hello, i am wanting to get some gmrs radios for riding atvs. i am looking to spend about 50-75 on the radios and another 100 on the helmet headsets and the handlebar mounted push to talk button.
any ideas on a good radios to get. the need to be somewhat shockproof and maybe some kind water resistant would be nice.
i have read a ton of reviews and got nowhere. i thought i would ask the pros.
lastly do i need to get a fcc license to buy a gmrs or can i just chance not getting caught?
what kind of radio do i need to buy to use a headset and a ptt button?
i don’t need help on where to buy them… i need help advice on what to get… along with the other questions i asked. but thanks for telling me about a site i have know about for yrs.
You have the same issues that those of us riding motorcycles have…
Here’s the issue… You need a PTT button somewhere on the scooter. Having both hands on the tillers means you’ll have no hands for hitting the button on the radio. A solidly mounted PTT is the only way to go and getting it all wired-up to work will be the real challenge.
While some of these GMRS radios are nice and tough, bouncing them around on a ATV is not a way to keep them in stellar working order. Consider where and how you mount them. Just throwing a towel around them and stuffing them in a box can help, but it’s not the real answer. If you want radios that will last? Try Mil Spec radios like ICOM or Kenwood (very expensive but you can drop 'em and they still squeek).
And YES… you do and should have a license. Will you get thrown in jail if yer caught without one? Hey, this is the good ol’ U.S.A. No one goes to the big house for radio infractions… unless yer belligerent when the radio dood tells you your in violation of the law.
Helmet sets made by J&M are the way to go… if all you looking at doing is using the 2-way as a way to stay in touch. If your looking at feeding you MP3 / Satellite / iPod, then you need a device that can port two (or three if you want to include your cell phone) devices into one out put head set. Some may tell you that the little “in the ear” mic and speakers is good enuf… Yeah, and I have a bridge to sell you. Over the din of the ATV as it travels, you will have enuf trouble hearing thru that thing. At least with a J&M type helmet set (or a “hacked” Radio Shack headphone) you have two speakers with greater fidelity to understand what is being said.
Can you do it for the funds you specified? Possibly… 2nd hand J&M (who cares if one speaker is out, use the Radio Shack headset speakers), simple momentary for the PTT, lines and cables that don’t get in your way (don’t forget break away connections for those “OH SH*&$!” moments), yo might get it done for $150.00. The real project is getting all of it to work, stay working and then do it again for someone else. Heck, I could go on for days about this subject…
You want real insight? Visit a M/C (specifically a cruiser site - not an H/D site) forum and do a search on communications… lotsa good advice there…
thanks there unclemark, i have found some head sets for 50 a pair and it seams like the 2 way avg is around 50 - 70 so i was just going off of that.
i know i want a headset that mounts into our helmets with two speaker and one mic soildly mounted. i don’t need any music or anything, just need to talk to my girl thats riding behind me.
i know i don’t want a chatterbox type of radio.
i do need to have some type of pull out connecter for the wire that runs to the handle bar mounted push to talk button. also the radio itself will be soildly mounted to the handle bar with a ram mount.
i have some done some checking on the m/c websites and i have found tons of stuff to read and just haven’t been able to make much sense of anything because i am so new to this all, you know trying to follow the lingo and all.
alot of the stuff with the motorcycle is intercom (won’t work not the same bike) and the helmet mounted chatter box (not what i want- trying to keep stuff off my helmet)
was going to make a stop in radio shack today, but i didn’t think they would really have what i wanted…
They should have something for breakaway contacts. As for PTT switches, you might look at some of the aircraft parts sites… Good stuff, built for hard use.