Here you will find answers to some common questions about our range of GMRS Mobile Radios.
FRS (Family Radio Service) Radios, commonly known as walkie-talkies, are a low-cost option for short-range communication, however there are several limitations to this type of radio.
FRS Radios are only available in handheld form and are limited to 2-Watt transmission power by law. As these devices are produced to be affordable, they are generally of low-quality when compared to other types of radios and have limited range and functionality.
GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) Radios are a fantastic option for off-grid communication for the Overlanding community, offering the perfect balance between radio performance, functionality, ease of operation, and affordability.
GMRS Radios in the USA are limited to 5-Watt transmission power for handheld or portable radios, and 50-Watt transmission power for mobile radios.
GMRS Radios operate on the UHF band in the 462-467MHz frequency range, with 30 channels available for use by the public.
Yes.
To legally operate a GMRS Radio in the USA, users must first apply for a GMRS license from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) through the FCC’s online ULS (Universal Licensing System).
To apply for a license, users must be a US citizen, be at least 18 years of age, and not have any prior felony convictions. There is a small fee payable to the FCC to obtain the GMRS license, however there is no requirement to complete an exam.
The license is valid for 10 years and covers both the user and their immediate family members.
Duplex operation allows a radio to transmit on a different frequency to that which it receives. This allows operation through repeater stations. A repeater station consists of a linked transmitter/receiver combination installed in a prominent location. The repeater is designed to receive signals on a designated channel and retransmit them on another channel.
Repeaters are usually mounted on hills or tall buildings. The increased elevation greatly improves both the receiving and transmitting range of the repeater allowing it to receive and retransmit signals to radios that would otherwise be out of range of each other. Normally, GMRS radios transmit and receive on the same frequency – known as Simplex operation.
However, to communicate through repeaters, your radio must be able to transmit and receive on different channels – otherwise known as Duplex operation.
As GMRS radio operates on ‘line-of-sight’, the higher you can mount your antenna on your overlanding vehicle, the better the performance will be.
If possible, mounting your antenna on the roof rack of your vehicle will provide optimal performance.
Alternatively, mounting your antenna on a dedicated antenna mount on your bumper will also provide good performance, ensuring minimal interference or obstruction from the vehicle itself.
GME Radios operate on all GMRS frequencies. These frequencies are in the 462-467MHz range.
The Citizen Band (CB) Radio Service and the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) are two distinct, short-distance voice communication services.
CB operates on the 27 MHz band, while GMRS operates on frequencies between 462-467 MHz.
The 27 MHz CB service authorizes AM, SSB, and FM transmissions. GMRS exclusively uses FM, which provides clear, crisp local communication without the long-distance atmospheric interference (“skip”) to which the 27MHz CB band is susceptible.
The GMRS service also offers significant advantages: selective squelching with DCS/CTCSS (see below), the ability to use repeaters to greatly extend communication range, and a higher power limit.
Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) is a means by which a receiving radio will remain silent until it receives a transmission that includes a special audio tone.
As long as this tone is continuously received, you will be able to hear the person who is transmitting.
Digital Coded Squelch (DCS) is somewhat similar, but instead of sending a continuous tone of differing frequency, a Digital data transmission is added to the radio signal.
One method is not necessarily better than the other. The radios you are using have to have the same ability to send and receive the same coding signal, no matter which of the two you use.
The function of CTCSS or DCS is to keep you from hearing others, not to keep others from hearing you.
Scansuite™ is a digital scanning technology developed by GME that scans over 40 channels per second and consists of the below functions:
Open Scan: allows a group of channels to be scanned in an ascending sequence. If a signal is found, the scan will pause on that channel. During this time, you can press the PTT on the microphone and talk on the channel. Once the channel has been clear for 5 seconds the scan will resume.
Group (Priority) Scan: allows you to scan several channels for activity while also monitoring your selected priority channel every fifth channel. The receiver will continue to scan the other channels only while there are no signals on the priority channel. If a signal appears on the priority channel it will override any signals being received on other channels. If you press the PTT key at any time, the radio will transmit on the priority channel.
Netscan: enables you can have continuous uninterrupted conversations by dynamically switching to unused channels. Network Scan scans for other radios that share the same CTCSS or DCS tone. Once identified, the radios communicate on a channel until radios in the group detect the wrong code or no code at which point the radios will automatically select another unused channel to continue transmitting and receiving.
It is difficult to provide a definitive answer regarding the maximum transmission distance of a Two-Way GMRS radio, as there are so many variables.
As GMRS radios operate on line-of-sight, the ability of a portable or mobile radio to transmit and receive an effective RF signal over a given distance will be determined by the radio’s transmit output power, antenna height/gain, and the surrounding landscape.
The bandwidth selection allows you transmit on either a Narrow (12.5kHz) or Wide (25 kHz) bandwidth.
Bandwidth selection allows the option to transmit on two bandwidths.
“Narrowband” uses a smaller frequency range, resulting in less potential for interference with possibly lower audio quality,
“Wideband” uses a larger frequency range, possibly providing improved audio quality but with a higher chance of interference in crowded areas.
Dynamic Volume Control automatically compensates for variations in received audio level to provide a constant audio output level to the speaker.
Digital Signal Processing (DSP) measures, filters and compresses standard analogue audio signals and converts them into digital format.
DSP allows advanced RF and audio processing techniques to be applied to maximize the radio’s performance.
Advanced Signal Management identifies interference caused by strong local signals on adjacent channels and prevents these from opening your Squelch.
ASM also minimizes distortion on reception by fine tuning the receiver frequency to match that of the incoming signal.