Davichko5650 Posted January 27 Report Posted January 27 On 1/27/2025 at 6:13 AM, WSGV572 said: Good evening to all. I want to take this opportunity to offer you a salute (of respect) from this retired Master Sergeant (U.S.Army). I retired in 1991, after serving 20 years right out of high school, and returned to my roots here in Northern Minnesota. Never really dabbled in radio communications (other than squwakin’ on a CB once in a while). The Mrs. & I kinda “hybernate” in the winter months and I thought getting into some GMRS activity may help pass the time until the snow & cold are replaced by the warmth of summer. Then I can uncover the Harley (trike) and get back on the road! Plus, one never knows what other GMRS adventures could develop. In any event, I look forward to learning much more about the airwaves while gleaning whatever I can from the wealth of wisdom I suspect lie within this forum. Thanks for the invite and I appreciate the opportunity to join. Expand Welcome from this Army Security Agency/INSCOM Vet here in the Twin Cities! Depending where you are up there in the North, some decent coverage repeaters. I use a few of them that are strategically located near a couple of the OHV Parks I like to off road the Truck in. If you get down to the Cities, there's a decent group of us on Ch. 19 Simplex, as well as some good repeaters that sometimes have traffic on them. Otherwise, you will find that GMRS can be a bit of a "bring your own" radio service. My wife and I use it up north where cell phones are spotty, as well as around the spread at home so as to keep in touch without having to yell!. Enjoy going down the rabbit hole! 73 de WRJG283 WRUU653 and SteveShannon 2 Quote
jwalsh7107 Posted January 29 Report Posted January 29 New to the GMRS scene, looking to gain more information on this site. Right now I have 4 Tidradio H3 radios to use around my farm. Still have much to learn about the radio and GMRS in general. WRUU653 1 Quote
SteveShannon Posted January 29 Report Posted January 29 On 1/29/2025 at 1:48 PM, jwalsh7107 said: New to the GMRS scene, looking to gain more information on this site. Right now I have 4 Tidradio H3 radios to use around my farm. Still have much to learn about the radio and GMRS in general. Expand Welcome! Quote
Whippy Posted February 5 Report Posted February 5 Hi folks, I'm new to the site and to radios; thanks for hosting the website and forums. I'll be reading as much as I can in order to learn how all this works! best regards, Stephen WSFL951 and WRUU653 2 Quote
BoxCar Posted February 5 Report Posted February 5 On 2/5/2025 at 5:51 PM, Whippy said: Hi folks, I'm new to the site and to radios; thanks for hosting the website and forums. I'll be reading as much as I can in order to learn how all this works! best regards, Stephen Expand Welcome Quote
SteveShannon Posted February 5 Report Posted February 5 On 2/5/2025 at 5:51 PM, Whippy said: Hi folks, I'm new to the site and to radios; thanks for hosting the website and forums. I'll be reading as much as I can in order to learn how all this works! best regards, Stephen Expand Welcome! Have fun! Quote
WSGY756 Posted February 5 Report Posted February 5 Good afternoon. My name is Justin. What have I gotten myself into, Originally started looking for family walkie talkies to talk to my son who lives around 25 miles away most of the time. He wants to be a pilot and the more down the rabbit hole I went the more fun i saw. We bought 2 Baofeng 5rh pro's and two 25rm radios. I got the GMRS license and we will both be studying for the HAM tests. Still trying to figure it all out. WRUU653 1 Quote
SteveShannon Posted February 5 Report Posted February 5 On 2/5/2025 at 9:28 PM, WSGY756 said: Good afternoon. My name is Justin. What have I gotten myself into, Originally started looking for family walkie talkies to talk to my son who lives around 25 miles away most of the time. He wants to be a pilot and the more down the rabbit hole I went the more fun i saw. We bought 2 Baofeng 5rh pro's and two 25rm radios. I got the GMRS license and we will both be studying for the HAM tests. Still trying to figure it all out. Expand Welcome! Most of us are still trying to figure it out also. Quote
BoxCar Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 I recommend a good flashlight and lots of batteries as you start down the rabbit hole. Quote
WSGY756 Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 HA well played. I tried out a GMRS channel when I dropped my son off last night at his moms. I only got about 2 miles before we could not communicate. Sigh. Quote
SteveShannon Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 3:53 PM, WSGY756 said: HA well played. I tried out a GMRS channel when I dropped my son off last night at his moms. I only got about 2 miles before we could not communicate. Sigh. Expand That’s about the max for simplex between two hand held radios in an urban area. Some people only get half of a mile. To get further than that you need a situation that removes obstacles between your two radios. Being on opposite sides of a valley with tall antennas would help, but if you’re both at street level it’s limited, even though some manufacturers proudly plaster “up to 35 miles” on the package. Quote
WSFL951 Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 4:03 PM, SteveShannon said: That’s about the max for simplex between two hand held radios in an urban area. Some people only get half of a mile. To get further than that you need a situation that removes obstacles between your two radios. Being on opposite sides of a valley with tall antennas would help, but if you’re both at street level it’s limited, even though some manufacturers proudly plaster “up to 35 miles” on the package. Expand Quote
SteveShannon Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 4:09 PM, WSFL951 said: Expand I don’t understand the intent of your post. WRXB215 1 Quote
WSFL951 Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 4:56 PM, SteveShannon said: even though some manufacturers proudly plaster “up to 35 miles” on the package. Expand On 2/6/2025 at 4:56 PM, SteveShannon said: I don’t understand the intent of your post. Expand Quote
SteveShannon Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 5:06 PM, WSFL951 said: Expand Quote
WSFL951 Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 5:22 PM, SteveShannon said: Expand There is no way that an 8-watt radio can reach 100 miles! Quote
SteveShannon Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 6:00 PM, WSFL951 said: There is no way that an 8-watt radio can reach 100 miles! Expand It really depends on circumstances. In ordinary circumstances you are exactly right. Hams talk to the ISS using 5 watts. It’s 200+ miles away, but there’s nothing but air, clouds, and pollution between us. Quote
WSFL951 Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 6:15 PM, SteveShannon said: It really depends on circumstances. In ordinary circumstances you are exactly right. Hams talk to the ISS using 5 watts. It’s 200+ miles away, but there’s nothing but air, clouds, and pollution between us. Expand The ISS orbits about 250 miles above Earth, which is why a 5-watt radio can be used. Without a repeater, a 5-watt signal typically reaches a distance of only 5 miles (Source: I tested). Quote
OffRoaderX Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 9:06 PM, WSFL951 said: Without a repeater, a 5-watt signal typically reaches a distance of only 5 miles (Source: I tested). Expand A typical 5-watt (GMRS/UHF) signal can easily reach 15-50 miles in the right conditions. The moral of the story is that the topographical conditions in your area determine farz more than power. Source: I have tested ~100 GMRS/UHF radios. SteveShannon, WRXB215 and WRHS218 3 Quote
WSFL951 Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 9:13 PM, OffRoaderX said: A typical 5-watt (GMRS/UHF) signal can easily reach 15-50 miles in the right conditions. The moral of the story is that the topographical conditions in your area determine farz more than power. Source: I have tested ~100 GMRS/UHF radios. Expand A 10-watt device can operate between 10 to 15, while a 5-watt device typically runs from 5 to 10. Quote
OffRoaderX Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 9:15 PM, WSFL951 said: A 10-watt device can operate between 10 to 15, while a 5-watt device typically runs from 5 to 10. Expand Wrong - I think what you meant to say is "it depends on where you are transmitting and what is around you".. SteveShannon, WRXB215 and WRHS218 3 Quote
WSFL951 Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 9:21 PM, OffRoaderX said: "it depends on where you are transmitting and what is around you".. Expand Certainly, yes. If you are on the 20th floor, it will go 50 miles, and then boom! Quote
WRUU653 Posted February 6 Report Posted February 6 On 2/6/2025 at 9:24 PM, WSFL951 said: and then boom! Expand important evidence attached for context WSFL951, WRXB215 and SteveShannon 3 Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.