I have a Midland GMRS base station mounted in my Jeep. Plus a couple Walmart Ozark Trail FRS walkie talkies to hand out to newbies.

 

What do you do for an antenna? Jl's are mostly aluminum

 

I also have a Midland GMRS unit mounted in the Jeep. I have Baofeng UV-5R handheld for time when I'm outside the Jeep...like spotting. I highly recomend both. The Baofeng can be had on Amazon fairly cheap. I like it because I can tune it to just about any frequency, depending on the group I'm wheeling with.

Amazon.com: Baofeng UV-5R Ham Radio Long Range UV5R Handheld Dual Band Rechargeable Two Way Radio Walkie Talkies for Adults with Earpiece Full Kit,2Pack : Electronics

Amazon.com: Baofeng UV-5R Ham Radio Long Range UV5R Handheld Dual Band Rechargeable Two Way Radio Walkie Talkies for Adults with Earpiece Full Kit,2Pack : Electronics

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: Midland – MXT275 MicroMobile® GMRS Radio – 15 watts Two-Way Radio with Integrated Control Microphone – Overland Caravanning Tractors – Detachable External Magnetic Mount Antenna - 8 Repeater Channels : Electronics

Buy Midland – MXT275 MicroMobile® GMRS Radio – 15 watts Two-Way Radio with Integrated Control Microphone – Overland Caravanning Tractors – Detachable External Magnetic Mount Antenna - 8 Repeater Channels: Headsets & Microphones - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

I have a Rugged Radios GMRS45 mounted in the Jeep and Rugged Radios GMR2+ hand helds.

 

I have a Baofeng handheld and my buddy has the Midland base station. Both seem to work as well as we would need. I have my handheld setup to positively lock into a notch I cut into my sunvisor and have a handheld speaker plugged into it. Good enough for me and my needs.

 

Did you all get a GMRS license from the FCC or just fly under the radar? Just curious as I've looked into a GMRS license but never actually got one.

 

The license looks fairly easy to get, no need for flying under the radar.

 

Has anyone compared the Midland MXT275 with this one: Retevis RA86 ? The price certainly fits in my budget but I don't know anything about the company. We already have a Midland 275 in one Jeep and we want another radio in our other Jeep, and in the motorhome.

 

I am licensed and also run a local GMRS linked repeater.
In the jeep i have a Wouxun KG-1000G head unit mounted on a bullet point arm, the rest of radio under passenger seat.
I also have a midland MXT-575 in my truck, and a couple of baofeng handhelds.

 

What do you do for an antenna?

 

If you plan on participating in any Jeep Jamboree, a GMRS radio is required.

 

I have the Midland MXT575 50 watt radio. It is mounted simply under my steering column with Velcro and I have a drivers side A pillar mount for the 6dB gain Midland antenna and a grab bar mount for the microphone - both from Amazon. Midland designs their radios for the casual user, so it’s perfect for my wheeling habits. After using mine and hearing the clarity and seeing the range over our friends’ handhelds, my son got one for his Gladiator too. We both carry Midland handhelds as well for spotting or less prepared friends. And yes I got the license. No reason to be without one and it gives you access to Mygmrs.com where you can locate and request codes for repeaters to enhance your range (not useful for wheeling but probably good for emergencies). I’m very happy with the decision to go with Midland.

 

GMRS? We use the Midland MXT275 exclusively. In all three vehicles. We chose that one because vehicle interiors are cramped, there is little room for stuff. I'm long past the time when I need blinking lights and flashy displays to impress others. My JEEP has Ham-VHF, Ham-UHF, CB, GMRS and APRS. The APRS is a full TX-RX unit, and it is connected to the 8-inch Android tablet for off-line navigation that replaced the mirror. The stereo was also ripped out and replaced with an android head unit.

The microphones: Right is the CB, all in the microphone display and controls. Middle is the HAM, the display is on top of the dash. Left is the GMRS, again all in the microphone display and controls. Full functionality without a bunch of boxes exposed.

The radio main chassis' are mounted below the seats on a custom-made bracket. Power is fed from a #8 red/blk pair from the battery to a 4-plug Anderdon Power-Pole junction box, each separately fused at the box. Of course there is a main fuse on the feeder right at the battery.

MXT275. Rulers are METRIC.

BTW - the 15-watt output is plenty, gives you up to 10-miles from vehicle to vehicle even when driving through rolling hills. The MXT-575 has 50-watts, but is very expensive for what you get. Hope this helps.

 

ahh, he just posted this....how convenient.

Why You Should Not Bother To Get An FCC GMRS License & Why You SHOULD Bother To Get A GMRS License (youtube.com)

 

saw that in my feed in YT last night, didn't even bother...

 

The FCC doesn't make the GMRS license easy to obtain. I'm pretty sure you have add info to 3 different FCC websites, plus they want your Social Security Number on 1 of the forms. I didn't put my SSN in there. You can make corrections later.

I make the joke, the test for the GMRS License, is successfully navigating the FCC website to do the right thing. I followed a guide and it was still wrong and still a PITA to get the license.

Midland GMRS radios limit you to what channels you can use. You are not going to accidentally find yourself on an emergency services station using a Midland GMRS radio.

Those Boafeng hand helds can get you into trouble. Some of them are Ham radios. I really have no interest in Ham radio. Sorry listening to a bunch of old retired former Navy Radiomen fart around is of no interest to me. If I want to hear that nonsense, I'll go hang out at the local outdoor rifle range or have a beer at the local VFW.

And before all you old retired Navy Radiomen get your panties in a wad, thank you for your service and you can thank me for my service.

 

Midland GMRS radios limit you to what channels you can use.

It isn't the on-channel signals that are the problem. Put a baofeng UV5R on a spectrum analyzer and see for yourself.

Those Boafeng hand helds can get you into trouble. Some of them are Ham radios.

Some of them are totally wide open, and illegal in the USA. Many of the sellers paid big fines for selling them.

I really have no interest in Ham radio. Sorry listening to a bunch of old retired former Navy Radiomen fart around is of no interest to me.

Well -- -- ham radio is so much more. But I make it a point to never argue with a person who is sure of what they know. So have it your way. Ham radio is probably better off.

 

Just some reading I've done says the VHF is better for outdoors than UHF (GMRS). Is everyone using GMRS because the license is easier to get?

 

It's true, but that is with all things being the same.

GMRS has the ability to have more power and as well as a mobile radio w/ better antenna than FRS. both are uhf.

For best VHF, get a tech ticket, and then you have even more legal power in ham VHF HTs and mobile radios. (anyone keying up a ham HT, needs a tech ticket)

The 5 and 10 miles or even 1 or 2 miles these VHF and UHF FRS and GMRS HT advertise, is not reality.

 

Here's the list of Ham to GMRS FRS channels for programing a Baofeng Radio. I keep this on my cell phone and show it to folks that come out to our trail rides with Baofeng hand helds.

We were primarily using channel 15 but switched to channel 5. There was too much feedback from the repeater on Channel 15.

A guy in our group was able to hit FRS / GMRS Channel 5 with his CB radio. I don't know how he did it. I don't recommend CB radios. About the only place you can buy them is at truck stops.

I also don't recommend Midland hand held walkie talkie GMRS radios. Every time someone is constantly transmitting without knowing it on a trail ride, it's a brand new Midland Hand Held with a loose transmit button. I had one that did the same thing.

Midland's base station style GMRS radios work great, till you need to replace the microphone because it stopped working from getting coated in dust.

 

I ordered a pair of Radiodditty GM-30 plus radios today, I was going to get the TD-H3's. The license process was anything but easy. Thankfully there was some guidance on the net. I still had to call the FCC to find out where to pay. Their website was either slow or not working and giving errors. Just an all around terrible experience.