Outdoor Adventure USA

My son just bought a jeep and started wheeling with me recently. I have a CB and it sucks I don`t know if its not tuned or it just sucks anyway I just bought a pair of Motorola Talkabout 2 way radios and man are they awsome Clear as a bell, 14 mile range, 22 channels, rechargeable charger came with them or I can charge them with my Phone charger how cool is that. They only cost me $40.00 at Target well worth the money to me. Makes me wish I didn`t waste my money $150.00 on my CB. Maybe someday i`ll find a place to see if my CB needs to be tuned but right now it doesn`t hold a candle to my new radios. Talk to you all later. Steve

Thats awesome to hear. Ive been trying to find a good FRS/GMRS set for my personal use. Which specific model did you get?

Sanderhawk,
Is your trouble with receiving or transmitting?

No problems transmitting or receiving Crystal Clear. the brand is Motorola Talkabout 2 way radios SX600R FRS/GMRS Radios 14 Mile Range. They have 22 channels and 121 Privacy Codes whatever they are. I`m not exagerating when I say these things are Crystal Clear. They has some that were a little more expencive 18 mile range and one that was cheaper 8 nile range. I just bought the middle priced because they were rechargeable and the charger came with it. We talked on them all day on the freeway on the trail they were perfect no static no noise no other people it was like my son was sitting in the FJ with me instead of driving his own Jeep.

Sanderhawk wrote:No problems transmitting or receiving Crystal Clear.

I think he might have meant, where do you have the problem with the CB, TX or RX???

How far apart did you get with your new radios???

I'd think that a CB with external antenna would go much farther than a GMRS handheld. Those FRS/GMRS distance ratings are with clear unobstructed line of sight. Like from hilltop to hilltop. Don't expect those distances from inside a vehicle with a forest or mountains between radios.

Sanderhawk,

I just ordered a pair of MOTOROLA T9500XLR's. I say we go on a run just to break them in when i get them!

unwiredadventures wrote:I'd think that a CB with external antenna would go much farther than a GMRS handheld. Those FRS/GMRS distance ratings are with clear unobstructed line of sight. Like from hilltop to hilltop. Don't expect those distances from inside a vehicle with a forest or mountains between radios.

Well, in theory that is correct - CB uses long-wave frequency (11 meters) which is similar to HF ham radio. The problem is that long-wave frequencies only work well for long distances - not very effective close range. And CB is restricted to only 4 watts max transmission power, which restricts it's long range capability even further. In addition, CB transmissions, due to their long wavelength, bounce off of stuff - difficult to use in mountainous terrain, or in / around structures. GMRS / FRS, using much shorter VHF/UHF frequencies, are able to "penetrate" building walls / floors, and even mountains in some cases, allowing for successful contact in areas unusable to CB.

GMRS/FRS radios have much clearer sound quality as well. CB uses amplitude modulation (AM) for transmission, which does not work as well as frequency modulation (FM) for vocal clarity - hence an FM radio, like a FRS / GMRS or VHF/UHF ham radio has much cleaner sound quality. That's why all major services, from police to fire to ambulance to aircraft use UHF/VHF for primary voice communications.

My suggestion - neither CB radio nor GMRS/FRS are perfect for all situations; both are relatively inexpensive to acquire - so I'd have both on hand when hitting the trails.

Or even better - start studying for your Technician Amateur Radio license, and use the benefits offered by VHF/UHF frequencies, with the higher quality and higher transmission power levels available in ham radios...

Ive been waiting for a while on an OAUSA ham class.

I ordered a "Now You're Talking!" ham radio handbook (used) from Amazon.com. It was very cheap and it fully prepares you to pass the Technical exam. I breezed through 6 of 10 chapters in a few weeks, then work got busy and I haven't been able to finish it. I should be ready to take the exam in December.

Dave, I can let you borrow the book after I pass the test.