Jeep Jamboree & The Slippery Slope of Sponsorship

Jeffreybomb

Jeffreybomb

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In 2020, Midland Radio became a sponsor of Jeep Jamboree.

As of 2021, Jeep Jamboree will require all participants to have a FRS/GMRS radio in their vehicles, a product that Midland Radio just happens to manufacture.

Personally, I think it's crappy and a bad idea. What's to stop other sponsors from raising an eyebrow and wanting their products required for trail rides? Jamborees are expensive as it is.

I honestly hope I'm wrong. I've been to several Jamborees. I've had a good time at all of them.

However, this move smells a little ... off.
 
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Jeffreybomb said:
In 2020, Midland Radio became a sponsor of Jeep Jamboree.

As of 2021, Jeep Jamboree will require all participants to have a FRS/GMRS radio in their vehicles, a product that Midland Radio just happens to manufacture.

Personally, I think it's crappy and a bad idea. What's to stop other sponsors from raising an eyebrow and wanting their products required for trail rides? Jamborees are expensive as it is.

I honestly hope I'm wrong. I've been to several Jamborees. I've had a good time at all of them.

However, this move smells a little ... off.
Click to expand...

quick question. You were told to buy a midland product or have to purchase at FRS/GMRS radio? Cause if it is purchase our product or don’t come, I see your point.
But if it’s hey, we changed rules to improve safety and update coms.....


yeah. 🤔
 
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I agree, almost posted this exact thought in the Moab 2021 thread. I enjoy them too but they’re expensive to start with and I don’t want to have to spend more money to buy into that radio ecosystem
 
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IPerkWVU said:
I agree, almost posted this exact thought in the Moab 2021 thread. I enjoy them too but they’re expensive to start with and I don’t want to have to spend more money to buy into that radio ecosystem
Click to expand...

Yeah I was the one who posted it. I'll full admit I'm not a huge fan of CB. I had one of my first Jeep, a 1999 XJ and I could never get the SWR adjusted correctly, I believe I tried 3 different antenna's and the audio quality was just never good. Again it was my first attempt and SO many things could have been wrong.

In all my digging around for communication gear for my TJ, I've kind of noticed the cost for a good CB setup, radio, antenna, mounting bracket, SWR meter, external mic, cabling comes out to be almost the exact same price as an entry level FRS/GMRS setup which comes with everything you need with no adjustments out of the box.

YES you could spend WAY more on both and probably get really good quality out of both, but I'm looking at a sub-$200 range for everything needed.

I used FRS radios with my kids all the time out on my family's farm in NC. I think they were $40 bucks from Walmart, they are simple to use, and I can clearly understand what my kids are saying which is amazing because I can't seem to EVER get them to talk into a phone or a radio. I swear everytime I see my kids go to talk with me on a radio, they turn their heads away from the radio to point at something, yet I can still clearly hear both of them!

@Jeffreybomb I get what you are saying but I also have to agree with what @Rubi04 is saying as well. I think at the end of the day it's more a safety thing than anything else. You can buy and use a FRS/GMRS setup in minutes with decent range without the worry of having an untuned transmission compared to a CB while at the same time having a much higher clarity of audio communication.

Just my 0.02¢ on the situation!
 
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I think the issue is that if you are wheeling, you really do want everyone using the same thing. The question is, what are the majority of people using?

I always assumed it was CB.

Obviously people shouldn’t be forced to use something though, but I’m not sure if that’s the case here or not.
 
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While I understand the negative reaction to Jeep Jamboree USA's 2021 FRS/GMRS requirement and Midland's new corporate partnership with Jeep Jamboreee USA, how is it really any different than Jeep Jamboree USA's partnership with Jeep® requiring that participants in Jeep Jamborees drive Jeep branded vehicles?



See:
https://www.jeep.com/partnership.html

https://jeepjamboreeusa.com/sponsors/
 
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GMRS/FRS is ideal for a large gathering like the Jamboree. Everybody doesn't need a licence. Trail officials and anybody with deep pockets can use a high power fixed mount radio and hear everything and talk to most people. There are small inexpensive handhelds that entry level folks can buy and use for line of sight communications that will receive general broadcasts although I hate to call it that and most important their local talk wont have a significant effect on the quality of overall communications with 100 of them all running at the same time.

I hope nobody takes this as a reason to change over to GMRS/FRS. The handhelds are just about useless for real trail work. With a group of 20 Jeeps the lead would be out of range of the tail rig on just about anything but rock crawling. You'd have a situation where a few members with fixed mount radios could talk and just about everybody else with handhelds would be unable to communicate. I guess some might find this an advantage? This type of thing isn't an issue with CB or even 2m handhelds on MURS both of which are way better for smaller general use trail stuff in my opinion.

Personally if I ever go on a run that requires GMRS/FRS I will just buy the cheapest used handheld that I can find to check off the box.
 
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Mr. Bills said:
… how is it really any different than Jeep Jamboree USA's partnership with Jeep® requiring that participants in Jeep Jamborees drive Jeep branded vehicles?
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, you're asking why participation in Jeep Jamborees requires Jeep vehicles?
 
I'm sorry, you're asking why participation in Jeep Jamborees requires Jeep vehicles?
Click to expand...

Not so crazy. There was a motorcycle event called the "Honda Hoot". It was open to all brands. Coachman RV used to sponsor caravans. Some caravans were SOB (some other brand).
 
Jeffreybomb said:
I'm sorry, you're asking why participation in Jeep Jamborees requires Jeep vehicles?
Click to expand...

No, I simply am commenting that "Jeep" and "Jeep Jamboree USA" are entirely different entities that formed a marketing "partnership" just as Jeep Jamboree USA and Midland subsequently formed their marketing partnership, that the terms of both deals require participants in Jeep Jamborees to have or use particular items, and that there is nothing unusual or necessarily negative about the practice as was inferred by the use of the term "slippery slope" in the subject line of this thread.

Would I buy a FRS/GMRS radio if it was a prerequisite for the "jamboree experience?" Sure, but the cheapest one I could find because I know I wouldn't use it anywhere else.
 
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