I just got our FJ Cruiser pried away from my wife with her blessing to outfit it as I see fit. I want to install a cb/gmr/ham as a pretty much only used on solo treks type of communication. Essentially if I would break down miles from cell reception. The problem is I know next to nothing about any of them. I am willing to devote the time to learn how to use it/licensing but I don't know what would be my best option. Any help is appreciated.
Vehicle emergency communication question
- Thread starter SteveElms
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Here's my 2 cents and it might be worth just that. CB has a limited range of 5 to maybe 10 miles, does not need a license, and the other users may or maybe not be so helpful. GMRS also has a limited range too, but can that range can be extended with the use of repeaters. You do need a license which you can get without a test, and more and more off road drivers are using them which can be a plus. Ham radio, depending on the radio has a much greater range. The radios that most are putting in their rigs use the 2 meter frequencies and have more transmitting power than a cb. The distances covered with this band are also limited but repeaters help push your signal out farther. There are more 2 meter repeaters than GMRS repeaters. A license is required and to get it you need to pass a test. Actually there are 3 license with ham radio, each higher one gives you access to more frequencies. The first test, which is pretty easy, will allow you to use frequencies that include the 2 meter band. Ham operators that I've met are pretty helpful in an emergency. For many, its why they are ham operators.
One other thing you might consider is the use of a cell booster. I know that many of the guys working in the oil patches (Permian Basin, north western NM) use these. no license needed.
Oh, if you are going to be doing trail rides with others, you need to figure out what they are using. Last time I checked the runs during Cruise Moab event use CB radios. Other groups are using GMSR.
Hope this helps.
One other thing you might consider is the use of a cell booster. I know that many of the guys working in the oil patches (Permian Basin, north western NM) use these. no license needed.
Oh, if you are going to be doing trail rides with others, you need to figure out what they are using. Last time I checked the runs during Cruise Moab event use CB radios. Other groups are using GMSR.
Hope this helps.
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The most reliable emergency comm to get help is Inreach or Spot satellite systems. These are handheld so even if you are out hiking you can call for help.
The next most useful would be 2M Ham, which also provides best vehicle to vehicle comm. Ham can also provide location and message broadcast with APRS.
CB use has been in decline with GMSR replacing it. Wouldn't spend much on CB gear, but handy to have for talking to those that are still only on CB.
I run a 50W 2M ham with APRS (line of sight have talked to vehicles 60 miles away). Have a CB and carry Ham handhelds. Plan on carrying a GMSR handheld i the future.
Edit: These days Starlink for RVs has become another option for comm with the outside world.
The next most useful would be 2M Ham, which also provides best vehicle to vehicle comm. Ham can also provide location and message broadcast with APRS.
CB use has been in decline with GMSR replacing it. Wouldn't spend much on CB gear, but handy to have for talking to those that are still only on CB.
I run a 50W 2M ham with APRS (line of sight have talked to vehicles 60 miles away). Have a CB and carry Ham handhelds. Plan on carrying a GMSR handheld i the future.
Edit: These days Starlink for RVs has become another option for comm with the outside world.
I agree with what the other two responses have said in general, but with a couple amplifying points (no pun intended)
GMRS is UHF--relatively near the 70cm Ham band, and works way better than CB, but is still limited by the inherent characteristics of UHF, namely that it works best for Line of sight, without obstructions.
The Ham 2 meter band is VHF, and much better for non line of sight comms, and can reach out a good bit further--I can talk 15-20 miles between two mag mounts running 50w each, as long as the terrain isn't too extreme.
If you REALLY want to have full coverage from a vehicle mounted radio, you'll need to look into HF mobile. Because of the consistent ability to use atmospheric skip, you will practically always be able to reach someone who can relay your call for help. However, this requires some learning on types of antennas to use in a particular situation, at least a rudimentary understanding of which bands propagate the best during different times of the day and night, requires a general class license, and can be a little expensive.
So, my recommendation is to go HAM or GMRS for trail communications, but get one of the GPS communicators for true emergencies. I also don't tend to travel off the beaten path alone, if I do, a very detailed planning session precedes the trip--I've selected one vehicle over another based on color and how much it would stand out in a particular environment if someone were looking for me.
All of that to say, my personal setup is a 50w mobile ham rig that can transmit on GMRS, Marine, MARS, FRS, and Ham. It can also monitor CB and by swapping out the antenna, can transmit short distances on CB, but isn't practical for anything further than a few hundred yards as it doesn't actually have an AM transmitter, and the FM signal is unreadable at any significant distance. My particular variant can transmit on 6 meters as well, and so has "some" HF like qualities, but I wouldn't rely on 6 meters for an emergency situation.
As much as the Ham purists may hate that last paragraph, I don't transmit on all of those frequencies, I just have the capability in case of an emergency, and I have my General class ticket--KN4FEH. Case in point--if you happen to be on the Virginia eastern shore or on one of the eastern barrier islands and have a no kidding emergency, your best bet for calling for help might be to hail a passing vessel on marine channel 16 (156.8 MHz) and ask them to call for whatever flavor of emergency services are needed--The USCG monitors channel 16 also, so you might be fortunate enough to have them hear your transmission. If you are in the interior of the country, there really isn't any value for that particular capability though. Alternatively, you could look at whatever flavor of radio you have and wish that it could talk to that vessel.
Anyhow, enough of my soapbox preaching for now, but I hope someone will find it helpful, if for nothing else than stimulating a bit of analysis.
GMRS is UHF--relatively near the 70cm Ham band, and works way better than CB, but is still limited by the inherent characteristics of UHF, namely that it works best for Line of sight, without obstructions.
The Ham 2 meter band is VHF, and much better for non line of sight comms, and can reach out a good bit further--I can talk 15-20 miles between two mag mounts running 50w each, as long as the terrain isn't too extreme.
If you REALLY want to have full coverage from a vehicle mounted radio, you'll need to look into HF mobile. Because of the consistent ability to use atmospheric skip, you will practically always be able to reach someone who can relay your call for help. However, this requires some learning on types of antennas to use in a particular situation, at least a rudimentary understanding of which bands propagate the best during different times of the day and night, requires a general class license, and can be a little expensive.
So, my recommendation is to go HAM or GMRS for trail communications, but get one of the GPS communicators for true emergencies. I also don't tend to travel off the beaten path alone, if I do, a very detailed planning session precedes the trip--I've selected one vehicle over another based on color and how much it would stand out in a particular environment if someone were looking for me.
All of that to say, my personal setup is a 50w mobile ham rig that can transmit on GMRS, Marine, MARS, FRS, and Ham. It can also monitor CB and by swapping out the antenna, can transmit short distances on CB, but isn't practical for anything further than a few hundred yards as it doesn't actually have an AM transmitter, and the FM signal is unreadable at any significant distance. My particular variant can transmit on 6 meters as well, and so has "some" HF like qualities, but I wouldn't rely on 6 meters for an emergency situation.
As much as the Ham purists may hate that last paragraph, I don't transmit on all of those frequencies, I just have the capability in case of an emergency, and I have my General class ticket--KN4FEH. Case in point--if you happen to be on the Virginia eastern shore or on one of the eastern barrier islands and have a no kidding emergency, your best bet for calling for help might be to hail a passing vessel on marine channel 16 (156.8 MHz) and ask them to call for whatever flavor of emergency services are needed--The USCG monitors channel 16 also, so you might be fortunate enough to have them hear your transmission. If you are in the interior of the country, there really isn't any value for that particular capability though. Alternatively, you could look at whatever flavor of radio you have and wish that it could talk to that vessel.
Anyhow, enough of my soapbox preaching for now, but I hope someone will find it helpful, if for nothing else than stimulating a bit of analysis.
What HAM rig do you use? I have a quad band motorola handheld, but want to add on a good multi band mobile unit to the cruiser for a bit more range and expand into the HAM world
Man, I haven’t thought about MARS in a long time
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I have rhe TYT th-9800. It is remarkably decent for a Chinese radio and was unrestricted out of the box as far as I know. I got it used from @izzyandsue and it worked great for several years. Current issues are as follows after ~6 years in an 80, 1 year in the garage, and 1 year in the 100:What HAM rig do you use? I have a quad band motorola handheld, but want to add on a good multi band mobile unit to the cruiser for a bit more range and expand into the HAM world
Man, I haven’t thought about MARS in a long time
-Internal speaker failed(not sure if this was wiring, board, or speaker itself.
-I had to repair the 3.5mm speaker jack(this was my fault for not keeping it out of range of munchkin feet.
-left side receiver currently doesn't output audio(could be related to my 3.5mm jack repair, but not sure.
Of note, this radio and the yaesu it is modeled after are two separate receivers in one box. The left side is the quad band and the right side is just dual band.
It can also demodulate AM, so I tend to tune into ORF approach and ground to see when to hit the curbside pickup if anyone comes to visit. No transmission on aviation freqs though.
Cool,I was actually looking at the 9800 Plus but it didn't hit the GMRS bands, thanks for the info. I have a Motorola APX8000XE handheld and have full VHF, UHF1/2 and 700/800 bands, so I can use it with most of what a mobile unit will do, but the lower band HF and 50 watt power is pretty sweet to have also\ as a base station in the truck.
Agreed. One of my favorite features is the cross band repeat--lots of radios can do this, but I can park the truck and tune into a repeater, and then cross band that into a simplex freq for a hand held. I can be miles away from the truck with an 8 watt HT and still have 50w and a decent antenna to hit the repeater if i need it.
Mine can do gmrs, but the fcc has cracked down on some of the Chinese companies, so a new one might require some slight mods to open those frequencies up. They are right next to 70cm, and I've had good results using the same antenna for gmrs as I do for 70cm.
TYT TH-9800 Plus | Quad Band | 50W | Remote Head | Cross Band Repeater
Note: TYT TH-9800 is the same as TH-9800 Plus after 2018, all the stock from Radioddity is the latest version of TH-9800 with latest firmware and cross band function. The TYT TH9800 Quad Band Transmit, Twin Receive, Dual Display FM Radio Transceiver for the 10 Meter, 6 Meter, VHF 2 meter & UHF...
www.radioddity.com
I took a quick look around and the only difference I see with the plus model is number of memory channels being higher, and some conflicting reports on cross band reprat being disabled. The original version is still available on amazon, , and rhe newest version is available at the link above with the instructions on how to manipulate the frequency ranges.