GMRS Range in Olympia

[Guest Guest M]

I'm considering getting a GMRS license for a trip to Glacier National Park, but I'm wanting to see if I would be able to use it to communicate with family in power outages or emergency situations. I'm located in the Olympia, WA area and have family in the Puyallup, WA area. I see the Cougar Mountain repeater, and then a couple of repeaters near me with small range. There seems to be a gap over the military base. Is it possible to get a range from Olympia to Puyallup easily? What kind of set up would I need, and would it be reliable in emergency situations? I know very little, so I'm just trying to see if this is something that would be a good fit for me to pursue. Thanks!

[BoxCar]

GMRS relies on line-of-sight distances like all radios using the VHF and UHF frequencies. The only way to have contact between your two locations is through a SINGLE repeater that both locations can reach. Almost all GMRS repeaters are owned and operated by individuals and their availability and coverage areas vary widely. Most GMRS repeaters also do not have emergency power or if so, it is limited to a few hours of operation. You may want to research amateur repeaters for their coverage areas and their networking methods. Ham clubs in your area can provide the information you need for your decision-making on both GMRS and amateur radio.

 

 

 

[amaff]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say 'probably not'. 

[SteveShannon]

OP

That kind of range is unlikely with GMRS, especially given the physical obstacles highlighted in @amaff’s post, but amateur radio on HF (lower frequencies than VHF and UHF) can probably communicate between Olympia and Puyallup.  They also may have linked repeaters for VHF or UHF, which are allowed in amateur radio but not GMRS.

Both communities have amateur radio clubs. Consider contacting them for more information:

The Olympia Amateur Radio Society: http://olyham.blogspot.com/

Valley Amateur Radio Club: https://www.arrl.org/Groups/view/valley-amateur-radio-club/type:club

[amaff]

Yep, HF or linked repeaters are the only likely solutions, but that's all ham radio.