Long Range Radio Communications with 5 Watts
How far do you think I will be able to communicate effectively with a 5 watts radio transceiver?
I know that Motorola has handheld radios with 1 or 2 watts transmit power, but I am looking for the longest transmission range possible.
Are there 5 watt radios that I can get hold of that have a longer range like I want?
It will take you a very big increase of your two way radio’s output power to boost your radio’s effective range by any worthwhile amount.
Doubling your transmit power does not double your range. If my memory serves me right, you would have to quadruple your radio’s transmit power if you expect to double the distance it can send.
Quadruple means to multiply something by four times! That is a pretty tall order.
So yes, a 5 watt radio will certainly give you longer range compared with a 1 watt radio. But you can almost always get the same – or even better – increase in radio range by using an efficient external antenna that is mounted tens of feet higher than you and your handheld radio (and / or you) would normally stand.
Most handheld ‘rubber ducky’ type antennas are made small to be convenient to handle and walk around with. But they are generally very inefficient. Even with a good aerial, a small percentage of your transmit power is lost as heat. But with a bad aerial you lose a big percentage as heat. This power never ‘gets out’ as a signal.
So for the greatest possible signal out in the air, you need the highest power the government allows for your classification of radio. (For example FRS radio is fixed at a lower power than many MURS radios. But the licensing terms from the FCC are quite different. FRS radios are not allowed to have external antennas.)
You need the most effective antenna you can get, and you want it set up someplace high for maximum distance, and connected by a coax cable to your radio. This is one of the reasons why a lot of licensed amateur radio operators have ‘field days’ where they set up their 2 way radios with big antennas outdoors.
Some hams prefer to go and climb mountains for a day to try and reach as many different contacts as they can. They may string up wire antennas over trees or hang them from long fishing poles! And they write down the details of every contact in a radio log book and submit it for various amateur radio contests or awards.