Trail Comms - What and How? Hopefully a sticky!

I am going to put a couple suggestions/ideas for radios here. I have done extensive searching of the interwebs to find SMALL radios for my Tacoma.

The smallest CB I could find also has great reviews. The President Bill FCC from President Electronics (Spain) They are a far cry from the old Cobra 29 trucker CB's. I linked to where I purchased mine, and had a power mic wired for it to increase modulation (Voice Audio). There is no Mic Gain in the radio, so I went the power mic route to essentially add it. I get great reports using it. It's about the size of 2 packs of cigarettes. Easy to find a spot for it.



GMRS has limited options, but all are small. Midland has 5Watt, 15Watt, and 40Watt models. Pair it with a mag mount antenna and good to go.



Carry On!

 

(Quoted you since you posted gear)
Heres what i run with links:
Cobra C75WXST Handheld CB Radio -... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005N5WW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share thing is tiny. I have it mounted on the back of,the center console under the cover. I can,take a picture later if wanted. Ran with a 4ft tunable fire stick antenna. Not sure on hiw far i can transmit but I heard a semi truck 10+ miles away. I do get ignition noise but havent really looked into it since its my backup comma and if wheeling, im not trying to go 0 to 60 in record time. (I hear it,when im WOT).

For my ham i use:
Kenwood TM-D710G 144/440 MHz... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JK4IHIY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share it does require the test, but out of the box it does aprs and i can do 2 freqs at once. My goal is to run this and bluetooth the aprs to a tablet with gps/maps so i can plot people on it when out in the woods and no cell signal. (As long as they have it also). Plus with this, ican use it as a repeater i read so if i go hiking, i can take a small handheld like the baofeng which has shirt range and talk via mu truck to extend the range.

Havent looked into the others yet. Waiting to get a roof rack and bed rack before i add more antennas. But to each their own. I know some people who buy the baofeng handhelds that don't have a ham license (im not telling you to do that). Id say if your using it just to wheel, go small. Handhelds with a antenna on the roof will prob work if you just want to talk with a group within a short distance. They are cheap and if you do a mag mount antenna, after thw trip you can remove everything and store it with your gear.

Again if any one wants photos shoot,me a pm and ill take some.

 

Post them in the thread...…...come on James...…...be a pic whore

 

This is my next purchase

 

yes master @gixxerphil, ill get on that master!!!

 

Its a great little CB. i was able to hide the "radio" since everything is done via the mic. Later this year im going to get a extender for the cable so i can relocate the mic and clean it up. im going to post a picture of it later also since Amazon didnt really have a picture of the radio itself so it was hard to tell the size of it.

 

I am wanting the Kenwood set up like yours

 

I run the same CB. Had it for years and years. Only thing Ive had to do to it is clean the contacts for the volume and squelch controls, and re-solder a wire down at the disconnect.

 

I have a

$40 UV-5R 8Watt Ham Radio Handheld Long Range UHF/VHF Radio with 2 Rechargeable Battery, Portable Radio for Adults with Earpiece, GV-771 Antenna, Programming Cable (3rd Gen)

UV-5R and a

$125 BTECH UV-25X2 (Second Gen.) Mini Mobile 25 Watt Dual Band Base, Mobile Radio: VHF, UHF Amateur (Ham)

BTECH UV-25X2. I also have a CB. We almost exclusively use the CB on trails, with the UV-5R coming out for spotting and the UV-25X2 coming out for spotting and longer-distance comms.

Both the UV-5R and UV-25X2 cover GMRS frequencies... That said.... Why would anyone ever chose GMRS over a less expensive HAM radio that can use GMRS bands?

Sorry if I'm coming across as ignorant, I'm trying to understand why there's such a push for GMRS and feel like I'm missing something.

 

They aren't supposed to use gmrs bands and the fcc fixed that as of this year. It's reffered to being type accepted. GMRS stuff is intended to be channelized so that you can can only operate it on GMRS frequencies with the appropriate power for those channels.

 

Sure GMRS is channelized, but the channels map directly to frequencies, right?



I do see there are GMRS power restrictions, but I can always turn down my xmit power on the radio, right?

 

Ham license doesn't cover GMRS frequencies and visa versa.
http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulatory/Band Chart/Band Chart - 11X17 Color.pdf

 

Still needs to be type 95 accepted

"radio needs Part 95 acceptance for FRS, GMRS, MURS. No Baofeng has this. I'm aware of only ONE Wouxun model that is approved for Part 95(a) GMRS use. Anytone has two models that are pending GMRS and MURS certification. Currently, legal issues have suspended the previous certification"

 

@synaps3

Here ya go. This is in the part 95 rules of gmrs

§ 95.129 Station equipment.
Every station in a GMRS system
must use transmitters the FCC has cer-
tificated for use in the GMRS. Write to
any FCC Field Office to find out if a
particular transmitter has been certifi-
cated for the GMRS. All station equip-
ment in a GMRS system must comply
with the technical rules in part 95.

 

Interesting. So it's fully possible to use a HAM radio for GMRS, just illegal per the FCC as it's outside allowable bands for HAM. I suppose that's why people get GMRS instead of a HAM. I guess I should have referenced my frequency chart before posting.

Still, I already have the HAM and license and think it's crazy to get a third radio and antenna. I'd feel worse breaking the law for speeding than transmitting on 5w GMRS in the woods on a HAM mobile station. Oh well.

 

Maybe just rock a small mag antenna for the GMRS if you're going that route ? Or just a handheld? Going to be one of those things that'll be specific to your needs I think

 

Yes, SWR is always important to match antenna to radio frequencies. A CB antenna is not likely to work well connected to a GMRS radio. GMRS radio transmits/receives in the UHF band on wavelengths shorter than the HAM UHF band. You'll need to start with an external antenna that works best in the band it was designed for, connected to a cable that matches the impedance of the antenna to the radio's requirements. Ie dont use cable designed for your TV to connect your mobile radio, even if they look very similar construction. For HAM radios there are dual band antennas that will work on both VHF and UHF HAM designated frequency bands and work quite well connected to a dual band mobile HAM radio. Yes, you could use a HAM UHF antenna on a GMRS radio, and tune the antenna by clipping it shorter in small increments, retesting it with a UHF SWR meter. You cut the antenna by removing the 'whip' or 'element' ; the skinny wire standing upright from its base, and cut down in small increments, then reinsert and test again. Do not cut the far end of the antenna off as it usually has a small ball at the end that serves a purpose.

 

Regarding Antennas and optimizing their efficiency there are no shortcuts as in 'do this' or 'get this all purpose wonder stick' and all your problems will be solved. Learn about "matching impeadances", and learn about "wavelengths, frequencies" , then 'antennas, full wave, 1/4 wave, 5/8 wave, and ground planes'

If you go for your HAM license, you will learn about those things in a course. Local HAM clubs often provide course taught by their knowledgable members as a service to their club and community. (Vs just memorizing answers to a test.)

 

Re: Legalities
GMRS/FRS available for public use without license for low power. (EDIT as per @SR-71A , higher power GMRS do require a license and fee of $70. ) Generally limited range by power, range can be improved with use of an external on truck, and tuned antenna. Usually just used as a handheld device. FM modulation type in the UHF band. Edit : US regulations allow higher power on GMRS, those mobile 15 or 40W GMRS radios look like an excellent replacement for CB radios!

CB : operable w/o license, has long range, requires relatively long antenna, usually used as a mobile mounted radio head with an external antenna. AM modulation type in the HF band.

HAM (Ameteur Radio): requires license to operate radio gear. limited to transmit within HAM designated frequencies within various frequency bands (HF,VHF, UHF) Legal to Receive across all bands, but information heard subject to confidentiality. Actual radios can be Base, Mobile, and Handheld. Not legal to use HAM radio to transmit outside of designated frequencies, unless Operator has specific permissions for MARS/CAPS, utilized only for those purposes to support typically emergency operations.

Commercial: Operator may require an operator license for their specific purpose. For Marine, Aeronautical use, a license for operator is required, I am not sure in the US for Land based. Radio itself can be a Base, Mobile, or Handheld, and generally the unit is not field programmable, rather is preprogrammed as channels for frequencies the owner of that radio's license is registered and has permission to use. Typically a company entity will register the channels they intend to program in, showing the transmit power, type of radio, and show letters of permission from the licensee of those frequencies. They may also apply for, and receive a license for an assigned specific frequency they would want to conduct their business on.

A HAM operator may have a commercial radio, and use it to operate in the designated HAM frequencies, as well as specific commercial frequencies they have letters of permission to use.

Short answer: for trail use between multiple vehicles who have little technical radio experience, using mobile CB radios are your best bet, with handheld GMRS/FRS for trail spotting, or learn proper hand signals.

Edit: havent seem those higher power GMRS mobiles before, as in Canada GMRS regulations still limit the power output to 2 watts, limiting their range to really handheld use. I think in the US, that's the way to go, with 15 or 40W GMRS radio setup.

For those that want to invest the time in learning technical stuff, a HAM license opens up a world of possibilities for you.

 

Actually you do need a license to operate the higher power GMRS
But theres no test, just a $70 fee to the FCC then you and your immediate family are covered.

Also I just remembered something worth noting, there are a few GMRS frequencies that are restricted near the Canadian border. Not a big deal for most people, but something you need to remember.