Guest

[Guest Roxanne Roberts]

Hello everyone, my husband and I are looking to get a GMRS radio for emergencies and we haven’t got a clue where to start. Could someone help me figure out which kind of radio to buy and tell me how long of a distance they can be used for any help would be appreciated. Thank you so much.

[WRXB215]

Welcome to myGMRS.com.

In one sense GMRS is quite simple, yet you can take it to quite an extreme. And some people do.

Your budget will determine a lot about what kind of radios you buy.

I would start with a couple of HTs to get your feet wet.

GMRS is in the UHF band so don't expect to get the distances you hear by hams doing HF. Trees, terrain, etc. will affect your distance. It could be anywhere from 1/2 mile to 50 miles or more. Do your own testing in your area of operation to find out what's real for you.

"Privacy Tones" aren't private. Others can still hear you, you just can't hear them unless they transmit with the same tone.

Repeaters typically use tones to operate.

These are just some basics to help you get started.

@OffRoaderX has some good videos to help you get started.

As you come up with more specific questions, feel free to ask.

Also, you can do a search to find questions that have already been answered.

73

Edit:

I forgot to mention, @marcspaz did a real good video on intro to GMRS.

Edited March 21 by WRXB215
Added info.

[WRXP381]

Get 1 gmrs license from the fcc.  Read everything you can.  Think about your budget and when you get your license you can see more and talk more with people.   What part of the country are you in?