Long Range Emergency Communications Set

VegasUnderworld

Adventurer
Also, your friends can use the cheaper, handheld GMRS you can buy at Walmart for vehicle to vehicle trail rides and if you had the allowable 50 watt mobile, it would be available for long range communications. You'd also have the convenience of foot travel communications that you won't have with CB without bulky equipment.
 

1911

Expedition Leader
From some of the pictures I'm seeing it looks like some of you run both CB's and HAMS?

I do, only because cb is the lowest common denominator of communication in many trail groups. Never turn it on except in those circumstances.


Are there any units that integrate both?

No; different radio services with different licensing requirements, different bands, different power limitations, etc. As has been said, illegal to mix the two.
 

Mashurst

Adventurer
No; different radio services with different licensing requirements, different bands, different power limitations, etc. As has been said, illegal to mix the two.
Just to be clear, many ham radios do have the capability to monitor CB frequencies and this is completely legal. The 7900 does not have this capability however. It only goes down to 108Mhz. CB, as has been stated, is ~27Mhz.

Like SARGuru I am finding that running two independent radios has a number of advantages over a 8800, though admittedly at a much greater cost. I would be interested in this cross band devise you are revering to. Can you provide any details?
 

RangeBrover

Explorer
Thanks for the info guys. I'll probably keep my cobra 75 for trail rides where it's the most common form of communication. Never really thought about GMRS as an option I'll have to look into that.
 

SARguru

Observer
Mashurst, i'll get that info on the crossband device.

Most HF radios such as ft817, ft857 and similar will do the CB band. The device would need to be midified, similar to get extended comms on a 7900.. But you are looking at 800 or more for a ft857.
 

1911

Expedition Leader
Many do? CB operates in 26-27 MHz. None of the tri-bands go that low. Which ham radios work on CB frequencies? I'd be interested in one.

My Kenwood TS-480 will receive cb, since it's so close to the 10 Meters band and the radio does AM, but you can't transmit on cb because as has been said numerous times, it is illegal.
 

craig333

Expedition Leader
GMRS has all you mentioned but, I don't know a single person with a gmrs radio (other than myself). Fine if you're okay to limiting yourself to your immediate group only.

P.S. My ham radio can monitor gmrs, frs but I never bother.
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Many do? CB operates in 26-27 MHz. None of the tri-bands go that low. Which ham radios work on CB frequencies? I'd be interested in one.
Don't confuse being able to listen to CB as being able to operate as a CB.

None transmit (TX) on CB. Zero. At least legally. Some can be modified with varying difficulty. Most made in the past 15 to 20 years that support operation on the 10m and 12m ham bands will receive (RX) beyond the ham bands to cover 11m AM and SSB, which is where the U.S. CB spectrum sits.
 

VegasUnderworld

Adventurer
GMRS has all you mentioned but, I don't know a single person with a gmrs radio (other than myself). Fine if you're okay to limiting yourself to your immediate group only.

P.S. My ham radio can monitor gmrs, frs but I never bother.
There are a few desert race crews around here that use GMRS. Some of the offroad clubs are starting to switch over to GMRS from CB too. Would be nice if more people started using it.
 

RobRed

Explorer
Thanks for the reply. I only ask because while HAM would be great for long range, it seems not many people are willing to invest in getting the license an equipment. I'm definitely going to install a HAM, but I'll most likely have to keep the CB for local trail rides.

Yeah that investment is pretty steep.... let's see $28 for Baofeng handheld HAM and $15 for the test fee (30 questions). I can see why folks would avoid that :)

Sarcasm aside CB has been the standard because of almost no barrier to entry but today that's just being uninformed. Call me what you will but I wont roll on the trail unless the the other rigs have something better than CB - I'll take GMRS, FRS or smoke signals before CB.
 

Mashurst

Adventurer
The great thing about FRS is that they are so cheap that you can hand them out to anyone on the trail you are rolling with. The bad thing is that they seem to kill batteries at a high rate. In my experience maybe 60% will make it through the day. The available headwear seems to be very low end. At least in theory GMRS can be a proper mobile running off the cars power but I have never seen such a set-up in real life.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,538
Messages
2,875,654
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top