouri to northern Indiana. Ran my CB and gmrs. Going through Illinois pick up traffic fro. A guy who bought his mom a gmrs handheld and was testing it that day. Later in the trip picked up traffic from 3 guys in Queens/ Manhattan that worked for Amazon. One of them was on a train headed home. I get local traffic in my area from farmers that have switched to gmrs.
Thanks for sharing your comment. When we were traveling we heard somebody talking about traveling from Pennsylvania that day so I think if you’re on a repeater you can get some pretty good coverage but running Symplex on a GMRS is tough.
The guys from queens were definitely running on a repeater where I was on a handheld.
I drive the masspike/128 from Sturbridge to Burlington twice a week and don't hear much even when traffic is backed up. There is one repeater in the Sturbridge area I hear activity on sometimes. I also heard a pet store in Palmer, MA once. Like you said, I think GMRS is best for when you need to talk car-to-car to someone you already know.
It was definitely different than what I was thinking was gonna happen. I didn’t think it was going to be like CB but I didn’t expect to hear nothing.
I spend a lot of time in the Waltham area and my experience has been the same with GMRS. I used to scan all channels and listen on ch 16 and still nothing. I recently got my general ham license and have had more success on 2M simplex calling (146.520). I'm looking into possibly setting up a "GMRS live" node if the landlord will let me put an antenna on the roof.
@@paulethier3416I travel from Rhode Island up through mass it’s dead unless your on repeaters lol
We use a similar system in the UK called PMR (446-446.2 mhz) normally with 16 channels, all licence free. The limitations are that the TX can not exceed a 1/2 Watt and the antenna must be of the fixed type, I can get good distances line of sight but can also trigger repeaters for greater range, it is not uncommon for people to use 10 watt TX sets which are readily available and cheap to purchase.
That sounds similar to our FRS system. Thanks for sharing your comment.
In Australia, we have a 5w 80 channel CBRS with repeater channels allocated, and the Road Channel is 40, although 29 is used between Sydney and Brisbane along our M1/A1 route, 40 everywhere else throughout the Continent.
The Call Channel is 11 and Channel 05 (and it's repeater input 35) are the government allocated Emergency Channel.
Frequency range 476-477Mhz. In wide use here with trucks, businesses, 4WD's/SUV and the grey nomad recreational folk using the service.
Service is identical to that used in NZ, often the same radio gear, but also in Malaysia, PNG and Pacific islands etc.
Many homes do use the 27Mhz CB etc 11m bands, more for DX and ranged local contacts. Here, our CB Class License will upgrade to accept FM mode and in all likelihood CTCSS/DCS function, to mirror US upgrade of its CBRS. NZ is part of the same "Standard", and change in AUS will likely automatically reflect in NZ.
NZ has a specific 26Mhz 40 channel allocation between 26.330Mhz Ch 01 to 26.770Mhz being Ch 40, modes are AM & SSB, but will likely accept FM with the class License upgrade. AM call is 15 26.500Mhz, and their road channel is 11 26.450Mhz.
The use of CTCSS on CB FM is terrific for Homebase, you set a code, even with the radio squelch OFF, it stays dead quite UNLESS it received the code. Makes for a nice quite home, free of random carriers breaking squelch, driving households tempers:-)
It sounds like a great system. Thanks for sharing this info with us. We just got FM CB here 2 years ago. I'm going to try it in a couple weeks for the first time in 30 years.
It varies wildly by area. In Sarasota County where i live there are quite a few users. Most of us are using repeaters most of the time simply because they are there and give much further range. If you want to maximize your chances of being able to reach someone or a distant repeater, get a high gain antenna (5db+) and a radio with as close to 50 watts that you can afford.
That sounds awesome. We have nothing but mountains around here and no repeaters for GMR us it’s kind of frustrating. But I’m hoping to build out and install my own repeater. Maybe next year. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for commenting.
The best way to enjoy GPRS is to program the repeaters that you will come in contact with on the trip to your destination.
Paul, tried the same up here in NH and don't get a lot of mobile traffic. In the winter I pick up some plow companies in what sounds like Townsend/Fitchburg and I must be catching them on a repeater. Used to pick up some box stores but not hearing much lately either. I use the handhelds up in the White Mountains when we don't have cell signal. Keep the faith it will come slowly
Thanks for commenting. I appreciate it
NH. Here also, I’ve connected to two repeaters in southern NH. And I very rarely hear anything, I try channel 19 while traveling, I’ve never heard any chatter, ever, in the past two years.
CB w/ FM & SSB for the road. Lots of traffic. GMRS for convoys, fairs, concerts, with family/ friends. San Diego only has a few repeaters. The SoCal desert has really good GMRS coverage.
I live in a tourist area here in the Florida Keys, so I do hear some travelers communicating vehicle to vehicle when they come through town. If they are using PL or CTCSS tones for simplex, you will be able to listen but not talk to them. Most regular people don't use them, but most GMRS repeaters require them to transmit but you can still listen but sometimes only one side of the communication without the proper codes and frequencies. If you use a scanner like a Uniden BC125 while scanning GMRS frequencies, it will give you their PL code. Some retail stores use GMRS radios for their employees. I hear them when I am around strip malls, lumber yards, rail yards, etc. The Uniden SDS Flagship scanners will give you these and a DMR ham radios' color code and slot number of a radio that is being used if you are into digital ham radio. More retail stores and businesses use digital radios to communicate along with some racetracks and other spectator events.
Thanks for commenting and sharing all of this great information.
Thanks Paul i been wondering the same thing, now i know!
Thanks for commenting.
That makes sense. Here in Arizona, the only other people I've heard on the road are groups of people communicating between cars. And I have used it with family members for the same reason.
I just made a trip from PA to NC and had CB, GMRS, and ham radio. Heard CB being used, GMRS repeater around Washington DC, and had a conversation on ham radio on I-95.
Thanks for sharing and the comment. I'm going to be doing the same trip again in a couple weeks with a CB Radio.
I've got to make the trip again in about two weeks myself.
Just got done watching this video and the one you did taking the CB on a road trip. I did the same thing when I first got my license several years back, I did testing and shouted out just to see if anyone would respond, but for years it was dead silence. Fortunately though in the last few years there have been a lot more repeaters go up and there's one in my local area now.
Every year I travel down to Alabama on I-55 & I-22, A couple of times I did the same thing you did, I took a GMRS mobile radio and a CB radio and just scanned the bands to see what I could hear. I heard a lot of skip on CB but other than going into the towns along the way you almost heard nothing on GMRS, certainly nothing high powered.
I also enjoy scanning so the last few trips I've taken my handheld Uniden BC-125 Scanner and put a GMRS antenna on the roof, i'm able to scan both CB and GMRS stations in about one second. But even then you weren't sure if the CB traffic was local or skip I did hear a little bit more on FRS/GMRS, but again it was mostly low powered traffic in the towns. Since the last time I made the trip there have been a few new open repeaters go up along I-55 so I might have to try to reach them next time I go down.
In the several years I've been doing testing and listening I think CB is still a good choice for road travel overall but I think it's better used for home based communications where you can take full advantage of a better antenna and grounding.
For GMRS I sometimes tap into the repeater here and talk, but other than that I mostly use my handheld radios when I reach my destination, and it's usually to talk to someone in a vehicle or back at the house, So for that GMRS' UHF frequencies and radios work a lot better than handheld CB radios.
Thank you for sharing your experience, I agree and have come to the same conclusion.
I have CB in my car with SSB. I live near Toronto. There isn’t as much chatter as there used to, but people, mostly truckers still do use it. Ask for a radio check and someone will get back. CB has saved me many hours of frustration on the road, thats why I use it. There is a few people in my neighborhood that use SSB CB base stations. If I’m not on channel 19, I’m on LSB 38. Theres lots going on on SSB, especially right now with the sun cycle.
Thanks for commenting and sharing
Drove from northern part of Nebraska to Branson Missouri I talked to many people. I have found all the repeaters programmed them in.
Thanks for commenting and sharing this. That is good to hear
Some of that other chit chat you mentioned probably came from FRS radios... that's the bubble wrap cheapo radios you see in the sporting goods store and elsewhere that use some of the same frequencies as GMRS. We have a local motel that housekeeping uses FRS to get their chores done and some of our utility crews working out on the roadway uses them as well. They are low wattage and don't require licensing as a GMRS user does. I've come to the realization that GRMS is useful for interpersonal communication and you will rarely find anyone that just wants to rag chew. My area has a fairly active 11 meter (CB) contingent that will chat with you occasionally when they aren't running skip.
Thanks for the comment. I’m finding the same with GMRS. I’m doing that same route in a couple weeks and I’m going to run a CB and see what happens.
When the young lady says 5309 I starting singing Jenny by Tommy Tutone. #2, Good video, thanks for the laughs.
Her name is Angela and you made her day with this comment. Thank you for commenting and I'm glade you enjoyed the video.
I recently traveled from GA to PA and back using a pair of GMRS radios. We use them primarily to chat from vehicle to vehicle, not the general public. It’s more handy than messing with the cell phones. We were always pretty close to each other, so we could transmit on the low power setting to extend battery life. We got about 11 hrs of use out of them before their batteries ran out.
There’s an extensive network of repeaters here in GA and I can hear people talking on them all the time but I don’t have the ability to connect to the repeaters myself yet.
CB in general could be so much better if adults could act like adults. I definitely wouldn’t have a CB on if I was traveling with my kids
Thanks for sharing your experience. Our nearest GMRS repeater is about 30 miles to the west with a mtn in the way
@@paulethier3416 , my older daughter lives about 15 miles away from me. So what I’m thinking of doing is setting up a repeater here at the house, and then getting Midland’s MXT115 since it’s the smallest radio they have that can talk to a repeater. Then I will have to see which model I’ll need to put at her house to reply back to the repeater
That sounds like a good plan if you have a good spot for a repeater. You might want to try some testing with two 50watt radios. 15 miles could be doable depending on your terrain without a repeater. @@mikeingeorgia1
@@paulethier3416 another idea I’ve been pondering is having the repeater in the attic to give me elevation, and then I’ve found out that Radioddity makes a small HT that is repeater capable. I could carry the HT around when I’m outside. I’d only need to be able to transmit as far as the house with the HT, then the repeater would handle it from there. Then I could just get a mobile unit for when I was actually mobile and away from the house. The Radioddity that looks to me like it would work is called the GM-30
Retevis also make this 10 watt repeater with some radios. I've been looking at this for a mtn top repeater I've been thinking about but I've not pulled the trigger. Maybe it would work for your application. Here is a link amzn.to/3Ru5fZK @@mikeingeorgia1
i like how you mounted that radio in your 4runner...
Its a custom install 😂. With these one hander radios you can stick them anywhere. Thanks for commenting.
I recently got my callsign and a TIDRadio H3, should be here (Amazon) today around 1800. cannot wait test it out and am glad I purchased it for mainly emergency comms. I plan on buying more and am prepping as we speak for the chinese and T ists to come and mess up my day, (thanks uncle joe)
GMRS is in its infancy still as it grows in popularity you might see GRMS radios mounted next to your cb radio if I could drive I would have both in a car ,truck or motor home
In Australia, we have 477MHz FM CB band with repeaters, limited (legally) to 5 watts. The lower 27mhz frequency CB band generally will have better range (radio to radio). But the repeaters with the UHF band increases range dramatically. The truck/road channel here is UHF channel 40. It used to be channel 8 on 27mhz here many years ago.
Also the UHF band allows for much smaller antennas and hand held radios which is a advantage over 27mhz.
Yes, the smaller antennas are a big advantage.
I must live in a repeater rich area in the Midwest, I need to appreciate being able to talk on a large linked network across multiple states. My tiny repeater works for me, and I keep it parked on a Texas network with plenty of traffic using a different linking network. I can travel 1-300 miles and have access to GMRS repeaters easily in multiple states....that being said when it comes to simplex I only hear stores and kids. Indiana has simplex nets, no one in my area cares for them because they are not in the middle of nowhere Indiana.
That sounds like a fantastic system. For me to use repeaters on that trip I need access to at least 5 repeaters a long the way. All with different frequencies and PL codes. I just tried simplex on this trip and was very disappointed. I’m doing that trip again in a couple weeks and I’m going to try a CB radio this time. Thanks for the comment.
Interesting I know of no repeater system here in Wisconsin at least in north central Wisconsin. Most people here either use high power (100 watts plus on CB) or do like I did and get ham radio license. We have plenty of 2m repeaters!
You had beans 🫘 last night 😂😂😂
We tried using GMRS radios (Midland) when we moved cross-country in a two-car convoy. One car was a Ford CMax Energi plug-in hybrid. Standing still was fine, when rolling down the road the qrm was so bad the radios were almost useless.
Thanks for sharing this information. QRM I’m guessing is electronic noise?
@@paulethier3416 Yep.
@@paulethier3416 Yeah. Look on Wikipedia for "Q code". QRM is man-made interference, QRN is natural or atmospheric interference.
For convoy cb made emergency cb radios that come complete ready to use in the car , the brand FOX made a nice one with an external mic that could still be found on ebay, market place , or Mercari. www.google.com/search?q=fox+emergency+cb+radio&oq=fox+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCAgDEEUYJxg7MgYIABBFGDkyBggBEEUYPDIGCAIQRRg8MggIAxBFGCcYOzIGCAQQBRhAMhMIBRAAGIMBGJECGLEDGIAEGIoFMhUIBhAuGEMYxwEY1AIY0QMYgAQYigUyEAgHEAAYkQIYsQMYgAQYigUyEggIEC4YQxjHARjRAxiABBiKBTINCAkQABiDARixAxiABNIBCDU2MjVqMGo0qAIAsAIA&client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#vhid=20683095078580459-16-4071192616619995440--0-0&vssid=uvpv-713&piu=ps:2
A solution for that could be a digital 900 MHz ISM radio, like the Motorola DTR series.
You should know that channel 20, often referred to as the Travel Channel (which uses the common Travel Tone of 141.3 CTCSS for repeaters), is still more likely used than channel 19, which is only a more recent effort to change the travel channel.
As well, using a 15W radio with a lower end antenna is not an optimal station if you really want to see who's out there, especially operating in a more rural area. True, it's what many people will be using, but those serious about emergency travel comms will more likely be using a 35+ Watt radio and a good antenna with more gain/range. It could have also just been bad luck that you didn't encounter other users. I don't know how many times you tried to call others, but you aren't necessarily just going to hear truckers backing all day as they drive. If one is pulled over or there's an accident or some other problem on the roads, that's more likely when you'll hear something. Some areas are way more active than others.
Finally, pro tip, you don't need to say your callsign at the beginning of each call, only at the end of a single call or series of calls (or every 15 minutes). So, ypu could call for contacts several times for a few minutes, making it more likely to be in range of someone else, and then only give your callsign at the end when you are clearing the channel after not getting a response - it will save you some tongue-twisting with your calls. ;)
Ok thank you for all of this great information. I’m planning to upgrade the antenna to a ghost antenna that should help a little. I wasn’t aware of channel 20 so thank you for that information also. This whole test that I did was to just see if GMRS could be used like a CB radio. More or less I was trying to see if somebody could buy a lower end radio and use it on the highway. I’ll be doing that same trip in a couple weeks and this time I’m going to be using the CB radio to see what the difference is. Now based on the information you gave me on channel 20 maybe I’ll try that as well. Thanks for the comment and great advice.
We just did a 3500 mile round trip to Mississippi and back home to South East Arizona in October with my sister's in laws. GMRS works great in convoy situations. Not a lot of other traffic other than larger cities. I did hear another couple in West Texas who were using them between their vehicles. I also use it on trails like a lot of off roaders.
Thanks for the comment. That seems to be how gmrs is being used by most people.
I have a feeling I may have heard you before. I'm also in southeast Arizona and use the SWCRS system all the time.
@@Porty1119 I mainly use GMRS while while wheeling with a friend in Las Cienagas
The only time I've heard chatter on GMRS while traveling long distances is either when people are convoying (rare) or hearing kids playing as I drive by (which can be amusing to listen to for a few minutes). The most amusing place to have a GMRS radio is on a cruise ship. I brought the Midland 5w radios and it transmitted from bow to stern. Sometimes I helped relay messages from other "weaker" radios. But for me, while doing long drives it's mostly ham bands that are active. In FL we have SARNET which is state wide and actually saved our tails one time from a bad hail storm on the FL/GA line. I mostly have ham and GMRS repeaters programed in for traveling as they usually reach out the furthest. Simplex on both is usually quiet.
Great information. Using them on a cruise ship. That is fantastic.
Here in arkansas out in the boondocks all you hear is the local chicken farms or kids that have those wal mart blister pack radios playing. I got my license so the family can keep up with each other on our 90 acres mainly when hunting or out dealing with the cattle. Ticked me off the year after I got my license is when they lowered the price and all that crap.
The truckers and offroaders still are on CB around here. All the 4x4 guys I run around with we still have cbs in our trucks. There are a few of us with handheld GMRS but we only use them when we go to an offroad park where the park office has it. Out in the woods locally CB still rules.
Thanks for commenting. It really does depend on local use. Some are still using CB and other are GMRS. I like both because they are both unique and have pluses and minus. That little Midland GMRS I have works great and its so small you can move it vehicle to vehicle super easy. I can run it in my 4Runner or my Jeep and it takes about 5 min to install.
I'm curious Paul. I have the same Astatic SWR meter. I noticed that when you set the mark with the dial, you went all the way to the power mark at the end of the scale. In the instructions it states to go to the SWR mark which is at the midpoint at 12 o'clock.
Which one of us is wrong. The instructions aren't clear.
Thanks for the video.
I’m not sure. You are correct the instructions were a bit unclear so I watch a TH-cam video on how to use it and that’s how they use it in the video that I watched. So I could have been doing it wrong. I had a new radio with a new antenna and a new SWR meter and the SWR level was acceptable so I never gave it a second thought.
Go all the way to the mark on the extreme right side of the meter to calibrate. The SWR logo at the midpoint is just to identify what type of meter it is.
The instructions are poor. Check out TH-cam videos on how to adjust SWR. Everyone calibrates at the extreme right side mark.
Hope this helps.
I've had similar experience. I use HAM, GMRS, FRS, and CB sometimes. Just part of the hobby. It seems that the off-road community has bought in on GMRS for the most part. Highway or freeway is still mostly CB. HAM has plenty of repeaters nationwide, especially if you get into the digital side. If you get an Open Spot connected to the hotspot on your smartphone, you can join chat rooms. A few of those rooms are dedicated to freeway travel. But then you're dependent on your phones data connection. Still, it's a fun option for most areas.
Thanks for commenting. I agreed, its fun to have all of these options.
The only way GMRS will work for highway communication is if we users start setting up repeaters like the cell phone networks have done. All we need to do is decide a channel, 19 works for me too. The higher you mount your antenna the better, the more power output the better, the closer to the highway the better. The high freqency of GMRS band makes it is important to keep your coax runs as short as possible, using the best shielded coax you can afford. This is my goal. WRON903 or just get you a CB radio, that works too
Thanks for leaving the comment. I’m gonna be doing that same trip in a couple weeks at the beginning of December and I’m gonna take a CB radio with me and see how that works
And who pays for this system you want to put up? How will it be maintained? And by who?
You hit it on the nail ,good comment here .unit 21 ch 23
I usually catch a few people here and there using GMRS/FRS radios in road trips. Almost nothing on CB other than what comes through on skip. I've even loitered around Semis with big CB antennas and tried to get them on 19 with nothing.
In some of the tourist towns in Colorado the channels were overrun with use by vacationers and RV campgrounds. I am trying to get permission to buy a Midland Repeater from my Corporate office as one of our Consessionaire run campgrounds at 10,000' has electrical power and our maintenance trucks can really benefit from being able to communicate as cell service is very weak to non-existent there. Cheers, Davey --KU9L/WRTI-814
Thanks for commenting and sharing. I think GMRS is used more out west. Repeaters are game changers.
Just a note, Businesses can legally use FRS but not Gmrs, even though they are shared,
I hear one of the local grocery stores on FRS about every day. They usually are on FRS channel 8 though.
@KU9L if I may ask what campground are you working at here in Colorado? My wife and I camp frequently and are always looking for a good place. KC0AQU/ WRDA382
CHEERS from Colorado
Some businesses do use FRS , which as you know, is shared with gmrs. Not surprised you heard that.
Thanks for the comment. Yes FRS is super popular for that for sure.
You should’ve had something to put the stick in the road a little bit Lol…… Cool video
Remember streaking in the 1977 😂😂😂
GMRS/FRS is used more as a travel group service meaning a convoy of campers to stay in touch. You won't even hear anyone on GMRS Emergency so if you have an emergency be sure to have a cellphone. GMRS/FRS is also more used in Campgrounds, at resorts, at amusement parks, at the lake and by off road groups and bigfoot hunters. The CB is still king of the interstate.
GMRS is popular in the off-road Community but most of the time if someone's really close, I use the low channels.
Thank you for leaving a comment. We are usually up around channel 15-18 in simplex. Ch 19 & 21 on repeater.
CB is extremely common in my area. I cant go into town without seeing 3 pickups with them. I always can get someone. Id like to get GMRS but seems pointless right now
Unless you have a purpose and someone to talk to GMRS is tough. I’m gonna try a couple local GMRS repeaters around here and see what that looks like.
@paulethier3416 yes. GMRS repeaters would be a good option in you're interested in that. I'm talking about strictly highway driving
Cb rules if you want to hear and talk to people. Unit 21 ch 23 Brooklyn NY
@papotorres9064 Yeah, the skip is crazy right now. Working on a base station for in the house
@@Texas12valve I’m getting CB skip from Tampa up here in MA. 2hrs ago rocking the meter crystal clear.
GMRS is great for line-of-sight comms, yet if you need more, then the good 11m band is still king.
I’m not familiar with 11m? Can you explain a little?
@@paulethier3416 11meter band is the 27Mhz CB band (used for many years).
Search 11m CB band it's all there.
Ch38 LSB on the 11meter band is known all over the world as we often speak back to the U.S from the other side of the world (using something called a skip).
One could listen to Australian CB chat on CH35 LSB ( u.s afternoon).
Ok thank you for explaining. I've never heard it called 11 meter. I've used CB but not like you're explaining, you have much more experience with that and it sounds fun.
@@paulethier3416 Get yourself a 40 ch SSB CB radio and have fun.,
Here is an example.
th-cam.com/video/Tt8i51aulPc/w-d-xo.html
Alot of traffic on Channel 18 here in western WA. Also, I would try scanning for more traffic.
Thanks for sharing. Its kinda dead around here.
Here in NC, trying to have random highway conversations with other drivers is frustrating because no one is out there listening. There's pretty good repeater traffic though. GMRS is great for family & friends, but I have better success on HAM if I just want to chit chat with strangers.
Thank you for commenting.
Just got my license for GMRS, wondering if I will have the same experience here in SoCal. So many letters on our call sign.
I'm sure you will have more activity in SoCal.
Have you made any contacts since making the video, either mobile or at home? Thank you.
Yes, I have access to one distant repeater that can be tricky at times but I mostly run on simplex with other Jeeps. Repeaters, if you have any in your area are great. Thanks for commenting.
@@paulethier3416 Sounds good, sir. Thank you.
Please forgive my ignorance but, Can't you program HAM radios to use CD and GMRS channels? I have been trying for years to find someone to teach me this stuff as i have a hard time learning from books, but HAM guys tend to stick to themselves. I even joined the local club and because I was not licensed they treated my like i had herpies. Maybe it's just this group in NW Georgia.
Thanks for the comment and sharing your experience. I find the best way to learn is to just do it. Buy a radio and programming kit and go for it. You will have a bunch of questions and maybe fail a little but once you learn it you will be so happy you just did it. Maybe find a radio shop that’s willing to answer your questions.
Most HAM radios cover a frequency range with a slider just like your car radio not set channels. If Gmrs or CB falls in that range you can tune in and listen. It is not legal to talk on those because only CB and Gmrs are FCC legal.Some import radios in 10 meter band can be converted to 11 meter band (CB) but since those radios are 50 watt it is illegal to transmit on it. Long story short . yes you can get radios capable of going into other bands but not legal.
We drove from Raleigh to Winston-Salem and monitored GMRS the entire time. Nothing on channel 19 going and coming.
honestly gmrs is good for traveling in closed or small private group's its suprising to me how readily available a gmrs license is and not as widely used. at least near me
its going to be a LOOOOONG time before GMRS replaces CB on the road. IF you want to keep in touch with truckers and a few other people you definitely need a CB. If you are traveling in a group of cars that is where you need GMRS.
I run both cb & gmrs in my truck. CB is still kk g on the road. Every now & then I’ll pass a group of Jeeps on the highway using gmrs.
Nice! I love that you have both. Stay safe out there.
Cb is the king of the road. Now it's even better with the added FM to cb.
Looking forward to trying CB on our next trip. Thanks for the comment.
CB RULES more people than any other band . Trust me I have been on CB since the 60s. I even remember when cars has a AM/FM/ CB Radios in the dash . Wish that came back, one antenna for music and comunicacions , sweet .
I like 25 to 50 watts CB with a good vehicle mounted antenna. I don't like getting stuck at the bottom of a steep valley.
How do you get the watts?
One reason that road driver don't use GMRS could be because you need a license for it. Our 4x4 club in AZ recently switched from CB to FRS/GMRS on our runs because FRS/GMRS seems to have a clearing signal.
So many repeater operators use "secret" DPL (Digital PL) due to multiple local repeaters on the same channel. The receive and transmit DPL are often different also. Midland does not allow "split" DPL, either. So if you set a transmit DPL to trip the repeater, your receive DPL must match. Chances are the repeater set a different DPL on his transmit, and you won't hear the repeater. In the ham world, we match the PL's, so you can select your transmit PL just by hearing the repeater. If you are traveling, and not using a repeater, make sure you are transmitting on the simplex, not the RP (repeater) frequency.
Thanks for the great feedback. There is only one repeater I use that has split tones. It’s not that popular so it’s not a huge deal.
This is very important, that's why I don't recommend Gmrs to new users , for long rides just do the CB setup I mentioned before. You'll be happy you did . Unit 21 ch 23 . Hope to catch you on roads airwaves.
Thanks for the comment. I'm doing the CB thing in a couple weeks on the same trip. We will see how it goes. @@papotorres9064
Our unit uses GMRS and MURS for onsite utility and for caravanning to sites.
I use GMRS (simplex & duplex) but I've not had the opportunity to use MURS. Thanks for commenting.
Interesting.
I was just thinking though. Many states have outlawed the use of cell phones while driving but I have never heard of any bans on CB or HAM radio use while driving.
Me neither but it’s the government so there’s probably some loophole.
It’s the government so there’s probably some loophole. Thanks for commenting.
You don't have to dial anything, so we will be fine . Cb Rules .
Half duplex which sends communication in one direction only. Meaning you have to un key the radio to hear the other party. (Ham or cb). Full duplex is what cell phones use means as it says you can talk and hear at same time which has a proven track record at causing accidents while driving!
PTT (push-to-talk) is not illegal in any state. You are free to go.
I think issue is that many people want GMRS to be something it wasn't designed for, causing some to get disappointed when nobody will talk to them.
There isn't really a single GMRS frequency (like CB 19), consistantly monitored by users accross the U.S.. Using a GMRS repeater "might" capture a few more contacts, but you need to have all the repeaters along your route pre-programmed in the radio, then manually change channels as you drive from one coverage area to another. This kinda requires that you know the area. Even if someone hears you, doesn't mean they will respond.
GMRS wasn't really intended to be a hobby service, or a place to make random contacts. CB or Ham Radio works better in this situation. I think you'll find that GMRS is mostly used by people that already know each other; i.e. Family Members, Clubs, Service organizations, Farms, etc.
For a travel radio you'd probably have better luck with a CB.
Now that the FCC has allowed FM mode on CB. Seem like it would be more enjoyable to use.
GMRS is active here in Houston. We have a statewide repeater network that also covers much of Louisiana. A small donation of $25/annually gives you the tones and a node on the network. When I tune in to channel 19 anywhere in the Houston Area, all I hear is static. The range on some of the repeater sites is pretty impressive, About Fifty miles from Downtown Houston. Many of the repeaters are connected to places like Milwaukee and Tampa too. About 40% of the users are mobile and the rest are at home.
I’m not familiar with nodes but I’ve used repeater and that network sounds awesome.
I keep a CB in my vehicle to receive information about backups and acidents. The duel band raidio VHF/UHF I have is for small talk on repeters. I have a Ham and GMRS license. But I manly stay on the Ham bands.
Thanks for the comment. Do you use mobile or portable radios or both?
@@paulethier3416 I have a dual-band radio at home and in my SUV. I do have multiple HT's. That can stand for Handheld Tranciver or Handy Talky. Bacicly a walky-talky. But if you hear hams us the turm HT or potabal. That's what we are referring to.
I use vhf and uhf also, both mobile and HT. I’m going to get a CB and give that a try. I’m just not sure if I’m going with an HT or mobile for my vehicle.
@@paulethier3416 If you do decide to use a walkie-talkie your only obstacle would be an adapter for a magnetic mount and batteries. Or you can skip a complete install if you find a small moble that already has a DC or an auxiliary jack that comes out the back. That way you don't have to worry about running wire to the fuse box or battery.
I've been looking at the President Randy and the Cobra 75 All Road. Think either of those would work. If I go with the Randy I'll have to find a roof top mag mount antenna.
I've heard some truckers are switching to FM C.B. I rarely hear any local chatter on channel 19. There is a lot of long distance skip from more powerful radios far away.
Thanks for commenting. I'm just now getting back into CB radio. You are 100% correct about the skip. I'm hearing guys 1000 miles away on certain days.
Some are using a HT app I think it is in conjunction.
Some are on the ZELLO app but it’s dying also.
The skip talkers keeps the Cb alive especially lately.
I don’t have a gmrs license and can’t see any reason to get one.
I use the Zello but not familiar with the HT app.
@@paulethier3416 the ht app is a way to link gmrs to the internet. It was first for a particular radio
It’s hard to figure out the app. Not very user friendly
TBH, I don’t monitor GMRS simplex, only repeaters. But I also have my amateur license so I monitor 146.52 simplex. On my last trip, I was only able to raise any contacts on two of four 2 m repeaters, and there were no GMRS repeaters close to my route. But the weather was good and there were no hazards or anything like that. It was also a weekday, so I think that contributed to the lack of contact. When my area was recently threatened by wildfires, all the frequencies were busy, and one GMRS repeater was passing through regular updates on road closures, evacuations, fire progress, etc.
Wow! Thanks for sharing that story. Once you have a repeater its a game changer for sure.
You need to get on repeaters unless you are in a convoy using simplex direct. UHF is mostly line of sight so your range is limited to a few miles directly. A repeater will be elevated so the range is much more profound. The repeater my group uses covers about 70 miles in central VA. We are all over the central and northern half of the state talking to each other. All the commenters are missing the point of GMRS entirely. Short range direct, long range repeater. CB is HF so it has better propagation except it’s technically limited to 4 watts. GMRS is UHF, line of sight, with 50 watts maximum to help with range. GMRS IS NOT a CB replacement. C’mon folks do your research.
Thanks for the comment. I’m on gmrs repeaters I was just seeing if it would work as a CB and I or it failed miserably. I also use VHF repeater for emergency services and UHF repeater for work. That’s why I like GMRS so much because it works well with repeaters and if out with the Jeep it works well short range in simplex.
Try taking your own advice,do some research. ALL simplex is line of sight and if you think 27 mhz. @50watts will outperform uhf @5 watts line of sight you need to come back to the world of science.
Don’t be such a sad ham. He was doing actual practical research. Based on your comment it appears you saw the title and became a keyboard warrior instead of actually watching the video.
I smell a sad ham......literally.
For long ride I strongly recommend good cb setup like I posted here before .
The new breed of seat warmers spend more time playing with their phones,than paying attention to anything going on around them,that is why we have so many truck wrecks.
Unfortunately, it's not just trucks. Everyone is on their phones. If I look while driving I would be confident in saying that 1 out of every 3 cars the driver is texting.
@@paulethier3416 your right ,you have to wait three times at a traffic light because of people playing with their phones .
True and sad
I live close to a freeway, and often, two or three times a day, hear people chatting about "that river", the Columbia, and "that dam", McNary Dam, and asking questions and such. I will sometimes chime in with answers to questions they pose. That said, GMRS traffic is *NOTHING* like the heydays of CB's, where they write songs and stuff. It would be great if there was one or two channels reserved mainly for emergencies and/or travel.
462.675 with tone 141.3
Cb is okay in some applications, but on foot with walkie talkies, gmrs and even frs beats CB simply because CB walkie talkies use more batteries for similair applications, and the batteries die much faster. And frs/gmrs radios are way more compact and easier to lug around.
Not to mention you need a really big antenna to get any range.
Question is: Should GMRS replace CB Radio. Moreover, you will likely spend much more time on air with amateur radio.
Wow good old UB !!
Licensees who operate North of Line A and East of Line C may not operate on channels 462.650 MHz, 467.650 MHz, 462.700 MHz and 467.700 MHz (ch. 19 and 21). Most of I90 in NY is north of Line A.
Thanks for sharing this information. I learned of this after I did the video from another viewer. I looked it up and it is true. Who knew? I love learning new stuff.
I have a GMRS radio in my SUV and I use it often, but I have never heard any travel talk. Lots of CB though.
That exactly what we found. If your traveling CB is the way to go. Thanks for commenting.
Channel 19 is for information,( truckers use it all of the time), channel 9 is for state police or Emergency
The lifeblood of what made CH19 on CB (27MHz) work was truckers. Sadly even on CB much less truckers are on the radio. Many of them are using smartphones for traffic info. Some newer trucks the carriers aren’t even installing radios in them anymore. So getting them to migrate to GMRS I feel might never happen. If GMRS CH19 is going to take over you need the trucking industry for it to work. Sure many radio nerds will want this to happen, but this will require nothing short of a paradigm shift to pull off. I travel a lot across the country in my RV and I have both CB and GMRS radios and I have gotten more use with the CB and almost zero on GMRS when it comes to highway advisories and detour info. Just two days ago I found info on the 1radio from truckers on CB19 what the best route around a serious accident on I-81 in Pennsylvania. What little out there is using radios they still are on CB and the radio fanatics you’ll find on ham or GMRS frequencies.
Thanks for commenting and sharing. Good information.
G-R-E-A-T idea for a topic but a bit confusing when u referred to being "...on 'CH 19' when traveling...." Of course, that's CB channel 19; & to be heard on GMRS (by the most people), u must be going thru a repeater; however, I cudn't tell if u were or not🤔
Thanks for the feedback. Yes I agree, a repeater is great with GMRS. What I was trying was using the GMRS radio on simplex on a trip like a CB to see if GMRS is being used at all while traveling. Based on all the feedback and comments I received the answer is it depends. Some areas have a robust GMRS use while other are still CB and the there are areas where both GMRS and CB use are minimal. Thanks for the comment. Stay tuned I'm trying CB radio on the same trip in a couple weeks.
I drive AZ to KS & back every week.
I have both CB & GMRS.
I occasionally hear CB chatter, once every week or so.
Substantially less on GMRS
Thank you for sharing and commenting
I think the people saying CB is dead are looking at very small, biased sample sizes. GMRS may definitely grow in the future (I personally find it better for netting and general fun than the VHF/UHF freqs I have privileges on), but the FCC could totally change the landscape before that happens. Right now, though, I don't think anything beats monitoring CB channels 19/21 when traveling. The pro truckers seem to be very happy on CB, and I don't think many of them are too eager to give the government $35 just for the opportunity to buy a new radio and mount a new antenna.
I agree thank you for sharing and commenting.
CB is still very strong. CB gets out so much better VS GMRS.
Thanks for leaving a comment. I don’t have much experience with CB but I’m gonna do this trip again in December and I’m gonna take a CB with me this time and see how we do.
I use both GMRS and CB radio II have a Midland mini GMRS mobile radio in my Dodge Grand Caravan and a Midland CB in the same vehicle I prefer GMRS although I've been a CBer since 1981 I use CB for road Trips where I live there are not many CB'ers to talk to anymore GMRS is quiet but still a great radio to have I think in the future GMRS WILL replace CB because once you get your license you are able to run upto 50 watts of power which is what is built into a lot of gmrs radios.If you do use GMRS watch out for channels 18&20 they are Emergency Channels
Thanks for the comment.
@@paulethier3416 Your Welcome You may find repeaters on the upper channels but you'll have to set it on your radio
GMRS is for people who take their friends with them, IMO. It's great for traveling caravans, hunters, families who disperse at the destination (when you turn the kids loose at the amusement park, beach, ski mountain, campground, etc.). You must identify with your callsign which usually keeps the conversation polite. CB is still best for driving when you're the only radio operator in your group. The problem with CB is (still) it's sometimes offensive for some people or inappropriate for young ears...again, IMO.
I agree. I’m uploading a video about CB right now. Thanks for commenting and sharing.
GMRS is all about the repeaters. Program a bunch before you leave home, and scan a lot!
Thanks for commenting. I have access to 5 repeaters on the trip. I was just messing around using a GMRS radios in simplex.
Out west, we travel with a CB in our RV and with GMRS for offroading in our Bronco. Out here, the CB seems to be as dead as the GMRS for travel. I occasionally hear something on the CB, but generally nothing on channel 19.
Thank you for commenting. That seems to be the way in most places.
I found GMRS is what all the "cool kids" want to use for off road. I've got one just for that purpose I guess for some reason CBs aren't cool enough. My everyday mobile radio is a president lincoln 2+ moded to run in 11 meters. ch19 is still the way to go on the road.
Thank you! We are going to run CB on the same route next time we go in December
One of the reasons off-roading groups are switching to GMRS is it offers more range over a stock legal limit CB radio. With CB you are limited to 4 watts on AM (and now FM as of 2021), or 12 watts on Single Side Band. With GMRS channels 15 through 22 are allowed up to 50 watts, channels 1 through 7 are allowed up to 5 watts, and channels 8 through 14 are only allowed 1/2 a watt. Another advantage of GMRS over CB is that the FM signal of GMRS is clearer than the AM signal of traditional CB radios.
Given a simple 40 channel CB radio with a 3 foot antenna you will probably get around 6 miles of range on average. Given a 50 watt GMRS mobile with a similar size antenna you can easily get 25 miles. Granted terrain and other obstructions can affect range.
@@DarkShadowCustoms I know GMRS is awesome. It works great for that. I was just trying to see if it can be used or is being used as a CB and I can say with some confidence that it is not being used like a CB while traveling. Thanks for commenting and sharing all of this great information.
@@DarkShadowCustoms watts don't mean crap, it's all about the antenna. I think people use GMRS because its FM, and they think it sounds much better, and also the use of repeaters. I've got both, if playing in the dirt is what you like to do, then GMRS is fine for you. On the road, CB is where I'll be hanging out, I don't see GMRS ever taking the place of CB for travel advisories.
@@joestreiff9401 I agree that GMRS won't be taking the place of CB on the highway any time soon. Also yes, your antenna is the most important part of any radio communication set up. I have a dual band 2m/70cm on a 30 foot mast at my house and just below the dual band I have a wire dipole cut for 10 meter in an inverted V configuration. Using a 5 watt handheld hooked to my dual band antenna I can hit repeaters about 20 miles away no problem, and when I use a 50 watt radio I can hit repeaters up to 50 miles away. I have a 20 watt HF radio hooked to my dipole and have made contacts with people 5,000 miles away. Some of those HF contacts were running up to 1,000 watts and they could hear my 20 watts better than I could hear their 1k watts.
They are two different things meant to do two different things. The value of GMRS would be traveling together with a group that all uses GMRS to keep in touch such as off roaders. Campers or like our farm and hunting property. CB will do that too but is much better for long range propagation (with good antennas and radios "peaked and tuned") and talking to other travelers just because it is more prevelant with truckers. Ham repeaters are much better, but you have to plan your route and pre-program your frequencies. GMRS repeaters will do the same but are almost non-existent in my state although we are probably gonna put one up on our property just so the kids can keep in touh on the 4 wheelers and such. And ain't no serious CB user doing 4 watts lol. Buy a 10m export radio that also has 11m CB channels and pair it with a good, large antenna. You will be much happier on the road.
Great information, thanks for commenting. I just did a video about CB radio and traveling. Check it out.
Even CB isn’t like CB anymore! At least not if you are depending on it for information and conversation.
But CB is still good for vehicle to vehicle communication. GMRS radios are better, but they require a license, which few people have. CBs are license free and don’t require call signs or proper procedures.
Perhaps the best vehicle to vehicle solution would be a couple of MURS radios hooked up to vhf mag mount antennas. They have close to the same effective range of a CB, but with less static and profanity.
I have a base station CB in my office. It is located just a mile from a busy major highway. There is a large truck stop just two miles away. I hardly hear anything on channel 19. But when the sun comes up and there is a lot of sunspot activity I can gab with people all across the country. A couple of days ago I made contacts with people in England and Ireland. All on my little CB, on LSB with just a legal 12 watts.
CB is still active and busy. Just in a different way.
Thanks for commenting. I've heard of MURS but I've never worked with it. I'm going to look into it a little more and check it out.
Channel 20 is the travel channel with a PL of 141.3.
Ok thank you
Last summer I traveled 2200 miles from Florida to New Hampshire and back with a 20W GMRS Mobile Radio. I had preprogrammed every repeater along the way in advanced and had a cheat sheet for when to try working them. I didn't have even one single conversation or contact for the entire 2200 miles. Totally dead. I now don't use it at home either.
That’s terrible. I feel ya. Most people don’t use radios anymore and some of those that do a rude. It’s sad