gman1971

True that, but you can always remain on CPS 16 like you suggested, and these XPR radios should last a very long time if well cared for. I think 20 years for an XPR7550e is feasible... those radios are built really well IMO. There are radios made from Moto from the 80s that are still being sold on eBay and they still perform quite well... so... G.

Yep, I think last version was 2018 stand alone... after that is all subscription type of software...

Hmmm, me likes... new Motorolian citizens! G.

I am late to the party here... So, first of all, to those hinting Anytone, and the other CCR garbage... dead before caught with a CCR during a SHTF situation... its like being caught with an airsoft during an armed robbery... also, even suggesting the use of CCR garbage for SHTF sounds like a sure way to set someone for failure.... Then, assuming that cellular voice or data network will work during a SHTF seems quite risky, if not flat out preposterous... also, assuming repeaters from other people/ham/gmrs will work is also risky too. Why? b/c the few available channels after SHTF will be absolutely saturated with desperate people trying to get a hold of other people. No, you need your own infrastructure with RAS if at all possible, so only you and your party can use the system even during a total comm blackout. As for Encryption, In a real SHTF, just the fact of using digital modulation alone will be a huge improvement over open unsecured AM/FM/SSB radios, all AM/FM/SSB radios don't require anything special to hear the other radio, you can just casually tune the freq and it just works, but on DMR you require a lot more know-how just to get radios to talk to each other. Then, if you add digital encryption on top of that, even with just BP (basic privacy) from Motorola, your comms will be pretty much considered secure comms in a SHTF scenario, since scanners won't be able to decode even BP. The huge advantage of DMR also is that you can disable radios that are captured; lets say the enemy has taken your radio with your security codes, etc, all you need to do is send the authenticated radio kill (or stun) command and the radio will be officially useless until reactivated back at base. Batteries Solar, ATM, seems the only way to make this work reliably in a portable fashion. You could do some sort of hand crank generator, but those are larger than some small foldable panels. Lets not forget that water the #1 survival item, that and iodine tablets, chlorine tablets and a reusable water filtration system. Without this, it doesn't matter how many APX8000 you have on your fleet, or how many Gatling guns you have or how many M2 Bradley IFV vehicles are parked in your bunker... you are dead within 72 hours. G.

Yep, the Commercial series are amazing radios, in particular the VHF receivers on those are superb... G.

Yes, chose these radios any day of the week, and before any POS CCR garbage...

Indeed, wish they weren't so butt ugly... but...

All one can do is try... Yes, I totally agree, newcomers are cornered into buying substandard CCRs, which is sad; and especially so when you consider the large amount of high quality equipment being sold for dirt cheap in the used market. Like kb2ztx said: the APX7000 is probably your best bet if you must have dual band. With that said, I always thought I needed 2 bands too, I was coming from 2-bander CCRs, and well, it turns out I really didn't... and I quickly realized that having a single channel with a 99.99% reliability beat having all bands in the world... but again, YMMV... right? Personally, I don't like buying radios (or any equipment for that matter) that I cannot afford to EDC... (Every Day Carry) as EDC implies the radio can get lost, get damaged, get stolen, scratched, etc... I also don't understand how, or why someone would have a POS Midland and an APX8000 and at the same time prefer use the POS Midland over the APX... maybe kb2ztx would be so kind to explain it to me... if I owned an APX8k you can be assured I'll EDC that thing and brag like a total Motorolian snob that I am LOLOL.... Anyhow, I gave up on ALL CCRs, all of them, no exceptions. I only have a couple of EVX radios left in service, but the rest of the fleet is all been converted to the Motorolian Empire... life is good and range is long when you are a Motorolian citizen. G.

Only when optimizations are disabled, once you do /03, etc the memory is not guaranteed to be zero. lol

Absolutely, carrying a properly setup radio on you is having another means of communication at your disposal, more so if you've also taken the time, and gone through the effort, to setup a solid infrastructure around it to meet your needs. Unfortunately, tho, for most people it will be just dead weight, given than most people won't even bother learning how to use the radio, let alone build any infrastructure to use it even remotely effective. Emergencies are all about fringe situations, as in: if something can go wrong, it will, and the worst possible moment... and when something goes wrong, you really want on you a radio that has the capability to save your life... (not that it will) but also keep in mind that a radio is only as useful/important/capable as the person listening on the other side is... so you really want to make sure beforehand that your radio is capable of reaching the people that can, and will do something about the situation. G.

Well, thats better, but you will get some warnings about uninitialized variables ... LOL G.

Depends on several factors to chose VHF over UHF (or the other way around). The biggest drawback of VHF as of lately is the ever increasing noise floor due to Cheap China LED bulbs... which pollute the heck out of the VHF band... also most electronics found inside buildings (in particular LED fixtures and wired Ethernet) will put out a lot of VHF noise, thus reducing your range indoors... so its a tradeoff, you need to determine the noise floor of the site, and determine with an RSSI meter which radio works best. The lower the noise threshold the better. G.

This will not compile, you are missing the declaration of VHF, UHF and 10db_gain.... along with brackets around the (VHF != UHF) if statement... G.

Well, like I said, VHF reaches very far... at 20 miles, or 30 miles, etc, that is already pretty decent range... for 1 w. Antennas on helicopters vary, it could've been a good old inverted Vee dipole on the tail (like the OH-6 had) etc...

Well, 1 watt on VHF will reach a LOT further than 2 watt on UHF, under nearly all conditions, and especially so if you append the keyword Motorola to it. 1 watt VHF is equivalent, roughly, to ~10W UHF, or around 10 dB difference in free space loss at equal distance. VHF also hugs the terrain much better too... again, VHF-hi beats the pants off UHF for long range comms. My XPR7550e radios, on VHF, on just 1W can reach well over 2 miles under most conditions, and in open terrain, atop a modest sized hill we've managed 20 miles on 1 W VHF, with the 6.5 inch duck... again, even my XPR7550e in UHF flavor can't compete with the VHF variants at the long range game. VHF != UHF, an those 10 dB of additional loss per equal distance is a significant difference between the two bands that cannot be easily overcome with rubber duck antennas. Now, if you involve repeaters and other infrastructure, then that will be certainly a huge crutch for crap CCR radios (be it FRS, or penta-band CCR garbage) Motorola, ICOM, Kenwood, Vertex, et. all, commercial or LEO grade radios, even on 1W, are not the same thing as a FRS HT... not even close. G.

LOL... an FRS HT for SAR is like using a 10/22 LR with subsonic ammo to take out an M1A2 MBT tank... G.

I agree, don't cheap out on your equipment if you think your life might depend on it. Seen this far too often... for example, you see some folks carrying super expensive rifles with even more expensive optic(s), just to then see a Baofeng UV-5R as their "tactical" radio... wait if you need to cross a river, or you get in the mud... etc... G.

Indeed... Also Vertex Standard radios do well, especially for the price point at which you can find them used on eBay, et. all. Those giant angry RF firebreathing towers get in the way of long range comms... However, what I've found out as of lately, while doing site studies, etc, is that traffic lights are even worse offenders than angry firebreathing towers... b/c those traffic lights spew so much RFI, especially in the VHF-hi band that the noise floor around many intersection creeps all the way up to -90 dBm... so, good luck listening to anything, and the CCRs range will probably be measured in inches, rather than tenths of a mile... to date, the XPR 5550e was the only radio that I've tested that can actually recover DMR signals from base in those troublesome intersections, even 10 miles out... G.

In regard to radio for GMRS, I agree, 1k for a mobile (unless you get something like a super-duper APX multiband) I would suggest a used 5350e or a 5550e with the RMN5127 DTMF microphone. But if you want to splurge, you can always get the the XPR5550e HHCH, which I have on a couple of radios and its super nice.

In Motorolian, the Talkaround term is basically when two radios that are programmed to use a repeater, can talk to each other directly without the repeater. This comes in handy when you go out of repeater range. G.

Only TRBO XPR here, I wish I had the funds to splurge on those APX... but... I am sorry.... G.

True, but remember that 5% over the course of a bunch of radios does add up... I guess the waiting game is a valid game to play, if you have time to spare... G.

Digital radios work basically like a phone, except that YOU are the person in charge of managing the logistical/technical aspects of it as well. You have to manage contacts, talk groups, frequencies, etc... much the same way that when you sign up for T-Mobile or ATT cellphone, etc, they add your info to their database, thus effectively adding your "contact" to the database, and then handing you a phone with a number (same as handing you a radio with an ID ) that is programmed to work on their towers (frequencies/channels) G.

TETRA is another option available, but is not very popular in the US. Its basically the big brother of DMR... 4 slot TDMA... Prepping and SHTF, you should probably use AM/SSB to establish contact, then use digital encrypted for trusted intercom. I think FM still has issues due to PL/DCS codes potentially preventing interoperability like AM/SSB would. Digital has other advantages over analog, that I use extensively, text messages and call alerts, along with radio checks and if you have a dispatch console or something like that you can do real time tracking of assets etc, OTAP... etc. G.

Dang this thread is picking up! Way to go LScott... G.