What is the distance range on this radio? I have a Lock 15 miles away - will I be able to monitor traffic with this radio?
897767
The range will vary according to atmospheric conditions, other traffic on a particular frequency, the kind of radio antenna you are trying to hit and the altitude above the sea surface you and the radio you are communicating with. Given that all conditions are good you should be able to hit the antenna you are trying for. The 15 mile line of sight is figuring that both antennas are on the ground. Each foot of elevation increases this dramatically. If there are rough seas or anything on the horizon it will cut you off and if there is much traffic on the frequency it will also hinder the signal. If this is a vital link I would suggest an external antenna or a base radio with more power. The range will vary according to atmospheric conditions, other traffic on a particular frequency, the kind of radio antenna you are trying to hit and the altitude above the sea surface you and the radio you are communicating with. Given that all conditions are good you should be able to hit the antenna you are trying for. The 15 mile line of sight is figuring that both antennas are on the ground. Each foot of elevation increases this dramatically. If there are rough seas or anything on the horizon it will cut you off and if there is much traffic on the frequency it will also hinder the... » Read More The range will vary according to atmospheric conditions, other traffic on a particular frequency, the kind of radio antenna you are trying to hit and the altitude above the sea surface you and the radio you are communicating with. Given that all conditions are good you should be able to hit the antenna you are trying for. The 15 mile line of sight is figuring that both antennas are on the ground. Each foot of elevation increases this dramatically. If there are rough seas or anything on the horizon it will cut you off and if there is much traffic on the frequency it will also hinder the signal. If this is a vital link I would suggest an external antenna or a base radio with more power. « Show Less
897768
VHF is 'line of sight' transmission which essentially means that if the two locations wishing to communicate can 'see' the antenna of the other then communication is possible. Normally with a hand-held radio such as this one it would mean that you're limited to considerably less than 15 miles because the curve of the earth will preclude a 'line of sight' that far. The only exception would be if the other location (i.e. - the Lock) has a very tall antenna then it could be possible, but only if the antenna is very tall.
2022045
The advertise range is 60 miles. I get good (line of site) reception from stations that are about 45 miles away
1805078
Sorry, I assumed it was what it said. How can we test. it. I get about a five mile range.
2181946
2-way motorcycle alarm pager with remote .... (spy) is nothing compared with some other. This didn't have 80 mtr range but some other at the range of $25 have a range of <500mtr range signal and all the parts are working
364442
I returned my unit for a refund. The range of any radio will basically depend on the terrain in which you use it. Hilly/mountains etc. about a mile or less. Flat or low-rolling land about 1-3 miles. This radio just didn't perform as I had expected. I bvought a Midland unit which was three times better.
955394
I'm using one that is 12.5 inches long. I can hit a 440 repeater 20 miles away from inside my house. I can also hit a 2 meter repeater 15 miles away. Although the reports are not full quieting, when I go outside the signal reports improve dramatically.
1241943
I'm not sure of the question but if there is a signal the radio should lock on to the station. I have only used the radio in the city..hope this helps.
1329684
I use my Puxing radio in a location that is mountainous and heavily wooded. At times I have a range of about 5- 10miles. So, the range is dependent upon the terrain.
1754412
I have used it up to about 15 ft as long as the receiver was pointed at the transmitter, the receiver is under the hood of my car so the signal is blocked some what.
1926173
Theres actually no rule of thumb for radios. Line of sight with a good antenna a 500mW radio like this one will get quite far, specially if you're high up compared to the ground and outside the city. You'll get 36 miles that way. In the forest, no line of sight, near city, you'd be lucky get even get a mile... but if you have a very good radio you wouldn't get much more! Doubling the power output will give you 1.6x theoretical range (not 2x!) and not even that in reality if its not line of sight. That means if you get 1 mile with 1 watt you certainly never get 2 miles on 2 watts. For short range tho, its a good/cheap radio for sure. More expensive radios wont get you a lot further without having proper antennas and placement.
1414627
Hey Jeremy! We've found that we can go as far as 20 feet from our unit, and it works fine, but that's the limit. If we go further, it cuts in and out. A safe distance would be 15 feet. Good luck! :)
678897
No not at all, at least not with my car. With it being only 1ft away from my radio it won't work so i highly doubt from 20ft away
608277
Hi: I'm using it in a suburb with the stations about 20-30 miles away and all I can say is that it works remakably well at these distances.Al
1062790
In urban areas, don't count on more than a couple of blocks. These are line of sight, if you cannot "see" the person, your range will degrade significantly. The 36-mile claim assumes you are using the GMRS frequencies over a perfectly clear terrain (such as calm water) and under perfect atmospheric conditions. You will never realistically achieve this range or anywhere close to it. Plus, the antennas on these radios are not that good nor were they designed to be. People expect more out of these radios than was designed. They are useful for somewhat limited purposes and in relatively close-in situations. In urban areas, don't count on more than a couple of blocks. These are line of sight, if you cannot "see" the person, your range will degrade significantly. The 36-mile claim assumes you are using the GMRS frequencies over a perfectly clear terrain (such as calm water) and under perfect atmospheric conditions. You will never realistically achieve this range or anywhere close to it. Plus, the antennas on these radios are not that good nor were they designed to be. People expect more out of these radios than was designed. They are useful for somewhat limited purposes and in... » Read More In urban areas, don't count on more than a couple of blocks. These are line of sight, if you cannot "see" the person, your range will degrade significantly. The 36-mile claim assumes you are using the GMRS frequencies over a perfectly clear terrain (such as calm water) and under perfect atmospheric conditions. You will never realistically achieve this range or anywhere close to it. Plus, the antennas on these radios are not that good nor were they designed to be. People expect more out of these radios than was designed. They are useful for somewhat limited purposes and in relatively close-in situations. « Show Less
1578164
In an open field, you can expect approximate range of 15-25 miles. If you do not understand the concept of amateur radio, chances are, you should not be buying this equipment.
1088473
Get a better antenna. This one is kinda lame. If you have any sort of hill or building between you and the repeater, you wont get a good signal. I turned my Tram 1185 into a scanner antenna. It works better as a scanner antenna then it did as a mag-mount on my truck. Spend an extra twenty bucks on a 5/8ths wave antenna from a better brand. But to directly answer your question, I would imagine that you might be able to tune this antenna to 164-166. I doubt you could get a flat SWR on it though because I bet it would be too short.
1073900
You need a radio repeater at this distance this radio repeat only 1 miles aprox