GMRS GMRS RADIOS

[firewallsrus]

Very familiar with the 888's and what they are capable of. We use them in our All-Star nodes. My buddy who runs our county radio department came up with the design. We strip the RF boards out of them, pull the final so it only runs on the pre driver (although if you're not familiar with All-Star this is all Greek to you). Might surprise you to know I was working VHF meteor scatter last weekend with 1 watt. You probably also know then that since the FCC halted the importation of those radios till they met compliance, programing them anywhere you like in the UHF band doesn't work any longer.

As to the 5 watts, here are the specs from the manual:
I've been licensed since 1989 and hold an Extra Class license, so you can reign in the condescension. Maybe we'll catch you on All-Star, or P25, or DMR, or C4FM, or 2m SSB, or HF sometime. I like to hang in the Novice sub bands and help the new guys out who actually want to learn code. They make for good QSO's and I'm not so full of myself that I mind having a leisurely 5wpm QSO. But the bottom line, BaoFengs are cheap pieces of junk that **** up the local repeaters with their spurs, dead audio, and roger beeps. They are fun in the trap though.

73

Your distain for cheap radios makes me wonder why you even bother to respond to a thread when the OP was a question about radios cheap enough to hand out. So your point is that they are cheap and beneath your dignity, then you explain that you tear them down for parts because they are inexpensive. They are inexpensive because they are cheaply made. This is what makes them a candidate for being seen as "disposable". They do work at least as well if not better than the blister packs.

As to power, it seems we may both be wrong. Yes, the manual (and some advertising) shows <=5 Watts, which is correct if the manufacturer designed them to be 1.8 Watt units. Here's a link to the FCC page showing the equipment authorization request when it was applying for part 90 approval showing the designed output power at 1.8 Watts:
https://apps.fcc.gov/tcb/GetTcb731Report.do?applicationId=SH25rkP7lF2PVYZb3cklng==&fcc_id=ZP5BF-888S
You like to run digital modes. How nice for you. Again, you couldn't be further from the topic of the thread.

Repeater problems: Roger beeps are caused by radios programmed to provide a roger beep, not because of a manufacturing defect. Our local repeater has never been bothered by very low level spurious signals, dead audio could be caused by a lot of things including high priced radios not properly operated.

And to be clear, I didn't start the condescension.

 

[user 7000]

Well if you saw condescension in my reply you read it into it. It's your money, buy what you want. We don't allow their use on our repeaters around here. And the instances of bootlegging since their availability has almost tripled. Just more crap to contend with.

I am now finished with any further comment as you are clearly convinced cheap Chinese junk is the second coming.

73

 

[MOS0231]

Okay.
Aside what I have experienced with in the military (SINCGARS), I know little to nothing about civilian radios.

I live in a hilly, heavily wooded area.
I am looking for a hand held that will get me the best range, features for the buck.
I understand some of the OEM antennas are crap, but there are after market antennas out there that are better.
Assuming a grid down, no repeaters up and running, using a solar panel to charge, what is the best hand held in the under $100 and even the $200 range I can buy?

 

[firewallsrus]

Okay.
Aside what I have experienced with in the military (SINCGARS), I know little to nothing about civilian radios.

I live in a hilly, heavily wooded area.
I am looking for a hand held that will get me the best range, features for the buck.
I understand some of the OEM antennas are crap, but there are after market antennas out there that are better.
Assuming a grid down, no repeaters up and running, using a solar panel to charge, what is the best hand held in the under $100 and even the $200 range I can buy?

One problem you're going to run into with handhelds is the frequency range. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength, and your antenna length is measured relative to wavelength. This means to get a reasonably short antenna, you need very high frequencies. A characteristic of these is they don't reflect well or reliably from the ionosphere. The Texas highway sign below reminds me of a problem with handhelds. You just can't push RF through dirt. Some will bounce off buildings, vehicles and other unexpected obstacles. Some may refract when it encounters the horizon making the RF horizon slightly farther than the visual horizon.

The good news if you have a defined area is that if you happen to find yourself operating in an area not regulated by the FCC or any other nation's counterpart, an ad-hoc repeater can be set up in a few minutes with a pair of low powered disposable radios (including the blister packs) and a handful of parts. A pair located on a hilltop central to your area can extend your range. Old water towers, disused cell towers, and other tall things become available when the SHTF. With judicious use, a solar panel can keep the batteries charged to keep you on the air.

As someone noted earlier in this thread, chinese ham radios and blister pack GMRS/FRS radios are cheap enough to be disposable when you need intel. Clear as mud, right? I think the bottom line is it isn't a matter of money in this case, but ingenuity.

 

[Outfitterbm]

I have some Baofeng Hts programed for prepper freq. that I loan to non-hams. The ham HTs stay in my hands! Does not hurt to cover both possabilities. de KA5SIW

I'm glad that you offer loaners, some thought I was crazy to program and maintain a dozen portables for such a thing. Great thinking brother. Have a blessed day.