Off-road Radio: CB vs HAM vs GMRS

[octanejunkie]

Just got notification that the GMRS license fee will reduce to $35 (from $70) starting tomorrow, April 19, 2022

Amateur and GMRS license fees change to $35 on April 19, 2022

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[calimobber]

thats not a bad deal at $35 but honestly I got my HAM license just after high school like 20 years ago and it only gotten easier.

I honestly just printed out all the questions and answers and read them once or twice so when I went to do the test I just reconized the answer haha. I honestly think ham is the way to go. I have my Hams modified so I can talk on FRS or GMRS so I can chat with whoever is around. Just be smart about it an have power turned down and you will be fine.

I normally carry a few Hand Helds to let friends use since most people forget/dont bring radios but they make the trips more enjoyable.

In reaches are great for emergencyes and i have one but doesnt help for chatting on the trails.

 

[octanejunkie]

I decided to go HAM (which can access GMRS) and on a radio model. I ordered an AnyTone AT-778UV Dual Band Transceiver Mobile Radio VHF/Uhf Two Way Radio from Amazon:
AnyTone AT-778UV Dual Band Transceiver Mobile Radio VHF/Uhf Two Way Radio : Electronics

I found a few online study guides (free) and started studying for my Technician class license. Now I need to work on an antenna/mount... maybe something like this:
​Amazon.com: HYS Amateur Antennas Dual-Band NMO 20 Inch Antenna VHF 144/UHF 430MHz NMO L Shape Mount Mobile Antenna Bracket W/13 ft RG58 Coax Cable NMO to UHF-male/PL259 for Motorola Kenwood Midland Mobile Radios : Electronics

I have a rear tail light bracket (passenger side) I could use but haven't installed yet and if I don't have to run a cable to the rear of the truck that makes my life easier.
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[patkelly4370]

Here is the definitive answer.
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS - How Do You Get Help When Overlanding, Hiking, Off-Roading, or Camping? - YouTube

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[octanejunkie]

Here is the definitive answer.
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS - How Do You Get Help When Overlanding, Hiking, Off-Roading, or Camping? - YouTube

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"the answer is there is no good answer, don't go alone"

Well, emergencies or going alone and having an emergency wasn't the focus/request outlined at the beginning of this thread, but short of a satellite phone or an inreach account, I'm going to go HAM with GMRS as an option.

I already have the GMRS license, and the radio I've chosen gets me all the frequencies required, satellite phone was an option and I did consider it briefly.



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[alia176]

Last weekend I ran a trail with a 4runner group and they had GMRS while I have a HAM radio, capable of transmitting in GMRS & FRS radio freqs. I volunteered to be the tailgunner in a group of 20 rigs so we were probably stretched out less than half mile. As I predicted, GMRS radios sounds like crap, just like FRS radios when you lose LOS (line of sight).

My landcruiser club have switched over to HAM 2M radios from CB radios and I'm hoping this will be the norm. Some of my landcruiser group convoys stretch out to five miles due to the dust and low visibility. Even a 2M hand held radio has a hard time covering that distance w/o an external antenna.

Any handheld radio with dinky output power and an antenna will NOT reach out far. Period, end of story. You can help this out by using an external mag mount on the roof or the hood to throw your signal out farther and you'll be amazed. I highly encourage radio operators to invest in a mag mount external antenna for your HTs (handie talkie). You'll have a much better experience when you can talk / listen farther four car lengths!

Another thing to keep in mind and that is a powerful radio is only good to transmit far. The guy at the other end can hear you with his HT but when he transmits, you can't hear him. So, it's kind of pointless to have only one high output radio in a field of low output radios. That's why in my landcruiser group we put permanently mounted HAM radio operators at the lead and tail ends. This allows us to herd the kittens a little easier

Additionally, I'm a solo traveller and try to keep the HAM radio repeater list updated of the area I'll be tooling around in. Just in case I need help or I need to send SOS for another person(s), I can ping a repeater. Once a repeater is hit, then bunch of other linked repeaters will get hit and I can pull in EMS as needed. I've ran into stuck rigs or hurt MTBers who needed EMS and we were out of cell range. It feels great to contribute to society whenever we can, as you know.

Just my .02 cents.

Cheers.

 

[alkCo]

Unsurprinsgly, ham radio operators make good pints about the virtues of ham radio. It seems that ham is the ideal choice.

I’ll plug GMRS/FRS radios again, though. One advantage (of FRS, in particular) is that you can give a handheld radio to your kids and let the rugrats run around the neighborhood but still call ‘em home for dinner. I did that for a couple years with my little ones while they were too young for cell phones. They had plenty of range for that. So ham is cool, yeah, but you can’t do that with ham.

I hate buying single-use devices that are tied in one spot, so ham doesn’t really interest me.

Also, Costco has been carrying the inReach mini in their warehouses lately for $100 under retail. FYI.

 

[octanejunkie]

Unsurprinsgly, ham radio operators make good pints about the virtues of ham radio. It seems that ham is the ideal choice.



I’ll plug GMRS/FRS radios again, though. One advantage (of FRS, in particular) is that you can give a handheld radio to your kids and let the rugrats run around the neighborhood but still call ‘em home for dinner. I did that for a couple years with my little ones while they were too young for cell phones. They had plenty of range for that. So ham is cool, yeah, but you can’t do that with ham.



I hate buying single-use devices that are tied in one spot, so ham doesn’t really interest me.



Also, Costco has been carrying the inReach mini in their warehouses lately for $100 under retail. FYI.

Appreciate all the points you make, HAM radio should be able to reach the GMRS/FRS bands so you can communicate with consumer technology devices.

As far as inreach, I think the device cost more to use than acquire, IIRC - thanks for the heads up on the Costco tip!

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[DAW89446]

I’ll plug GMRS/FRS radios again, though.

I used and enjoyed FRS communications between vehicles in a group between 2000 and 2005. Three or four friends, all of us who lived in widely scattered places, and I would take annual trips of up to two weeks exploring ghost towns of the Great Basin region of eastern California, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho, and drive and camp in our individual vehicles. Each of us had an FRS hand held unit.

We would often be up to two or three miles between the lead vehicle and the last, but unless in a canyon we could often communicate front to back or at least hit one or two of us, who could relay a message to the front (I usually took the rear, as I often was stopping to take photos and video). I remember a couple of times where I was traveling to a planned meeting location and I would call out and get a response of up to 20 miles away. Of course, I was up on a mountain, they would be down in a valley.

I had a Motorola model that had a large front mounted transmit button. It had a clip that opened enough to clip it to my visor, up next to my garage door opener. It was quite handy in that location.

Good times, good memories, simple times, simple equipment.

 

[octanejunkie]

While I bought a HAM (Anytone AT-778UV) I found a sick deal on an AT-779UV and picked it up - just like [MENTION=5345]habanero[/MENTION] shared, this radio has a mode select feature you can get into on startup, and choose from dual band, GMRS and more

Mode select access: turn on the radio holding down the V/M button then use the arrow keys. Be warned, changing modes will reset the radio

I can easily swap radios in my rig but until I get my HAM license I have the 779 installed in the truck.

FWIW, the AT-779UV is the same radio as the Retevis RA25 with the same 25W capabilities

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