GMRS base station radio

If you are looking for a GMRS base station radio, there are several models that fit the bill, and which are made by reputable and well-known manufacturers of two-way radios.

The first is the Radio Shack 22 ch GMRS/FRS Base Station radio doesn’t look like a 2-way radio.

It looks like any ordinary AM/FM radio for listening to music or an office intercom. But you can use it like the two-way radio it is to speak to other users with FRS or GMRS walkie talkies (or to another similar base station). And the radio set can be screwed to the wall or placed on a desk or a table. Either way it works fine, either by pushing a PTT button (push to talk) or by using the built in VOX (automatic voice sensor) which can turn on the transmitter as you talk into the radio.

The Radio Shack GMRS base station radio comes with an AC mains adapter which supplies 6 volts DC to the radio, so you don’t have to worry about batteries (as long as there is mains power, that is).

It can operate as a scanner and listen to all 22 channels one by one, or it can be programmed to listen to two channels only – the one you’re using plus a second frequency that you choose, so you don’t miss any action on that other channel. It also has 38 Quiet Codes which can be used to lock out unwanted radio chit-chat by other people sharing your frequency.

The Radio Shack GMRS base station is a nice-looking piece of radio equipment.

Then there is the Midland XT511 Base Camp Radio is a 22-channel FRS/GMRS base station radio with built-in AM/FM radio receiver with a dynamo crank handle. The handle is used for emergency power if you have no electricity at all.

The Midland Base Camp Radio has 7 FRS channels, 7 shared FRS/GMRS channels and 8 GMRS-only channels.

This  two way radio has a built-in NOAA weather alert with alert override, eVOX for easy and hands-free operation – with three sensitivity settings to suit your speaking voice and style.

It also has automatic squelch control (muting) to cancel out the static noise while nobody is transmitting to you. The Base Camp radio has 121 privacy codes which, if you wish, can stop you being bothered by messages that aren’t meant for your ears.

It can run off 4 AA cells, use an AC mains adapter or a 12V car lighter plug adapter… and don’t forget the crank-handle wind-up dynamo, which will power the radio if all else fails.

The Midland XT511 GMRS base station radio is advertised as a 30-mile radio. I would expect the range all of these radios (not just this make and model) to be a lot less than this since these much-touted distances are the maximum achievable under ideal conditions.

By the way, both these FRS/GMRS two way radios can be equipped with a headset-microphone to allow hands-free use. Ask your dealer which one he or she recommends. (The headsets are an optional extra.)

The Professional Option

If you have serious money to spend, and if you are willing to put up a decent outdoor antenna as well, then you will decent radio range on your GMRS radio by using a professional radio that has been programmed for the GMRS service.

Icom, who make professional radio gear as well as Amateur Radio equipment have a 40-watt UHF radio that does the trick. What is more, it makes the other radios on this page look like toys.

You will find the details at http://www.gmrsoutlet.com/product.php?productid=63

By the way, GMRS Outlet doesn’t pay me a commission to send my readers there. I just found them on the web and this Icom radio looks perfect for the job.  (I own two Icom radios myself, though different models.)

This would be the way to go if you are serious. But be sure to get the right license from the FCC, because everyone is going to hear your signal around town.

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