Handheld GMRS recommendations?

rasband said:
I'd just go with a Baofeng UV-5r, they're so cheap they're damn near disposable. Bonus is you can run the common HAM bands and even program it with CHIRP from a computer.
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New uv-5r radios don't do gmrs or murs. The old ones are great but beware suggesting the radios shipping now for gmrs.
 
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rasband said:
This is a non issue for many, you need to consider the use case of owning the radio, especially considering a handheld. If a radio is your only lifeline then I wouldn't even depend on my hard mounted HAM/GMRS at pretty solid power.

There's a good bit of value in being able to use HAM bands too, since that's a bigger network with a lot more repeaters (at least in my area when you start to get remote at all).
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All good, as long as one is willing to put in the time and effort required for HAM licensing. If the HAM test is out of reach (time, cost or otherwise) - GMRS is a decent fallback option.

I agree with your statement on not depending exclusively on GMRS/HAM as a lifeline which is why I carry multiple communication options when out of cell service. In this case I suppose it all depends on intended use and in general people might be happier with a handheld that is usable for a longer range than one that is limited if the price point isn't over the top - at a price difference of $24 per pair, seems quite reasonable.

I just thought it would be helpful to share my test results from when I compared the UV-5R against other options including the Midlands in my area and when I did ... the Midland's had much better range and clarity and had exceeded my expectations again and again over the last 2 years.
 
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I run Wouxun 905G radios for HT and hand them off to my trail buddies.

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-905g-2pk.html
I've had excellent results with them but also have a Kenwood HT and a couple Retevis HT radios that work well. We have several repeaters in the area that are usable and we have permission for all nearby. I run used Kenwood mobiles in both my LJR and XJ at 40w and can hit repeaters from 50 miles in spots with no cell coverage, enabling me to talk into town or to home if I leave one with my wife. Use them on every trail run and on recovery outings. Radio traffic is minimal in my area so we have our choice of channels and use Ch.16 (4 x 4) most often. I do most of the radio programming for all the club members who've been licensed and have radios.

Unlike CB there is no long range skip to inundate the channels with chatter from across the country. No, they do not do long -range in simplex, especially in the flatlands or where there's heavy foliage or buildings, but work well with our constantly changing elevations and minimal timber coverage in the Great Basin of NE Nevada. A high point is never far away and I've spoken with my wife in the kitchen from 16 miles on my mobile on simplex with excellent audio.

FRS (kiddie channels) are minimum power while GMRS channels are 5w for a HT and up to 50w for a mobile unit. Any mobile unit will outperform even the best HT hands down.

Only issue with the Midlands, unless they've rectified it, is that they cannot be programmed to use 'split tones' for repeaters. Meaning both RX & TX tones to enable the repeater must be the same frequency for the Midland to work. Most repeaters have the same tone in/out but if offset tones, the Midland cannot be programmed for that, rendering that particular repeater unusable.

Any yes, MyGMRS.com is a great site to learn a lot about general radio tech, equipment reviews, how-to, etc. Much like this forum but for GMRS. Good bunch of folks over there, including a few members from this crowd.,

I've had great results with a 1/4 wave, 6" antenna (Laird AB450) mounted on a ground plane - the roof of my XJ and an 8 x 8" x 1/4" square plate of aluminum mounted on my 3rd brake light of the LJ.

https://www.theantennafarm.com/cata...t_info&cPath=191_192_196_213&products_id=4476
Licensing is a simple form, $70 for 10 years and covers all extended family members.

https://midlandusa.com/blogs/blog/why-do-i-need-a-gmrs-license-how-do-i-get-it
WRAF233
 
Gollywomper said:
I do like the simplicity of the 905. Will have to do a bit more reading. Thanks
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If you like the 905, the 805 is even more simple, and a bit less coin. Both good options. Don't bother with Midland unless you just want a simple 2 way radio to talk to buddies while on the trail. Might as well stick with CB if you go that route. All Midlands tx in narrow band, which can sometimes make it tough to hear your buddies. I won't complicate this thread with narrow band vs. wide band. Just know that wide band is preferred in GMRS.

How many fars can the radio do? These radios, no matter what brand, are line of site, and are limited to your areas obstructions, buildings, trees, hills, etc. Most radios will have similar range. Worst case scenario, 3/4 to 1 mile max, unless you are on a mountain. Elevation is king.

Yes, the UV-5R is cheap. It's cheap for a reason, and more complicated to program, and IMO too small in the hand for my liking. Like mention above, the newer version won't play nice with GMRS unless you buy the UV-5G. Most radios will let you scan Ham frequencies, but you won't be able to transmit on those frequencies. There are ways around that if you pony up to a commercial radio like Motorola, Kenwood, Yeasu, etc, but unless you have a Ham license, it's against FCC rules to transmit on Ham frequencies, and also against the rules to transmit on GMRS frequencies while on a Ham radio, such as the UV-5R. Folks do it anyway, so to each their own.
 
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bkeith72 said:
Personally, I prefer the Midland series GMRS radios. I did a ton of testing last year with a couple of "higher" wattage HAM radios, and a few different "high performance" antennas but the off the shelf Midland's outperformed everything else. Plus you can pair the handhelds with their 12v mobile units for longer range - if needed.

Hope this helps in your research: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NB06WDI/?tag=wranglerorg-20
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The OP is looking for a repeater capable radio. From what I could find, that Midland is not repeater capable.
 
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So do you tie these into your stereo speakers or how exactly does that part work?
 
bobthetj03 said:
If you like the 905, the 805 is even more simple, and a bit less coin. Both good options. Don't bother with Midland unless you just want a simple 2 way radio to talk to buddies while on the trail. Might as well stick with CB if you go that route. All Midlands tx in narrow band, which can sometimes make it tough to hear your buddies. I won't complicate this thread with narrow band vs. wide band. Just know that wide band is preferred in GMRS.

How many fars can the radio do? These radios, no matter what brand, are line of site, and are limited to your areas obstructions, buildings, trees, hills, etc. Most radios will have similar range. Worst case scenario, 3/4 to 1 mile max, unless you are on a mountain. Elevation is king.

Yes, the UV-5R is cheap. It's cheap for a reason, and more complicated to program, and IMO too small in the hand for my liking. Like mention above, the newer version won't play nice with GMRS unless you buy the UV-5G. Most radios will let you scan Ham frequencies, but you won't be able to transmit on those frequencies. There are ways around that if you pony up to a commercial radio like Motorola, Kenwood, Yeasu, etc, but unless you have a Ham license, it's against FCC rules to transmit on Ham frequencies, and also against the rules to transmit on GMRS frequencies while on a Ham radio, such as the UV-5R. Folks do it anyway, so to each their own.
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OOPS! I meant I use the 805G radios.
https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-805g.html
I might add that the vendor is excellent if/when there is a problem with these radios. I had one fail SCAN, called them, they checked the s/n, sent it back and had a new replacement in a week. Only issue I've ever had with the 805 and I've used the snot out of them.
 
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As a complete radio n00b who doesn't even know what a repeater is, how does something like this from midland compare to the Baofeng? Esp. with the recent revelation that the Baofeng can be unlocked. We only use these for the trail & while caravanning to the trails/park. We're mostly in Oklahoma/Texas/Arkanas, so tree cover is a factor. None of us have an FCC license and I would imagine that in our group, I'm the only one who would even consider being legal if we had radios that "required" it. We have some cheap FRS radios right now, but the reception sucks, and there's a place in west Texas that requires GMRS radios.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/GXT1000VP4/?tag=wranglerorg-20
I think this is relevant to the conversation at hand, but can start a new thread if this is going to derail the conversation.
 
hear said:
As a complete radio n00b who doesn't even know what a repeater is, how does something like this from midland compare to the Baofeng?
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I don't think the midland can do GMRS repeaters, ham or MURS. Other than difficulty programming the UV-5R is miles ahead as far as a trail radio. If you use a UV-5R on MURS you don't need a licence and your range will be better than a GMRS handheld without repeaters. All you have to do is punch in 151.820 and go.
 
pagrey said:
I don't think the midland can do GMRS repeaters, ham or MURS. Other than difficulty programming the UV-5R is miles ahead as far as a trail radio. If you use a UV-5R on MURS you don't need a licence and your range will be better than a GMRS handheld without repeaters. All you have to do is punch in 151.820 and go.
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Right on. Once you have it programmed it's pretty easy to transfer that to another identical radio, no? And what is 151.820, the frequency/channel? Won't that collide with other people also using the same channel?

Don't care about ham, don't know what MURS is. Maybe I should care about those things, IDK.
 
pagrey said:
Other than difficulty programming the UV-5R is miles ahead as far as a trail radio.
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There's a little bit of a learning curve, but the programming cable is like 11$ for the UV-5R, pair that up with the free CHIRP software and programming radios isn't too bad. I'll write up a post on it again for anyone interested for this year after I get my company's taxes done.
 
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151.820 is MURS channel one, free to use without a licence. It's what I use with all my friends that don't have radios or licences. If you use chirp software it is easy to program the radios but if you just want one or two channels you can just punch them in. MURS has five channels and even here in CA I've only had to switch once. You don't need to worry about ham one bit but MURS is a great tool to have in your bag. If you program the radios with a cable like @rasband says you can load all the GMRS channels without entering one number, chirp has them already there for you. I had my UV-5R radios on my last camping trip and everybody used them no problem, even the kids had no problems once the radios are setup, they are easy to use.
 
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I use a UV-5R with the extended battery.
You can program them from the front panel but using CHIRP and the correct cable is so much easier.
I don't use repeaters but I programmed all the normal GMRS channels then the weather channels and then programmed a bunch of stations to listen too (local fire police and so on).

This is the one I have and its on sale $19.99(this is where I purchased mine a couple of years ago)
https://www.banggood.com/Upgrade-Ba...html?cur_warehouse=USA&ID=533247&rmmds=search

Also got this mount for it just have not put it in the Jeep.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1322988452...d=link&campid=5337789113&toolid=20001&mkevt=1

The Boefangs are a great value especially if you just want to just play around and then pickup something better.
 
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I ended up going with the UV-5R. I know there has been some confusion about whether or not it can transmit on GMRS, but there is an unlock method found on notarubicon’s channel that works perfectly.

Worked great 2 days on the trail, battery never went off 3/3 bars, did not recharge overnight. I programmed the channels in from the handset, was not hard at all (chirp doesn’t work on a Mac anyway I’m told). Only real complaint was that the volume knob can easily get bumped down w/o you realizing it.

Thanks for the help I found here.
 
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I've left it on overnight a few times on weekend trips without any issues at all. The only time I was worried about charge a few of my buddies daughters got a hold of them and were non-stop. Chirp should work fine on a Mac as long as you are Intel. They have different 3D printed knobs for the volume but I've never tried them.
 
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