FRS base station?

[DouglasVB]

Has anyone come across a decent FRS base station? I'm looking for something for my parents that will work with their little FRS walkie talkies, and can run from inside the house to an external antenna.

I've seen the GMRS base stations that Midland Radio offers but the documentation I've read makes me think they have the FRS frequencies locked out.

 

[gungriffin]

Don't GMRS and FRS work on the same frequencies, but at different power levels? GMRS is $75 for a 5 year license, but allows for up to 5 watts where FRS is only up to 2

 

[Inukshuk]

I'll check on the MXT275 and 400 that I have. My understanding is that the power is automatically throttled back on the FRS frequencies, but why not just get one of the package deals so you have the stronger GMRS HTs anyway? No point in a monster 15 or 40 watt base station of the HT is only 1/2 watt. Midland sells base station power supplies too.

 

[DouglasVB]

My parents and their summer/weekend neighbors already have the FRS walkie talkies so there is inertia to switching everyone to GMRS and getting them to get licenses. If they were willing to get licenses, I'd get them all to do the amateur radio technician test and get them on 2M or 70cm.

The "neighborhood" is expanding with my uncle buying some property a couple miles away. The FRS walkie talkies can unlock squelch from that distance but the conversation is unintelligible. There isn't cell service where my parents are and my uncle is too far into the woods to get a telephone line.

So it would be nice if there was a relatively simple solution for a base station to enable a little bit longer and clearer communications to reach my uncle's place that would play nice with all the FRS radios everyone already has in the area.

 

[DaveInDenver]

There is no allowance in the FRS rules for base or mobile operation. The FCC is specific on technical matters, FRS must be 0.5W or 2W on the designated channels and have a fixed antenna. GMRS rules allow for mobile and base stations with detached antennas but handheld radios are supposed to have fixed antennas. Commercial and amateur services leave portable, mobile and base installation specifics up to the user.

 

[DouglasVB]

Reading through this it looks like FRS and GMRS share channels 1-7? https://www.fema.gov/media-library-...c/cert_emergencycommunications_ppt_100615.pdf

Then we could run a GMRS base station without a license that has channels 1-7 at the correct low power setting, and the FRS radios could talk with that base station?

 

[DaveInDenver]

Reading through this it looks like FRS and GMRS share channels 1-7? https://www.fema.gov/media-library-...c/cert_emergencycommunications_ppt_100615.pdf

Then we could run a GMRS base station without a license that has channels 1-7 at the correct low power setting, and the FRS radios could talk with that base station?

Since 2017 FRS and GMRS share all 22 channels. The difference being how much power you're allowed to use. There's also 8 frequencies only open for GMRS that are reserved for repeater inputs.

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/FRS/GMRS_combined_channel_chart

I suppose you could use FRS handhelds with a GMRS base. I don't whether or not there's a rule that requires both parties on a two-way GMRS contact to be licensed.

There will be some advantage having an external antenna on the base but the range will ultimately be dictated by the relative crappiness of the FRS radio. Bear in mind that the difference between maximum power 2w (FRS) and 5w (GMRS) is about 60% better range, all other things being equal.

Since a GMRS license covers you and your immediate family I can't imagine a reason not to use a GMRS handheld, though.

 

[DouglasVB]

Since a GMRS license covers you and your immediate family I can't imagine a reason not to use a GMRS handheld, though

The issue is inertia of everyone other than me involved. The neighborhood has FRS radios and they're not going to jump on converting to GMRS unless their radios start breaking. So maybe over time I can start getting them to convert to GMRS and all of that.

Or I guess I could get a Baofeng base station and put it on the FRS frequency 😈 (I'd never do that -- gotta follow the FCC rules)

 

[gungriffin]

So as I understand they could have GMRS and communicate with everyone using FRS. This seems like a great opportunity to lead so that everyone else will follow. Why not turn the license into something that you get for a gift so that they don't have to buy it? Boom. Resistance point gone. Also, here is the chart that allows you to use any radio that can get the frequencies into a GMRS. The important part is that it includes all of the privacy channel codes too. The power limits are in the link that DaveInDenver posted above.

http://missionspec.com/oe/MissionSpec-GMRS-FRS-CheatSheet02.pdf

 

[Inukshuk]

I strongly suspect that if we were able to compare the number of GMRS radios sold against the number of GMRS licenses obtained, they would not even be remotely close.

WRHV425 = $70 of something else I did not buy