GMRS not FRS hand held

[AlligatorClick]

Hello;

 

I'm new and shopping for my first GMRS hand held radio.   

 

I want this to be dedicated GMRS without the limitations of FRS.

 

What is the max wattage legally allowed to transmit on GMRS and what is a good model hand held?

 

 

 

[haneysa]

I have the BTECH  GMRS-V1. It is FCC Part 95 compliant. Mine do not put out the 5 watt limit for handheld radios. The put out around 3 watts on high (on my MFJ cross-needle SWR meter). They can be "programmed" from the front panel or with a  special USB interface cord (same one as for the Baofeng UV-5R and BF-888S). 

 

Motorola, Kenwood,Vertex, ICOM ( and a few others) make radios that can be programmed to operate on GMRS,and that are also Part 95 certified, however, programming can be tricky, and might be best left to a radio shop. I am sure some others  on the forum will let you know if they have done this. I know that these "name brand"radios are going to be more rugged than the GMRS-V1, and they will probably put out 4-5 watts.

 

I am very satisfied with the GMRS-V1,especially  with the price.

[berkinet]

Note: More power out the antenna equals more drain on the battery. So, even though a radio like the GMRS-V1 might only output 3 watts, if that is all you need for your uses then it is fine. Bigger is not necessarily better. In particular, if you are using a local repeater, less power is often a plus.

[Elkhunter521]

Amazon sells a Btech battery for the Gmrs-v1.

Its 3600 mAh, and sells for $20. They also a battery replacement pack to plug into a vehicle accessory receptacle for $16.

 

Note: get the Bl-8 not the Bl-5

[berkinet]

Amazon sells a Btech battery for the Gmrs-v1.

Its 3600 mAh, and sells for $20. 

Note: get the Bl-8 not the Bl-5

 

Thanks for this tip. The ability to use alkaline batteries is perfect for emcomm applications where there may be no time or facilities to recharge batteries.