I'd go with the GMRS since you are talking about 3 miles. Most 50 watt mobiles can reach out somewhere around 30 to 50 miles with a good antenna (line of sight of coarse). I have 2 Wouxun KG1000Gs that I use. One in the vehicle and one at home as a base unit. The base antenna is an Ed Fong J pole gmrs on a 18ft telescopic tripod rig on the patio to be HOA complient. The vehicle uses a Laird BB4505CN hood mounted antenna. Also have 3 cheap Baofang UV-9Gs that we use while Backpacking in the back country in case we get split up.

I can reach about 25 miles across town with a 50w radio and an Ed Fong antenna on the roof of the house.

There are also a bunch of GMRS repeaters in the Kansas City metro area too. You can find repeaters local to you here Repeater

quote:

Originally posted by creslin:
I've got a 50w mobile unit in my jeep.
I can get about 1 mile down the road before reception goes to complete garbage.
I figure it's due to all the hills/brush/trees/houses in the way.
(yes I know the 50w is on transmit. The person on the other side states that the signal goes to shit)

With regards to a more powerful handset, this isn't technically a GMRS radio (because it has more options), but it can function on those frequencies.

It goes up to 8w.

And it even has a fat battery.

Which can be charged via USB.

I feel that would be $69 wasted. EVERYONE quickly upgrades from BAOFENG to a better radio. It's one thing when the radio is $25, but for $69, you can get a better radio or put it towards an even better radio that will last years.

I beleive GMRS antennas are not removable, by law... so your are limited. IIRC

A ham HT you put on whatever you want.

73's John

PS NO BAOFENG cr*p ... it's total garbage...
Go ICOM

GMRS radios can have removable antennas, it is FRS radios that can't.

This used to mean there were a lot of GMRS radios with nonremovable antennas, because a lot of radios were certified for both GMRS and FRS, but in 2017 the FCC changed the rules and won't certify radios for both GMRS and FRS any more.

quote:

Originally posted by JohnO:
I beleive GMRS antennas are not removable, by law... so your are limited. IIRC

Negative.....the non-removable antenna HT radios are the FRS radios that use the lower GMRS freqs channel 8 thru 14(the bubble wrap radios you can buy at Walmart, no licence required and limited to less than 2 watts) and the digital GMRS HTs that can transmit data. The analog GMRS radios that are allowed to use removable antennas only transmit on Channels 1 thru 7 (low power, ie:3 to 5 watts) and channels 15 thru 22 (high or low power)but they are able to receive channels 8 thru 14. As for Baofangs that's an argument like what's better,a Taurus or a Ruger. Had no trouble with my UV-9G Fangs, works right first time every time and reaches out as expected.

Another argument would be what is better radio series? The Midlands or the Wouxuns. I like the Wouxuns because they are superhetrodyne radios as oppose to Midlands radio on a chip. The superhets seem to have less noise interference on transmit and receive. But to each his own.

Don’t forget that ham repeaters require either manual or software programming to access repeaters. If you are not in your home area, with your computer, with the programming cable, this can be a burden.

This may or may not be something you’re interested in but I have a Kenwood mobile ham in my Gladiator and 2 handheld ham radios (with better antennas) that have been programmed to use GMRS frequencies as well.

They are not technically legal but we use them so infrequently that I’m not worried. The benefit is that all the radios are much more powerful than your standard GMRS handhelds.

What ever you do get a license.

quote:

Originally posted by SFCUSARET:


Another argument would be what is better radio series? The Midlands or the Wouxuns. I like the Wouxuns because they are superhetrodyne radios as oppose to Midlands radio on a chip. The superhets seem to have less noise interference on transmit and receive. But to each his own.

That's a whole topic of it's own. Depends on the design of each one. Some superhets are better and some direct conversion/sampling radios are better. Too many other factors in play.

I will say that the future of VHF/UHF is not in superhet radios, except for very specialized purposes. That wasn't true 10 years ago, but a lot has changed.

I got a couple of those radios you guys were talking about. I think LBTRS recommended them, but I’m having trouble programming them. The only do channel 14 at the moment. Apparently they can do other channel, but I need some sort of new age crystals:


The TRS in LBTRS stands for The Radio Shack, right?

I’m kidding, I found those in a drawer at my parents’ house. Put batteries in and they still work though.

I got these:


With a 15% coupon on Amazon you can’t beat the price. They’re a step up from the Midlands and Motorolas we’ve had for a few years. I had my son and his friend drive 4 miles away and even in the middle, we were still connected through the trees. The point 4 miles away was no problem because it’s mostly across open water. The Midlands would do that, but not the 2 mile point through the trees.

I’d get a couple of the waterproof $130 ones, but they were out of stock. I’m leaning toward marine handheld VHFs for that though. I’d be using them on the boat, jet skis, and one at the house which I just learned is ok now.

Glad they are working out. Can't beat the Radioddity GM-30 for the price and performance.

LBTRS stands for Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special, which was the 1911 I used to earn my masters rating with the defensive handgun a month before joining SIGforum.

The Radio Shack works also.

Realized I never made it back to this thread. I ended up getting a pair of the Radioddity ht's, upgraded Nagoya antennas, and a magmount antenna for the truck. I also got a rollup Slim Jim antenna for the house as well. I was able to reach the house from work with only the whips.

Happy for now. Thanks LBTRS!

Did you try the work-house comms with the stock antennas? I’m curious how much of a difference the Nagoya antennas make.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Did you try the work-house comms with the stock antennas? I’m curious how much of a difference the Nagoya antennas make.

I haven't, but I can and report back. I do know the Nagoyas have almost 5dB of gain. Straight line distance is about 3 miles through dense pine forest.

Do not believe the power wattage rating listing on almost all hand held radios as well as some of the off branded radios as that is and has been a advertising gimmick for years... By properly placing these radios on actual watt meters to record the power output compaired to advertised output will show actual power output............ Again.. 90% of your equipments effectiveness is in your anteana system....... drill sgt. / KL7JIU

Amazon has the Radioddity GM-30 on sale for Prime Day if anyone wants a quality and cheap GMRS HT. $29.99, which is 25% off.

Radioddity GM-30 GMRS

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Did you try the work-house comms with the stock antennas? I’m curious how much of a difference the Nagoya antennas make.

I have some anecdotal experience. I have a Baofeng UV5RTP with a Nagoya NA771 antenna. We have a pretty active repeater ~20 miles from my house. With the stock antenna I can't hit or hear the repeater. With the Nagoya I can hear it clearly, and I can get in and communicate although other users tell me I come through pretty quietly.

I couldn't tell a difference until I moved to my current place, but now the difference is very noticeable. The only issue I have with the Nagoya is that it's so much longer than the original that it makes the radio harder to transport and use (too tall to use as a handheld in the car). Other than that it's superior in every way.

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:.. 90% of your equipments effectiveness is in your anteana system....... drill sgt. / KL7JIU

Ya, thanks for that. Hours of my time spent over the last few days trying to understand the antenna aspect. J-pole, dipole, discone, ground plane, non-ground plane, NMO, PL-259, 1/4 wave, 5/8 wave, yada, yada, yada…

I get that having an antenna outside the house or my truck is good. I can buy a $200 mount that attaches where the third brake light on my truck is to mount a $90 antenna to hook up to my now $30 radio. Yeah!

I tried watching videos that promised to explain everything. In one, the guy goes over a list of his equipment for 10 minutes before I gave up. He had a Uniden Grant attached to a Star Killer 225Plus infinity amplifier using Real Good 8XXX wire, etc.

. 40 years ago or so, we had VHF radios in the ranch trucks - of course, back then, our little 12,000 acres of paradise was considered a “hobby farm” by the neighbors…

. The world has really filled up…

quote:

Originally posted by Perception:
I have some anecdotal experience. I have a Baofeng UV5RTP with a Nagoya NA771 antenna. We have a pretty active repeater ~20 miles from my house. With the stock antenna I can't hit or hear the repeater. With the Nagoya I can hear it clearly, and I can get in and communicate although other users tell me I come through pretty quietly.

I couldn't tell a difference until I moved to my current place, but now the difference is very noticeable. The only issue I have with the Nagoya is that it's so much longer than the original that it makes the radio harder to transport and use (too tall to use as a handheld in the car). Other than that it's superior in every way.

Thank you. I was thinking external antenna for the truck and house. Interestingly enough, the dual band antennas I’m looking seem to be good on both marine VHF and GMRS. Mounted to the house in MI, the antenna would be over 40’ above Lake Huron.

I ordered a couple Marine VHF handhelds for the jetskis. They have much better waterproof ratings than the GMRS handhelds, they float, you could possibly contact the Coast Guard with them, and I should have them down in FL as well. There’s a version of the Ed Fong that rolls up which combined with a telescopic fishing pole should have fairly good range for a jetski.