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Radios

Yes, I carry the in-reach, but figured the radio would give me more options than just calling in the cavalry. In-reach is great when you're backs against the wall. Being able to text on it is cumbersome and I want to be able to talk to folks in the area. Toco Loco, that's a great set up!
 
I heard that midland was releasing a new 50 watt GMRS soon. That has me interested
 
Qwegly said:
Yes, I carry the in-reach, but figured the radio would give me more options than just calling in the cavalry. In-reach is great when you're backs against the wall. Being able to text on it is cumbersome and I want to be able to talk to folks in the area. Toco Loco, that's a great set up!
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That is exactly why I carry a hand held cb, gmrs and ham radio.
 
bonifacio said:
Are you guys familiar with the Boafeng radios?
Worth it for the price or do you recommend against them?
Was reading into it and it seems pretty easy to set up.
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I have several Baofengs and highly recommend them, especially for the price and battery life. You just need to make sure not to use any licensed frequencies (unless you're licensed, of course) as the Baofengs are capable of some.
 
I just ordered the new midland 50 watt GMRS. I was wanting to mount my Antenna on the side of my Prinsu rack. The stealth antenna. Would this be ok or do I need to do the hood mount for ground plan and reflection etc.?
 
Hunter399 said:
I just ordered the new midland 50 watt GMRS. I was wanting to mount my Antenna on the side of my Prinsu rack. The stealth antenna. Would this be ok or do I need to do the hood mount for ground plan and reflection etc.?
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You should be good. The higher the antenna, the better. Since you're using a stealth style, this will probably be the best bet for you.
 
Hunter399 said:
I just ordered the new midland 50 watt GMRS. I was wanting to mount my Antenna on the side of my Prinsu rack. The stealth antenna. Would this be ok or do I need to do the hood mount for ground plan and reflection etc.?
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on the side of the rack will work. I have mine there and it works well. just make sure when you get the midland that you make sure all the Chanels are set to wide band.
 
bonifacio said:
Are you guys familiar with the Boafeng radios?
Worth it for the price or do you recommend against them?
Was reading into it and it seems pretty easy to set up.
Click to expand...
I just ordered a B-Tech (family of Baofeng) tri-band off of Amazon. $70.... Also ordered a programming cable and a large capacity battery. $110 all in. I'll be buying a magnet mount or similar for when I'm in the work van or truck. I'm looking at an Icon 2730A for a permanent mobile rig in the truck once I get fully involved in the ham world.
 
I have General Ham license as well and a GMRS license good for the family. There is much more "stuff" on the HAM bands but its much easier to stay connected with a group on GMRS - IMHO. With the GMRS license, your whole family can talk to each other under current regs. With 50 watt rigs for Both GMRS and HAM, you have a lot of power to reach out to folks. In addition there are a few GMRS repeaters popping up so you can reach out pretty far. If I had to do it again, I think I would go just GMRS - the price for the license has gone down and I really don't use the HAM bands much.
 
I recently joined the GMRS world, a step up from the CB I used for the last 10 years. Midland USA sells kits with two handhelds and a truck mounted unit. I opted for the MTX115 since it is small, but also supports repeaters (there are a few local to me that I can bounce off of) in an emergency. I figured I can give the handhelds to buddies or the kids if we’re camped and still communicate on the truck mounted unit. Handhelds are fairly low power, but seem to work so far.

I mounted the slim antenna and use Ram Mount cup holder.

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I have a HAM Yeasu FT-60-R and a CB.
www.hamradio.com

YAESU FT-60R

144-148 / 430-450 MHz Dual Band Hand Held FM Transceiver - 5 Watts - 1000 Memories - Wideband RX
www.hamradio.com

The CB is useless, and was a minimum club requirement for trail rides before I purchased my HAM. Now the club has gone to FRS/GMRS. GMRS still requires an FCC license and the fee is still $70 for 10 years. FRS does not require a license. The GMRS fee was 'approved' to be reduced to $35 for 10 years, but that hasn't happened yet and probably won't until 2023 according to the FCC.
 
Everyone mentions here that an Amateur license is only good for ten years.

Yes and no.

All that really means is, you just have to renew it every ten years, w/o having to take another exam again. It's really easy to do via the FCC website.

You're simply reapplying for your existing license for another ten years.

Keep your language clean w/no cursing, be polite, and follow the rules.

Finally, w/o a license, you can only use an amateur radio for an emergency situation only. "PERIOD"! Outside of that, get yourself a license.
 
baofeng radios are by far the cheapest... although not as compact as some of the midland GMRS radios.. the baofeng handset is cheap, and the antenna it comes with is not the greatest.. I upgraded mine to a Nagoya 771-NA whip antenna and got a bit more range of reception.. I since upgraded to a Midland GMRS MXT275 w/ 6dB whip.. and I just installed a new Midland GMRS MXT500 with a 6dB whip... have yet to test it out.. but should be getting close to 10miles+ range with it. The handhelds inside a cab will be lucky to get 2-3miles reception/transmission due to antenna size, interference, and wattage limitations.
 
GoHack said:
w/o a license, you can only use an amateur radio for an emergency situation only. "PERIOD"!
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Clearly no one is actually enforcing that. It seems HAM people with licenses are the only ones who seem to care if unlicensed people are using them. With all the Baofengs in use out in the middle of nowhere I've run into MANY MANY people who are running without a license.

Not me though, those things have way too many buttons. I'm totally satisfied to talk to my convoys on CB.
 
RevN3 said:
Clearly no one is actually enforcing that. It seems HAM people with licenses are the only ones who seem to care if unlicensed people are using them. With all the Baofengs in use out in the middle of nowhere I've run into MANY MANY people who are running without a license.

Not me though, those things have way too many buttons. I'm totally satisfied to talk to my convoys on CB.
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no-one in my groups uses CB, or HAM for comms as GMRS/FRS is far more common and available. GMRS can transmit on an FRS available frequency at lower wattages... so my groups have gone to fully GMRS within the group... its a one time fee of $30(I beleive this is in effect now), or $70 (what I paid 2 years ago) to cover me for 10 years.

CB can be used, and some use it to listen out for logging trucks.. but even the logging trucks have gone away from CB, and tend to use MURS frequencies..

HAM is a bit pricey for most, as well as getting the classes, testing, and licensing are a bit more than some want to chew...

GMRS is a clear winner as far as power, range, clarity, affordability, and gear availability.

I have my GMRS license, and a new MXT500 w/ a 6dB whip... have to do some testing, but believe it will get me near the 10+miles I'd like to have (vehicle to vehicle, no repeaters where we go..). the MXT275 I had got me to around 7miles with obstructions/hills.
 
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HAM Radio: as cheap as $25 (Baofeng UV-5R on Amazon), $150 for Yaesu (HRO online). YAESU FT-60R Transceivers HT Dual Band 2m-70cm, FT60R (https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-007323)
HAM Class - Free Online
HAM Test/License - $15 includes license fee (10 year). Starting July 2022 there will be a fee for the test.

GMRS Radio: About $120+
GMRS Class/Test: None
GMRS License Fee: Still $70 for 10 years. FCC approved a reduced fee of $35 for 10 years, but Congress hasn't approved it yet and likely won't happen until 2023, if then.

Why Do I Need a GMRS Radio License & How Do I Get It?

The FCC requires a GMRS license to regulate frequencies that are used by two-way radio devices. Read this blog and learn more about GMRS licensing process.
midlandusa.com midlandusa.com
 
406Camper said:
HAM Radio: as cheap as $25 (Baofeng UV-5R on Amazon), $150 for Yaesu (HRO online). YAESU FT-60R Transceivers HT Dual Band 2m-70cm, FT60R (https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-007323)
HAM Class - Free Online
HAM Test/License - $15 includes license fee (10 year). Starting July 2022 there will be a fee for the test.

GMRS Radio: About $120+
GMRS Class/Test: None
GMRS License Fee: Still $70 for 10 years. FCC approved a reduced fee of $35 for 10 years, but Congress hasn't approved it yet and likely won't happen until 2023, if then.

Why Do I Need a GMRS Radio License & How Do I Get It?

The FCC requires a GMRS license to regulate frequencies that are used by two-way radio devices. Read this blog and learn more about GMRS licensing process.
midlandusa.com midlandusa.com
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The $35 fee for GMRS and the $35 Amateur fee takes effect 4/19/22.
 
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