Small talk on GMRS radio

2-Way GMRS radios (General Mobile Radio Service) are good for group comms when there is no phone reception.

Midland GMRS radio GXT1030G - Photo: Still Gravity.
Our FRS/GMRS radio GXT1030G by Midland. 

GMRS differs from CB (Citizen Band) and FRS (Family Radio Service) for its power. On channels 15-22 it transmits up to 50 watts. Channels 1-7 allow up to 5 watts and 9-14 only 0.5 watts.

The reach of GMRS depends on the terrain. The fewer obstacles, the better. You can use a repeater to increase the range. Inside vehicles, they may not work well because we are in a sort of Faraday cage. 

A $35 license is needed to use GMRS. The license is good for 10 years and covers the whole family. 

Some folks advice using Channel 20 for emergencies - 462.675 MHz with PL tone of 141.3 Hz. This is called the "travel/calling" frequency, but only works if someone is listening and able to help. This is not an officially monitored channel. 

The GMRS unit in the photo is the Midland GXT-1030VP4. There are units for vehicles like the 40 watts MXT400 (both links are affiliates to Amazon).

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