Thread: 2 wa;y radios
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Old November 24th 03, 11:56 PM
Frank
 
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Bill Smith ...

^ I am looking for a 2 way radio for hiking and hunting. I
^ would like one with a 5 mile range.

The problem you have is that handhelds have to transmit with low power (5
watts or less) so that they don't pump an unsafe level of radiation into your
face and so that they don't kill the battery the first time you transmit. For
most 5 watt handhelds, 5 miles is at the extreme edge of their range.

Your best option in my opinion is to get a handheld that can legally use an
external antenna, such as a CB radio or a MURS radio. You might be able to
use the stock antenna most of the time and switch to the external antenna
only when needed. If you're transmitting with a good external antenna five
miles away from someone else they should be able to hear you with their stock
antenna, then they can switch to the external antenna only if they can't get
back to you.

The CB will require a much longer antenna then the MURS, but this and its
higher power (5W as compared to 2W) will give you much more range. A CB
handheld is probably also much easier to obtain. Most people complain about
the noise on CB but most of that noise is on only the first 23 channels.
There are 40 channels.

Frank