BLACK JACK Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 I know this post has nothing to do with Benelli shotguns, but I figured a lot of you guys who hunt may have some experience with two way radios. I just bought the Midland model GXT 650 they claim up to 18 miles under optimum conditions. These things don't even come close to that. Around the neighborhood they got 1 to 2 miles at best. They don't seem a whole lot better in the woods either. Just wondering what other peoples experiences are with GMRS radios. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingbone Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 I use the Motorola brand radio, on the lower channels the radio uses the lower power FMRS (family radio band something or other) on the higher channels the radio switches itself to the higher power GMRS. when using the GMRS you by law have to have a license with the FCC that will cost you about $80 and when you purchase the license it covers your entire household. I'd say you need to look at the owners manual, I bet you are only using the FMRS channels if you are not getting much range......keep me posted and let me know what you find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M1014 Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 nextel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLACK JACK Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 Wingbone thanks for the response. I know I am using the higher power GMRS channels. What kind of range do you get with your Motorola radios? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdkidaho Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 I'm betting that optimal conditions mean no weather, no obsticles, no rf of any kind and each of you has to be up on a hill side with direct line of sight to the other, each of you holding your breath for five minutes. And even THEN I seriously doubt they'd reach 18 miles. Optimal conditions my *** Stinking marketing ploy is what that is. Dirty buggers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLACK JACK Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 sdkidaho you are right. Truth is I would be happy if I could get them to do at least a 1/4 what they claim, that would be 4.5 miles. Oh well I won't beat a dead horse any longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M1014 Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 can you hear me now??????how abt now?????now?????????? [ 10-02-2006, 06:33 PM: Message edited by: M1014 ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M2 Field Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Hey Wingbone, do Motorolas have a longer range on say channel 20 than channel 5? We have always used Channel 5 at our hunting camp so we might need to go to a higher channel. Is this what you are saying? We have hills in Alabama and we need all of the range we can get. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingbone Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 M2 Field- I have the talkabout T6550 and I'm pretty sure it goes like this...7 and below is the FMRS band and anything above 7 is the GMRS bands which means more power that = more range. I'm sure this info is on the net, I cant find my owners manual for the radios now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingbone Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 I'm pretty sure we have been over three miles, I can tell you that in the woods range is cut in half. I would have to ask my buddy we used the radios with the furthest range last year going on a hunting trip in two seperate trucks, and no bigger than the wood lots from where I'm from we have never needed more range than the radio would put out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duggan Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Around here we use cell phones But awhile back I did buy a set of cheap talkabouts, they worked well for about a mile. Oh, and Nextel sucks terribly (In NY at least). It is impossible to reach anyone that has nextel. It just rings and rings, and their phone doesn't even ring at all ... with full service! wtf. It takes like 20 seconds to even connect, and then you get the "please hold while the nextel customer you are trying to reach is located" ... then usually right to voicemail. I won't even call anyone that has nextel, I just get too annoyed. breathe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seawolf357 Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 I'm glad you mentioned the radios...Midland model GXT 650, I was about to buy a set. I'll hold off for now. I have a cheaper pair of Motorola Talkabouts and they get no more than a mile in PA mountains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
69beers Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Does anyone actually know someone who has bought that FCC license to use the GMRS frequencies? Does anyone actually know someone who has been busted for using GMRS frequencies without the FCC license? It would be interesting to see the amount of radios purchased compared to the amount to applications the FCC has received for those licenses. [ 10-03-2006, 04:55 PM: Message edited by: 69beers ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unkamartin Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 As usual, M1014 is right on target when he mentioned Nextel. We use their model i560 phone, which has, “Direct Talk”. These came in very handy last fall post-Katrina in NOLA when there was no cellular service. Our working range was 4 to 6 miles, as mentioned in their literature, depending on what was left of the terrain. Your mileage may vary. It is an off-network digital walkie talkie feature that is built-in to the handset, which connects you with other Direct Talk-enabled users when network services are unavailable. It’s now built into most of the newer Nextel phones. I don’t work for Nextel; I just enjoy using them for our family. The i560 also goes well with my M4 and Peltor SwatTac Headset - shown at weblink: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=261095788&size=l Here's a website on the subject of Direct Talk: http://www.nextel.com/en/support/faq/direct_talk.shtml and also one on the Peltor, "SwatTac “ http://www.aearo.com/pdf/comm/swat_tac.pdf Peltor is supposed to be introducing their Tactical Sport headset (SportTac) to the States later this fall, but I haven’t seen one so far other than on their website: http://www.peltor.com/peltor.com/comm_detail.cfm?prod_family=Sporttac&ind_prod_num=MT16H210F-479-SV001 [ 10-06-2006, 11:03 PM: Message edited by: unkamartin ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SgtCathy Posted October 5, 2006 Share Posted October 5, 2006 Hi BlackJack.... You may want to try this. MURS 22 Tru-Talk portable radios. They are 5 channel VHF radios putting out a solid 2 watts. The cheapy GMRS radios don't put out the wattage they claim. If they claim 4 or 5 watts output, you really get less than one watt up to 1+1/2 watts The MURS 22 radios are built to military standards, don't require a license and VHF frequencies work better in the woods and in hilly areas as the VHF radio waves bend to the earth's conture better than GMRS/FRS which are almost totally "line of site". Except in the most hilly areas you can get 1-2 miles range. You can also use a magnetic antenna on your truck for even greater range. Four to five miles talking car to car. They cost $66 each with battery, drop-in charger and removeable antenna. Check them out at . The commercial grade GMRS radios will cost you $150 and up and will usually be a 4 watt unit, plus you will need an $80 license for each non-family user. The range will be very short 1/2 to 1 mile in hilly terrain. The MURS 22's are tough little radios and not toys like the motorola series 6500 radios. I could go on and on about repeaters on mountain tops and 50 watt base units but for a handfull of hunting buddy's getting the most bang for your buck and actually having portable radios that work, you can't beat the MURS 22 ( or any MURS radio service walkie talkie's). I will go so far as to say that if you could rig some kind of base antenna at your camp (magnetic antenna on the lodge roof or a small ground plane antenna on a tall pole) hooked up to a small MURS 22 portable, you could get 3 + miles from the camp! If you hunt in open areas of Kansas or Texas, the MURS 22's will reach out 4-5 miles. In Massachusetts, I get 2+1/2 to 3 miles portable to portabe in slightly rolling hilly areas. Height is everything. Get on a mountain top and talk with the world. Get in a valley and talk to yourself SgtCathy CapeCod WQAM968 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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