Two Way Radio's

[5030]

Two Way Radio\'s

Well, I did a search and came up with nothing so here goes:

I am considering a set of FRS or GMRS two way radio's for our operation and I'd like some input as to what is good and what isn't. Our terrain is mostly flat, very rural and the farthest I'd have to communicate would be around 5 miles.

I'd like to have some type of base station at the farmhouse and a mobile in each tractor. I'd like to be able to power the mobil's with the cigarette lighter in the tractors but I'd also like to take it with me when I am walking a field, in my pocket or on my belt.

Another consideration is having NOAA weather radio available on the two way.

I'm sure somebody out there can give me some input based on their experiences.

We have Nextel here but the service is real spotty. I got rid of the Nextel because of that.

 

[1962]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

ditto on the nextel phones, the company i work for got them for us. there good for a fishing sinker at best. a couple years ago we had the same radio needs. we wanted them for our hunting camp. one handheld per hunter and a base station at camp.
we got all the UHF (ultra high frequency) motorola radios off ebay. not expensive at all, they are radius models and the handhelds have drop in chargers. the base is actually a vehicle mobile radio connected to a 12 volt power supply.

we went with UHF because the surrounding area is heavily wooded. you can get by with VHF(very high frequency) if the area is a bit more open. these are very nice heavy duty radios and the range between handheld to handheld was around 5 miles. the base station was at least double that. just make sure if you get used radios they are on the same frequency, of can be easily changed. these radios were 5 watts for the handhelds, and 25 watts for the base.

as for the FRS, GMRS radio band. these are the radios alot of people are using. i just bought a pair(motorola T6500R) for my parents for christmas. these are compact,and boast a 10 mile range. i highly doubt that, maybe over water. these radios put out less than 1 watt. hope this helped you out some. happy holidays /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Highbeam]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

As a surveyor I used the original FRS type a lot. It was line of site communication though to 500 feet and they performed well. Removed and charged the batteries every night.

I think you'll be disappointed in the FRS radio route for 5 mile range.

Don't you need to be FCC licensed to run UHF?

 

[George2615]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

I have two sets. I bought the Midland 5 watt X-tra talk model GXT500. Supposed to be good for up to 14 miles. (Maybe on an ocean, lake, or open fields) In wooded areas it's less. In real life probably 5-7 miles. Also have a set of Cobra Micro Talk PR3550-2WX I bought at Walmart. They are supposed to good for 10 mile range. I'd cut that range in half too if in the woods.

All four are GMRS/FRS and have several weather band channels. Both have 22 channels for FRS/GMRS and many features. Cobra's were around $50. Midland's about $70 on sale.

One Cobra couldn't take the cold and I have to send it back for replacement. The speaker stopped working below 30 deg. outside, only works when warm. Also don't get them wet. One Midland has to sent back as well. It fell in the snow and got wet inside. Took cover off and used a hair dryer. PTT switch quit on that one. Both are minor problems I encountered that are covered under warr.

My opinion is to get the highest wattage radio. These are the ones good for 14 miles. Handheld walkie talkies are the cheapest. Mobile radios and antenna's for these bands are available and are expensive but also get more range due to the antenna. I'd try out a pair of handhelds first before buying mobiles. Licensing is required and easy to get for these bands but I don't know anyone who gets them. Kinda like the CB radios.

George

 

[Syncro]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

<font color="blue"> as for the FRS, GMRS radio band. these are the radios alot of people are using............ these are compact,and boast a 10 mile range. i highly doubt that, maybe over water. </font>

I have 2 GMRS plus 2 FRS Motorola radios (Costco) and they are OK, but nothing I'd use for serious day to day use in the field or on a tractor. Range is dependent on line of sight and does not approach the claimed 5 miles for normal usage, eg buildings, trees, etc between radios. It is possible to get several miles, but only with no obstructions. My radios do have the NOAA channel which is neat. They are great for what we use them for, camping, skiing, and occasional use on the ranch. For what you describe though I think I'd spend a little more and get better quality professional use radios.

 

[DKinWA]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

I'd stop by your local radio shop that sells and services radios to professional users. They can give you good advice on what will and won't work. Our local shop even has a few radios you can take home and try to see if they'll work in your area. If the FRS and GMRS radios won't work, you may have to step up to a commercial use frequency.

I looked into for my own business and I had the option of buying or renting the equipment and then paying a monthly access fee. It was set up so many companies would share the same frequency, but the radios are programmed so you only got the traffic from your own radio users. In our case there are several repeaters around, so you can easily talk to a coworker 50 miles away. Surprisingly, it wasn't really that expensive and the most expensive part was purchasing the equipment.

 

[tjkadar]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

If you are looking at a GMRS radio, you are going to need a license for them (unless you get a unit that is under 3 watts - I think).

 

[k4hal]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

I think you would be disappointed in FRS. The power is less than a watt and you cannot use a base station. Even they may advertise 5 mile range, it depends a lot on terrain and I doubt that you would realize even a half mile under most conditions.

To realize the range you need you would need a base station or a repeater. Most radio services require an FCC license.

I would check into the new MURS radio service. It operates on VHF and allows a base station. It also requires no license like FRS, and allows 2 watts of power. Click here for the FCC page on the rules, then do a google search for equipment.

http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/personal/murs/


Henry

 

[1962]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

the radios i posted about on a previous post are commercial grade radios. legally you need to apply for a license. it's not expensive though, but most users aside from businesses dont even get a license. these radios are repeater capable but that feature was not needed. if you go through a repeater network there is a set monthly fee for usage. and going that route you definetely will need a FCC license.

a good friend of mine showed me the capability of these radios as he worked in a 20 story highrise in the city. UHF being a higher frequency than VHF worked flawless thru steel and concrete structure. VHF would be better suited for open outdoor line of site propagation.

in my opinion for your intended use, i would go with the commercial grade 5 watt UHF or VHF. i would stay away from the GMRS(general mobile radio service), FRS(family radio service) unless you just intend on communicating with each other in a large shopping mall. even a small mobile 12 volt rig attached to your tractor would be ideal. the antennia size for these frequencys UHF and VHF is around 6-8 inches.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL........

 

[5030]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

Well:

Ms. Claus came last and deposited a few gifts under the tree. Mr.Claus also deposited a few gifts in addition to the new Amana washer that Ms. Claus got 2 weeks ago because Ms. Claus's old Amana was wetting the floor in the laundry room and Ms. Claus wanted a new one (Mr. Claus isn't very good at remembering items hinted at and needs a direct ap-proach like "I'm getting a new washer, you are paying for it, right?)

Along with the usual paperback books (I like to read in front of the pellet stove while toasting my feet), there was a set of Cobra PR4720WX GMRS/FRS 2 way radio's with charger and boom mikes (I put those in the drawer right away).

Remember, we live and farm in a wide open enviroment...the only trees are right around the house. "Prudent" Michiganders cleared all the standing timber from about 90% of Michigan many years ago. Now, if you want trees, you have to plant them. I guess our forefathers weren't much smarter than our present generation in some ways.

Anyway, I installed the NMHi battreries and turned them on. Pretty neat. I won't really be able to test their capabilities right away, but house to shop is excellent. My wife likes the NOAA weatherradio. That will work for me too as the M9 don't have NOAA and neither does the Massey 1085. The Massey has no radio.

If these don't work out, I'll investigate the UHF units at that point. Remember, you never make Ms. Claus mad by saying I changed my mind or something worse because you won't get any cookies or worse. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

If I have to go to the UHF, I have already archived this thread for reference.

To all:
Merry Christmas and a Good Night!!!!

 

[Buckeye_Jim]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

Daryl,

Just wanted to point out the FRS (family radio service) channels are in the UHF band. I believe around 450 MHz. They should work well for you.

Jim

 

[1962]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

sounds like ms. claus got your christmas list. i hope they(radios) work out for you. the ones i got my parents for christmas are on the chargers getting ready for the monday after christmas sales at the local malls. hopefully now they can locate one another when they head their seperate ways. they will also come in handy on their summer bicycle ventures. and yes, your new radios are UHF, so is the GMRS band. just RF output is 1 watt or less.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS

 

[5030]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

I spent the afternoon in my shop, I am doing a job on the vertical mill and I had the radio clipped on my jeans pocket. Ms. Claus (aka Amy) wanted me so she paged me and the little radio wiggled to let me know. I think these will work out okay. The real test will be this summer when I am a few miles from the house in the tractor but like I said, thyere is no obstructions save for a couple of trees here and there. Besides, our house sits on a sand hill like my property next door and it's relatively higher that the surrounding countryside. That should help.

She got them at Cabela's about a month ago she told me. They are real tree camo, not my favorite color, I'd have preferred yellow, but I guess that's all they had. I'd not want to have it drop in a hayfield, I'd never find it.

I do have one question that's not addressed in the user manual and that is: Can I leave the units on while they are in the charger base? Amy's will 99% of the time stay in the kitchen while mine will be with me. I read the book top to bottom and find no mention of yes or no anywhere. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[JayDavis]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

FRS/GMRS radios operate in the 460-470MHz range. These are UHF. Most services (even GMRS) require an FCC license. The FCC doesn't like it when unlicensed users operate on licensed spectrum and the monetary fines can be pretty harsh. If the FRS radios don't work out, talking to someone in the commercial communications business will help you find out what you can and can't do.... legally. You might not ever be caught, but you never know.

CB may be the best bet out to a few miles. Of course you would have to use the mobile units and install antennas on the tractors. The base setup could be a mobile radio hooked up to a 13.8VDC power supply.

I built a full-size 1/4 wavelength vertical antenna for the CB freqs (about 8.5ft tall) to talk to my father on the CB while he was mobile at work. I put it up at 10ft and made 4 radials for it. I could talk to him out to about 10 miles easily in wooded terrain with rolling hills and we were both using stock (legal) CBs.

I don't care for a lot of the behavier to be found on the CB personally, but it can still be used for it's intended purpose.

 

[1962]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

i looked in the manual also. i charged the ones i got for my parents last night after i showed them how they operate. the only thing i could find was not to leave the radios in the charger for more than 16 hours. i was hoping they could be left in the chargers till they needed to use them, but the charger electronics are not trickle types and would overcharge the batteries if left in for extended periods.

they seem like nice radios, someday we will get to test out the range. but they will be quite satisfied for what they are going to use them for.
if there is a help phone number on the package, maybe their tech can answer that question. you could possibly harm the battery or damage the charger.

 

[5030]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

1962:

My wife likes the radio's. I am doing a big milling job in the shop and of course she went shopping today. When she got home, she paged me and told me dinner would be in 30 minutes. 20 minutes later, again the radio piped up and it was time to come in. Works good and she don't have to trudge through the snow to get me.

I see that if you reverse the position of the radios in the charger base, they won't charge. That's what I did. I'll probably leave them on 24/7 and watch the battery indicator. I'd forget to turn my wife's on if I took mine with me.

 

[3RRL]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

5030...
What the heck are you milling in the shop?...

 

[5030]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

3RRL:

Lets see:

Normally, I work with metal. I do custom fabrication for my employer as a sub-contractor, make bushings, do custom parts and assemblies but this time, they needed a bunch of 4x6 hardwood timbers notched,

I have 6 bunks of oak timbers sitting in the driveway, 200 4x6x2' long and 200 4x6x3' long. They are heavy...unloaded the truck with the M9. I am using an R8 fly cutter with a 3/4"x3/16" HSS toolbit with the end ground into a chisel shape to cut a notch 3 1/2" deep x 3" wide in to each. I jigged up a set of blocks at each end of the table and I wedge 6 at a time on the table and mill the notch. My wife is saving the shavings in plastic garbage bags for stall bedding. The shop is a mess with piles and piles of shavings all around....the Bridgeport is covered. It's gonna take me a month to get all the shavings out of the shop.

I have to run the B'Port in high to get the cutter tip speed high enough to get a clean cut but it works. I prefer metal, much less messy.

 

[DavidA]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

Hello 5030, don't worry too much about finding one if it is dropped in the hey field. As long as your tractor or equipment do not run over it, just get the other unit and go out in the field and page it - ring it- or just talk to it. You will eventualy hear it and wil be able to walk to it. I dropped mine (had it in a como belt carrier) off the tractor while bush hogging between my young pine trees. Wen t back to the house got the other unit and within about 15 minutes I retrieved the lost unit. No damage, no problems. My wife loves ours, uses them as an intercom system between me in the fields or in the shop. We have 150 acres and our FMRS units are loud and clear and strong anywhere on the place.

 

[Henro]

Re: Two Way Radio\'s

Hey Flip,

That wife of yours is pretty good! She got you thinking you got 2-way radios!

From your reports above it is clear to me you only got half of what you think you do. She speaks and you listen! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Story of my life too... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif