Getting a GMRS radio license is so easy and only costs about $70! I’ll go over how easy being a legal user of a Rugged Radios GMRS handheld! Start at Ruggedradios.com and let the adventure begin!
Well I suppose I meant you have to study for a test and usually people take a HAM Cram class before taking it. But this was more for GMRS, I can cover the details of HAM later.
The government makes things way more complicated then they need to be. I like the way they make you give all your information and created an account before they even let you know how much it cost.
@@FixBreakRepeat Most people don't know they need HAM. Most people don't know how easy it is to get a license. Additionally, there are power limitations on GMRS up to 50 watts. By the way, our 14 yr old passed the Technician test on Saturday.
@@OlafKilthau Allow me to translate that: Most people don't know that a HAM would be helpful to them in an emergency situation. No individuals "need" it, but society DOES NEED it as a backup to normal comms like phone/internet. It's just another fun hobby when there's no emergency. Before you try to get a rush of new people into the hobby, maybe think about why some want GMRS over HAM. GMRS is quick, easy to understand, doesn't need a test, and is simply another tool for communication. They don't have to study for a test, they don't have to think about frequencies or repeater offsets of such, some people just want to have quick and easy radios that are more reliable than CB. Let them have it. For the people that could find radio-as-a-hobby enjoyable, GMRS will act like a gateway for them. I started with CB.. then learned about AM and SSB, then FRS and GMRS. Think of GMRS as a stepping stone between CB and HAM. The people that HAM would be fun for will dislike the restrictions of GMRS (channels instead of a VFO, power output at 50W max etc) and then they will start looking at HAM, but will likely still keep the GMRS for whatever reason they got it in the first place (like off-roading or hiking or travel or whatever) to talking to the people that want radio comms but have no interest in amateur radio. HAM is better for those of us that enjoy the hobby, but GMRS is better for people that just need easy-to-use comms when out and about. When you're out playing in your jeep with a bunch of friends in their jeeps, you don't want to take time to study, take the test, select a frequency that everyone can agree on, tune your antenna, agree on a modulation or bandwidth etc. When you're out jeeping, you just have to buy a license, a simple radio, a GMRS antenna, and you're all good to go on whatever channel the group agrees on. AND, with GMRS, if you have a group member that doesn't have a license or didn't have time to get a radio or something... you can just toss them a simply FRS walki-talki that uses the same 22 channels but at lower power and doesn't require a license. FRS radios are handheld only and don't have the range or power of GMRS, and can't transmit to repeaters, but at least it's something to use when you're with a group that's using GMRS and you aren't covered by a license or don't have a GMRS radio. And a note for anyone confused: HAM radios and GMRS radios are not "allowed" to talk to each other like GMRS and FRS can and require different licenses to use. GMRS is a very small set of channelized frequencies in the UHF band and HAM can use some frequencies from many bands from down in HF to up beyond UHF. GMRS transmit power is legally maxed at 50W while FRS is only 2W and CB is only 4W while HAM can do upto 1500W I think. In a vehicle, 50W is more than enough and anything more would tax your car's electrical system more than you may like. GMRS is the best option for outdoor groups as it's fairly simple and you don't need to worry about picking up some stray trucker or some HAM up the mountain blanking out your channel while you're just trying to talk to your spotter. If you're off-roading group also all happen to be HAMs, then maybe HAMs is the way to go for your group, but otherwise, GMRS is the better option for a weekend jeeping trip with less tech-savvy friends. Let those that find interest in radio from using GMRS learn more about HAM on their own when their interest and times allows. Just the fact that HAM even has 3 different levels of license can be enough to scare some people away. TL;DR - Different solutions/products/services are better or worse for different use cases. Remember that when deciding what you think you "need" for a given use case.
