I’ve searched high and low. No MFR wants to provide pwr details. All I want is the highest powered FRS radio that can be legally operated without a license.
Are there any new models out there that do this?
Most models can be searched on the FCC website to determine their actual radiated power, but save your time. In truth, almost every single consumer-grade bubble pack radio now complies.
Power had very little to do with range anyway. It’s more about the circuitry and - most especially - the antenna.
I don’t know where you searched, but this page (from our forum hosts) is two clicks away. (Go to the top of this forum.)
https://www.buytwowayradios.com/Products/frs-gmrs-radios.aspx
A shorter list would simply be consumer GMRS radios that do NOT comply. This list is also two clicks away.
https://www.buytwowayradios.com/blog/2017/09/which_frs_gmrs_radios_are_license_free.aspx
You could also simply read the box. If it says “repeater capable” then they do not comply.
Thanks. I’m looking specifically for radios that will have the full 2W on all channels … if that is even possible to find.
I found the short list of non-compliant radios, but I have not found a white list of anything. MFR specs don’t seem to list actual power.
It’s funny really. I had no idea this could be so complicated.
I suppose the reality is that MFRs want to sell existing stock before they put out anything new.
Thanks again.
Not sure I understand what you are looking for. There is a whole page, with every single radio clearly marked “licence-free” if it complies with the new standards.
Or are you suggesting that manufacturers start making new radios that comply when they ALREADY have radios that comply?
The reason they don’t list radiated power for consumer-grade radios is simple. They don’t want uneducated people buying a radio just because it is 1.95 watts instead of 1.25 watts when the difference means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
If you are waiting for someone to make a radio exactly 2 watts, you will be waiting a long time. Because distance is not a function of power but a function of receiver sensitivity and - most especially - antenna quality, no manufacturer wants to build it exactly 2 watts because with the possible variables in testing, they won’t want their radio rejected because it ends up .01 watt over the limit.
You are making this WAY too complicated. Buy the radio with the quality you want and the features you need for your purposes.
25 years of using two-way radios every single day, and the longest distance I ever got with a handheld radio is the Motorola DTR, and do you want to know its power?
One watt.
I picked up the same undercurrent too - and Chickenhawk is really on the money here. I use radios for my business and I have plenty of them, loads bought as one-offs to see if a cheapie could replace an expensive one, and I know which ones have this, and which ones have that, but the only thing I have no clue about is power. I have never ever bought a portable radio because of it’s output. As said Watts rarely has anything to do with distance, because what’s the point of a bit of extra on the way out that you can’t hear on the way back, and pretty much the only worthwhile increase in power comes from going from say 1 Watt to 10 Watts! 1W to 4, or 2 to 5, or 4 to 10 probably won’t even be noticed. Portable radios have so many problems that power output is not an important one. Let’s be honest. If you increase your power, holding the radio just a few degrees off vertical wipes it out. More powerful radios are often heavier, and heavy radios mean users rarely hold them up high, because your arm aches, you hold them lower - wiping out any minuscule power gain.
It sounds more complicated than it is. Simply put, the FCC designated all current 22 channel FRS/GMRS radios under 2 watts as FRS only. The frequencies are now considered shared by both services. Any radios above 2 watts or those that include the GMRS repeater channels are considered GMRS only.
Essentially, what the FCC did was make a lot of the FRS/GMRS combo radios legal for use without the need to purchase a license. In addition, future models cannot combine FRS and GMRS radio services, which means that the current models under 2 watts are considered FRS, but any new models with higher wattage will be considered GMRS and will require a license to operate.
To clarify one point, none of the radios will be a full 2 watts on all the FRS frequencies. Channels 8-14 were previously FRS only and limited to 0.5 watts. Under the new rules, this does not change.
This FRS/GMRS frequency chart sums it all up at a glance.
I have been doing some range testing around my area using a Midland 40 watt GMRS radio as the base station and my Midland GXT740 radio. Per the FCC report, this radio runs about 0.1 watt on the FRS channels and about 1 watt on the GMRS channels (old rules). In looking for something that was close to the new limits (2 watts shared channels and 1/2 watt on FRS only) I found the Uniden GMR5095-CKHS and Motorola T460 to be close and also legal under the new rules. Both are just a tad under 1/2 watt on the FRS only channels and about 1.9 watts (Uniden) and 1.7 watts (Motorola) for the shared channels.
Link to the Motorola FCC page: https://fccid.io/AZ489FT4924
Link to the Uniden FCC page: https://fccid.io/AMWON5095
Thanks for the info
Looks like a Motorola T600 will fit the bill. Waterproof and .4W/1.3W
Two weeks ago i purchased two blister pack radio sets. Cobra ACXT545 and Midland x-talker T60 series. The instruction books indicated licence required for FRS-GMRS CHANNELS when operated in H mode. So does this mean i can operate a shared channel like 2 FRS-GMRS ON H HIGH mode without a licence? I want to be sure I understand. I appreciate clarification at my low level of understanding this.
The X-Talkers are under 2 watts, so you should be fine there. I’m not sure about the ACXT545, but If it has the same FCC ID as the CXT545 (BBO2135A), it is rated at 1.8 watts.
If the Cobra is under 2 watts, the short answer is yes.
The cobra ACXT545 fcc lic # is BBO2155A. I cannot find wattage info on this radio anywhere.
I just called Cobra . the ACXT545 is 2 watts so will require a licence if using GMRS. So I will stick to FRS if using that radio.
Thanks for your help. Need to figure out font size here.
If it is 2 watts or less you should be good.
I just looked up the FCC ID you posted on the FCC web site and the highest wattage is 1.3 watts.
This is just a guess, but it is possible Cobra may have responded by rounding up the number to make it sound more powerful than it actually is.
Radios seldom test at exactly 2 watts, and the power of an individual radio will usually vary a little above or below the test unit. For instance, the radio used for testing may test at 2 watts but the actual production model may only transmit at 1.9 watts. I’m splitting hairs here, but the bottom line is if the FCC database lists the radio at 1.3 watts, chances are the one you have in your hands will be fairly close to it.
Cobra customer service said I would need a licence. I found the FRS info and data tab info on the FCC website and it explained the new rule but the data tab info had me confused. So if the FCC rates it so much lower than 2 watts I ought to ask Cobra to explain the difference.
I would be curious to know myself. Either there was a change to the radio we don’t yet know about or the customer service rep is going by the old rules. If Cobra is outsourcing CS to a third party call center, it may be the case. either way, it may be a good idea to verify the information with them.
I tried to find the 1.3 watt info you found on the fcc website. I found frequency numbers. Maybe i didn’t search in the right place. I wanted to be able to direct Cobra to this when i call them again.
Found the info a different way. I’ll see what Cobra has to say.
On high powered channels (GMRS CHANNELS 1-7 and 15-22), your Micro talk radios will transmit under 1.5 watts. Whereas, on low powered channels (FRS CHANNELS 8-14), the radios will transmit under 0.5watts .
You would require a license to use channels 1-7 and 15-22.
T
Did that come from Cobra? If so, the CS rep is working from old information. Those are the old rules. The FCC changed the rules this summer. Follow the link in the earlier post to the FRS and GMRS Frequency Chart. This was updated according to the new rules.
We explained the new rules in more detail on our podcast.
TWRS-113 - The FCC Approves Part 95 Reform
The new rules took effect September 28, 2017.
Perhaps someone should send a link to the new Part 95 Rules to Cobra Customer Service. 