2.5 times greater in wattage from FRS to GMRS does not equal 2.5 time greater distance. In reality you will not get that much more distance from a 2 watt to 5 watt radio. What matters is line of sight from radio to radio. Hope this helps.

Great video and super educational for me lol. I have been using the originals for some time now in the backcountry and I love them.

Awesome video!!! 😎🤠

The sticker inside the GMRS radio does it show the FCC number?

tried to program this new radio (actually question is valid for both)? or at least connect to pc and identify with some software?

Both of the radios stock antennas are 1.8dbi 1/4 wave. The 5Watt can be changed from narrow band to wide band once in repeater mode. Power (watts) does not have a 1=1 relationship with range. Check out Rocky Talkies newest range test comparing the two radios. Narrow band and wide band can talk to each other. When talking on a narrow band to a wide band the narrow band will sound quieter, and when talking on a wide band to a narrow band the wide band can sound blown out. Wide band can “carry more traffic” and therefore sound a little better when talking to another wide band. Why are FRS narrow band like you said? GMRS is wide band and in the 462MHz ranges. Channels 8-14 (FRS) are narrow band and are in the 467MHz range. It is likely due to the GMRS repeaters being between the FRS 467MHz ranges. All of that may make since if you look at a FRS/GMRS frequency chart that has the repeater channels on the list. Great review btw.

@AdventureCruiser

8 ай бұрын

What a great recap and insight on wide vs narrow. Now I need to dive into the repeater setting, thanks for the inspiration. And thanks for the great comment, I appreciate the help and engagement.

@timothystockman7533

7 ай бұрын

My thought is that the wider bandwidth on GMRS is for historical reasons. The original GMRS channels were far enough apart (25 kHz) for wide band to work well. When they added the interstitial channels (1 - 14), now they're really too close (12.5 kHz) for wideband to work well. They limit power on the interstitial channels 5 watts on 1 - 7 and 0.5 watts on 8 - 14. And 8 - 14 are for handheld radios only, no mobiles or bases. It would probably be best if everyone used NFM on all channels all the time. Contrast this with 27 MHz CB, where FM is now allowed; CB channels are only 10 kHz apart!

@AdventureCruiser

7 ай бұрын

@@timothystockman7533 great insight, I bet you’re completely right. It would be better if they all went narrow band, but legacy radios would have a fit. The Marine VHF channels are struggling in the same way. They are grandfathered into wide-band and while they are attempting a rebanding I don’t think it will ever happen as there are millions of marine radios in use all around the world. The only way they could do it is to create new channels that are narrow band and monitor both.

@RoamingWhispers

7 ай бұрын

@@timothystockman7533 GMRS, General Mobile Radio Service, was originally named Class A Citizens Radio Service when it was rolled out in the 1960s. Tube type transceivers were used and output power was limited to 60 watts plate input power to the final amplifier tube. The original service ran wideband FM with ±15 kHz transmitter deviation and 50 kHz channel spacing.

@RoamingWhispers

7 ай бұрын

@@timothystockman7533 but again… it’s because of what I originally said. There is no stomping on each other if you set up correctly. Band is bandwidth, and it carries more data. If we can use it, it’s better. Radio theory also says that a wider band is capable of better distance under the same circumstances.

Do to have to get the license? If not .... Can you still use gmrs? And about the antenna.....how would they know ....and do they enforce it?

@AdventureCruiser

7 ай бұрын

Great questions… I suggest watching some of the videos by NotARubicon to understand how FCC enforces things. In my experience and understanding, they don’t know if you’re licensed or not, but it’s always better to get a license. It’s easy, Rocky Talkie’s website has a link, or just search GMRS license. Unless you’re being a nuisance on the radio, the FCC has no reason to go after you. They typically go after guys playing music on the radio, jamming folks or other things like that.

@baileymoto

4 ай бұрын

You’re supposed to have a license to use this radio. That said, no one cares.

Thanks for the video. This GMRS radio does not allow you to add channels and this is a huge limitation. For instance if you have 2 repeaters in the same area with the same frequency but different tones then you would have to manually update this code in order to speak to one of the two repeaters. Other GMRS radios allow you to add 2 channels on your radio with same frequency and each with different RX / TX tones. This way you would simply need to change channel if you want to talk using one repeater or the other. Can't do this with this radio. Is that something you can confirm?

@RoamingWhispers

7 ай бұрын

I can confirm that you are limited to the 22+8. This is not a radio designed for that either. Rocky Talkie makes their radios for outside activities, not chatting it up with people in their basements. Its features are limited to made in America simplicity.

@il_Presepe

7 ай бұрын

@@RoamingWhispers that was my point, for outside activities. I just thought it would be a great feature to be able to add multiple repeaters hence multiple channels that might happen to have the same frequency but different Rx/tx ctcss tones, therefore, for keeping it simple, be able to easily switch between repeater channels when travelling across different areas or States. Anyway, thanks for answering my question. Greatly appreciated 👍

@RoamingWhispers

7 ай бұрын

@@il_Presepe It’s one to put in the toolbox if you’re in the market for a radio built like an old school Nokia. Don’t get me wrong, I like radios with features like you listed for other things like road trips too. At the end of the day this radio may not be for everyone.

@timothystockman7533

7 ай бұрын

Maybe eventually they'll supply a programming cable so you can set it up the way you want...

@il_Presepe

7 ай бұрын

@@RoamingWhispers Absolutely, I completely agree with your observation. Despite my desired feature, I must emphasize how phenomenal these Rocky Talkie radios are. I've purchased both the FRS and GMRS versions and couldn't be more satisfied. The construction quality is amazing, and they are incredibly user-friendly compared to other GMRS radios I've used. By the way, I truly value your insights and input. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and comments on the topic.