Radios which brand?

[ocean]

I bought a radio to communicate with fellow bft members and it says it has a 22 mile distance.Thats a lot of bull!I can barely hear it half way down the block.Its a cobra that i bought at wally world.Gonna take it back tommorow. Is there a better brand of radio out there or is a marine radio better?
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[fish4fish]

Are you sure that it has a 22 mile radius, most hand helds have a 2-8 mile radius, 22 seems to be quite a far stretch. Cobra usually is good, but motorola makes a good radio as well
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[fishcat]

RADIO SHACK MAKES A GOOD ONE ALSO, RATED UP TO 5 MILES IF YOU ARE ON THE HIGH POWER MODE, WHICH TAKES A LOT OF BATTERY POWER..........
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[d-mack]

Yeah dude... 22 mile range is bogus. I sell motorola's commercial grade radios that you even need a license for and they are only good for around 5 miles (and that's over unobstructed terrain).

try to find something with at least a couple watts of power. You'll burn through the batteries but at least you can talk to people.
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]If you're looking for a FRS/GMRS dual purpose radios, I'll second the recommendation for the Radio Shack brand. I've got two that we have used as far as 6-7 miles while ice fishing on the Gorge. We were using the GMRS frequencies which, BTW, need a FCC license.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Here's a link to the FCC that describes the FRS/GMRS radio service:[/size][/black][/font]
[center][url "http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/personal/generalmobile/"]http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/personal/generalmobile/[/url][/center] [center] [/center] [left][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]The unofficial station for BFT is 12 as most know. This is a FRS frequency, which is unregulated, meaning you don't need a license and only has a mile or two range, depending on conditions.[/size][/black][/font][/left]
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[DKSRenegade]

I had a pair of Midland 10 mile max range radios. They are great for the money. The only problem is that I lost one at Willard last Friday. Now I will have to buy two more because they don't come in singles.
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[ocean]

Guess i am gonna have to give the motorola one a try.Do you know if wally world sells them?
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[fish4fish]

yep they sure do, you may also check out 4-D's and see what radio shack ones thay have but more then likely they will try to make you pay for it with your right arm.
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[ocean]

Yeah i know they over price everything there![pirate]
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[tubeN2]

You may have miss-read the package. The "22" refers to the amount of channels. As far as the distance goes that will all depend upon the wattage.

1 watt gets you about 1 mile under prime conditions.

2 watts gets you about 3 miles.

3 watts gets about 5 miles.

4 watts gets about 7 miles.

5 watts (max per FCC) gets about 10 miles range.

Those ranges stated are when there is a minimum of interferrence and primarily on the GMRS frequencies only.

The FCC does require a license for 3 watts and over.[cool]
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[ocean]

You are probably right.Next time i will take the time to read it thanks.
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[jamesbe2759]

I bought a Midland 12 mile rated set at Best Buy yesterday for $59.95 (reg. $79.95). Comes with 2 radios, rechargeable battery paks and chargers. Cheaper than anything I've seen lately with a 12 mile rating (I know, 12 miles under optiminal conditions like water, flat land, etc).

My question is, the owners manual states that FCC licencing is required to broadcast in GMRS mode. I get online at FCC and they say they want $80 for a 5 year licence. GIVE ME A BREAK. Thats more than I paid for the damn radios. Does everyone who buys the GMRS/FRS units pay $80 to licence them when using the GMRS only
occaisionally? (Don't tell me what I'm supposed to do, I know the law, please tell me what the real world does). What are the chances of getting caught broadcasting without a licence?
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[Fishrmn]

My "guess" is that it will work out just like the old CB license. There will be those that pay and those that don't. Eventually there will be so many radios out there and so few people paying that the FCC will stop policing the licenses. Then one day they will just let you use them without the license.

Fishrmn

[addicted2fishin]

Just a thought here. The only way they can catch you is by triangulating your position. Since this is a mobile radio it would be extremely difficult to do that. I doubt if the FCC has the funding and manpower to chase down people using GMRS frequencies without a license. I wouldn't be suprised if the actual number of licensed users is less than 1% of the people using those frequencies.
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[jamesbe2759]

yeah guys. Those are my thoughts also. I can remember, way back, when we were SUPPOSED to licence our CB radios. Guess what, nobody did and I NEVER heard of anyone goin to jail.
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