Marine Cpl
.577 Tyrannosaur.
I've created this thread to make things simpler for people who aren't sure what radio they should get. Some options will work for some while other options will for others.
Here are your options.
FRS Radios.
These are the radios you see at your local outdoors shop in a bubblepack. You do not need a license to transmit on them. They are limited to Half a Watt of power. Range is a few hundred feet. They come with a few preprogrammed frequencies that cannot be changed. They are child's toys in my opinion. They take regular AA batteries.
GMRS Radios.
These radios can also sometimes be found at your local outdoor store or online. Some are a combination of FRS and GMRS and some are GMRS only. With GMRS, you need a license to transmit. The good news is that getting the license consists of just paying a fee and lasts 5 years. You pay the fee and the licensee and family can talk on them. No test is required. Renewals require another fee. I believe the fee is somewhere between 60 to 80 dollars for the 5 year period. The radios come with a few preprogrammed frequencies that you cannot change. They are powered up to 5 Watts with a range of 5 to 7 miles on Simplex Mode. (Radio to other Radio). They can also access GMRS Repeaters and the range can be many miles. (Radio to Repeater - Repeater to other Radio) They take AA batteries or rechargeable batteries like your cell phone depending on the model you get.
MURS Radios
These Radios are bought online and have a few preprogrammed frequencies that you cannot change. They cost about a couple hundred a radio. No license of any kind is needed. They are limited to 2 Watts of power and have a range of a couple miles. They cannot access repeaters however a roof mounted antenna can be installed extending their range to about 10 miles under good conditions. These Radios take rechargeable batteries. Like your cell phone.
Ham Radios.
These radios can be found online. You can get an expensive radio from a reputable company like Motorola for example at a couple hundred dollars a radio or a Chinese company like Baofeng for about 30 dollars or more depending. These radios are quality however they aren't as shock proof or waterproof at the same quality as a higher end radio. They need no license to listen but need licensing to transmit. Licensing consists of passing a test and a fee may or may not be involved depending on your location. Handhelds are usually powered at 5 Watts or 8 Watts. The range on Simplex Mode (Radio to other Radio) is about 5 to 7 miles or more depending on conditions. If using a Repeater (Radio to Repeater- Repeater to other Radio) the range is many miles. Roof mounted antennas or car mounted antennas also extend range. They can be programmed to any frequency you want manually or via a computer where you can add more options and save everything to download onto additional radios. You can listen to and access your local public safety frequencies. (Police, Fire, FEMA, Railroad, School County, ect.)
In my opinion it boils down to if you want unlimited access to all frequencies to listen to Fire, Police, ect. If you do, you should go Ham. If you do not and don't care about accessing other frequencies, I would go with one of the other options besides FRS.
Notes:
Ranges advertised on boxes are not accurate. They are taken from mountaintop to mountaintop with no obstructions. Trees, hills, curvature of the earth, buildings, mountains, ect affect ranges. Even more so with a low powered unit.
In a SHTF scenario, no license is required.
Here are your options.
FRS Radios.
These are the radios you see at your local outdoors shop in a bubblepack. You do not need a license to transmit on them. They are limited to Half a Watt of power. Range is a few hundred feet. They come with a few preprogrammed frequencies that cannot be changed. They are child's toys in my opinion. They take regular AA batteries.
GMRS Radios.
These radios can also sometimes be found at your local outdoor store or online. Some are a combination of FRS and GMRS and some are GMRS only. With GMRS, you need a license to transmit. The good news is that getting the license consists of just paying a fee and lasts 5 years. You pay the fee and the licensee and family can talk on them. No test is required. Renewals require another fee. I believe the fee is somewhere between 60 to 80 dollars for the 5 year period. The radios come with a few preprogrammed frequencies that you cannot change. They are powered up to 5 Watts with a range of 5 to 7 miles on Simplex Mode. (Radio to other Radio). They can also access GMRS Repeaters and the range can be many miles. (Radio to Repeater - Repeater to other Radio) They take AA batteries or rechargeable batteries like your cell phone depending on the model you get.
MURS Radios
These Radios are bought online and have a few preprogrammed frequencies that you cannot change. They cost about a couple hundred a radio. No license of any kind is needed. They are limited to 2 Watts of power and have a range of a couple miles. They cannot access repeaters however a roof mounted antenna can be installed extending their range to about 10 miles under good conditions. These Radios take rechargeable batteries. Like your cell phone.
Ham Radios.
These radios can be found online. You can get an expensive radio from a reputable company like Motorola for example at a couple hundred dollars a radio or a Chinese company like Baofeng for about 30 dollars or more depending. These radios are quality however they aren't as shock proof or waterproof at the same quality as a higher end radio. They need no license to listen but need licensing to transmit. Licensing consists of passing a test and a fee may or may not be involved depending on your location. Handhelds are usually powered at 5 Watts or 8 Watts. The range on Simplex Mode (Radio to other Radio) is about 5 to 7 miles or more depending on conditions. If using a Repeater (Radio to Repeater- Repeater to other Radio) the range is many miles. Roof mounted antennas or car mounted antennas also extend range. They can be programmed to any frequency you want manually or via a computer where you can add more options and save everything to download onto additional radios. You can listen to and access your local public safety frequencies. (Police, Fire, FEMA, Railroad, School County, ect.)
In my opinion it boils down to if you want unlimited access to all frequencies to listen to Fire, Police, ect. If you do, you should go Ham. If you do not and don't care about accessing other frequencies, I would go with one of the other options besides FRS.
Notes:
Ranges advertised on boxes are not accurate. They are taken from mountaintop to mountaintop with no obstructions. Trees, hills, curvature of the earth, buildings, mountains, ect affect ranges. Even more so with a low powered unit.
In a SHTF scenario, no license is required.
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