FRS / GMRS Suggestions

[avking]

I need to pick a radio for this family I am building BOB's for. I will get one radio for each family member plus one spare. I personally do not care for or use these types of radio's, but for this family, I see it as the only way to go.

Any experience on what radios work and don't work. Small town and up in the hills and forest is the terrain.

The plus side is, there are no cost issues. Just the best available.

Thanks.

[Thomas Icom (Ticom)]

Most Sporting Goods chains will have the high-end Midland radios for about $100 a pair with voice inversion scrambling. That would be my recommendation.
I would also suggest getting them as soon as possible. The FCC just hit Midland with a Notice of Apparent Liability regarding these radios. Apparently the FCC reversed their previous position regarding speech scrambling on FRS/GMRS.

[Skyowl]

Most Sporting Goods chains will have the high-end Midland radios for about $100 a pair with voice inversion scrambling. That would be my recommendation.
I would also suggest getting them as soon as possible. The FCC just hit Midland with a Notice of Apparent Liability regarding these radios. Apparently the FCC reversed their previous position regarding speech scrambling on FRS/GMRS.

Try these, still available at Amazon. They are in my communications pack.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Midland-GXT900VP4-2-Way-42-Channel-Radio/dp/B0015AAU86/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249528590&sr=8-1"]http://www.amazon.com/Midland-GXT900VP4-2-Way-42-Channel-Radio/dp/B0015AAU86/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249528590&sr=8-1[/ame]

[avking]

I wonder why those are more expensive than the GXT1050PV4. Is the voice scramble and the privacy chanels the same thing?

[Thomas Icom (Ticom)]

I wonder why those are more expensive than the GXT1050PV4. Is the voice scramble and the privacy chanels the same thing?

Not the same thing.

Voice scramble is encryption. More accurately, it's frequency inversion. They switch the high and low frequencies on the audio to make it sound like Donald Duck.

Privacy channels and privacy codes are a misnamed term for PL and DPL (CTCSS/DCS) codes. All they do is mute receive audio from transmitters who are not running the same code as you.

[methusaleh]

What was your needs analysis that had led you down the path to FRS / GMRS / UHF frequencies? Are your family licensed GMRS users? Have you ever considered MURS instead? In my opinion, MURS / VHF frequencies would be much more useful (in terms of range and frequency congestion) in a survival situation, compared to UHF.

If you are new to radio and may be giving into the mass-marketing hype of FRS / GMRS handhelds, you may want to take a look at this thread, particularly posts by myself and Zombie Axe that appear on this page:

http://www.xcolony.com/x/showthread.php?t=870&highlight=gmrs&page=7