PartsMan

Sorry, I thought is was understood that GMRS 16 was becoming the norm for off-roading. Someone , with a radio and willing to help off road, will be monitoring 16 or scanning all the channels.

A cell phone is only helpful if you know the other person's number. When you are broke down in the middle of nowhere and see a stranger drive by three miles away radios are awesome.

I do think it is crappy of the FCC to let FRS on all 22 channels. They should have some of there own, us have some of our own, and a few overlapping.

For the same quality radio sure. A cheap bubble pack with a stubby fixed antenna vs a decent GMRS radio and antenna is a big difference. Get a mile away and they are gone.

On the original post. It has never been a real problem. Most FRS traffic seems to be on channel one. I have never had to change channels more than once o a camping trip because of traffic. Remember FRS radios are limited on range on purpose.

More than a few times my Chinese GMRS junk has performed fine in situations the internet experts say it could not. I have even out performed VHF ham radios a couple of times.

This is were the service naming is backward. "Family Radio Service" is for general use. "General Mobile Radio Service" is for anybody in your family (and other families with a licensed user). It is very common for a boss to get GMRS radios and communicate with his unrelated employees though.

Sorry. I wasn't clear. I meant the OP with the radios he is trying to diagnose this problem on.

My UV-5r is my worst radio. I still find it useful. I do hate seeing radio snobs that have played with one that think all Chinese radios are that bad.

What if you transmit with a tone but the other radio does not have a receive tone set.

I like my RA-25 (DB-20 AT-779 are the same). Nice simple GMRS mobile. Plus In an emergency It can be unlocked to other frequencies.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer to buy my radios.

Be sure to ask them what kind of access you will have to your repeater.

I once did a range test with a friend. We got about ten miles on medium with our mobile radios. About 10 watts. When we cranked up to high, 20 and 25 watts, we gained about 100 yards. After that my desire for a 50 watt radio diminished a lot.

Yesterday I had a teenager home sick from school because he had thrown up in the night and the school has a 24 hour rule. My wife called me at work on her lunch break. "He won't answer his phone. Text or call." I could tell by her voice that she was already worrying. She is across town and I am in the next town. So I say. Walk out to your car and try him on the base station. I get a text back a few minutes later that he is fine but has lost his phone in his pig sty of a room. Not a major emergency she can get pretty worked up worrying about her babies. Maybe I got a couple of my radios justified with the Wife.