GuySagi

Thank you for the link.....looks like an awesome project for me and my grandson. 

You can still usually get out in an emergency, relying on a repeater as your only way out is usually a bad idea, anyway.  Interference aside, what about power outages or maintenance, both of which are much more common?  Put yourself on another channel, and use a bit of equipment to be prepared to try simplex on the traveler channel, or have somebody listening for you.  GMRS actually has significant power available to it, 50W on UHF can do crazy things put through the correct antenna.  Most, "Jammers," are using either CCR's or something like a Motorola Talkabout.  Protip: the cheap radios that aren't Part 95 certified are generally dumping half of their power out to harmonics, and they will spill over to adjacent channels, so watch for that and open your squelch to check for it.
 
First, set up a protocol to check back with someone back at civilization ... either you check in with them a few times/day and if not they send someone, or ask them to listen for your transmissions a few times/day, like the ham wilderness protocol.
 
And if you're counting on GMRS to get out in the event of an emergency, I highly recommend getting a GMRS tuned HT antenna at bare minimum.  I have yet to come across one that comes with a decent antenna, most of them might as well be dummy loads.  Nagoya 701G/777G at minimum, and just throw the rubber duck in your bag as a, "Just in case," antenna.  If you're using a HT the same as usual with a long GMRS tuned whip on it, you can expect a bit over 6 dB of gain (that's 4x the power pointed at the horizon) over your stock HT antenna ... if you use a speaker/mic and get the HT dead vertical and away from your face, about 8-9 dB if you use your body as a giant reflector.
 
And of course, with portable Yagis and collapsible Rhombics fed from 50W, you can go crazy and sling GMRS upwards of 100 miles.
 

The replies are always so courteous, patient and accurate around here I sometimes forget I'm on the Internet. Great info folks and welcome to GMRS jjohns01. 

I apologize for being "off topic," but it's neat story about a local ham club setting up a repeater and getting residents on GMRS, where cell towers went down during the wild fires and the order to evacuate wasn't received by a lot of victims.
 
Here's the link to the story....hope it gifts you a smile today!
 
https://www.mtdemocrat.com/disaster-resource-guide-2020/disaster-radio-to-the-rescue/

I can't tell you how effective the roll-up design is, but I can attest to the fact that "base" (same type of design) works awesome. I've owned one his students tuned for MURS and have a GMRS tuned one on my roof right now. They work well, and he's a decent person when he'll send personal answers to my dumb questions. Plus part of the profit goes to underwrite educational expenses of his grad students building the antennas....in my mind those last two points set him well above the other makers of similar systems. 
 
Wish I had a more technical answer. I'm extremely confident someone here does, though. 

I apologize for being "off topic," but it's neat story about a local ham club setting up a repeater and getting residents on GMRS, where cell towers went down during the wild fires and the order to evacuate wasn't received by a lot of victims.
 
Here's the link to the story....hope it gifts you a smile today!
 
https://www.mtdemocrat.com/disaster-resource-guide-2020/disaster-radio-to-the-rescue/

I interviewed some of the big wigs at Battle Born batteries for a story a while back. The company also makes/sells LFP chemistry batteries, but specializes in versions for RVs and trailers. Aside from that long as heck warranty the firms can offer and lighter weight there are a couple other things that really caught my attention. Batteries that use this technology take a charge much faster (especially in the initial phase of that cycle, decreasing generator or solar time for people boondocking). Most traditional battery recharging controllers can't take advantage of that, though, hence the nearly universal recommendation for a new one (there are other charge-rate/cycle concerns, too). Off gassing eliminated or gone, allegedly leak proof, which allows the batteries to be stored in virtually any configuration or place (sideways, in a closet...). Compared to traditional cells more usable energy (not amp hours or watts, but the ability to deliver them as voltage drops into the ranges traditional cells quit working and begin to suffer damage).  There is one downside, according to what I was told. Temperature. When the thermometer dips too low they get really bad at taking a charge and sharing energy....hence this company recommends installing them in the cab of an RV (not outside) and removing if you're storing your rig for the winter. Don't quote me on this, but I think that was right at or just below 32 degrees. Cells for RVs are also just a bit larger than traditional ones (not much, but worth measuring battery boxes when you order).
 
I'd tell you I love mine, but budget has prevented me from buying one of the $1K batteries...at this point, anyway. It's definitely on my list, but I'd be a jerk if I didn't footnote the fact I'm relaying the company's side of the story, not personal experience. Hope everyone and their loved ones have a glorious and healthy day. 

Wow. Hard to believe I was correct in reading the FCC info. I wish it was more user friendly, because the marketing claims on range that appears on packages is identically outrageous, then you read the test results on output required by the FCC and you're really wondering what kind of stuff the advertising department is smoking. 
 
Thanks. I will be conducting a test before I decide whether to keep the radio around Berkinet. Hopefully it will surprise me. Radios are a big help when you're fishing a noisy trout stream, that's for sure and the last thing I need is one that can't be heard over a pool holding some nice lunkers. 
 
As usual, the folks here are the best. 

I picked up an old FRS/GMRS HT (handheld) for my grandson when (or if) we get to fish/camp this fall. 
 
I understand the perils/drawbacks of mixing a narrow band with another transceiver that is wide band, which prompted me to look up the HT's FCC certification and emission type. I also understand we're OK going wide on GMRS, but here's the link to the emission type designation for the used walkie. https://fccid.io/Emissions-Designator/5K64F3E
 
Am I missing something, or is this HT twice as narrow than the narrow banding that's gone into effect on other bands? 5khz versus 10 khz?
 
I'm keeping my fingers crossed my wires are crossed. 

Great explanation, thank you. 

Dang that's awesome Riktar. Hopefully some of the info here will sink into my thick skull. The recurring theme of bad cell phone coverage in rural areas is interesting on this thread and certainly educational for me. I know when I lived on the Blue Ridge in Virginia (if I put a repeater up it would have covered Winchester and halfway into West Virginia...dang it) and commuted an hour into Fairfax for work you could see the house if you slid off the dirt road on the ice, but couldn't punch a cell phone call through. Not good at my age, even then, when you leave at 5 a.m. year round. Guess I understood that the whole time, but eight years living on North Carolina's piedmont with topo maps that look like white sheets of paper erased that memory to a point.  

I am onboard with this.  For Field Day, I was only 100 feet away from my co-operator, but we used HT's so we didn't have to yell between the two tents.
 
 
This is how close we were, but the HT's made life a lot better. 
 

Wow, pleasant, accurate and polite exchange of information? Am I still on the Internet? I would have asked the same question in a few days Scarleton. I'm new at this and would love to see a follow-up here on how your radio works with the repeater. 
 
And Mr. Jones, thank you for the polite and information-packed response.
 
Happy Fourth of July everyone.