FRS/GMRS radios, opinions?

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Workin Man

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I have been bowhunting with a buddy and was considering getting a pair of these radios to keep in communication with him. I'm wondering if anybody has tried these and if so how you liked them? We generally hunt on the same property, but usually not within sight of each other. In Ontario it is legal to party hunt (multiple hunters trying to fill one tag), as long as you are able to communicate with all the other hunters in the party. Where we were tonight, we were in sight of each other. I had one tag good for antlered only, one for antlerless only and my buddy had one good for either. He is holding out for a big buck though. I shot a buck with a bizzare one point rack (eastern count, pics to follow soon on a separate thread), but I knew he couldn't see the antler and thought I had shot a doe. If a small buck showed up after, he would have taken it and screwed his chances at the trophy buck he wants. I tried "charades" to tell him it was a buck, but at 100 or more yds, partly screened by tree branches it was useless. We really need some type of radio I think.
 
GMRS has quite a bit more power than FRS. FRS gives about a click in thick bush, my Cobra GMRS are rated for 16 km unobstructed but goes down to about 3 in the gnarly stuff. Make sure you buy one with a roger-beep that can be switched off if you're not going to use the head sets. The volume control does not affect the beep and it cost me a buck 4 years ago on my old FRS.
 
Get a Midland GXT550VP4 kit and you have everything you need including 5 watts of output power and GMRS and at a great price on eBay.

And them come in my favorite colour......Camo! :p

GXT550VP4big.jpg


http://www.midlandradio.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=3137
 
we have the Cobra GMRS rated for 16 km as well they work great for what they are , I found they dont quite do 16kms nless your in sask :lol: , but did give us 5-7km easily most days , and I made sure I could use the rechargable packs AND normal batteries before I bought them, nothing like a dead radio to ruin a day :D
 
Where we hunt in southern Ontario we are seldom more than a few hundred yards apart, so the FRS would probably work down here. We are considering a bear hunt up Sudbury way next year though so the extra range of the GMRS is something to consider. I have heard that you can communicate between different brands and even between GMRS and FRS. Is this true? If not then that could make a big difference in what we get.
 
As Bone Collector said it is a good idea to get the ones that will take regular batteries as well as the battery pack.I have Midlands and always carry a few double a's just is case.They are only good for 8 miles though.Cost $26.00 American.They are 2 watters and quite easy on batteries.Work quite well for us as we are seldom more than 2 miles apart as the crow flies.
 
GMRS has come down in price so much it hardly seems worthwhile to get FRS any more. 2 watts seems to be the norm and reasonably priced 5 watt versions are now available at least in the US - don't know about Canada yet.

This year i was using a Rino 130 in pretty ridgy country near Dryden and the GMRS worked fine. I had a problem with AA Duracell batteries dated 2007 only lasting about 4 hours- but the newer ones "designed for electronic equipment" - dated 2011 - lasted the advertised 15 hours. I also ran a set of lithium AAs and they lasted at least 40 hours- but of course they cost 3-4 times the price or regular alkalines.
 
I have been using the Cobra frs (rated for 3km) for about 6 years now. They work well for us. My friend and I hunt about 6-700 yds appart and have no trouble with them. I would suggest you look for a model that has a vibrating call feature. We buzz each other instead of speaking If he buzzez back then I know he has some sort of game in front of him. If he calls back all is clear. FRS or GMRS radios is a must in my books.
 
the radio,s are light as hell......but worth there weight in gold :D ...just have it set up....so you use them when needed.....dont yak just because your bored :wink:
we have been using them for years now :D
 
Workin Man said:
I have been bowhunting with a buddy and was considering getting a pair of these radios to keep in communication with him. I'm wondering if anybody has tried these and if so how you liked them? We really need some type of radio I think.
Click to expand...

Radios are a great asset when party hunting. All the GMRS radios (channels 15-22) should also do the FRS bands (channels 1-14). In our group, we are stuck using the lower power FRS bands until everyone upgrades. GMRS are more powerful, but have only been available in Canada for about a year. Be warned, you will never get the range advertised unless you are communicating over open water or very flat land. But at the normal party hunting ranges, they work well.

Look for a radio that has at least a 2.0 Watt output in GMRS. That is standard now, at least at the new ones that I've seen. Ear buds are a handy option and the ability to disable beeps and tones mandatory for hunting. A few of us have lower power Rinos (1.0 Watt) which contains a built in GPS for sending your position to your buddies and for navigation. A few have Cobra models (2.0 Watt) and the Talkabouts by Motorolla (2.0 Watt) seem to reach a bit farther with more clarity. In contrast, the FRS radios that I've seen only have 0.5 Watt output and have been eclipsed by the GMRS radios.

Rechargeable batteries are great, but unless you have facilities for recharging at camp, I would suggest a good disposable alkaline brand like Memorex Energy for a week hunt. I got a pak of 50 for $15 at Crappy Tire that have lasted for over a year (occasional use) and give my Rino the longest life. If you leave it on all day, expect a day to a day and a half with most disposables. If you and your buddy agree to once every hour, double or triple that time.

The worst thing is a buddy that continously chatters and scares away game. Or calls just before your about to pull the trigger. But used wisely, they are an invaluable aid to a successful party hunt.

Cheers,
Private Skidmarks
 
simonyzer said:
Ok, one question I had to ask...

I already have 4 FRS radios. I want to get a pair of GMRS. Will the GMRS communicate with the FRS ????????
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Generally speaking, yes. There may be some CTCSS differences (frequencies) in some radios. I've not heard of any specific and the radios I've communicated with work just fine, but there are charts showing the different squelch codes and manufacturers on the Internet.

It would be interesting to hear from those that have run into compatibility issues, assuming there are any.

I have a Garmin Rino and have had no problems with either Cobras or Motorola Talkabouts.

Cheers,
Private Skidmarks
 
Simon, I have never seen GMRS radios that will not work with FRS.

GMRS is simply a more powerful extension to the FRS channels, and all GMRS have the base FRS channels built in.

I have the Midland GXT450's and they are great. Never had a problem, however, there is no entirely silent option. There is ALWAYS a three tone beep when powering on and off, something that can be very loud in the woods. I hear they fixed it with the GXT550's however.

Also, I just got a Ducks Unlimited Mastercard, and in doing so they sent me a new set of Cobra GMRS radios. They aint top of the line, but they are TINY, and they work great. There are no subchannels and they use AAA batteries, but hey, they are FREE! They will made a great backup for my Midlands, or as loaners for buddies that don't have radios yet.
 
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