Re: GMRS/FRS Radio
- From: Neon John <no@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:15:54 -0500
On Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:59:22 -0500, cap <@ball.not> wrote:
I saw an ad in Family Motorcoaching for GMRS or FRS radios with a range
of up to 26 miles.
I thought those frequencies were line of sight or whatever the term is?
Since curvature of the earth is about 17 miles are they measuring from
tall ships' masts at sea?
Range claims for VHF/UHF are meaningless. Terrain dominates everything. FRS/GMRS
radios are no different than similarly powered ham radio or commercial hand-helds.
I can, for example, use my low powered handheld to talk to our VHF repeater over 60
miles away. Of course, the repeater is almost 3000 ft above me on a mountaintop,
sitting on the lip of a bluff, with the high gain antenna on a 300 ft tower. OTOH, I
can take that same radio and barely talk a mile to another similar radio when the
terrain is not level and has buildings and trees and such in between. Since the
transmit power and antenna configuration is largely set by regulation, there will be
little difference between brands of radios as far as range is concerned.
For a more real-world example, consider our little community here at Green Cove. It
is a mix of cabins and permanently located RVs and two camp grounds, all within a
half mile radius. It is mountainous terrain that is highly wooded. We use FRS
radios as a means of talk-about and to summon aid for things like fires. My cabin is
on one of the higher areas.
I can talk to most everyone in this area, though the farthermost campground is a bit
spotty in the summer when the leaves are out. I would consider the MAXIMUM range in
these conditions to be about a half mile. And I actually cheat a little, having a
"base station*" sitting outside my cabin at roof level.
Since our modern bought-and-paid-for government no longer enforces regulations
against fraudulent advertising claims, I suggest direct action. Simply don't buy
from any vendor that makes such obviously fraudulent claims. While you're at it, why
not write a letter to the magazine complaining about the company? It seems like
these organizational house organs are the worst about accepting self-evident
fraudulent ads. Wonder why that is?
John
* The FRS regulations prohibit an antenna separate from the radio. Rat Shack got
around this limitation by building the radio into the base of a mag-mount mobile
antenna and then running simple wires back to the microphone/control head. That way,
the whole radio can be located advantageously while keeping the microphone and
controls handy. I bought my pair when they were closing them out so I don't know if
anyone still makes this configuration.
--
John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.johndearmond.com <-- best little blog on the net!
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
Risk: $20 hooker, year old condom.
.
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