CB vs GFRS radio

[Tractorat]

Not sure if this is the right forum, but Ill try.



Does anyone have any experience with the new GFRS hand held radios vs CB hand helds ?



With the 5 watt output, the GFRS say they get about 5 miles distance optimumly. Which is about what they say a hand held CB will get. Im wondering if one actually gets better distance and performance than the other.



I know a truck mounted CB with a truck mounted antenna is the best for truck to truck etc communication. But for out in the woods (hunting, hiking, etc) which radio performs the best ?

 

[Turbo Horseman]

In either application I would go with the GFRS. Course, you might be the only one on the road with your GFRS on.



My experience has been that CB is all too often line of site and easily gets over ridden by the rigs. I have travelled in convoys relocating wildlife and the CB's were alomost useless in many areas of the US or where line of site was a problem.

 

[TowPro]

If your looking for a radio service where you have a pair of radios, so you and your buddy can talk, check out MURS radios. The idea is kind of new. Radio shack carries some.



they use the 151 Mhz which is line of site, sort of. 2 hand held radios should be able to do around 10 miles on flat land, and base to base should be able to do around 50 miles plus.



but if you want a radio for road conditions, CB is the only one.



Better yet, Take the first test for your Ham license, its 30 out of a possible 100 questions (I think). They sell study books that show all the questions with the answers. Then you will be limitless with your communications opportunities, and there will be plenty of people out there to talk to. See http://www.arrl.org for more info on Amateur radio.

 

[Todd G]

With a good antenna on your vehicle, a CB will have 5 times the range of the GFRS radios. I have a top-of-the-line Motorola GFRS and inside the vehicle to another in a vehicle, the range is less than a mile. The same goes from house to house. With a decent antenna, range would be far greater but I've never seen one and I assume they're illegal. Outdoors the range is better, but I've never got closed to 5 miles in range. I can get better range with my Midland handheld CB talking to my truck with the Wilson 1000 antenna. The Motorola's do have some very neat features, such as voice scrambling.