51 Kilometers - The truth about the range on those store bought 2 packs little radios...
You may have noticed that most of the consumer two-way radios you see around advertise a range of up to 51 kilometers. The truth is, consumer FRS/GMRS radios will not even provide close to the advertised "maximum range".
The range that a two-way radio advertises is the range that the radio should get in "ideal" conditions. Ideal conditions are line of sight, such as from a mountaintop to a valley below -- no interference at all. Most likely, you will not be using the radios in these circumstances! You will probably want two-way radios for things such as hunting, skiing, malls, car trips or vacations. Under these normal conditions, the range of the radio will be limited because of obstructions, such as trees, hills, or buildings. These obstructions block the signal and dramatically reduce the range of a two-way radio.
Here's what a company who makes these types of radio say about their big 1 watt high power radios, they say:
Line-Of-Sight Operation Rated at up to 40 Miles Range, these two-way radios give the best range when there is a clear view between the radios. We test these radios from mountain peak to valley to ensure that they can meet the stated range. Your actual range will usually be limited by the curve of the earth, hills, buildings, trees, and other obstructions. -
Normal PTT transmits at less than 1 W ERP, which is normally plenty of power. However, if you need a little extra punch to get through trees or buildings, the Power Boost key increases power to about 1.7W ERP. (Channels 1-7, 15-22 only.)
So what type of range can you expect from your radio? Usually 500 meters up to two kilometers, depending upon your terrain and the power of your radio. In the same environment, a higher power 5 watt radio with a long antenna would provide considerably more range than a standard store bought half watt radio with a short antenna . When choosing a radio, it is very important to consider both the amount of range that you need and the environment in which you will be using the radios. Naturally, you wouldn’t have as many obstructions in a football stadium as being in the middle of a heavily wooded area. For use in a stadium, you would likely be fine with a small, half-watt radio. In a wooded area, however, that same radio may not provide sufficient range. These are things that you need to take into consideration when choosing which two-way radio is right for you. All those store-bought handheld portables only have ½ watt of power, so they are not very strong. At Peppers Radio, we carry a minimum power of 4–5 watts all the way up to 10–12 watts in handheld and mobile radios with more than 40 to 80 watts of mega power for extreme long range.
Here are a few horror stories we found about some of those Two Packs radios sold in big stores,
thank you for you time.
There is a few seconds of static right after talking and sometimes just random static. Also, I am looking for a louder speaker, but the speaker is not as loud as some other radios, so it would be difficult to hear in a noisy environment, without the headset.
I use 2 way radios at work (noisy environment in the city) and on the ranch (open space in the country) so I am very familiar with these products and how they should operate. I’ve tried several Midland products that don’t perform any better than these particular Unidens and a couple of Motorola products that have their own set of problems, like random channel changes and turning themselves off.
The best product I’ve found so far, is Cobra’s CXR825, which does not get random static and the speaker is the loudest, even louder than the other cobra radios I’ve tried. The lock button keeps the Cobras from changing channel and powering off, but still allows the radios to be used.
As far as distance goes, everything on the market is going to get far less than what is stated, due to conditions and terrain. Everything I’ve used (with the exception of some Midlands that were usless after 1/10 of a mile) reaches about 1 mile in the city and as far as 5 miles in open areas.
I only purchase radios that state a 30-mile range or greater, because some of my co-workers who bought radios with a 16-mile or 22-mile range cannot be heard the 1/2 mile across the property at work.
Good for hiking in the woods or backpacking. Don’t expect more than half mile range at best.
Easy to setup and well built but if you are looking for range look elsewhere if you are into ease of use get this.
These items are excellent in regard to the quality of materials and fit/finish. All functions work as claimed except for the most critical one…usable range. My wife have tested these in urban areas, suburban, and wide open fields.
—In urban areas, you might as well use you cell phone. They will barely reach 2 blocks, maybe 3 blocks if its line of sight.
—In suburban areas, you might get a 1/2 mile if there are no tall apartment buildings.
—In wide open fields, you might get a 1 mile, but it was be spotty.
