Does anyone knows the transmitting power of this unit on GMRS channels? I searched high and low for it but it seems manufacturers keep such data a secret, instead is touting the range, this one is advertised as 18miles, the 2009 version that looked identical is now 22 miles.
I have 4 sets of Midland G150 which was bought a long time ago and is said to be 6 miles, the manual stated output power of 1.5W on the GMRS channels.
The Midland was very cheap and yet seems to be better built and has a clearer smoother voice quality, the Cobra is more macho in its design and has many discret keys, which is why I bought it for, but voice quality sounds a bit “rougher”, still that is not a problem for the intended use.
So does this really reaches 3 times further than the Midland? or even twice? what is the power output , really? (I know that now Midland quoted 5W for their radios! I thought GMRS is limited to 2W?)
Do some research on GMRS radios. You will find out that the range advertisements are extremely exaggerated. I don’t think anyone has ever gotten anywhere near 22 miles radio to radio, even mountain top to mountain top.
1/2 - 2 miles is the average range of most bubble pack radios, even the “good” ones.
GMRS channels can TX at 5 watts transmitter output, and require a license. The FRS channels can TX at 500mW, or .5 watt.
The first seven channels of a 22ch radio are shared, which is why they have a hi/low power function.
You have to remember that the antennas on cheaper radios (bubble packs) are unbelievably restrictive. Most 5w bubble pack radios only put out 1.5 watts or less from the antenna.
Thanks for the comments, indeed I understand that. In fact I found the data by looking at the FCC submission paper, it seems both has an ERP of 1W on GMRS, with the Midland quoting 0.9W on low power and 0.3W on FRS the Cobra says 0.5W on FRS, the Cobra does not have any data on low power.
As a side remark I looked at the ERP at 1W and the input of 4.5W and yet at low power there is only a marginal reduction in ERP to 0.9W, hardly making any real world difference and yet power input is now 2.8W, it seems the best is to keep it on low power to enjoy much better battery life and yet with no effective range reduction.