Convince me to get a GMRS radio

[redrider]

it is my understanding that GMRS operates on a much wider range of frequencies and not all GMRS channels are full power by law(the FRS band). As for antenna choice, a good 6dB antenna mounted up high on the cab roof, camper shell or bed rack gives the best range. You may experience shadowing or diminished signal if the body parts interrupt the line of sight for longer ranges. If possible, buy a unit with adjustable power. Constant high power use can limit the life of the trasmitter section. I was a 2 way airborne radio tech for the USAF and detuned the transmitters by a couple of watts to extend the service interval. Back then we had a shop rivalry/competion to see who's RT793 stayed out the longest. I hit 50 hours a few times. These were UHF band 15 watt Collins tranceivers in RF4C Phantoms. The ARC 105 HF was my absolute favorite with 1500 watts SSB.

Sponsored

 

[prerunner1982]

it is my understanding that GMRS operates on a much wider range of frequencies and not all GMRS channels are full power by law(the FRS band).

Correct on the power for GMRS, channels 1-7 are 5 watts, 8-14 are 0.5 watt, 15-22 are 50 watts. The bandwidth for those channels is different as well, 1-5 is 20kHz, 8-14 is 12.5kHz, and 15-22 is 20kHz.

As for antenna choice, a good 6dB antenna mounted up high on the cab roof, camper shell or bed rack gives the best range.

Something else that may need to be considered when choosing an antenna is terrain. A 6dB antenna will certainly give more range on flat land but may overshoot your buddy down the hill.

 

[sarguy1941]

do you need a license to talk (only on the trail) mxt275?
i just want to talk to folks on the trail "yeah turn around, roads blocked" or "we are hanging a left" etc.

Yes. Anything over 5 watts you need a license. Basically any mobile. Simple to do.

 

[DanW]

Here is my current setup.....When I ran the MXT275, it would hang right next to the CB, so it had a bit less clutter. That's why I may move to an MXT575 which will have 50 watts like the KSG1000-G does. I can get my cake and eat it, too. High power and reduced clutter.

 

[Sunbeam63]

I’m loving all the responses. I think you guys have given me enough excuses, I mean reasons, to get a unit. Just the fact that they can scan weatherbands is worth it in my opinion. I’m moving back to Iowa, and while I hope that state doesn’t experience another derecho storm, inclement weather seems to be popping up more often with less warning.

Along with options for hunting and ultimately creating a comms set up in my racing car, I think it’s enough to say it’s worth getting. And as others have said; chicks dig it, which is enough for me. I have unused wiring begging to be hooked up to something. It’s like racing stripes on a race car; all for the cool factor.

There is a lot of good advice in this thread and creative installations. I will need to do research on what unit works best for my needs. I’m not shy in showing off the mobile unit, although the Midland MXT275 does allow for a clean install. A mobile unit with a handheld or two will give me something to play with for the winter.

Look what peer pressure can do, thanks a lot!

 

[Sunbeam63]

I have both a CB and GMRS installed. There is Nobody on CB any where I go on the west coast. So, I also installed GMRS. I went with the Midland MXT275. It works great and everyone on the trail is either using GMRS or FRS, so, GMRS can talk to both. The base unit is small and easy to stash on the left side of the glove box with zip ties and the included installation bracket. I have both the stubby 3db antenna and the 6db antenna and I use the CooltechLLC mount. I recommend both. The stubby is great for trails with trees and the 6db gives you lots of range. The MXT275 also has two speakers, one in the mic, and one in the base unit, so, you can really crank up the volume on that unit. I also carry two GMRS midland handhelds that we can hand out to anyone in our group. They are cheap and work great. You cannot say that about CB.

Here are some pics.

I like these lip mounts. Do they hit the hood, and does the position provide good reception?

 

[Sunbeam63]

This is my setup in my Jeep. 50W BTech. Very clean setup you will not see an exposed wire anywhere except where it enters and exits the radio everywhere else it is all run behind the trim. It works super well I was using simplex Saturday to talk to my brother in law and was picking him up fine up to around 14 miles away when I'd get to a good vantage point I've heard of people getting almost twice that in open line of sight.There are a few repeaters in my area but they're down until the solar panels can charge the batteries up again. I say get your license, get your radio, get CHIRP, and get to broadcasting.

This is the unit I’m considering. Your location is interesting, I had not considered mounting it there.

 

[Radio Guy]

I like these lip mounts. Do they hit the hood, and does the position provide good reception?

Regards,

Solomon

The under hood lip mount as pictured above puts the antenna about 7" below the hood and distorts the pattern quite a bit. A much better solution is a trunk lip mount on top of the hood either side of the hood hinge. This puts the antenna on top of the hood and in the clear giving a better omni directional pattern. Its less important for CB with its longer wavelength but for UHF/GMRS it will be a noticeable improvement.

I've used various brands like Larsen, Laird and Maxrad and put a pair of black Laird mounts on my JT as they were offered at about half price on eBay. Here is the version I got, which is about a $40 retail item for under $20 here. https://www.ebay.com/itm/153412489927?hash=item23b818d2c7:g:X7QAAOSw~Fpchym1

Here is a picture of a Laird NMO trunk lip mount on a JT hood with a huge Larsen dual band VHF/UHF antenna.

 

[Radio Guy]

As a follow up to my last post, I'm not a big fan of the short fat stubby plastic antennas shown in many posts here as they are less efficient than a simple 6" long 1/4 wave whip in most cases. The absolute worst is the short stubby plastic VHF or VHF/UHF dual band versions where VHF performance is absolutely dismal.

For GMRS a simple 6" 1/4 wave whip on an NMO mount is adequate for most and for the best distance one of the roughly 2ft long colinear types will extend your range some. One post above shows some narrow antenna patterns as a reason not to use a high gain antenna for communicating from high on a mountain to way down below because the antenna pattern will restrict signals going up high and down low.

This is somewhat true but usually doesn't apply to two mobiles talking simplex to each other. In fact two 2ft tall gain type antennas on GMRS will generally give better comms from high on a hill to the base of the hill and the antenna patterns vs gain in the example given are a bit exaggerated. The problem talking from the top of a mountain to the base is from using a high gain repeater antenna like 10dBd gain on the mountain top which will have a thin narrow beam width and will shoot over someone at the base of the mountain. You don't have to worry about extreme narrow beam widths on a GMRS mobile antenna and not getting from the bottom of the hill to the top. I've tested this many times over the years with a back seat full of different antennas swapping them all around while talking up and down 5k ft mountains to mobiles and repeaters and noting any differences.

Another thing to consider is 1/2 wave over 1/2 wave or 5/8 over 5/8 wave mobile colinear antenna has at the most 3dB gain over a dipole or 3dBd gain and not 5 or 7 or some other nonsense. Many antenna gain figures are complete made up lies by the antenna mfrs or they are using dBi as the standard, which would show 2.14dB higher than the same antenna referenced to a dipole and that's where you might see 5+ dB gain from a UHF mobile antenna, which is not realistic for a 2ft high GMRS antenna.

Anyway, here is a reasonable and cheap 1/4 wave whip for GMRS and 70cm amateur costing about $15 with shipping. This is what I use much of the time unless I'm needing to talk 20+ mi down the highway and then I'll switch to a 2ft long colinear type which works a little better. I use this antenna on my trunk lip mount on the hood as shown above and this works better than the short stubby plastic types and will not bend the mount or tear off if you snag something.

https://www.amazon.com/Tram-410MHz-490MHz-Pre-Tuned-Antenna/dp/B00IDTJ2VS/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1LR96XC0534WW&keywords=tram+uhf+antenna&qid=1641400552&sprefix=tram+uhf+antenna,aps,108&sr=8-4

 

[AKDrifter]

This is the unit I’m considering. Your location is interesting, I had not considered mounting it there.

That is the Waylife CB Bar. It's a little spendy but it puts the radio in a super convenient spot to be able to monitor the radio. The passenger footwell mounts or underseat you'd better be really good with your keypad or have a removable faceplate. I cycle through 2 repeaters, 1 simplex channel and NOAA constantly, I like to be able to see exactly where I am.

 

[Labrat1970]

I’m interested in getting a GMRS radio, but I’m not sure if I have a practical use for it. I don’t anticipate going on trails with my gladiator, except for some level B’s in the Midwest.

I do hunting and will be doing circuit racing where I think a two way radio might be a benefit. However, I’m not sure if that’s really enough to justify it.

So, what reason should I tell my wife when a GMRS radio shows up from Amazon? Or alternatively, what do you use yours for?

Cell phone didn’t work, the GMRS did on our last two trips.

 

[hjdca]

As a follow up to my last post, I'm not a big fan of the short fat stubby plastic antennas shown in many posts here as they are less efficient than a simple 6" long 1/4 wave whip in most cases. The absolute worst is the short stubby plastic VHF or VHF/UHF dual band versions where VHF performance is absolutely dismal.

For GMRS a simple 6" 1/4 wave whip on an NMO mount is adequate for most and for the best distance one of the roughly 2ft long colinear types will extend your range some. One post above shows some narrow antenna patterns as a reason not to use a high gain antenna for communicating from high on a mountain to way down below because the antenna pattern will restrict signals going up high and down low.

This is somewhat true but usually doesn't apply to two mobiles talking simplex to each other. In fact two 2ft tall gain type antennas on GMRS will generally give better comms from high on a hill to the base of the hill and the antenna patterns vs gain in the example given are a bit exaggerated. The problem talking from the top of a mountain to the base is from using a high gain repeater antenna like 10dBd gain on the mountain top which will have a thin narrow beam width and will shoot over someone at the base of the mountain. You don't have to worry about extreme narrow beam widths on a GMRS mobile antenna and not getting from the bottom of the hill to the top. I've tested this many times over the years with a back seat full of different antennas swapping them all around while talking up and down 5k ft mountains to mobiles and repeaters and noting any differences.

Another thing to consider is 1/2 wave over 1/2 wave or 5/8 over 5/8 wave mobile colinear antenna has at the most 3dB gain over a dipole or 3dBd gain and not 5 or 7 or some other nonsense. Many antenna gain figures are complete made up lies by the antenna mfrs or they are using dBi as the standard, which would show 2.14dB higher than the same antenna referenced to a dipole and that's where you might see 5+ dB gain from a UHF mobile antenna, which is not realistic for a 2ft high GMRS antenna.

Anyway, here is a reasonable and cheap 1/4 wave whip for GMRS and 70cm amateur costing about $15 with shipping. This is what I use much of the time unless I'm needing to talk 20+ mi down the highway and then I'll switch to a 2ft long colinear type which works a little better. I use this antenna on my trunk lip mount on the hood as shown above and this works better than the short stubby plastic types and will not bend the mount or tear off if you snag something.

https://www.amazon.com/Tram-410MHz-490MHz-Pre-Tuned-Antenna/dp/B00IDTJ2VS/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1LR96XC0534WW&keywords=tram+uhf+antenna&qid=1641400552&sprefix=tram+uhf+antenna,aps,108&sr=8-4

Ok, good recommendation. I bought it on Amazon. I will compare it to my Midland 3db stubby ghost antenna and the 6db Midland -- and see which one is better while 4wheeling in the mountains with the gang. Thanks !

 

[Mac Attack]

I’m interested in getting a GMRS radio, but I’m not sure if I have a practical use for it. I don’t anticipate going on trails with my gladiator, except for some level B’s in the Midwest.

I do hunting and will be doing circuit racing where I think a two way radio might be a benefit. However, I’m not sure if that’s really enough to justify it.

So, what reason should I tell my wife when a GMRS radio shows up from Amazon? Or alternatively, what do you use yours for?

Tell your wife you felt the purchase would improve your ability to communicate with her...you're all about improving your marriage and the value that you can provide to her. (recommend you be on your knees in a forgiving posture when you do this...tears in your eyes would be great).

 

[DanW]

Here's a fun video from a guy that teaches a great deal about GMRS radios. He's a Jeep guy, too. Most of his videos are not only informative, but hilarious.

 

[sarguy1941]

Too bad you can't use 19 in most of northern states...but he is a youtube guy so he doesn't care...

Sponsored