Merriwether, Foraging Texas: Okay, maybe I have a slight addiction to handheld ham and GMRS radios but as a disaster responder for the Red Cross, being able to communicate is extremely important, hence getting licenses for both types of radios.
This is a nice GMRS radio, both in build and features. The construction of it feels good and relatively durable. Audio on the GMRS frequencies is clear when in range (1/4 mile in hilly woods, multiple miles across water). I like that it comes with both a stubby antenna for short-range comms such as inside a building and a longer one for reaching out further. Another thing that I like is its battery can be charged directly with a USB-C cable, not just with the cradle.
The airband feature seems to be hit-or-miss. I live only a few miles away from a major international airport and have picked up a lot of radio transmissions by other means, I was much less successful with this radio. The antenna may be the weak point for its airband scanning.
Since GMRS and the 2m/70cm bands overlap, theoretically there's no hardware reason why the radio can't transmit on all these frequencies. However, the FCC doesn't allow a radio to function in all these bands - it can only transmit on one system or the other. Manufacturers use software to lock the radio into ham or GMRS so as to not run into trouble with our FCC. But what one programmer takes away, another can return. There's a special key combination that unlocks this radio for use as either type, if you don't mind risking the wrath of an angry FCC. A quick internet search will show you how to do it. Note, if you unlock it, the channel memories will be erased.
This is a nice GMRS radio, both in build and features. The construction of it feels good and relatively durable. Audio on the GMRS frequencies is clear when in range (1/4 mile in hilly woods, multiple miles across water). I like that it comes with both a stubby antenna for short-range comms such as inside a building and a longer one for reaching out further. Another thing that I like is its battery can be charged directly with a USB-C cable, not just with the cradle.
The airband feature seems to be hit-or-miss. I live only a few miles away from a major international airport and have picked up a lot of radio transmissions by other means, I was much less successful with this radio. The antenna may be the weak point for its airband scanning.
Since GMRS and the 2m/70cm bands overlap, theoretically there's no hardware reason why the radio can't transmit on all these frequencies. However, the FCC doesn't allow a radio to function in all these bands - it can only transmit on one system or the other. Manufacturers use software to lock the radio into ham or GMRS so as to not run into trouble with our FCC. But what one programmer takes away, another can return. There's a special key combination that unlocks this radio for use as either type, if you don't mind risking the wrath of an angry FCC. A quick internet search will show you how to do it. Note, if you unlock it, the channel memories will be erased.
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