Long range walkie talkies are available in a variety of styles and prices depending on the number of features you want on your set. For the longest time GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) was relatively expensive in relation to FRS (Family Radio Service) models. FRS models can be had for around twenty to thirty dollars a pair with a charger while most GMRS radios start at twice that amount for one GMRS radio. Several years ago that difference was about five to one instead of two to one. Pricing has come down as the demand for long range walkie talkies has increased.
It will not be hard to find a long range walkie talkie in your local area. Local outdoor sporting goods stores from camping stores to hunting and fishing stores to discount stores all carry long range walkie talkies now. Major makers of these units include Motorola, Icom, Kenwood, Cobra, Uniden and Audiovox. What makes a long range walkie talkie long range? It all has to do with the out put power of the handset. Anything less than one watt (1W) is considered FRS and is relegated to a certain band of frequencies. GMRS radios for public and business use can have as high an output as five watts (5W). This power output can give you a ten mile range in clear line of site territory. This power will give you greater reach in populated (residential) areas and inside buildings.
Many of these models are used by fire fighters and disaster relief workers and have enhanced voice capabilities to allow them to be heard over the sounds of a fire or storm. Many GMRS models are also constructed to be dust and waterproof for those occupations as well as to Mil Spec 810 C, D, E for armed forces use in the field.
Owners of GMRS radios are now required to obtain a personal license from the FCC to use these radios. They operate on the UHF-FM band in the 450 to 470 MHz area and have twenty three distinct channels available for use. Applications for the personal license can be downloaded from the FCC government website. GMRS licenses cost $85 and are usually purchased by businesses using long range walkie talkies in the GMRS band for employee communications. Combination FRS/GMRS radios have been sold over the last several years in blister packs at retail (30-50 million sets) and very few if any owners have purchased a GMRS license as required by the FCC.
Long Range Walkie Talkies Long Range Walkie Talkies
Do you enjoy the ease of giving your
children a walkie talkie handset while they are playing in the neighborhood? Instead of yelling for them to come home for dinner you can page them on the walkie talkies. If you are around other people at home the noise and volume of most walkie talkies can be rather unsettling so you may want to use a
walkie talkie headset. It can be as simple as going to the dollar store and picking out a cheap pair of earbuds for your walkie talkie headset.
Most walkie talkies have a 3.5 mm headset jack that will take just about any audio headset you can buy at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target or most grocery or drug stores. Do you use your walkie talkies for traveling together on the road instead of cell phones? There are a number of walkie talkie manufacturers that make FRS and GMRS radios for campers and the like. The only issue is the range of the unit. FRS and GMRS walkie talkies operate in different frequencies that are set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Walkie Talkies are not the toys you could get with next to no range any more. Several years ago I represented Cherokee radios in both FRS and GMRS versions. They produced radios under their own name and the Coleman brand. The main differences in the two styles are the power, range and frequency they operate in. These radios are much clearer than even the most powerful CB radios of the past and allow anyone to communicate over large distances with ease.
FRS (Family Radio Service) radios can have a maximum power output of 0.5W by law and work on channel 1-14 as set by the FCC. Due to its lower power rating FRS radios have a shorter range than GMRS models. You can improve range by the addition of better antennas and/or transceivers. When communicating while hunting or camping you may not want to startle wildlife by using a walkie talkie headset that will work on any FRS or GMRS radio.
GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) radios are more powerful and can achieve greater ranges and are used more by hunters and rescue workers than FRS radios. Using a walkie talkie headset allows you to conserve battery power when in the field. Ranges of up to ten miles can be reached from mountain to mountain.
Walkie Talkie Headset Walkie Talkie Headset