I've broached this subject before, some time ago.
I have a few health problems but would like to go hunting again.
Communication link with wife is essential. Any decent hunting is
probably 20 miles away. Cell phones don't work for much of that area.
In addition when we travel, in the RV cell phones some time don't work
and if one of us needs to go somewhere by ourselves we need communication.
The GMRS and FRS combo radios, we've tried, so far are a joke.
The ones we have now are Motorola. Paid about a hundred dollars for both
of them. Trees, hills etc stop them. Plus the switches don't work worth
a darn. That is critical when trying to guide Wife, backing the RV into
a site.
Talked to a Dealer today about 2 meter radios. He was all negative and
wanted to sell us two 300.00 each GMRS/FRS radios or other radios that
he said would let us communicate over a small town 400.00 each. Yeah right.
He wanted a minimum of 800.00 each for 2 meter hand held radios.
That included the battery, charger, the little antenna and microphone.
he talked about all the complications of using the 2 meter and repeaters
etc.
Which way to go for a decent range hand held radio?
Thanks

LilAbner wrote:
I've broached this subject before, some time ago.
I have a few health problems but would like to go hunting again.
Communication link with wife is essential. Any decent hunting is
probably 20 miles away. Cell phones don't work for much of that area.
In addition when we travel, in the RV cell phones some time don't work
and if one of us needs to go somewhere by ourselves we need communication.
The GMRS and FRS combo radios, we've tried, so far are a joke.
The ones we have now are Motorola. Paid about a hundred dollars for both
of them. Trees, hills etc stop them. Plus the switches don't work worth
a darn. That is critical when trying to guide Wife, backing the RV into
a site.
Talked to a Dealer today about 2 meter radios. He was all negative and
wanted to sell us two 300.00 each GMRS/FRS radios or other radios that
he said would let us communicate over a small town 400.00 each. Yeah right.
He wanted a minimum of 800.00 each for 2 meter hand held radios.
That included the battery, charger, the little antenna and microphone.
he talked about all the complications of using the 2 meter and repeaters
etc.
Which way to go for a decent range hand held radio?
Thanks

That's a rip off on 2 meter radios, which require a Technician license to use.
Look into MURS, a 2 watt VHF Part 95 service. Use one of the first 3 frequencies
as the last 2 are the "Wal*Mart" channels, used by road crews and the like.

http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/ind...e&id=multi_use

*151.82
*151.88
*151.94
-154.57
-154.60

*11.25KHz deviation
-12.50KHz deviation

Make sure you are using these frequencies as there is no room for slip ups
in that range. There is public service and licensed operations nearby and
they won't stand for intruders.

On 6/28/2011 12:25 AM, Scott in Baltimore wrote:
LilAbner wrote:
I've broached this subject before, some time ago.
I have a few health problems but would like to go hunting again.
Communication link with wife is essential. Any decent hunting is
probably 20 miles away. Cell phones don't work for much of that area.
In addition when we travel, in the RV cell phones some time don't work
and if one of us needs to go somewhere by ourselves we need
communication.
The GMRS and FRS combo radios, we've tried, so far are a joke.
The ones we have now are Motorola. Paid about a hundred dollars for
both of them. Trees, hills etc stop them. Plus the switches don't work
worth a darn. That is critical when trying to guide Wife, backing the
RV into a site.
Talked to a Dealer today about 2 meter radios. He was all negative and
wanted to sell us two 300.00 each GMRS/FRS radios or other radios that
he said would let us communicate over a small town 400.00 each. Yeah
right.
He wanted a minimum of 800.00 each for 2 meter hand held radios.
That included the battery, charger, the little antenna and microphone.
he talked about all the complications of using the 2 meter and
repeaters etc.
Which way to go for a decent range hand held radio?
Thanks

That's a rip off on 2 meter radios, which require a Technician license
Not really the range I was hoping for. Things are a lot further apart,
in some places we camp, or the few accessible locations, from home,
where it might be possible to do a little hunting.

On 6/29/11 2:14 PM, LilAbner wrote:

Not really the range I was hoping for. Things are a lot further apart,
in some places we camp, or the few accessible locations, from home,
where it might be possible to do a little hunting.

Take a look at MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service)-capable radios. 5W and
they operate on 5 channels just north of 2m - somewhere in the 152MHz
range, IIRC. No licence required; they typically have decent coverage.

The downside is that there aren't a lot of manufacturers out there
making them, so they are kinda pricey. But a secondhand MARS/CAPped
2m/440 HT would fit the bill nicely

- J.

That's a rip off on 2 meter radios, which require a Technician license

Not really the range I was hoping for. Things are a lot further apart,
in some places we camp, or the few accessible locations, from home,
where it might be possible to do a little hunting.

OK. I have found 100 watts on 80 meters(3.5MHz) to work long ground wave.
A repeater is a station that receives on one frequency and simultaneously
retransmitting it on another frequency. These stations are usually located
in high places to maximize range. Using hand held radios will always be
less then optimum as the radios are low power and have inefficient antennas.

There is no cheap and easy fix to getting more then 3 or 4 miles from ground
based radios. Get a commercial repeater or a ham ticket. Ham can not be used
for business or any way that making money is involved. $800 will buy a lot
of radios on VHF/UHF. That guy is trying to get rich on you. Used gear gets
just as much range as new gear. The antenna is the weakest link.

John Harbl wrote:
On 6/29/11 2:14 PM, LilAbner wrote:

Not really the range I was hoping for. Things are a lot further apart,
in some places we camp, or the few accessible locations, from home,
where it might be possible to do a little hunting.

Take a look at MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service)-capable radios. 5W and
they operate on 5 channels just north of 2m - somewhere in the 152MHz
range, IIRC. No licence required; they typically have decent coverage.

The downside is that there aren't a lot of manufacturers out there
making them, so they are kinda pricey. But a secondhand MARS/CAPped
2m/440 HT would fit the bill nicely

- J.

2 watts, but who's counting?

On 6/29/11 7:38 PM, Scott in Baltimore wrote:

Take a look at MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service)-capable radios. 5W and
they operate on 5 channels just north of 2m - somewhere in the 152MHz
range, IIRC. No licence required; they typically have decent coverage.

2 watts, but who's counting?

Well, I'll be damned. It is 2W. Probably confused it with... Well,
something else, anyway. Not GMRS or FRS, that's for sure. I know that
the MURS regs have been revised a couple of times, so maybe it was an
old number that I was quoting. In any event, not what I thought it was.

I'll be sure to crank down the Tx power next time I'm on MURS with the HT

- J.