CB Radio or GMRS Radio: Which One is Best for Me?
Most all of us are familiar with CB radios; but what other types of consumer 2-way
radios are available? The Family Radio Service (FRS) and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) are also quite popular. MURS is also an option; similar to GMRS and license free, it's main restriction is that there are only 5 channels and is principally restricted to handie-talkies at the time of this writing.
What's the difference between these services? Let's look at the factors which will determine
what service is best for you!
Licensing:
CB, FRS & MURS are completely license free services. Buy it, setup and go! No exam required.
GMRS radios do require a license and the fee isn't cheap at $85.00 (although there are rumors of the FCC doing away with the license fee, this is not the case at this time).
Range:
The range will depend on a lot of things, but the biggest factor is whether you're using a walkie-talkie, mobile, or base unit. Let's look at the three types of radios:
Walkie-talkie (also known as handie-talkie or handie): FRS will have the shortest range here, due to their 500 mW (half a watt) maximum output power and fixed antenna. Next shortest in range will be the GMRS & MURS handie, which will be close to that of a CB walkie-talkie.
Mobile should also have similar range, although here, CB can easily out shine GMRS in line of sight, depending on antenna. An SSB CB radio will definitely have much better range than an AM-only CB radio.
Base units of both services will both have very good range; On the base or the mobile, GMRS is permitted 50 watts output; CB is limited to 4 watts.
Antennas:
Antennas are the best way to increase your range. However note that CB antennas are much larger than GMRS antennas. This is due to the frequencies used: CB is in HF bands at 27 Mhz, GMRS is in UHF bands at 462-467 Mhz. The higher the Mhz number, the smaller the antenna. As an example, a full quarter-wave CB mobile antenna is typically around 9 feet in length. However a quarter-wave antenna for GMRS frequencies is 6 inches! For a base antenna, both GMRS and CB have a huge variety of models on the market.
Channels:
CB wins this category hands down, 40 channels available for AM or SSB operation.
MURS = 5 channels, FRS has 7 channels available, and GMRS has 15 channels allocated. FRS and GMRS use Frequency Modulation (FM) mode.
GMRS can use repeaters, which FRS, MURS and CB cannot. A repeater will take an incoming signal and boost it out. However, repeaters and not something you come across easily. And note that very few GMRS handies are capable of using a repeater because they can't do split. Unless you plan to build it yourself, look at around $1K for a repeater. If budget is no concern, a GMRS repeater can really boost your range. But be aware a GMRS repeater cannot be private. It must be shared with everyone that has a GMRS radio with split capability.
Price:
FRS-only handies are getting harder and harder to find. Icom still makes one, but at a C-note each, they're not cheap.
MURS handies are limited in availability mainly due to lack of demand and models made just for this service seem to have only one brand name, Dakota, which is priced $50 and up.
GMRS handies are available from very inexpensive (lower quality) to around $100. GMRS mobiles are typically "business band" UHF mobiles, which will work on GMRS channels; these are not inexpensive.
CB radios are available in the widest variety of prices (and configurations), from cheap single channel handies to expensive SSB base stations, and everything in between.
Summary
Which radio service gives the biggest bang for the buck?
For portable (handie) use, it's hard to beat a full power GMRS handie-talkie for price and convenience if you want to get maximum range. For example, a pair of Uniden 5-watt handies complete with charger will set you back under a C-note and provide about the same range as a pair of CB handie-talkies, which will cost about the same but will be bulkier.
For mobile use, it's personal preference; With a decent antenna, GMRS and CB mobiles will give very similar range. However, a new GMRS mobile will cost more than a comparable CB.
But in the base arena, it's no contest: the CB can't be beat. Sure, GMRS can probably beat CB range if it has a repeater or maybe even a highly directional antenna. But now we're getting into pretty serious radio gear, not casual use.
It all depends... how much do you want to spend?
CB Radio or GMRS Radio: Which One is Best for Me?
By: Michael Storey
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