Thanks for the feedback! What do you mean filling out a paper? There are at least 4-8 channels I read about no license required. Plus too, my boys are all pretty sharp, getting radios set up would be fun lol.
Filling out a paper means you'll have to get a license of some kind, in other words do more than open up the package and start keying up.
The "no license required" channels (defined as FRS) only put out at 0.5 watt. The licensed GMRS channels put out 5.0 watts. All that info you see on the packing about range in miles is nowhere remotely close to the performance you can expect on FRS.
The radios are probably set up to switch power automatically depending on the channel, OR more likely you will be using the FRS channels at a higher output than allowed...as is allowed if you are GMRS licensed. (The radios will likely NOT prevent you from violating the power requirements.)
I will neither advocate or condemn you using the radios as you see fit. But I would like more people to be aware of what exactly they are doing. It's not exactly put out there in a way folks who are not into radio can understand. While you might make a personal decision on how you use your radios, you can't just ask your buddies to follow along very well unless they know what is up also.
Back to FRS, imagine how much use you are going to have out of radios that only put out 0.5 watt inside a vehicle that treats radio waves in a comparable way to how a silencer on a gun treats sound. Basically if you can see each other, they might work. While CB has ample disadvantages, setting up an external antenna makes it actually usable.
You and your boys won't be "setting up" any non-licensed radios outside CB. The non licensed radios, if legal, do not allow any external antennas. You get a walkie-talkie and turn it on.
There is MURS which allows some external antennas. Right now the availability of legal equipment is pretty much nil and if you do find some it's extremely expensive for what little power it has. (2 watts.)
