Hello,

I was at a sports store today and saw many on clearance. Mostly Motorola.

I would basically want to use it when I go camping? Any suggestions? Or a website that does ratings?

P.S I have started to build my EDC and PSK. Everything based on THIS FORUM. So I thank EVERYONE for their fine support and suggestions. And thank Mr Ritter also for this fine site.

Chicago,

You were probably seeing the Motorola branded GMRS and FRS handheld radios. If they have 22 channels with PL, or private line codes, then they are the GMRS/FRS combo radios. GMRS allows for up to a 10 mile range depending upon multiple variables. You need a license for GMRS, which can be done on-line through FCC.gov The FCC charges $80 USD for the license and you cannot use certain frequencies along the Canadian border due to potential harmful interference. For more information on these units try www.gmrs.org and www.frs.org I hope this helps.

Stargazer

You probably found the FRS/GRS radios, a lot of times they get labeled as CB's.
I just bought a new one for my truck, Cobra 25, it was a little smaller than the popular cobra 29's and has NOAA weather monitoring as well.
I'm going to pick up a handheld for camping and hunting and such.

I like the motorola units.. Before buying, I would double check to make sure that they can take ordinary AA or AAA batteries. Some of the units now only do a proprietory rechargeable.. The rechargeable is fine for everyday use, but it's always better to be able to use regular batteries in emergencies.

Get a longer range model -- 8,10, 12 or 14 mile. These ratings are optimistic and drop off with interference from trees, buildings, etc. A belt clip and charger are nice festures.

TRO

Unfortunately many folks are not getting the GMRS license from the FCC and using the "blister pack" radios from their local electronics aisle anyway. Plus, many manufacturers are marketing them as "FRS / GMRS" radios. (I think eventually we will see the GMRS license requirement go away, similar to what happened with the MURS VHF frequencies after radio makers flooded the market with cheap models.)

Something else to consider is eventually going for your ham radio license. The ARRL has a good section for new folks:

http://www.arrl.org/

When CB radio was introduced in the early sixties, an FCC license with an assigned call sign, was required. (Still have mine.)
When the CB boom hit, the feds finally gave up and eliminated the license requirement.

"There is nothing so frightening as ignorance in action."

Let me make a suggestion that's just slightly off topic. Get your amateur radio license. I promise you it isnt that difficult, and you would have a more reliable, or at least more likely, audience on the other end in case something dire occured, whether it was an individual incident, such as running out of gasoline, or something more pervasive. See arrl.org for how to proceed. KI4OBM Or send me a private email and I will help you. Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with the advice previously posted regarding the CB's. And I have nothing against these other modes of communication, by the way. Greg

It's hard to find a pure FRS (Family Radio Service) radio anymore, but they're 14 channels (or less) and 1/2 watt (or less). No license requirement at all.

The most common is the combination FRS/GMRS radio with 22 channels and up to 5 watts. Though a license is technically required for GMRS, I have never heard of it being enforced. They're a great value these days. Make sure to get ones with the full five watts (many have less). I like ones that take AA or AAA batteries rather than rechargables. The hard-to-find feature I look for are ones with real on-off switches, like a volume knob that doubles as the on-off. Those actually disconnect all power when they're off. The ones that have push-button on-off switches have some little microprocessor running all the time, so they'll slowly kill their batteries.

Ham radio is a reasonably good option. It can get expensive, but you've got the ultimate flexibility.

And with Ham radio, if you buy the RIGHT radios, you can have a GMRS/Ham radio - the trick to this is to get a GMRS approved radio that can go into the ham band - NOT the other way around. Easiest way is to use commercial grade radios (aka things like GE/Erricson/Ma-com MPAs or MRKs or Motorola Sabres etc) - right now, they can be had cheap