Is GMRS what i need

[Guest voyager_1700]

I'm in a pretty rural mountain area.. looking at doing some off roading. I was thinking if getting a 50 watt GMRS (already applied for the licence) in case of emergency situations ..

Am i going down the right path.. any insight would be greatly appreciated. 

I'm looking for best maximum range.. antenna recommendation. Looking for possibly 4 ft antenna..

Something pretty easy to set up and get rolling with.

I keep seeing decent things in about Wouxun KG-1000G.

I don't know/understand a lot of the features and functions such as rx/tx and there doesn't really seem to be a lot of real compassion between brands and models. 

TIA

 

[AdmiralCochrane]

GMRS is not particularly good in valleys, it does not penetrate hills. If you are not in visual line of who you intend to speak with, it may not work.   On mountain tops, it is great.  Also it is very likely that unless you have coordinated a contact, no one will hear your call; it is not something monitored like marine distress channels.  There is even great debate over which channel would be best when traveling on highways.

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, Guest voyager_1700 said:

I'm in a pretty rural mountain area.. looking at doing some off roading. I was thinking if getting a 50 watt GMRS (already applied for the licence) in case of emergency situations ..

Am i going down the right path.. any insight would be greatly appreciated. 

I'm looking for best maximum range.. antenna recommendation. Looking for possibly 4 ft antenna..

Something pretty easy to set up and get rolling with.

I keep seeing decent things in about Wouxun KG-1000G.

I don't know/understand a lot of the features and functions such as rx/tx and there doesn't really seem to be a lot of real compassion between brands and models. 

TIA

 

It’s really difficult to advise you.  I have my opinions but so much depends your personal situation.

I live in the mountains and I find that a 20 watt Radioddity db20g and some hand held radios is all I need.  Having more power won’t necessarily get you much more range, but it definitely costs more and drains on the battery. But if i did want 50 watts the radio you’re looking at is probably the only one I would recommend.

As far as antennas, the Midland mxta26 on a magnetic mount is ideal for me.  But the magnetic mount doesn’t work well on a plastic Jeep roof.

You might be best getting an inexpensive handheld first, just to learn the basics like setting tones, and when you need them. What an offset is, and etc.  Watch a bunch of YouTube videos by Notarubicon.  They’re pretty good and cover everything you need to know about GMRS. Everything you learn on a Baofeng radio or Wouxun kg805g (one of my favorites) directly translates to using a mobile radio.
Welcome to the forum.

[OffRoaderX]

2 hours ago, Guest voyager_1700 said:

was thinking if getting a 50 watt GMRS (already applied for the licence) in case of emergency situations ..

if you mean as a way to get help if you become stuck or injured then NO.. GMRS is NOT a good choice .. GMRS is great for talking to other guys in your group while off-roading, but in the event of a real emergency where you need assistance or rescue, then something like a Sat-phone, a Garmin InReach or Starlink is advisable.

[LeoG]

As soon as he said mountainous region the answer was probably not.  Running with your buddies it would probably work.  As an emergency device in a rural area not so much.

[SteveShannon]

One of the real self-gratifying myths of radio, not just GMRS, but also ham radio, is that in an emergency (or the SHTF scenario people get so giddy about) it will save you.  Unless you have already arranged for someone to actively monitor for you to send a SOS on a specific channel, it’s really just BS. The fact is these frequencies are not actively monitored in most places.  

[LeoG]

Well, my radio at the house is on 24/7 so if I'm in range my wife can hear.  But it is through local repeater, so you have to depend on them.  I need to get a quadruple receive radio so I can monitor all 4 repeaters in my area LOL.

[SteveShannon]

4 minutes ago, LeoG said:

Well, my radio at the house is on 24/7 so if I'm in range my wife can hear.  But it is through local repeater, so you have to depend on them.  I need to get a quadruple receive radio so I can monitor all 4 repeaters in my area LOL.

Or put it on scan.

[RIPPER238]

14 hours ago, Guest voyager_1700 said:

I'm in a pretty rural mountain area.. looking at doing some off roading. I was thinking if getting a 50 watt GMRS (already applied for the licence) in case of emergency situations ..

Am i going down the right path.. any insight would be greatly appreciated. 

I'm looking for best maximum range.. antenna recommendation. Looking for possibly 4 ft antenna..

Something pretty easy to set up and get rolling with.

I keep seeing decent things in about Wouxun KG-1000G.

I don't know/understand a lot of the features and functions such as rx/tx and there doesn't really seem to be a lot of real compassion between brands and models. 

TIA

 

I guess answers will depend on your definition of "emergency situations",

GMRS is a good start, but a full basic understanding of all radio communication is key if you want to use it for emergency's. GMRS by its self is limited to others around you (line of sight), or some random luck fining others that are, maybe a local repeater to boost range. My 15 watt GMRS radio in my truck has been good for off road trips with others on the trail, but i use TDH3 or Q10H for real emergency monitoring. 

What makes the KG-1000G good is that you have listening (RX) access to more frequently used frequency's (need Ham license to communicate (TX). This way you can be more aware of what's going on, but you wont be able to communicate on those frequency's with a GMRS radio (KG-1000G). 

 

[amaff]

Biggest thing you can do is, at a minimum is don't go alone.
InReach and other satelite devices are great.
I do carry a radio with me "just in case", but I let people know where I'm going to be, when they should expect me back (or at least be able to hear from me that I'm out of the woods, as it were), and if I'm later than expected and can't be reached and they end up sending someone to look for me, I've let them know that I have a GMRS / FRS radio and what channels I'll be listening on.
Other than when we're on a peak that puts us within eye-shot of one of our repeater antennas or overlooks the valley, GMRS ain't getting out too far when you're in the mountains. But it can be useful if you build it into your system.

 

What you should NOT do is go alone, go without having someone waiting for word / checking in, and expect that you can pull out a handheld radio and dial 911. Because that's not now this works.