I am basically a complete radio newb. I have been doing a little digging this evening, looking at radios that would give more range than my CB for when I am out on the trail or on the highway. I am leaning towards installing a GMRS radio in my truck but there are not that many options that are not hand-held walkie-talkie devices. One that did come up seems to actually be capable of transmitting on many different channels, I would call it a ham radio but I believe you guys call it a VHF/UHF radio. Can I use this type of radio on the GMRS freq's with the GMRS license? This sounded like the best course of action until I get the time to work on my amateur license. Or am I completely wasting my time here?

My understanding is that it's not legal to use a ham transceiver for GMRS freqs.

Not legal and not technically good either.

You can use an LMR type radio on both amateur and GMRS.

GMRS

my $0.02 = with the time/money you'll spend filing for the GMRS licenses, finding gear, etc... you may be better off to jump into Ham Radio right off.

Ham = $15 test then you have access to multiple bands and low cost gear.  (eta: of course you can spend 1000's along the way too!)

GMRS = $90 $65 licenses fee, access to 1 band, gear cost ranges from $ to $$$

Here is a quick Start Here Link from my Ham Radio Podcast

While I respect all of the Ham guys and the suggestion to go Ham, many times it isn't the proper spectrum to use for what many people will be using the radio for, or family and friends are not going to take time to get the license.

OP doesn't state what he plans to do with the radio? Is he looking to just use it like a CB and talk to someone about his day, or is he looking for comms to contact home and deal with family or other friends? Of will there be some minor or occasional comms about business?

I originally went GMRS as a backup comm for SHTF, wife, brother, daughter, and friends were never going to get a license for Ham, so GMRS it was.

After almost a year on GMRS and the bootleggers and rather bad habits of others on the air we went Part 90.

As for using Chinese gear on GMRS, technically is against the rules, OP if going GMRS and over 1/2 watt radio can find easy pickings on eBay and get a quality used two way radio programmed and ready to go.

An excellent site to really learn about GMRS and the network of repeaters (to increase range, similar to 2 meter and 70 CM in Ham) MyGMRS.Com To get access to the member section you do need a valid GMRS license.

I've got both GMRS and HAM licenses.  I find that for use with the family which is who I primarily talk to that the GMRS license is much more useful.  There are even GMRS repeaters in our area which opens almost the whole county to family comms.  It's no longer 90 dollars BTW.  IIRC it dropped to 65 dollars.  

MURS is useful for short range simplex stuff as well.  It's not legal by the letter of the law to use things like Baofengs for either of those services but honestly the FCC boogey man isn't going to pop out and get you either.  From what I've see of their enforcement actions it takes the better part of a decade a dozen or more warning letters and pretty serious infractions for them to take action against anyone and there's no way for the average person to tell on their end that you're talking on a Baofeng or whatever it is that you have unless you outright tell them.

I have been using a CB for years, and there have been times when it just didn't have the range when I needed it. As an example, I was on a trail ride and another group was arriving late. The plan was for them to call us on the radio and we would let them know which trail we had gone down. They tried contacting us for quite a while, we never even heard a peep. A random guy in the parking lot got in touch with someone in our group using GMRS if I remember correctly. That has happened several times, having trouble making or keeping contact with others. I guess the thing would come in handy in an emergency/disaster as well. That would be about the extent of my use right now, and maybe seeing who all there is to chat with if I happen to be on the interstate.

then this could very well be the answer......$130 GMRS Mobile from Amazon-Cheap/Easy

Still only makes 5 watts, granted that will get the job done most times, that's still a good chunk of money for something that makes as much power as a HT but takes up more space and requires dedicated 12 v power.

Five watts with a decent antenna will still do 10-15 miles on flat ground, maybe 3 miles in a so so area, the only issue on that radio, no semi duplex, strictly simplex, too bad Midland didn't think further ahead (considering they were big into GMRS in the day).

but it's legal......this is where the gray area of going ham starts to get lighter

The real problem with CB for trail usage…due to the low frequency it takes time and a little effort to get a CB working properly on a trail rig, especially once you start getting into "topless" rigs such as CJ/YJ/TJ/JKs, Samurais, FJ90's, Trackers, etc. It's not as simple as buy a CB antenna install on vehicle somehow and you're good to go. You've got to take care to mount it, tune it (which may not be possible depending on where you install it), and select a radio with enough of a receiver to meet your needs.

GMRS is that easy due to the relative high frequency. A quarter wave antenna is 6" tall…for CB it's 108". Gain antennas and NGP antennas are actually practical for Jeeps and buggies.

As ASRM stated…many of us have abandoned GMRS and moved on to LMR. If you wheel with groups, many are moving to 2m amateur after getting licensed. I've moved to VHF P25 for all of my wheeling/family comms needs.

My Jeep I had a hard time getting the CB tuned, and basically got it to a point that I could live with. I knew I would lose some range mounting the radio/antenna on my 470, because of the mounting location as well as the height. Sometimes I have to use a parking garage when I go downtown, and with the antenna had to be removed on my Jeep. I am trying to avoid that going into it this time around.  

That Midland was actually the radio I had been looking at. The antenna didn't look like it would be a problem leaving it on the roof, and even if it did brush the cement overhead then it would just fall over and I could fix it later.

I have read a lot of people out west have moved on from CB's, from what I have noticed around here in the TN region more people are catching on. This is probably a stupid question, but can I run two radios from the same antenna? I have my CB mounted, and the antenna mounted, can I just mount another (GMRS or VHF) to the same antenna so it pulls double duty? And in the same vein, can it be done without affecting performance negatively?

I mention this because I am very pressed for space on this vehicle. If you have ever sat in a GX470 you will know what I mean. My CB has occupied the free space on the passenger's side of the vehicle, I plan to get rid of the ash tray and 12v socket in the center console to mount the new radio. That is, unless you can mount the body of the radio somewhere and then run a face-plate somewhere else with a patch cable of sorts. If I can double down on the same antenna that would take care of that problem leaving me with only finding a home for the radio itself.

Can two radios share a single antenna- yes, they can but the antenna has to support the two bands of the individual radios.
However, your CB antenna will not work with VHF or UHF. You would need a separate antenna for that.

Plenty of radios out there than can be remote mounted.

If you have an antenna that works correctly on different frequency bands, then you can use a piece of equipment called a diplexer to isolate the two different frequency radios into the same antenna. This used to be a very common practice in the amateur service with 2m and 70cm bands.

An antenna that works correctly on CB and anything else at the same time is going to take some doing, however. Any CB antenna is a substantial endeavor already due to the low frequency, trying to make it multiband multiplies the challenge. There are a couple of amateur market multiband antennas that have 10m along with higher amateur bands, I don't know if one of those would have enough tuning range to stretch the 10m part down to CB frequencies. With the high cost of the antenna, diplexer, and difficulties I would not recommend that be pursued.

Here's how I have my radio setup on my XJ (some have seen this picture a few times). CB (Cobra 25 LTD) goes to a Larsen NMO27 on the hood channel. The dual band radio (now) goes to a Larsen NMOQ with spring cut for 146 MHz which is on the roof. Once upon a time I had a roof rack…now I have a bare roof (4 more MPG and a hell of a lot easier on a worn out transmission with it off). I'm in the process of upgrading radios (as TLF can attest), I have a Motorola Astro Spectra with a W3 that I'm going to be installing in my Jeep for VHF operations. Maybe one day I'll install a UHF radio but we will see (I just don't use it much).



Also, here is a picture of a W3 (hooked up to an Astro Spectra Plus) in my dd.


TLF, is that your ID?

I would have sworn I read "MGRS" at first.

Nope, not the one I use. Don't think I've talked to you in your Jeep since you've been brought to the digital dark side.

That W3 is in the pickup.

Nice.  I have a 97 XJ (it's my third XJ).  Same color as yours though the paint on mine is faded pretty bad on the hood and roof.  I'll have to remember that positioning of the rifle next time I take it somewhere.  usually I just lay it in the back passenger seat with the stock over  the hump.  

Ah, gotcha. Not me though.

Unfortunately mine now has Colorado plates. It spends most of the year up in Colorado so making the 1700 mile trek to go get it and then bring it back just to get it inspected for registration was deemed pointless. Doesn't even need inspection in Colorado. Mine is a 1999, most of the clear coat is gone on the hood. It has a Rubricon Express lift the previous owner had installed…AAL on an already flat leaf pack doesn't hold. So about two years ago I rebuilt the lift with 3.5" rear springs (from Rubricon Express) and 1.5" shackles and new shocks. (Blew the top off an OME set when the pack went flat and the shock bottomed out). Bumpers are first gun JCR Offroad (before they began building for the NBS XJ). I'll add a picture of the rear (with an old antenna setup) in a bit.

Thanks for all the replies, definitely envy you guys that are close to some public land out west! I have an hour drive to get to the closest place I can even get dirt on the tires legally, and that's not even close to any trails worth mentioning. I am wanting to plan a trip for the first of the year, which is where a good radio would definitely be worthwhile. Still have not made my mind up, I may poke around the radio section a bit more and see what all obtaining a license entails before I move ahead with any purchase.

There are some state lands not too terribly far from me but I won't go off-roading on public land in the state of Texas…has to do with our OHV requirements and unwillingness to offer reciprocality with out of state permits.

People have often asked me if I've taken my pickup out yet…to which I promptly answer no (I didn't buy it to tear it up on trails). The only reason I got 4wd in that pickup was so I would quit getting stuck in the middle of the country road going out to a friend's when it rains.