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 Post subject: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 2:46 pm 
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I have a CB in the Jeep that works ok & not looking to replace it. However, I’m looking at handheld radios to have as backups in case someone doesn’t have a CB, for event planning, etc.

FRS/GMRS can’t talk to CB - sucks, otherwise would have been perfect.

Anyways, I was looking at getting just a basic set of FRS radios & then ran into GMRS ones. A little more expensive, needs a license but more powerful from what I understand.

Any thoughts on FRS vs GMRS? Is it worth buying GMRS instead of a standard FRS?


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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 2:51 pm 
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Example products.

FRS - https://midlandusa.com/product/x-talker-t51vp/

GMRS - https://midlandusa.com/product/gxt1000vp4/


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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 4:54 pm 
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The Baofeng radios will do GMRS and FRS along with a bunch of others. I have (and I think Dave R has) the UV-5R radio. I believe Will (Ripper) has a couple too, along with his hard wired setup in his rig.

https://baofengtech.com/product/uv-5r/

It’s pretty inexpensive and completely programmable. I think it gets weather band and even FM frequencies. I’m not sure how they can get away with that in the USA, but they do.

I got mine through a group buy from another NEA4WD club. They programmed it with all the FRS and GMRS frequencies along with a bunch of repeaters, the channels from the King of the Hammers, all the national weather frequencies and some other stuff I can’t remember. I think it cost me $30 with a $5 fee to the guy that programmed it.

There are some upgraded antennas and long life batteries and other stuff out there for it.

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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 5:19 pm 
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I have a midland gmrs setup in the x, along with a BTech handheld. Both work well at rausch and aoaa. Also have the cb still.

And I have a uv-5r that John mentioned. Technically, it's a ham radio and it's illegal to use on gmrs or frs. I've done it though. Not like the FCC is gonna swoop down in choppers and arrest you.

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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 6:01 pm 
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Thanks for the info guys. I did look at a few of those Boafeng (?) radios but then there was talk about programming & it became too complicated for me.

More to think about.


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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:29 pm 
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I ended up ordering these GMRS radios & also applied for my license as well.

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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 8:25 am 
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Suresh, where did you apply for the license and how much is it?

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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2021 10:48 am 
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$70 for 10years at fcc.gov/uls. Have to register with their system & then apply. One person get it, it covers everyone in your immediate family.


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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Sat Mar 06, 2021 8:03 am 
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Are cb’s still the primarily used communication method on the trails? I’ve been seeing some people seem to be going away from them and wasn’t sure what to get. I have my eye on the same ones Suresh picked up on Amazon as well.


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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Sat Mar 06, 2021 3:06 pm 
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Unfortunately I think we’re in a situation where i would be running both. I think the sport is slow to adopt the new technology. From my experience the majority of the rigs out there already have CB’s. It could be difficult to convince someone to spend the money on something that does what he/she can already do.

I have a FRS/GMRS radio but I rarely pull it out. Maybe one or two other guys have them at any given run. Mainly I use it if I’m on a open type run and I want to have an aside with another NEXterra member who is also in my trail group. I carry a few of them. A couple times I have even handed one to a buddy that didn’t have one so we could speak in this manner.

I got mine because another club was mandating that all their members switch over. At the same time they opened it up as a group buy to other NEA4WD clubs. I can’t see us forcing our members to convert, but I can see that as the only way to completely switch.

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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Sat Mar 06, 2021 9:17 pm 
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While we don’t mandate a communication device as a requirement, CB’s are still the main comms for most of runs. I think sometime in the future FRS/GMRS might be the way to go as it’s accessible, cheap & the radios can be nice & small.

Lots of the expedition & overland type events seem to be moving away from CBs though.


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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Sun Mar 07, 2021 8:30 am 
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I didn’t want to get a whole cb set up just yet but I know I need something for a few of the trips I have this year. Maybe I will get a portable cb and hope it works with the range of the group and prob will get the gmrs radios too since they are inexpensive and seem to work well. There is a nice 3 pack on Amazon for $99 so I can always let someone use one if they don’t have any way of communicating.


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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2021 9:36 am 
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Yellow07s wrote:
I didn’t want to get a whole cb set up just yet but I know I need something for a few of the trips I have this year. Maybe I will get a portable cb and hope it works with the range of the group and prob will get the gmrs radios too since they are inexpensive and seem to work well. There is a nice 3 pack on Amazon for $99 so I can always let someone use one if they don’t have any way of communicating.


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Midland has a $99 blackout GMRS radio on their site that you get two free handheld two way radios with if you enter in code freewalkies.


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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 3:01 pm 
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I got this ^ on your recommendation bro! Great deal!

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 Post subject: Re: FRS vs GMRS opinions
PostPosted: Sun Mar 28, 2021 5:30 pm 
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Bklyn.X wrote:
I got this ^ on your recommendation bro! Great deal!

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I’m gonna pull the trigger soon, 4/21 the license fee is supposed to drop to $35


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