VHF reference

[FlyFishNut]

A few weeks ago someone made a post about what would be useful to take camping (I think it was a female blogger) and she was given a bit of a ribbing.

Anyway - she or someone else made a reference about bringing a VHF radio. I have a lot of experience with these on the ocean - and these units are line-of-site, so it left me pondering how useful a VHF is in the mountains.

Obviously topography (being in a valley or gulley) and if miles of trees are in the way, the signal will be compromised.

The reason I ask is we are going to Dupont State Forest and my 18 yr old and his buds will be hiking, swimming, etc. I wonder if it is worth it to get another hand-held (already have one for the boat) and bring it along in case anyone gets injured, snake bit or whatever.

Anyone having experience using VHFs in the mountains? It never occurred to me to consider VHF's until that post from a few weeks ago mentioned it.

[Dochartaigh]

They're good for about a mile maybe, even in terrain with some ups and downs in-between (of course many units advertise 16+ miles but I've never, ever, seen them work that far away unless you're on top of a mountain or something with a good line of sight). Of course if you're trying to reach somebody on the other side of a mountain - even with them being much less than a mile away (in a straight line) they're not going to work at all.

We used them back when I played Airsoft quite a bit, and even in the 900+ acre area we played in they seemed to work maybe 80-90% of the time (with most likely a lot of user error involved). And they definitely worked a lot better than the people who were using FRS/GMRS radios.

Try to get a hand held unit that's 5 or 7 watts with a good antennae and see how they work for you. About a year ago one of the best inexpensive handheld units was the Baofeng UV-B6, but I think they have a newer 7 watt unit out now.

[Slo-go'en]

FRS/GMRS radios are UHF and have limited range, especially in the woods. But their small and light and if you want to keep in touch with someone near-by would be a good choice.

VHF radios, which would be Marine band would have a much greater range, but they are also much larger and heavier. Stay off the emergency channel 16 or the coast guard might get upset.

If you got a Ham Radio license (Amateur Radio) you could get a 2 Meter Hand held (also VHF) for which there are many mountain top repeaters located across the country and that could provide reliable communication except in some remote locations.

[Dochartaigh]

VHF radios, which would be Marine band would have a much greater range, but they are also much larger and heavier.

There are super-small FRS/GMRS radios out there if that's what you're thinking of (commonly bright colors like red/blue and pink for kids), but if we're talking about the regular sized ones (like a Midland 2-pack you'll commonly find at BestBuy or Walmart), the VHF radios like the Baofeng I mentioned are the same exact size. The Baofeng will also do all those FRS, GMRS, UHF, AND VHF frequencies (you can even do a quick button press sequence and get military band!). They also do FM and weather report frequencies.

[FlyFishNut]

The hand-held unit that I have is 6watts with a boost button. I installed a fixed unit in my boat so I can drop my family off on barrier islands and go snorkeling, etc and still have contact with them. Ive easily chatted with buddies on the ocean 15-20+ miles away, I just can't imagine getting good reception in the woods.

The handheld unit I have was on sale for $90 bucks - I just can't see spending another $90 for land usage if it isn't going to be worth it.

[Dochartaigh]

The Baofeng I've been talking about is $34...well worth a try in my book. But if you already have a handheld, and a fixed unit in your boat, what's stopping you from trying to reach your son from your boat?

[MuddyWaters]

Under right conditions vhf signal, especially in marine environment, can reflect off upper atmospere and go a long, long, way. Best not to plan on this though.

[Wise Old Owl]

VHF is best for 2 meter Amateur Radio repeaters which line the AT... but is ill suited for summer forests. Not sure if I would take a handheld. You would need a map of repeaters and hope folks are listening. been there done that...

[FlyFishNut]

VHF is best for 2 meter Amateur Radio repeaters which line the AT... but is ill suited for summer forests. Not sure if I would take a handheld. You would need a map of repeaters and hope folks are listening. been there done that...

Yup - think the VHF's are better left to open water.

[Wise Old Owl]

Yup - think the VHF's are better left to open water.

I have done 2m and 440 from Centralia's Cemetery - it was fun, the altitude gets me into repeaters around Philadelphia. In the woods not so much.

[NY HIKER 50]

These radios can only be used on the water. You cannot use them on land in any situation. Use frs.

[Dochartaigh]

These radios can only be used on the water. You cannot use them on land in any situation. Use frs.
Experts would disagree. UHF, which is what the FRS/GMRS frequencies fall in, is best used in urban situations as it can penetrate buildings better (for short distances). VHF is preferred outside - be it on the water or on land as it can travel further than UHF/FRS/GMRS. A quick google search can teach you all about this if you want to learn more.

Another thing is how FRS is limited to 0.5 watts of power. The VHF radio the OP has in his boat is 6 watts (12 times as powerful), and most likely his handheld unit is around 5 watts of power. That right there will give you a TON better distance and reception when compared to FRS.


If you were perhaps talking about the legality of using different radio bands, you can legally only use FRS without a license. Even the GMRS band (which most FRS radios also have), you technically need a license to use as weird as that sounds. VHF, although it's known as "marine band", can be licensed for use on water and on land (as evident by how many police departments, emergency responders, etc. use it on a day to day basis - granted they have repeaters so it actually goes the distance they need, but it's used on land as well as sea).

[Slo-go'en]

If you were perhaps talking about the legality of using different radio bands, you can legally only use FRS without a license. Even the GMRS band (which most FRS radios also have), you technically need a license to use as weird as that sounds. VHF, although it's known as "marine band", can be licensed for use on water and on land (as evident by how many police departments, emergency responders, etc. use it on a day to day basis - granted they have repeaters so it actually goes the distance they need, but it's used on land as well as sea).

Marine band is just that - it is intended to be use by boaters on water. It is illegal to use if you don't actually own a boat and it's not in the water. Of course, that doesn't stop people from using them for other purposes like hunting, where you get reasonably good range out of them.

Police, EMS, Taxi and other land mobile services use VHF/UHF radios and each has it's own specific frequency allocations and licensing requirements. They also typically use a repeater system to extend range. I used to work in the 2 way radio business and am a Ham radio operator, so I know a bit about this.

The Chinese Baofeng radio which Dochartaight brought up is intended for the Ham radio market and needs a license to operate, although that fact is not mentioned in the product description on Amazon. But with it's limited range and if not used "in band" of other services and doesn't cause interference with legitimate users, who's to know? Enforcement is unfortunately, lax.

The only legal "license free" radios to use on land are CB radios and the FRS radios.