Excellent prepper/survival radio

[mountainmoped]

I have been a ham radio operator since I was 11 years old. For the last 3 years I have searched for an inexpensive radio that would provide reliable short range communication without the requirement of having a license. I tried a number of the FRS/GMRS handheld radios from Walmart and Ebay. They worked, but had very limited range when used in wooded areas as foliage. I started checking on MURS radio equipment as it is VHF rather than UHF and works better in wooded areas. Until recently the only MURS radios were old Motorola and Radio Shack radios, but recently a few companies started making MURS radios. MURS is called the forgotten band as it is seldom utilized. For years Walmart, Sam’s Club and Cosco have used, and still use MURS channel 5. You can send voice, data and images over MURS. Unlike FRS radios MURS can use a separate antenna that can be as much as 60 feet above ground level. I have found one MURS radio that is inexpensive and has a much greater range than the FRS/GRMS radios. The Retevis RT27V can be purchased from Amazon and EBay for as little as $15.00. It comes with a rechargeable battery and a charging stand. The great thing about this radio is it charges with a USB cable so it can be charged with the phone charger, a computer or one of the power banks or solar charger for cell phones.

Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS) is a licensed by rule two-way radio service similar to Citizens Band (CB). Established by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in the fall of 2000, MURS created a radio service allowing for licensed by rule (Part 95) operation in a narrow selection of the VHF band, with a power limit of 2 watts. The FCC formally defines MURS as "a private, two-way, short-distance voice or data communications service for personal or business activities of the general public." MURS stations may not be connected to the public telephone network, may not be used for store and forward operations, and radio repeaters are not permitted.

MURS comprises the following five frequencies:

Channel

Frequency

Maximum
authorized bandwidth

Channel name

1

151.820 MHz

11.25 kHz

MURS 1

2

151.880 MHz

11.25 kHz

MURS 2

3

151.940 MHz

11.25 kHz

MURS 3

4

154.570 MHz

20.00 kHz

Blue Dot

5

154.600 MHz

20.00 kHz

Green Dot

.

 

[C ountry]

I have been a ham radio operator since I was 11 years old. For the last 3 years I have searched for an inexpensive radio that would provide reliable short range communication without the requirement of having a license. I tried a number of the FRS/GMRS handheld radios from Walmart and Ebay. They worked, but had very limited range when used in wooded areas as foliage. I started checking on MURS radio equipment as it is VHF rather than UHF and works better in wooded areas. Until recently the only MURS radios were old Motorola and Radio Shack radios, but recently a few companies started making MURS radios. MURS is called the forgotten band as it is seldom utilized. For years Walmart, Sam’s Club and Cosco have used, and still use MURS channel 5. You can send voice, data and images over MURS. Unlike FRS radios MURS can use a separate antenna that can be as much as 60 feet above ground level. I have found one MURS radio that is inexpensive and has a much greater range than the FRS/GRMS radios. The Retevis RT27V can be purchased from Amazon and EBay for as little as $15.00. It comes with a rechargeable battery and a charging stand. The great thing about this radio is it charges with a USB cable so it can be charged with the phone charger, a computer or one of the power banks or solar charger for cell phones.

Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS) is a licensed by rule two-way radio service similar to Citizens Band (CB). Established by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in the fall of 2000, MURS created a radio service allowing for licensed by rule (Part 95) operation in a narrow selection of the VHF band, with a power limit of 2 watts. The FCC formally defines MURS as "a private, two-way, short-distance voice or data communications service for personal or business activities of the general public." MURS stations may not be connected to the public telephone network, may not be used for store and forward operations, and radio repeaters are not permitted.

MURS comprises the following five frequencies:

Channel

Frequency

Maximum
authorized bandwidth

Channel name

1

151.820 MHz

11.25 kHz

MURS 1

2

151.880 MHz

11.25 kHz

MURS 2

3

151.940 MHz

11.25 kHz

MURS 3

4

154.570 MHz

20.00 kHz

Blue Dot

5

154.600 MHz

20.00 kHz

Green Dot

.View attachment 3091161 View attachment 3091161

What do you estimate the range of murs to be?

 

[gyppo]

Would FMRS and GMRS be better for line of sight communication since it is in the 460Mhz range? I thought that wave propagation was generally better for line of sight as the frequency went up especially when power is limited?

 

[unheard]

Would FMRS and GMRS be better for line of sight communication since it is in the 460Mhz range? I thought that wave propagation was generally better for line of sight as the frequency went up especially when power is limited?

All VHF/UHF is LOS, except in rare situations. As the frequency goes up, you need to accompany it with either height and/or power to reach further. I run VHF FM and SSB amateur radio equipment here at the house, using 100 watts of power. Depending on conditions VHF SSB can reach out great distances, but this is the exception more-so than the rule. FM for the most part, I use on repeaters, which my Diamond X-300A @ 20' has no problem working. For SSB I use a 13 element yagi, similar to this guy at 35' when it is in the air (down for repairs at the moment). When I lived in TN, I worked from outside of Nashville to outside of Chicago on VHF SSB w/ this setup and 350 watts.

TLDR;
Height, Antenna, and Power are key for VHF/UHF communications. Never believe the ranges listed on the packages.

 

[mountainmoped]

Range is about one and a half miles with the supplied antenna. External antenna will significantly extend the range. UHF works better in the city as it tends to reflect off hard surfaces but is absorbed by leaves. VHF isn't absorbed by leaves so it works better in the country. Both UHF and VHF line of sight unless unusual atmospheric conditions like tropospheric ducting or E skip are present. Reliable long communications are made at HF frequencies.
.

 

[mountainmoped]

I have made some great contacts on 2 meter SSB over the years but usually they occured on rare occasions in the summer. When I lived in central Florida we had many evenings when tropo would facilitate contacts for several hundred miles. I am in North Georgia and I stay in touch with my friends in Florida using SSB on 40 meters using an NVIS antenna.

 

[unheard]

I have made some great contacts on 2 meter SSB over the years but usually they occured on rare occasions in the summer. When I lived in central Florida we had many evenings when tropo would facilitate contacts for several hundred miles. I am in North Georgia and I stay in touch with my friends in Florida using SSB on 40 meters using an NVIS antenna.

My father (who lives in Nashville) and I (Woodstock) have pretty reliable communication on 40m w/ my windom and his NVIS

 

[mountainmoped]

My primary HF antenna is an off center fed Carolina windom. I use a 40 meter dipole for NVIS.

 

[C ountry]

My primary HF antenna is an off center fed Carolina windom. I use a 40 meter dipole for NVIS.

Could you translate this for us that are ignorant?

 

[Chipw]

Could you translate this for us that are ignorant?

His main high frequency antenna is one strand of wire, representing a 1/4 wave length. probably measuring about 32 ft long. When he wants to use High frequency to talk to people closer, which the above antenna skips over, he uses an antenna that is 2 1/4 wave lengths long, about 64 ft. Strong horizontally and probably fairly close to the ground. NVIS is near vertical incidence (?) Skywave. Meaning you actually can talk to people reasonably close

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