I just got into GMRS for my family to use during storm/tornado season here in Oklahoma. When asking GMRS/HAM people about range, they overcomplicated it and never gave a straight answer. This video is exactly what I needed.
I live in Western Washington State and we are blessed with several high power GMRS repeaters located at higher elevations. They pretty much provide complete coverage for the entire region, including the Olympic Peninsula, even using 5 watt handheld radios. The fact that your radios are repeater capable will be a great benefit in this area. Ranges up to 80 miles is possible in some areas.
Absolutely! It's a great way to chat with friends and meet new ones. You can check mygmrs.com for repeaters in your area. Then, listen in to get an idea of how folks use repeaters in your area! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Super helpful and probably the best explanation of FRS vs GMRS I've seen, thanks! Looking forward to reviewing my new Rocky Talkie 5W radios here soon!
I’ve been an amateur radio operator for a long time and a GMRS operator for a short time. That is best video I have ever seen explaining possible and probable range capabilities for portable communications. Great job.
That's a great suggestion! We've found in our testing that the 17cm antenna improves range by about 10% give or take. Being a dual band antenna, you'll also see improved reception of NOAA weather stations. That said, a single band antenna specifically tuned for GMRS could improve your range even more! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Appreciate the quality of information I got from this video. Very simply put, and it very much helped my understanding of a subject I didn't know much about.
We're stoked to hear it helped! I can't wait to hear how your journey into the radio hobby goes and if you have any questions, we're always stoked to chat! -Nate
This is the BEST video on GMRS range! All the nerds on youtube just say 'iT dEPeNds' in a 20min video and never actually test anything or give a range. Also, where can I get that window mount at 5:41 ?
One idea for the GMRS radio would be to use a roll-up Slim Jim antenna (made of ladder line) (also available commercially for about $30. Google around) and attach it to the SMA connection via an adapter which has an SO-239 connection and can be connected to a PL-259 connection to some coaxial cable. Using paracord, throw a line over a tree limb for good height. I'm thinking this will be more effective than the antenna which comes with the radio. This could be a good rig for a base camp. The only other thing that would make this radio perfect for disaster communications and off-roading or overlanding is if it could work by plugging into a vehicle cigarette lighter.
I am sick of using the big box walkie talkies, so I ordered two of the 5W radios. I cannot wait to use it! My wife and I are very outdoorsy people and the crappy midlands we have always die with one transmission…..I am glad to be supporting a smaller business! Thanks for what you do!
What a great video. Your explanation and articulate presentation can definitely be helpful to anyone who is thinking about purchasing a set of these units. Clear as a bell.
I'm completely new to this world. I go canyon seeing and hiking with my son and needed something to keep our communication line open. Got a BAOFENG like my friend has but I felt like I wanted a stronger signal. Just ordered, but this video really helped me click the order button! Thank you for this explanation!
Thank you so much for your support, I'm glad the video helped you make a decision! If you have any additional questions, we're always stoked to chat at support@rockytalkie.com
Great video. Super clear explanation and helpful in understanding. I also appreciate the candor in that your radios do have limitations, but I’m more comfortable buying the 5w knowing the demonstrated capabilities and wavelength
love it I need something to communicate between two mountain properties and this video explained perfectly and now I know what I need. now just need yall to make it on Ham radio.
I'm so glad the video armed you with the knowledge to dial in your system! It would be very cool to have a ham radio one of these days. GPS/APRS would be on my shortlist, what kind of features would you want to see? -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
This is by far the best explanation for distance vs wattage. It doesn't make much sense why the FCC limits it to only 2 watts when the difference is so minimal until you start pushing 20-50 watts. also a small point for the FRS radio. because its only pushing 2 watts the battery consumption is much less while transmitting
Totally, those are great points! I know the band plan is pretty packed, I'll bet the logic for limiting FRS to 2 Watts is there, but buried in a lot of other stuff. We can be glad to have so many options like GMRS and Amateur radio for those looking to push the limits even further. Thanks for stopping by and I'm so glad you enjoyed the video! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Thank you so much for your support! We've found our 17cm antenna improves range by about 10%. It's a bit more helpful when picking up weather channels!
Thank you for an excellent presentation. You went far beyond any other explanation on TH-cam. You must have spent some money on your travel, it is very much appreciated. I hope that you do a comparison with MURS radios.
Glad it was helpful! That's a great idea, it would be really fun to do some side by side comparisons with VHF and UHF radios. Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts!
Glad it was helpful! If you have any questions down the road, drop us a line at support@rockytalkie.com. We're always stoked to chat radios! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Amazing video and explanation. Thank you. Suggestion, eliminate the background music. Many folks have hearing difficulties, thus the background music will quickly become an impediment to their enjoyment of your video, and will quickly become annoying. Remember, we came to hear what you have to share, we are not here to fight the music to hear you. Thank you for your consideration.
Thanks for the tip, I'm so sorry about that! I'll make sure we bump down the background music on our future videos. I really appreciate your feedback! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Awesome! I once missed being able to summit Mount Whitney because I had lost communication with some of the other guys. I was hiking with. I decided after that that I got to get a pair of walkie-talkies. Rockie talkies is what I’m getting! How long is the holiday sale lasting? Great informative video thank you!
I was recon in the army and my favorite class that they sent me to was to set up a OE254 and it's pretty much a repeater we would go up on top of a mountain and set these things up so we could talk to other people on the other side of the mountain
Hey Sean, thank you for your service! I'm glad you got to experience the utility of repeaters first hand, it's pretty magical when you can communicate from miles away via radio isn't it? I hope the video still had some info for you and if you have any questions or would like to pick up a set of radios, please reach out as we have a discount for our vets and active duty service members! The link to our Pro Program is at the bottom of rockytalkie.com and you can get in touch via support@rockytalkie.com. We appreciate you! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Nice thank you yeah I'm thinking about getting some I am learning about radios even when I was in I didn't really know about them too much but we used them a lot to talk on I've been doing a lot of research @@rockytalkie1682
Great video I recently bought 4 units. Can future Rocky Talkie have some kind of indicator that the radio is on. Maybe a single LED light or something simple? Also it would be nice to have a feature where the screen display can be locked on to be used. This would be useful in car while mounted and charging or at a base station.
Thank you so much for the feedback, and for your amazing support! Our goal was to optimize battery life as much as possible, so our engineers intentionally left an indicator LED out of the design. A quick tap of any button will wake up the radio's screen which is a habit I've developed over the years, perhaps that will help with your current radios! That said, we have heard this request and our engineers have it on the list of considerations for future products! I so appreciate your insight and your being a part the Rocky Talkie community! If you have any other questions or thoughts, we're all ears! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Thank you for the excellent demonstration and explanation. I just received a set of GRMS 5w radios and am impressed with the build quality. I tested them in our neighborhood and only got about a mile of reception, of course this is with houses being the main obstruction. I am wondering if the longer “whip” antenna would help ?
We're so glad it was helpful! As you experienced, urban settings are tough for radio waves. While a longer antenna could improve range a little, your best bet will be either accessing a repeater (to get above obstructions) or physically raising your antenna. You could mount an antenna to your roof if you primarily operate at home. If you'd like to discuss further, drop us a note at support@rockytalkie.com and we can chat further! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Thanks for the vid, great info. Just recieved two pre-order 5 watt radios adding to the 2 mountain radios in our stash; love them all! What is that car mount y'all are using seen at 5:40?
That is correct! To get your signal outside of the vehicle, you'll remove the antenna from your 5 Watt Radio and attach a coax cable that runs to your vehicle mounted antenna. This helps your radio send and receive transmissions without passing through thick glass or being absorbed by the metal body. If you'd like to chat further, drop us a note at support@rockytalkie.com we're always stoked to chat radios! -Nate
MURS is a great resource and definitely a good option for some applications! We found that the range difference isn't huge in most settings and the compatibility of more common FRS/GMRS radios works for us. Maybe one of these days MURS will become more common and we can work on a new radio! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
@ I found that lower frequencies seem to have an easier time through thicker terrain. There’s also a certain small effects you can get from lower frequency bands that people kinda don’t consider like the fact that lower frequencies like to “hug” the ground more (known for following the terrain more) and so on. Which I don’t know, I haven’t tested myself, and not even the point, but in theory, it could, could mean that if you have a man down on the ground with these lower frequencies, he might be more accessible on the radio too vs higher bands. I agree at 2W from a small HT with small antenna probably isn’t much between them… but it also can depend on your methods of testing and scenarios tested too.
Would you mind namedropping the setup you had going on the truck? Being able to have a handheld's portability with the truck being a repeater/amplifier is huge, but I'm having trouble following what equipment you'd need to do that (acronym overload, lol).
I couldn't agree more, the handheld rigged in the truck like a mobile radio is a really versatile solution! We have a handful of different mobile antenna setups we'd be happy to share. Depending if you like to go from mobile to handheld frequently and what types of activities you're doing outside of the vehicle, we've got something for you! If you wouldn't mind dropping a line to support@rockytalkie.com we can get you links and discuss further! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
I wish you would give more information on using them on skiing mountains. How do they work and range at a place like Breckenridge, bever creek, etc. I want to give my wife and kid a radio for our November trip, but I haven't found a great video or review on the radios in that application. Anyone use the 5w in a ski resort setting? How did it work? Looking at the BCA2.0 as my other option.
Hey Jonny, that's a great question! Folks have been using our radios to ski/snowboard for years! We have tons of great reviews and created the waterproof hand mics specifically with skiers in mind. We are also encouraging folks to adopt a backcountry community channel program and you can get more info on our website here: rockytalkie.com/pages/communitychannels I hope this helps and if you'd like to chat more about using the radios on the mountain, feel free to drop us a line at support@rockytalkie.com! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
I had a 3 watt Cobra mobile CB in my car . I was talking to a person I believed to be very close . I was shocked to learn he was in Long Beach Texas , I wae in Orlando Florida . Then my F meter pegged , A person in San Diego Calif. was lik next to me . I could recieve but not transmit , he had 20K watts .
Hey James thanks for sharing, we love the magic of CB and other High Frequency radios! Under the right conditions, those longer wavelengths can travel upward, bounce off the ionosphere and return to earth! This can give you some impressive range with relatively low power radios. The reason we tend to not see many HF handhelds is because the antenna would have to be very long to accommodate the wavelength effectively. I hope you still have your CB and get on the air sometimes! If you'd like to chat more, feel free to drop us a note at support@rockytalkie.com -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
@@rockytalkie1682 My CB was many years ago . I now reside in the filippines so things here area really different . Got a lot to learn about the laws here .
There are a number of antenna setups you can employ depending on your specific setup. We'd be happy to chat options with you at support@rockytalkie.com -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Hi, thanks for the excellent video. I purchased 1 GMRS recently and had 1 FRS a few months ago. Could you explain the use of Narrow vs Wide band and which one should be used for both radio to communicate with each at their best? Or is that just something applicable to the GMRS repeater channels and should not be worried?
Thank you so much for your support, that's a great question! Bandwidth determines the frequency range occupied by your signal. There isn't a major difference in audio quality between narrow and wide band, so the main difference is compatibility. You'll want to match bandwidth whenever possible for the best volume levels. Our FRS Mountain Radio and most handheld radios are programmed to narrow band by default, so we send out our 5 Watt Radio configured in narrow band as well. Typically GMRS repeaters, mobile (vehicle mounted) radios, and some handheld GMRS radios that have this ability to use narrow or wide. so you'll just want to match bandwidth accordingly. I hope that helps! - Nate
I have e tried both here in Florida Everglades, lot of trees and found out they are about the same, I got 1 mile and little more on FRS and on GMRS a little more.2.5 miles. but GMERS are more expensive
It's interesting to hear your range experiences in those conditions, thanks for sharing! You might find that a higher gain antenna gets you just a bit more distance but it sounds like you're experiencing about what we'd expect! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Watched the video and I guess unless I actually test the radio I won't know. But I'm in the market for a walkie talkie for me and my kid(s) for resort skiing. If I'm on one side and they are on the other side, can we communicate? I'm not buying him an iPhone to break/lose/play with. The resort is in central PA so not very high "mountains". I have the FRS and they don't work front to back of the resort unfortunately. They are fabulous for hikes or if we are on the same side of the mountain though.
Hey Casey, that's a great point. I would say that with any 2-way radio, you likely won't get signal from opposite sides of the mountain. The way radio waves travel, they need either a direct path or a bounce path around an obstacle. @RKingis is totally right though! If there's a GMRS repeater on top or nearby, you might be in luck! Websites like mygmrs.com show repeaters in your area. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to get in touch at support@rockytalkie.com
We have a handlebar mount for our 5 Watt Radio and I personally love having my 5 Watt with me while mountain biking. If you'd like to discuss more pros and cons, feel free to drop us a line at support@rockytalkie.com -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Correct. FRS radios are capped at 2 watts maximum power and our 5 Watt Radio has been tuned to what we think is an optimal power setting. It maximizes range while ensuring you get plenty of battery life on your adventures! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
We have an affordable but versatile headset linked in our FAQ section here: rockytalkie.com/pages/faq?hcUrl=%2Fen-US If you'd like to chat about a more specific solution, feel free to reach out to support@rockytalkie.com We'd love to discuss options with you! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
We don't currently make a VHF marine band radio but if staying connected with someone on the coast or you partner out at sea, the 5 Watt Radio would totally work! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Hey Sam, great question! We wanted to keep it as close of an apples to apples comparison as possible. Similar to how using the GMRS radio through a repeater wouldn't be as clear of a comparison, we kept the stock antenna on the 5 Watt Radio to isolate the power difference. I hope this helps! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
That's a great question! Our 5 Watt Radio is IP67 rated and supports NOAA weather channels! Paired with our corrosion resistant locking carabiner, it's a solid radio specifically designed with swift water environments in mind. Feel free to check out our radio comparison page to see which radio would be a good fit for your activities! rockytalkie.com/pages/radiocomparison
Either radio could be a great fit for hunting! We usually hear that our hunting community that they tend to be spread out and can be in dense forest. In those types of situations, the 5 Watt Radio would be a great choice. Feel free to reach out to support@rockytalkie.com if you'd like to chat more!
Hey there, that's a great question! While metal near an antenna could in theory cause issues, our team has done extensive real world testing and found that even when pressing the carabiner up to the antenna, no noticeable signal loss or interference occurred!
We run gmrs all over northern California dirt biking and clearing trail 7 watt radios with larger antennas really help . Repeaters are amazing whether they are available. In vehicles cbs with big amps really get out well.
Hey Jim, that's correct! You can use just about any charger and cable including your phone charger, a usb power bank, car adapter, etc. I hope this helps and if you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to drop us a line! -Nate
Absolutely! FRS and GMRS radios use all of the same simplex frequencies. Meaning all 22 channels will work between the radios! If you have any additional questions, feel free to give us a shout at support@rockytalkie.com
Hey Tim, we have a blog post walking folks through the steps to getting a GMRS license. There, you'll have access to lots of great info! If you have any unanswered questions, feel free to drop us a note at support@rockytalkie.com rockytalkie.com/blogs/rocky-talkie-blog/how-to-get-a-gmrs-license
That's a great question! The General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) utilizes UHF frequencies. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
@@rockytalkie1682 Thanks for your reply. Just as a matter of interest are you familiar with the Uniden 820s and how does that compare with the Rocky talkie(mountain)? 🤗
Another great question! From what I was able to find, the Uniden 820S is set up for use in Australia and New Zealand. They use different radio frequencies than our radios do. If you're in that part of the world, I'm sure it's a great option!
That's a great idea, we were actually just thinking about that this week! You do not need to plug your laptop in and it's really straightforward to program. Simply locate a repeater on a website like mygmrs.com and match the frequency to the correct channel, then set your tone in, tone out, and bandwidth. It's as easy as that! Feel free to get in touch at support@rockytalkie.com if you have any additional questions.
@@RKingis Our radios are totally compatible with split tone repeaters! You can set the transmitting and receiving tones independently without any programming software, thanks for pointing that out!
@@rockytalkie1682 I'm impressed with the setting up of split tones! The only issue I could see is, if the tones don't match the 121 presets. Maybe in a future firmware, you could add a few other commonly used codes after 121. I know my GMRS has some published codes, so maybe so research can be done. Please forgive my ignorance!
That's a great question! Urban settings tend to be the toughest for radio waves and we typically see radios get up to a mile or range. Building materials, cars, and other RF interference can vary so I totally encourage you pushing the limits and seeing what you get in your neck of the woods! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Hey David, thanks for sharing your experience! Getting your GMRS license can totally seem like an inconvenience. The good news is, we have an article walking you through the steps and it can be done entirely online without any paperwork! If you ever want to take the next step in your radio journey, give us a holler at support@rockytalkie.com and we'll walk you through! Feel free to check out our article as well to check out the process: rockytalkie.com/blogs/rocky-talkie-blog/how-to-get-a-gmrs-license -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Hey Brian, that's a great point! We actually see very similar battery life from our 5 Watt Radio despite the extra power. I typically get 5 days of use and our team of product testers tends to see similar results. I hope this helps and if you'd like to chat further, we'd love to hear from you at support@rockytalkie.com! -Nate Rocky Talkie Team
Cool to see a seller of GMRS being so honest about the value of the higher cost solution. Respect.
I spent hours reading reddit trying to understand. This video did a much better job at explaining the difference. Great vid A+
Stoked to hear it helped!
I just got into GMRS for my family to use during storm/tornado season here in Oklahoma. When asking GMRS/HAM people about range, they overcomplicated it and never gave a straight answer. This video is exactly what I needed.
I live in Western Washington State and we are blessed with several high power GMRS repeaters located at higher elevations. They pretty much provide complete coverage for the entire region, including the Olympic Peninsula, even using 5 watt handheld radios. The fact that your radios are repeater capable will be a great benefit in this area. Ranges up to 80 miles is possible in some areas.
Repeaters open up so many opportunities, I totally agree! Stoked to hear you have several near you and we appreciate you sharing your experience!
That's awesome
Can we use repeater mode to talk to friends ?
Absolutely! It's a great way to chat with friends and meet new ones. You can check mygmrs.com for repeaters in your area. Then, listen in to get an idea of how folks use repeaters in your area!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Are the 2 watt and the 5 watt radios compatible with each other? My buddies have the 2 watt, but I'd like to get the 5 watt.
This is the absolute best explanation of these two concepts.
So stoked to hear it was helpful!
-Nate
Super helpful and probably the best explanation of FRS vs GMRS I've seen, thanks! Looking forward to reviewing my new Rocky Talkie 5W radios here soon!
Thank you so much for your support and we're glad it was helpful!
Agreed! Great video and explanation.
I’ve been an amateur radio operator for a long time and a GMRS operator for a short time. That is best video I have ever seen explaining possible and probable range capabilities for portable communications. Great job.
Thank you so much! We're always stoked to chat about range as there isn't a one size fits all number. Glad you liked the video!
The best explanation with great visuals! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this clear demonstration. I would of like a example with the longer whip antenna
That's a great suggestion! We've found in our testing that the 17cm antenna improves range by about 10% give or take. Being a dual band antenna, you'll also see improved reception of NOAA weather stations. That said, a single band antenna specifically tuned for GMRS could improve your range even more!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Good to see someone testing in the Colorado mountains where it matters :)
Appreciate the quality of information I got from this video. Very simply put, and it very much helped my understanding of a subject I didn't know much about.
We're stoked to hear it helped! I can't wait to hear how your journey into the radio hobby goes and if you have any questions, we're always stoked to chat!
-Nate
Very well done video!
I learned a lot from this video!
So glad to hear it!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
This is the BEST video on GMRS range! All the nerds on youtube just say 'iT dEPeNds' in a 20min video and never actually test anything or give a range.
Also, where can I get that window mount at 5:41 ?
Thanks so much for the kind words, I'm glad the video was helpful! We're very close to releasing out dash mount so keep your eyes peeled!
Very helpful video! Rocky Talkie is clearly a step above the rest.
Thank you for the kind words Ryan!
One idea for the GMRS radio would be to use a roll-up Slim Jim antenna (made of ladder line) (also available commercially for about $30. Google around) and attach it to the SMA connection via an adapter which has an SO-239 connection and can be connected to a PL-259 connection to some coaxial cable. Using paracord, throw a line over a tree limb for good height. I'm thinking this will be more effective than the antenna which comes with the radio. This could be a good rig for a base camp. The only other thing that would make this radio perfect for disaster communications and off-roading or overlanding is if it could work by plugging into a vehicle cigarette lighter.
You can get usb chargers for the cigarette lighter, Anker is an example brand.
@@hendrickh2916The Jackery and Bluetti also have this.
Incredibly well made video, clear and to the point.
Glad it was helpful!
I am sick of using the big box walkie talkies, so I ordered two of the 5W radios. I cannot wait to use it! My wife and I are very outdoorsy people and the crappy midlands we have always die with one transmission…..I am glad to be supporting a smaller business! Thanks for what you do!
Thank you so much for your support! I hope they treat you well out there!
-Nate
What a great video. Your explanation and articulate presentation can definitely be helpful to anyone who is thinking about purchasing a set of these units. Clear as a bell.
So glad you found it helpful!
I'm completely new to this world. I go canyon seeing and hiking with my son and needed something to keep our communication line open. Got a BAOFENG like my friend has but I felt like I wanted a stronger signal. Just ordered, but this video really helped me click the order button! Thank you for this explanation!
Thank you so much for your support, I'm glad the video helped you make a decision! If you have any additional questions, we're always stoked to chat at support@rockytalkie.com
Excellent video - just bought 2 5Ws
Thank you so much for your support!
Interesting video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video. Super clear explanation and helpful in understanding. I also appreciate the candor in that your radios do have limitations, but I’m more comfortable buying the 5w knowing the demonstrated capabilities and wavelength
love it I need something to communicate between two mountain properties and this video explained perfectly and now I know what I need. now just need yall to make it on Ham radio.
I'm so glad the video armed you with the knowledge to dial in your system! It would be very cool to have a ham radio one of these days. GPS/APRS would be on my shortlist, what kind of features would you want to see?
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Great video, thank you for the real world tests
So glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Thank you for keeping it straight and direct to the point.
This is by far the best explanation for distance vs wattage. It doesn't make much sense why the FCC limits it to only 2 watts when the difference is so minimal until you start pushing 20-50 watts. also a small point for the FRS radio. because its only pushing 2 watts the battery consumption is much less while transmitting
Totally, those are great points! I know the band plan is pretty packed, I'll bet the logic for limiting FRS to 2 Watts is there, but buried in a lot of other stuff. We can be glad to have so many options like GMRS and Amateur radio for those looking to push the limits even further. Thanks for stopping by and I'm so glad you enjoyed the video!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
I would love to see this video with one more test of the 17cm antenna. Love all of your products!
Thank you so much for your support! We've found our 17cm antenna improves range by about 10%. It's a bit more helpful when picking up weather channels!
NotARubicon is going to be thrilled with how many fars this thing has!!
Better buy one before he does a review
Thank you for an excellent presentation. You went far beyond any other explanation on TH-cam. You must have spent some money on your travel, it is very much appreciated. I hope that you do a comparison with MURS radios.
Glad it was helpful! That's a great idea, it would be really fun to do some side by side comparisons with VHF and UHF radios. Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts!
@@rockytalkie1682 I second this, would love to see if MURS does anything different than GMRS or FRS in these scenarios!
Excellent and informative video (living in CA, I also appreciated the location examples!).
Glad it was helpful! If you have any questions down the road, drop us a line at support@rockytalkie.com. We're always stoked to chat radios!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Amazing video and explanation. Thank you.
Suggestion, eliminate the background music. Many folks have hearing difficulties, thus the background music will quickly become an impediment to their enjoyment of your video, and will quickly become annoying. Remember, we came to hear what you have to share, we are not here to fight the music to hear you. Thank you for your consideration.
Thanks for the tip, I'm so sorry about that! I'll make sure we bump down the background music on our future videos. I really appreciate your feedback!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Excellent video!
Glad you liked it!
Excellent review. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Wow. This video was awesome!
Glad you liked it!
-Nate
Awesome! I once missed being able to summit Mount Whitney because I had lost communication with some of the other guys. I was hiking with. I decided after that that I got to get a pair of walkie-talkies. Rockie talkies is what I’m getting! How long is the holiday sale lasting? Great informative video thank you!
I was recon in the army and my favorite class that they sent me to was to set up a OE254 and it's pretty much a repeater we would go up on top of a mountain and set these things up so we could talk to other people on the other side of the mountain
Hey Sean, thank you for your service! I'm glad you got to experience the utility of repeaters first hand, it's pretty magical when you can communicate from miles away via radio isn't it? I hope the video still had some info for you and if you have any questions or would like to pick up a set of radios, please reach out as we have a discount for our vets and active duty service members! The link to our Pro Program is at the bottom of rockytalkie.com and you can get in touch via support@rockytalkie.com. We appreciate you!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Nice thank you yeah I'm thinking about getting some I am learning about radios even when I was in I didn't really know about them too much but we used them a lot to talk on I've been doing a lot of research @@rockytalkie1682
Excellent video.
Thank you very much!
Thanks for the informative video.
Great video I recently bought 4 units. Can future Rocky Talkie have some kind of indicator that the radio is on. Maybe a single LED light or something simple? Also it would be nice to have a feature where the screen display can be locked on to be used. This would be useful in car while mounted and charging or at a base station.
Thank you so much for the feedback, and for your amazing support! Our goal was to optimize battery life as much as possible, so our engineers intentionally left an indicator LED out of the design. A quick tap of any button will wake up the radio's screen which is a habit I've developed over the years, perhaps that will help with your current radios! That said, we have heard this request and our engineers have it on the list of considerations for future products! I so appreciate your insight and your being a part the Rocky Talkie community! If you have any other questions or thoughts, we're all ears!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Very nice video.
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for the excellent demonstration and explanation. I just received a set of GRMS 5w radios and am impressed with the build quality. I tested them in our neighborhood and only got about a mile of reception, of course this is with houses being the main obstruction. I am wondering if the longer “whip” antenna would help ?
We're so glad it was helpful! As you experienced, urban settings are tough for radio waves. While a longer antenna could improve range a little, your best bet will be either accessing a repeater (to get above obstructions) or physically raising your antenna. You could mount an antenna to your roof if you primarily operate at home. If you'd like to discuss further, drop us a note at support@rockytalkie.com and we can chat further!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Thanks for the vid, great info. Just recieved two pre-order 5 watt radios adding to the 2 mountain radios in our stash; love them all! What is that car mount y'all are using seen at 5:40?
Glad it helped and thank you for your support! The car mount is a prototype of our dash mount we hope to release in the new year!
@@rockytalkie1682 Does that dash mount wire coming from the back of the mount lead to the outer GMRS antenna? I'm assuming.
That is correct! To get your signal outside of the vehicle, you'll remove the antenna from your 5 Watt Radio and attach a coax cable that runs to your vehicle mounted antenna. This helps your radio send and receive transmissions without passing through thick glass or being absorbed by the metal body. If you'd like to chat further, drop us a note at support@rockytalkie.com we're always stoked to chat radios!
-Nate
What’s about MURs bands? Those are open use, lower frequency band with it an own set of rules and features.
it may provide more range.
MURS is a great resource and definitely a good option for some applications! We found that the range difference isn't huge in most settings and the compatibility of more common FRS/GMRS radios works for us. Maybe one of these days MURS will become more common and we can work on a new radio!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
@ I found that lower frequencies seem to have an easier time through thicker terrain. There’s also a certain small effects you can get from lower frequency bands that people kinda don’t consider like the fact that lower frequencies like to “hug” the ground more (known for following the terrain more) and so on. Which I don’t know, I haven’t tested myself, and not even the point, but in theory, it could, could mean that if you have a man down on the ground with these lower frequencies, he might be more accessible on the radio too vs higher bands.
I agree at 2W from a small HT with small antenna probably isn’t much between them… but it also can depend on your methods of testing and scenarios tested too.
Would you mind namedropping the setup you had going on the truck? Being able to have a handheld's portability with the truck being a repeater/amplifier is huge, but I'm having trouble following what equipment you'd need to do that (acronym overload, lol).
I couldn't agree more, the handheld rigged in the truck like a mobile radio is a really versatile solution! We have a handful of different mobile antenna setups we'd be happy to share. Depending if you like to go from mobile to handheld frequently and what types of activities you're doing outside of the vehicle, we've got something for you! If you wouldn't mind dropping a line to support@rockytalkie.com we can get you links and discuss further!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
I wish you would give more information on using them on skiing mountains. How do they work and range at a place like Breckenridge, bever creek, etc. I want to give my wife and kid a radio for our November trip, but I haven't found a great video or review on the radios in that application. Anyone use the 5w in a ski resort setting? How did it work? Looking at the BCA2.0 as my other option.
Hey Jonny, that's a great question! Folks have been using our radios to ski/snowboard for years! We have tons of great reviews and created the waterproof hand mics specifically with skiers in mind. We are also encouraging folks to adopt a backcountry community channel program and you can get more info on our website here: rockytalkie.com/pages/communitychannels
I hope this helps and if you'd like to chat more about using the radios on the mountain, feel free to drop us a line at support@rockytalkie.com!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
I had a 3 watt Cobra mobile CB in my car . I was talking to a person I believed to be very close . I was shocked to learn he was in Long Beach Texas , I wae in Orlando Florida . Then my F meter pegged , A person in San Diego Calif. was lik next to me . I could recieve but not transmit , he had 20K watts .
Hey James thanks for sharing, we love the magic of CB and other High Frequency radios! Under the right conditions, those longer wavelengths can travel upward, bounce off the ionosphere and return to earth! This can give you some impressive range with relatively low power radios. The reason we tend to not see many HF handhelds is because the antenna would have to be very long to accommodate the wavelength effectively.
I hope you still have your CB and get on the air sometimes! If you'd like to chat more, feel free to drop us a note at support@rockytalkie.com
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
@@rockytalkie1682 My CB was many years ago . I now reside in the filippines so things here area really different . Got a lot to learn about the laws here .
Can you send a link for that vehicle antenna? Did an internet search and couldn’t find anything. Thanks!
There are a number of antenna setups you can employ depending on your specific setup. We'd be happy to chat options with you at support@rockytalkie.com
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Hi, thanks for the excellent video. I purchased 1 GMRS recently and had 1 FRS a few months ago. Could you explain the use of Narrow vs Wide band and which one should be used for both radio to communicate with each at their best? Or is that just something applicable to the GMRS repeater channels and should not be worried?
Thank you so much for your support, that's a great question! Bandwidth determines the frequency range occupied by your signal. There isn't a major difference in audio quality between narrow and wide band, so the main difference is compatibility. You'll want to match bandwidth whenever possible for the best volume levels. Our FRS Mountain Radio and most handheld radios are programmed to narrow band by default, so we send out our 5 Watt Radio configured in narrow band as well. Typically GMRS repeaters, mobile (vehicle mounted) radios, and some handheld GMRS radios that have this ability to use narrow or wide. so you'll just want to match bandwidth accordingly. I hope that helps! - Nate
@@rockytalkie1682 Thank you for the detailed response and information. Greatly appreciated 👍
I have e tried both here in Florida Everglades, lot of trees and found out they are about the same, I got 1 mile and little more on FRS and on GMRS a little more.2.5 miles. but GMERS are more expensive
It's interesting to hear your range experiences in those conditions, thanks for sharing! You might find that a higher gain antenna gets you just a bit more distance but it sounds like you're experiencing about what we'd expect!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Watched the video and I guess unless I actually test the radio I won't know. But I'm in the market for a walkie talkie for me and my kid(s) for resort skiing. If I'm on one side and they are on the other side, can we communicate? I'm not buying him an iPhone to break/lose/play with. The resort is in central PA so not very high "mountains". I have the FRS and they don't work front to back of the resort unfortunately. They are fabulous for hikes or if we are on the same side of the mountain though.
If there is a repeater, then you could get a few repeater capable GMRS radios.
Hey Casey, that's a great point. I would say that with any 2-way radio, you likely won't get signal from opposite sides of the mountain. The way radio waves travel, they need either a direct path or a bounce path around an obstacle. @RKingis is totally right though! If there's a GMRS repeater on top or nearby, you might be in luck! Websites like mygmrs.com show repeaters in your area. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to get in touch at support@rockytalkie.com
Any suggestions for which of the two for my son and I when we go biking? Mostly gravel sometimes road.
We have a handlebar mount for our 5 Watt Radio and I personally love having my 5 Watt with me while mountain biking. If you'd like to discuss more pros and cons, feel free to drop us a line at support@rockytalkie.com
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
So I would not be able to up the wattage out put on these radios?
Correct. FRS radios are capped at 2 watts maximum power and our 5 Watt Radio has been tuned to what we think is an optimal power setting. It maximizes range while ensuring you get plenty of battery life on your adventures!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Where can i get that windshield walkie mount thats in the video for your 5 watt version? Is that specifically for your Rockys or aftermarket mount??
That's a great question! We're hoping to have our dedicated dash mount available by summer 2024! Keep your eyes peeled!
-Nate
Is there a quality earpiece valable for these?
We have an affordable but versatile headset linked in our FAQ section here: rockytalkie.com/pages/faq?hcUrl=%2Fen-US
If you'd like to chat about a more specific solution, feel free to reach out to support@rockytalkie.com We'd love to discuss options with you!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Do you make a marine version of your radio, for sea kayaking where a full size marine radio is unavailable?
We don't currently make a VHF marine band radio but if staying connected with someone on the coast or you partner out at sea, the 5 Watt Radio would totally work!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
Why not use the small whip antenna packaged with the gmrs 5 w.
Hey Sam, great question! We wanted to keep it as close of an apples to apples comparison as possible. Similar to how using the GMRS radio through a repeater wouldn't be as clear of a comparison, we kept the stock antenna on the 5 Watt Radio to isolate the power difference. I hope this helps!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
When are your radios going to support noaa and IP67 or higher water resistance with float option?
That's a great question! Our 5 Watt Radio is IP67 rated and supports NOAA weather channels! Paired with our corrosion resistant locking carabiner, it's a solid radio specifically designed with swift water environments in mind. Feel free to check out our radio comparison page to see which radio would be a good fit for your activities! rockytalkie.com/pages/radiocomparison
Whats the adaptor to use an external antenna? Is it a SO239 female to SMA male?
That's correct, good eye!
Going to be used primarily for hunting, still undecided, great video though!
Either radio could be a great fit for hunting! We usually hear that our hunting community that they tend to be spread out and can be in dense forest. In those types of situations, the 5 Watt Radio would be a great choice. Feel free to reach out to support@rockytalkie.com if you'd like to chat more!
@@rockytalkie1682 thanks for the reply, I am leaning towards the GMRS radio for the reasons you stated.
Get the higher power radio. It has more possibilities for the future. You don't buy for today, you buy for tomorrow. Then you only spend once.
Why in the world are you inconsistently holding the carbiner in front, to the side of or not at all obstructing the antennas?
Hey there, that's a great question! While metal near an antenna could in theory cause issues, our team has done extensive real world testing and found that even when pressing the carabiner up to the antenna, no noticeable signal loss or interference occurred!
We run gmrs all over northern California dirt biking and clearing trail 7 watt radios with larger antennas really help . Repeaters are amazing whether they are available. In vehicles cbs with big amps really get out well.
That is awesome! Glad to hear you're getting out there and putting your radios to good use!
both of your radios are USB-C charging correct?
Hey Jim, that's correct! You can use just about any charger and cable including your phone charger, a usb power bank, car adapter, etc. I hope this helps and if you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to drop us a line!
-Nate
Is there frequency overlap between for 2 and 5 watt radios?
Absolutely! FRS and GMRS radios use all of the same simplex frequencies. Meaning all 22 channels will work between the radios! If you have any additional questions, feel free to give us a shout at support@rockytalkie.com
Hi, do you have any links or directions to any website to the GMRS. Thank you
Hey Tim, we have a blog post walking folks through the steps to getting a GMRS license. There, you'll have access to lots of great info! If you have any unanswered questions, feel free to drop us a note at support@rockytalkie.com
rockytalkie.com/blogs/rocky-talkie-blog/how-to-get-a-gmrs-license
its using UHF, can penetrate wall, rock or tree, so if your power 5 or above, its not a challanges
Do the 5 watt GMRS radios work on UHF or VHF? 🤗
That's a great question! The General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) utilizes UHF frequencies. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
@@rockytalkie1682 Thanks for your reply. Just as a matter of interest are you familiar with the Uniden 820s and how does that compare with the Rocky talkie(mountain)? 🤗
Another great question! From what I was able to find, the Uniden 820S is set up for use in Australia and New Zealand. They use different radio frequencies than our radios do. If you're in that part of the world, I'm sure it's a great option!
Could you do a video on repeaters and the new Rocky Talkie would connect to them. Do you need to plug it into a laptop to do it?
That's a great idea, we were actually just thinking about that this week! You do not need to plug your laptop in and it's really straightforward to program. Simply locate a repeater on a website like mygmrs.com and match the frequency to the correct channel, then set your tone in, tone out, and bandwidth. It's as easy as that! Feel free to get in touch at support@rockytalkie.com if you have any additional questions.
@@rockytalkie1682unfortunately,many repeaters use split tones, which your radio can't do without programming in CPS.
@@RKingis Our radios are totally compatible with split tone repeaters! You can set the transmitting and receiving tones independently without any programming software, thanks for pointing that out!
Alrighty, so after looking at the manual, it's actually really simple to setup split tones for repeater access.
Please forgive my ignorance!
@@rockytalkie1682 I'm impressed with the setting up of split tones! The only issue I could see is, if the tones don't match the 121 presets. Maybe in a future firmware, you could add a few other commonly used codes after 121. I know my GMRS has some published codes, so maybe so research can be done.
Please forgive my ignorance!
What about in urban settings?
That's a great question! Urban settings tend to be the toughest for radio waves and we typically see radios get up to a mile or range. Building materials, cars, and other RF interference can vary so I totally encourage you pushing the limits and seeing what you get in your neck of the woods!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
I have FRS walkie talkies, no license needed. GMRS has a lot of paperwork to fill out to get the license.
Hey David, thanks for sharing your experience! Getting your GMRS license can totally seem like an inconvenience. The good news is, we have an article walking you through the steps and it can be done entirely online without any paperwork! If you ever want to take the next step in your radio journey, give us a holler at support@rockytalkie.com and we'll walk you through! Feel free to check out our article as well to check out the process: rockytalkie.com/blogs/rocky-talkie-blog/how-to-get-a-gmrs-license
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team
@@rockytalkie1682 Ok thanks.
5 watts in my opinion is not worth the trade off in battery consumption vs 2 watt.
Hey Brian, that's a great point! We actually see very similar battery life from our 5 Watt Radio despite the extra power. I typically get 5 days of use and our team of product testers tends to see similar results. I hope this helps and if you'd like to chat further, we'd love to hear from you at support@rockytalkie.com!
-Nate
Rocky Talkie Team