I am in the market for a pair of gmrs radios, and was wondering what your opinions are on the various models available. I am primarily interested in the highest quality, longest range model I can find. Thanks for the help!

Motorola makes the best for the money. Cobra would be the next best, Uniden and others at the bottom of the pile.

Get Motorola and you will be satisfied, and more likely to interchange with others.

thanks for the info, ben

With it coming up on hunting season you might be able to get a good sale. I just got an in store sale of a pair of $100 radios for about $80 but the kicker was it was a buy one get one free sale on top of that so I ended up with $200 worth of radios for $80

Rechargable batteries are nice, but the ability to use AA or AAA in a pinch would seem, to me, to be vital.

The ideal would be the ability to use either.

Most GMRS users get the license (you do need a license to operate GMRS) for one of two reasons:

1 - To have a radio that provides longer direct transcieving range because of increaed trasmitting power.

TRUTH: Get a GMRS radio with a removable antenna. Range is 99% antenna and 1% power. The primary antenna factor is height. GMRS signal is mostly line-of-sight. A hybrid GMRS/FRS which has a fixed, non-removable antenna, will have about the same range as a regular FRS radio. If you want to increase range, get a GMRS radio with a removable antenna and attach the radio to an external antenna which maximizes height - some use rope to haul an antenna up into a tree.

2 - To access GMRS-only channels and thus avoid the chatter on FRS frequencies.

TRUTH: The extensive sales of hybrid GMRS/FRS radios along with the unlicensed (illegal) use of the GMRS-only channels difficult in "active" areas - such as Disney properties and the like. Luckily the radios have limited range and in less popular areas you should find inactive frequenceis. Consider getting a MURS radio instead.

3 - To access GMRS repeaters

TRUTH: Use of a GMRS repeater can dramatically increase your range, since the repeater antennas are usually placed for maximum range in the area. Its that line-of-sight thing again. First you'd need a GMRS radio that is repeater compatible - that broadcasts on one frequency and recieved another. Second, you'll need to get permission to use most GMRS repeaters, since they are privately owned.

Some useful links:

http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/ - FCC Universal Licensing

http://www.provide.net/~prsg/ - Personal Radio Steering Group site

http://popupcamping.tripod.com/frs.html - FRS Radios and the Real World

http://www.ultimatefrs.com/ - Ultimate Reference Site for Family Radio, GMRS, MURS and PMR446 Radios

http://www.gmrsweb.com/gmrs.html - Popular wireless magazine GMRS site

Bravo!!!

Saved me the trouble.

Give these a look. Not great for range but GPS Position Reporting feature & unit polling can be a life saver: Garmin Rino

I have a Rino 120 battery powered radio/gps. A great little system. Power cord adapter for car use, battery powered in the backwoods. Radio is a little underpowered but sufficient for my use (usually boat to boat in Northern Canada).

Garmin just introduced 2 new Rino models, with better radio range, but they are rechargeables. In my opinion, it kind nixes there usefulness for backwoods/survival purposes

Go talk to a real land-mobile radio dealer. You want to look for commercial quality gear. Real GMRS radios are "repeater-capable" (tell your dealer you want this feature). Oh, and get a license, if you don't have one already. GMRS is a license-required service.

I second the Rino recommendation. I have the 110 and it is compatible with the Motorolas my hunting buddies use.

Regards, Vince

Amper,
Yeah - if you want the BEST quality units - your's is the way to go - People do NOT realize the difference in quality you get when you buy even low end "commercial" land mobile radios

Can someone give an idea how long it takes to get the license? I was thinking about getting a pair of radios and was wondering if I would get the license in ~1month?

Thanks,

-john

Edit: And can someone say more about exactly you mean by a land-mobile dealer is and where I might find one in my area? Thanks. -john

Edit2: Also, some specific make/model recommendations would be great - something that is a) repeater compatible, b) removable ant., c) "commercial", d) AA batteries. Thanks. -john

Naah, it's pretty much immediate. Fill out the form online, then use your telephone number as your callsign till the database gives you your real callsign in a day or two.

It's a tedious process. Go to
https://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do
and get yourself a FRN (they explain it on the page).

Then go to
http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/personal/generalmobile/licensing/
and follow the directions. The US$80 fee is good for five years, and the license covers the members of your family.

What is it that you want them for? It's hard to give any advice without knowing the intended use. Lots of peope rcommend commercial radios, commenting that they can drive their ambulance over them, use them to drive nails, and so on. These radios cost an arm and a leg and can't be programmed without a computer. I never use my radio to change tires or drive nails, so that quality is a waste of money for me.

I'm not sure anybody's making 'real' GMRS radios anymore -- I think they're all Combo FRS/GMRS, which means low wattage and fixed antennas. That may be fine for you, but who can tell? My preference is for GMRS-only radios with a removable antenna and 4 or 5 watts, but I can't find any in my budget and that have full programming from a keypad. I'd check eBay for Radio Shack GMRS radios that are 5 watts if I were in the market for GMRS radios for my personal use. But they're simplex only; I never use nor need to use a repeater, so that's not an issue for me. I have no idea if you need or have access to a GMRS repeater.

I wore out a pair of Cobra 1000s, which were 2W simplex GMRS-only radios. Two watts was fine with their antennas, and we worked with a group who were using 5W business band radios -- no one noticed any difference. I use the Radio Shack 5W radios which are no longer made and Midland GXT-400 Combo FRS/GMRS radios (which I think is 2W, but has the fixed antenna which sacrifices the power) depending on what my needs are for the radio.

Whatever radio you choose, be sure to download the manual and read the instructions for changing settings. Some are so arcane as to render the radio completely useless without having the manual with you at all times.

John,
"Land Mobile" radio dealers are the folks who sell commecial radios for trucks/taxis/fire departments/police etc - they also sell the fixed side of the system, but in general, they are selling radios meant for 2 way communications on land, where at least one side is "Mobile"

BTW to give you an idea of the difference between even ham gear (which is built better than most GMRS units) and commercial gear - I'm the Radio Mile Post captain at Mile 14 on the NYC Marathon - that spot is what we refer to as "intermod alley" - you go down there with most radios, and your going to hear all sorts of horrible noise on your radio - mostly pagers - you will hear them on almost ANY UHF radio you bring down there - EXCEPT commercial LM radios - they stay silent, and when you are listening to someone talking to you, you don't get the constant screech of the pager transmissions

There IS a problem with commercial LM radios however - depending on what you want, they can cost more money than you probably want to spend (like $1700!! EACH) - then again, they might have a used one hanging around for a < $100. Almost any LMR (Land Moible Radio) will be more rugged, will definately be repeater capible etc - I saw one dropped more than 100ft off a tower a while back - guy got back to the bottom, picked up the radio, dusted it off, looked at it, and made some test transmissions - worked fine - hung it back on his belt, kept going. I carry the same model - I think I paid $75 for mine, and another $75 for second battery - often the used radios are cheaper than a brand new replacement battery

To sum it up - a commercial LMR is meant to be carried, all day, every day, and just WORK - think anout what your local police department carries - that is LMR