30 Miles? The Truth About Range
You may have noticed that most of the consumer two-way radios you see around advertise a range of up to 30 miles. 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.
So what type of range can you expect from your radio? Usually half a mile up to two miles, depending upon your terrain and the power of your radio. In the same environment, a 2 watt radio with a long antenna would provide considerably more range than a 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, one 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.
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Are you really serious about this 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-mile range of a 5 watt radio?!! I knew that I should not be naive about radio range when I started my search for a good two-way radio set, but I am really surprised. I am looking for a solution to communication requirements that will take place over short distances in places like Yellowstone National Park. I expect us to be at least 5 to 10 miles apart at any time, with wooded sections between us. Should I search for another solution to my communication needs? Thanks! (Great weblog!)
Posted by: thomas | April 4, 2007 3:50 AM
I would recommend a repeater system with a high-powered two-way radio or a high-powered CB radio.
Posted by: jake | April 6, 2007 4:40 PM
Hello, I have 2 XTN 2100 in place at my factory and have added a XTN 2600 but cannot get to work with the others. Are they supposed to be compatible? and I am following all instructions. The only thing I can think of is that since the first have only 1 channel and the latter have 6, that I might not be setting it correcly. Need to know if these radios are compatible.
Thanks
Posted by: Jorge Avila | September 4, 2007 7:58 PM
Within the XTN series radios, you have the XU and the XV series. Make sure those two aren't mismatched. If they are the same, make sure that channel one on both radios is set to the same frequency and privacy code.
Posted by: jake | September 7, 2007 5:11 PM
The best thing to do is get a CB with SSB or use a 5 Watt Ham Radio with a license and a repeater. Repeaters can reach over 25 miles between two radios and even more if linked.
Posted by: Dean Gordon | October 8, 2008 5:48 PM
So what knid of range can I expect from a 5 watt Midland radio in a lightly wooded area?
Posted by: Charles | November 29, 2008 12:28 AM
I have a Motorola T5720.
It has a 1 watt power.
In my location, its just houses and short buildings.
Posted by: Luis | March 31, 2009 7:28 PM
A friend and I want to keep in touch in from our houses. We live in a suburban area, so I'm aware we will most definitely not get half the range advertised. Our houses are a 1/2 mile to a mile away. Please tell what watt or power and range we should get for our needs.
Posted by: Amy | July 18, 2009 11:38 PM
Any 4-5 watt radio using the GMRS channels will work great. I would give these a look: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products/midland/midland-gxt-720-vp3.aspx You will get a mile of range as long as there are not too many obstacles (large buildings, hills) between the two houses.
Posted by: Jeff
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July 20, 2009 10:48 AM
I have a pair of midland GXT720's. I have been unable to get an answer to this: Can I leave them on while in the charging cradle?
I need to buy at least 10 pair for a security network for our remote village. Those I have do the job, but they need to be left on 24/7. I contacted Midland, but they never responded.
Posted by: John Williams | July 31, 2009 4:18 PM
I asked around in here and it is not recommended to leave radios turned on all of the time while charging. It will drastically reduce the battery life, and probably that of the radio as well. If you need 20 working at all times, then you will be better off to get 40 and rotate them.
Posted by: Jeff
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July 31, 2009 4:44 PM
I need to connect two buildings about 30 miles apart, and 12-15 trucks running between and around them. What set up would you recommend? I have intentions of putting towers in at both buildings, but don't know what type of antenna to put on top.
Posted by: Dave | August 13, 2009 3:19 PM
You will need a repeater setup, call us at 1-800-584-1445 or send us an email and one of our consultants will help you pick the best radio/repeater/antenna package. Thanks!
Posted by: Jeff
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August 14, 2009 7:52 AM
a Two Building Church two floors ,Brick ,Block and plaster walls what brand and model ULF Radio do recommend in the $50.00 each Price.
Posted by: Larry Walker | August 20, 2009 9:48 PM
These should work great, and are $59.99 for two: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products/midland/midland-gxt-740-vp3.aspx
Posted by: Jeff
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August 21, 2009 9:08 AM
I will drive from LA to Salt Lake City with several friends, we will drive in two cars so we want to be in contact in case the second car gets lost or something. We don't live in the US so we don't have cell phones. I want to use the Motorola MR350. What recomendations you have? What channels we should be using? We don't know anything about 2 way radios. Can you please give us advice for this situation. Thanks a lot!
Posted by: Jaime | August 27, 2009 1:34 PM
The Motorola MR350 will work fine. You may also like this one: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products/midland/midland-gxt-740-vp3.aspx You are supposed to use the FRS channels 8-14 unless you have a GMRS license. If you get a license then you can use any channel that is "open" and not being used.
Posted by: Jeff
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August 27, 2009 2:51 PM
a friend and want to keep in touch from our house. we live about 19 miles away seperated by a busy highway, houses, buildings etc. is there any brand of walkie talkies that will have the range and power to accomplish this?
Posted by: susan | September 20, 2009 11:21 AM
I am afraid without the use of a repeater (a rather expensive bit of equipment) you will not find any two way radio that is able to communicate that far.
Posted by: Jeff
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September 21, 2009 8:25 AM
I am driving along with 3 other vehicles from San Diego to 800mi into Baja. I am looking for two radios(first and last vehicles) which will allow for communication during the trip. First day will be 12 hours driving, so battery life for 12 hours is necessary. Which Midland radio sets do you recommend, and why?
Posted by: jim beard | September 23, 2009 1:07 AM
GIve these a look: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products/midland/midland-gxt-1000-vp4.aspx They have 5 watts of power so you will have good range. They also have a battery saver mode, and selectable power levels to help conserve the batteries. Please remember though that the battery life is dependent on usage.
Another option is this Motorola, it can be recharged with a USB cable: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products/motorola/motorola-mr350r.aspx You could recharge this in the vehicle and do not need to use a charger.
Posted by: Jeff
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September 23, 2009 8:33 AM
We are looking for small radio for hunting use in steep terain. Is there a compact, maximum power, unit available that would fit in a shirt pocket? One with a folding antena would be ideal.
Posted by: Mike | November 26, 2009 11:27 AM
I would give these a look: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products/cobra/cobra-cxr700.aspx They are compact, and have small antennas.
Posted by: Jeff
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November 30, 2009 1:09 PM
My church wants to set up an emergency communications network from a building that is 6miles apart from the farthest buildings. Land is fairly flat, but heavily populated. Would GMRS be ok, or do we need to go to a Ham radio set up?
Posted by: Brian | January 19, 2010 11:04 PM
A GMRS radio might get six miles. If the line of transmission is unobstructed by other building you should be able to communicate. If there are a lot of buildings though, your range will be about 2 miles.
Posted by: Jeff
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January 20, 2010 2:49 PM
I really like the Midland GXT-1000-VP4. Can these hand-held radios take a much shorter antennae when you don't need the extra power and then have the longer antennae when you do?
Posted by: Kitty Hawk | January 26, 2010 2:08 PM
The antenna is fixed and cannot be removed. They had to do this because radios capable of using the FRS frequencies are not allowed to have removable antennas.
Posted by: Jeff
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January 28, 2010 1:17 PM
I have a midland gxt 720. Is it possible to use this radio on a business network that uses motorola radius cp200s?
Posted by: Charlton | February 19, 2010 2:37 PM
Probably not. What frequencies are the CP200s using? There are also limitations as to how GMRS frequencies may be used for business purposes.
Posted by: Jeff
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February 23, 2010 2:57 PM