Handheld GMRS?

[JoshT]

Thinking about picking up a GMRS before the trip in October. Don't know if anyone else will have one, or if they will get used, but seems like a good thing to have anyway. I also know that it is recommended for some of the TRS off-road gatherings. I know that teh Vegabonds page mentions a mounted GMRS as a vehicle requirement, and I seem to recall another TRS adventure page listing it as one too. Regardless it seems like a good thing to have.

I know that a vehicle mounted 15w is recommended. Problem with that is I'm taking the F-150 and don't want to mount a radio or antenna on it. Also I've got a few vehicles and, once up to par, I'm likely to take any of them on a trip so don't want to be mounting them in each one. Primarily for quick group communication in a convoy or around a park, not reaching out a long distance. Seems like a GMRS handheld is the flavor of the day, with a higher powered mounted unit coming later if I use it enough to justify and/or see myself going to an event where there will be some real distance.

So what handhelds are decent price v performance?

Honestly I'm cheap, so one of those Chinese brand like those Baofeng things I used to see in emails would be just my style. I don't mind going a bit technogeek (IE: modifying and tweaking) if necessary, just don't want to buy a total POS. I'll mostly be communicating with people who have their own, so I'd also rather pay a little more for a single decent one, than go cheaper to get a pair.

 

[SenorNoob]

The Baofengs are probably the way to go.

I picked up the cheapest 2 pack of Midlands. I did that because I knew I wanted 2 and when I bought I wanted them faster than I could get the Baofengs shipped.

 

[Curious Hound]

I have a pair of Midland handheld radios that I use as backup or to loan out to people who don't have one. They are handy and we do use them while driving around.

Back when I was studying for my HAM license (not completed yet), I saw a lot of good comments about Baofangs in forums. They seem to be well respected for their price.

 

[sgtsandman]

If the price point is the important thing for you, Boafeng is the way to go. Get the GMRS dedicated one so you don't have to figure out how to program the radio. Like @Curious Hound said, some of us bring hand held radios just in case someone needs one, or in off road situations, the spotter has something to communicate with the driver instead of just yelling.

I have a pair of Midland HTs that I bring on group trips for those very reasons.

 

[JoshT]

If the price point is the important thing for you, Boafeng is the way to go.

I wouldn't say that it's main concern, but it is a consideration. I want to get one for this or future trips. Will get a mounted eventually, but don't want to mount one in the F-150 or the Kia if I happen to be in it. As noted above, even when I get a mounted unit in one or both of those trucks, having the handheld can still be handy.

If things work out then the Ranger will be the future truck for trips like this and it will likely get a permanently installed one, or atleast a mounted setup that can easily be swapped between it and the F-100. Wired in, mounting bracket, and a magnetic antenna mount or something easily removable for swapping or storing when not in use. No place to magnet mount on the aluminum bodied F-150. I know that there are other options for the F-150, but none I want to utilize at this time.

Since it's probably destined to become a backup or secondayr radio, don't want to spend top dollar on it for features I don't need. At the same time I want more than the bare necessities and want something that's going to be fairly decent and relatively easy to use.

After reading around a bit I was considering these two, but wanted to do a bit more studying.

Baofeng UV-5G Plus
Radioddity GM-30 Plus

Both seem to get good reviews, though it sounds like either (like most handhelds?) could benefit from an antenna upgrade out of the box.

 

[sgtsandman]

I wouldn't say that it's main concern, but it is a consideration. I want to get one for this or future trips. Will get a mounted eventually, but don't want to mount one in the F-150 or the Kia if I happen to be in it. As noted above, even when I get a mounted unit in one or both of those trucks, having the handheld can still be handy.

If things work out then the Ranger will be the future truck for trips like this and it will likely get a permanently installed one, or atleast a mounted setup that can easily be swapped between it and the F-100. Wired in, mounting bracket, and a magnetic antenna mount or something easily removable for swapping or storing when not in use. No place to magnet mount on the aluminum bodied F-150. I know that there are other options for the F-150, but none I want to utilize at this time.

Since it's probably destined to become a backup or secondayr radio, don't want to spend top dollar on it for features I don't need. At the same time I want more than the bare necessities and want something that's going to be fairly decent and relatively easy to use.

After reading around a bit I was considering these two, but wanted to do a bit more studying.

Baofeng UV-5G Plus
Radioddity GM-30 Plus

Both seem to get good reviews, though it sounds like either (like most handhelds?) could benefit from an antenna upgrade out of the box.

No hand held really comes with a good antenna. It's a limitation of the form factor and most people don't want a long, floppy antenna on their HT. An HT works with the majority of the stuff we do as a group. Range is limited some because of the antenna being in the cab, and thus, being shielded by the cab. But for a group convoy, where everyone pretty much stays within viewing distance of the group like we tend to do, they will work just fine.

 

[SenorNoob]

@Tbow2025 I think has one of the Baofengs. (It looks similar anyway.) We did a test between it my Midland while on the highway, Even when he dropped over the horizon (small hills) a 1/4mile or so away we could hear each other with the cab in the way.

 

[JoshT]

FYI I think I've landed on the Radioddity GM-30 Pro. Most of the features I wanted (really not a lot) at a price I like, and good reviews. The Pro drops the GPS from the Plus, but gains bluetooth. The GPS allegedly only works with another of the same brand and/or model of radio. Even if it worked with more radios, GPS coordinates are about useless without a GPS to plug them into which will also provide the coordinates. Also seems likely to be an extra drain on the battery. The bluetooth is included to allow programming wirelessly via a cellphone app. Allegedly the app is "hot garbage", but does work. I do intend to get the programming cable to use laptop, but having wireless programming could be handy when the laptop and/or programming cable isn't.



There are some features I've seen that would be nice to have, namely better bluetooth implementation (IE: able to use bluetooth headset and mics) and USB-C programming. The one or two radios that claim to feature those things and more at this price point allegedly sacrifice performance and reliability, in addition the FCC certification is questionable and the implementation of those features is apparently finiky. Stepping up to a radio that has all of the features and good reviews moves to a price point I don't want to approach at this time.

Now to decide if I want to get one or a pair. One is all I need/want for the trip. If I had two I'd have a spare to hand off to my BIL when we're working at the hunting land, or could hand off to family when we're out at an event or park somewhere. Having two of the same would be easier for me to familiarize them with usage. They'd already be covered under the GMRS license I'll have to get anyway.

The pair kit also appears to include longer 15" antennas (in addition to stock) and speaker mics. I will probably hold off on buying better antennas for now and use the included one for this trip, it should be good enough for the ranges and terrain encountered. Since vehicle body seems to be biggest source of signal interference, I may try to get a suction mounted antenna to stick outside the window while in the vehicle. The suction mount is something that could also be used later when/if I acquire a mobile radio since it'll probably be setup to be portable between the vehicles. If nothing else the mic could be handy while driving, especially if especially if the radio is wired to an exterior antenna.

 

[Things2do]

I have a Baofeng UV-5R that I got from a thrift store, and in March I was easily conversing with a guy with a mounted GMRS on a trail in Moab from inside my Ranger. Come to find out later no one else in my group could even hear the other guy on their GMRS-only handhelds. My way with that radio isn't the most user friendly though, I have a chart of GMRS channel frequencies and the CTCSS frequencies on my phone and I manually program in what I need to talk to whoever I'm wheeling with that day.

I have a pair of Midland handheld radios that I use as backup or to loan out to people who don't have one. They are handy and we do use them while driving around.

Back when I was studying for my HAM license (not completed yet), I saw a lot of good comments about Baofangs in forums. They seem to be well respected for their price.

They're good low budget entry level radios.
I've yet to actually make use of my ham license, but I finally got mine in June. I'd been meaning to for at at least 10 or 12 years and I've had that Baofeng for probably 2 or 3 now.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I have a Midland GMRS mobile and a pair of walkies. Midland actually offers them as a bundle. I like the walkies because I can spot and talk to people outside of the truck. I also have a CB, but I haven't used it in years. We've been using GMRS for quite a while.

The mobile is around $200 and will come with an DC power cord to plug it into a power outlet and a magnetic antenna. Not much to setup. You can literally move it from one vehicle to another.

If you're not going to get much use out of it then just get the walkie. You can get a pair of Midlands with a charging dock for $100 or a single Midland GXT Walking for $45.

Just make sure if you buy a walkie it's GMRS and not just FRS or anything that says, 'No license required'.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have a pair of Midland handhelds.

I haven't really stretched them for range but they work awesome to talk to the inside of a vehicle like for spotting.

Mounted in a vehicle is slick if you can do it, I buried my wife's car and it was really nice both it and my Ranger have GMRS radios so we could talk back and forth as I worked to get her yanked out.