I borrowed a box of FRS radios from @Inukshuk for the Steamboat Color Cruise. We distributed them to several members of the group, and a bunch of guys had brought their own as well. These were all handheld units. Here are my thoughts.
My main reason for wanting to use the radios was to evaluate whether we should change the Cruise Moab requirement for a CB radio to an FRS radio. Based on my experience, the answer is no. Here is my reasoning:
My main reason for wanting to use the radios was to evaluate whether we should change the Cruise Moab requirement for a CB radio to an FRS radio. Based on my experience, the answer is no. Here is my reasoning:
- To start, here are the limits of my evaluation. If we changed the Cruise Moab requirement, I am thinking that we would not change the requirement to GMRS or Ham, even though these are clearly better options that CB radio. Right now, you can own & operate a CB radio with no license fee and no test. The only other similar option is FRS.
- Changing the requirement to GMRS is a different discussion, and we can start a thread for this topic... but that is not this discussion. Please do not muddy the waters.
- FRS handhelds are not any better than a CB handheld unit for transmit/receive capabilities. This is my unscientific opinion from using them for a few days.
- However, FRS radios are cheaper, they are arguably easier to use, they are smaller, and many people may already own a few.
- FRS handheld radios are not nearly as good as a decently-installed CB radio with an external antenna.
- While communication on FRS channels can be significantly improved by upgrading to a GMRS radio (which operates on the same 22 channels and can transmit with more power on all but 7 of them), operating a GMRS radio legally requires a $70 license from the FCC in addition to purchasing the radio and antenna. Some folks (like me) will have no problem doing this. Others might buy the GMRS unit anyway and skip the license, but we would certainly not encourage this behavior for Cruise Moab which is a big public event. I do not want to discuss this issue at all -- again, please start another thread if you want to advocate for using GMRS radios w/o a license.
- Right now, we have a good amount of the Toyota wheeling community who have decent CB setups, peppered in with those who own a cheap handheld CB.
- If we change to FRS, most people will buy a handheld. Or several. Or maybe they already own a drawerful of them. They are ubiquitous.
- While a handful of people will go the extra mile, pay the $70 GMRS license fee, and buy a decent GMRS radio, most will just buy the cheap handheld radios and call it good.
- If we stick with CB radio, we get a mix of good installed CB radios w/ external antennas mixed in with guys with handheld CBs. I'm not sure what the proportions are, but let's call it 50/40/10 for sake of argument. That's 50% with decent setups, 40% with handhelds that work, and 10% with no radio or one that dies as soon as you hit the trail.
- With FRS, I'm thinking we'd end up with 20/75/5. That's 20% who have GMRS radios (legal or not), 75% with a handheld FRS radio, and 5% who forgot to charge the battery on their FRS radios or let the kids play with it until it broke.
- In other words, we'd lower the overall quality of communication by switching from CB to FRS, at this time.
- This argument hinges on a) the continued attendance of old timers who already own a CB setup, and b) the willingness of newer folks to continue investing in CB radios.