Yes, but you *can* replace that antenna! A decent (yet still relatively
small) antenna plus an increase to 2 watts would yield a considerable gain.

73 from Rochester, NY
Jim


"Duh" wrote in message
. ..

"Jim Hampton" wrote in message
...
Just a thought here. True the FRS units are a commodity (selling price
near
the higher end throw-away cameras) and their range is limited, but they
don't have to contend with skip. One possibility might be MURS. With a
2
watt limit and a much more efficient antenna than the 27 MHz units,
these
may make a lot of sense (especially if they get the prices down). I
would
expect 5 miles between handhelds on MURS (but then, I may be ever the
optimist


73 from Rochester, NY
Jim

Maybe over flat unobstructed ground (which is the optimistic way they rate
distance anyway, but who lives at Bonneville Salt Flats?), but in the real
world, usually a bit less. I have used MURS at the deer lease though, and
in
wooded and slightly hilly terrain, we were getting around 2 miles at near
full quieting, with one watt and the tremendously inefficient rubber duck
antenna.




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.500 / Virus Database: 298 - Release Date: 7/10/03