Posted by Tom H on Friday, February 27, 2004 at 2:26PM :
In Reply to: BTW, useage in hilly mountain/canyon terrain ntx posted by gtk on Friday, February 27, 2004 at 1:31PM :
For the FRS only radios you will find the range to be in the 1-2 mile distance depending on terrain. These are basically line of sight radios in rugged terrain. Some one at higher location talking to another radio at a lower distance with out major obstruction (mountain) might get a range of 3-4 miles. They are low power radios about 1/2 watt,is the legal max power. With the GMRS radio/channels you get more power, BUT you have to get an FCC license for your usage @ $75.00 for 5 years. The bubble pack radios are allowed upto 5 watts on the GMRS radio channels. Range will increase significantly, but still generally line of sight. All UHF radios are line of sight. You won't be able to talk around a mountain unless some is at the top to relay.
Once you have a license you can set up or use a repeater which will allow upto 50 watts, for mobile radios or the repeater. If you use someone else's repeater you have to have prior authorization.
This is a quick nut shell. FRS in populated areas is becoming like CB was in the 70's. Slightly more sophisticated but very limited range.
To keep it Dodge related I have GMRS mobiles and portables in all my Dodge trucks, so I can chat with family while driving as needed for directions, etc. Yes I do have an FCC license, WPYI425. Tom H
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