Robert,
All very good questions and I think I can offer you further assistance. First off, check out
www.popularwireless.com . They have a "bulletin board" message board system similar to this one. The link is in the middle of the page titled "Bulletin Board". Every question you could possibly ask about FRS/GMRS radios can be answered there.
But, to save you the time....First, you asked about "Good" FRS radios. When you say "good" I am to assume that you mean "durable" with quality components...not necessarily in reference to performance. The reason I mention this is because almost all FRS ("2 mile"
radios offer about the same performance in terms of transmitting distance, overall clarity, etc... That is, unless we get into the "bargain basement" models. In which case you might experience some distortion with the audio quality.
As the gentleman stated above FRS radios are advertised as 2 mile radios but that is only in ground level situation with no obstructions between radios...ie "line of sight". If you have trees, houses, a hill, etc.. between the two units then it will drastically decrease the transmission range.
Same thing goes for the GMRS units. They also use UHF frequencies (some are the same as FRS) so they will also be affected by any obstructions between the two units transmitting to one another. But, most GMRS units offer more versatility in that you can place a "better", more efficient antenna on the radio unit to increase effective transmitting range. You can also hook a magnetic mount antenna up to many of them to use in a vehicle. Oh, I didn't mention that earlier....operating them inside a metal box...ie a car...also reduces transmitting range unless you have an externally mounted antenna.
Now I did say "most" GMRS units because not all of the GMRS units have detachable antennas. Some are just like FRS radios in that they use the little, non-detachable "rubber duck" antenna. You need to pay special attention to this when considering what you want.
Something else along those lines to think about is that although a radio might be advertised as a "1 watt" or "2 watt" unit that does not necessarily mean that will be the power output "out of the antenna". The radio might generate a 1 watt signal internally but because of the limitations of a rubber duck antenna less actual power might be radiated from the antenna itself. This term is referred to as "ERP". So, a radio might have a 1 watt rating but only generate .6 watt ERP. Basically then, even an advertised "5 mile" radio might only realistically go 2 or 2.5 miles.
A good point of reference is 1 mile for every 1 watt in poor conditions. So, your typical .5 watt FRS radio might go a half mile in extremely hilly, tree covered terrain while a 2 watt GMRS unit might actually push closer to 2 miles provided it has an antenna on it that fully utilizes its power output.
2. Yes, in order to legally transmit on a GMRS band radio you must obtain an FCC license at
www.fcc.gov . It costs $75 for 5 years but covers everyone in your immediate family. So, you and your wife could chat with two GMRS units under one GMRS license while you and your buddy would have to each get one to legally transmit to one another.
3. Midland makes some very decent radios. I have owned their 75-515 and 75-517 FRS units. Both performed flawlessly and they are loaded with features.
www.cabelas.com has some of these units on sale in their web bargain cave if I remember correctly. Price is around $30-$40 a unit.
4. I covered that one above...<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>
5. That depends on usage. Typical usage is 90% down time with 5% receive and 5% transmit. Under these conditions most FRS units can last anywhere from 18-30 hours with normal alkaline batteries.
If you want a suggestion as for a very good FRS/GMRS radio that is low in cost I would probably suggest the Motorola T6400. It utilizes all 14 of the FRS channels and 15 of the GMRS channels. Channels 1-7 are called "Interstitial" channels as both FRS and GMRS utilize them as channels 1-7 on their units. It is loaded with features and can be found on Ebay for roughly $38 a unit after rebate. DougMd recently purchased a set from there and is very pleased with them. Hopefully he will post.
If you have any more questions then fire away...
2-way radios
