Range Testing Retevis rb27v MURS radio against FRS.

In this video we perform a brief overview of the Retevis rb27v MURS two way radio system. We compare this to a similarly matched FRS radio system and field test them in a rural area to see what type of license free system would work better in the outdoors.
More FRS radios: bit.ly/3R1F1uu
More MURS radios: bit.ly/3KqrbQB
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[@davidp73]

They make a roll up jpole type of antenna that is tuned specifically for Murs frequencies. If you threw that up in a tree about 15-20 feet at a campsite or motor home it would increase your range to a HT with a rubber duck by a mile or two. MURS is also not used as much as FRS is. IMO murs is the clear winner here…. Great review

[@unclebillscamping]

Thank you. I may look into what you suggested for a future video. 👍

[@tonysolar284]

It all depends on the situation, in the city Murs channels may be over used, thus forcing you to use FRS due to the number of channels available. Even that would not be a sure thing if cell towers went offline. This is when having a GMRS license with the ability to use relays would add a benefit to your emergency comm kit.

[@summerwindcharters1326]

I agree. I just got a pair of UV-5G and an very happy with them.

[@coolelectronics1759]

hey nothing wrong with twowayradio revues and tests! Thats was the reason why I just subbed to you man! Looking forward to watching all the other content too!

[@unclebillscamping]

I appreciate that. I’m probably going to do some giveaways in a few weeks. I have way too many radio sets😎

[@coolelectronics1759]

nice! I just got a tidradio tdh5! I also have the bf888, the retevis rb19p, the rb27 UHF GMRS version, the iconic baofeng, as well as a set of $10 FRS retevisses and a wristwatch FRS talker. I am next getting the retevis rb85 to play around with.

[@markavery2888]

But this is not an FRS test... You are using GMRS (licensed) radios, not FRS; you can not use 2 Watts on FRS. No FRS unit shall exceed 0.5 watts ERP. This is a big difference. The bandwidth is also different.

[@MUDNUT460]

This is not true. Frs power limit is 2 watts, same as murs.

[@voiceofjeff]

I'm a MURS user. Love the VHF Hi band. Works well in the city and out in the woods!

[@unclebillscamping]

I might give them a test with a better antenna and see what happens👍

[@truehope287]

How would it work in a concrete building??

[@robertmeyer4744]

@@unclebillscamping Try the 42 in Abbree VHF/UHF antenna on a pair. The Nagoya-771 for VHF/UHF works great. use the one tuned for VHF MURS MARINE . the outher tuned for 2 meter HAM and the 771G is GMRS only antenna. super on GMRS . just get the right SMA connector. they make both M and F antenna's .

[@robertmeyer4744]

nice test. I have the RB27V and the RB 27G GMRS ones. both program CHIRP and take the K1 Baofeng UV 5R program cable. I do camping and use them both a lot. the external speaker mic is real nice . also better antenna helps a bunch. even the 42 in Abbree antenna works super . I can say that you can use MURS and FRS/GMRS at the same time. on MURS the Ch 4 and 5 can do wide band this has better sound . GMRS can de wide band except Ch 8 to 14 which are 500 Mw and narrow FRS only channel. GMRS is $35 licensee and good for 10 years . coves whole family and no test like HAM but the tech one is very easy for HAM. still $35 . I have several outher radios that do MURS and GMRS. less people on MURS . some Walmart's use MURS some use FRS . we tried CB . 4W ones. to much static on the band making range bad. GMRS 5 watt does go much farther but $35 fee for 10 years. but can use repeaters if you have one. and can put long hi gain antenna on GMRS . if you don't want to send FCC $35 and want some range go with MURS !

[@macdaddykwm1]

I believe only channels 4 and 5 are 2 watt on Murs. The other 3 channels are .5 watt. Did you use those channels 4 and 5?

[@johnkeo358]

bare in mind as far as FRS goes, legally speaking you're only supposed to use an antenna that's not detachable and only allowed to use .5 watts of power

[@unclebillscamping]

Most definitely, I think this is where MURS has an advantage

[@johnkeo358]

@Uncle Bills Camping FRS definitely has its uses though, particularly in buildings and urban environments due to better penetration through concrete and metal. Eventually, I'd like to buy a multiband radio that does both UHF and VHF. I would get a ham dual band version but it's usually restricted to transmitting on the ham band unless you get the Chinese ham radios

[@MUDNUT460]

Frs allows 2 watts of power

[@icebrakernh]

GMRS is available for $35 and no test for those who want comms for the family and use repeaters.

[@clydeosterhout1221]

Good test! One of the better ones I’ve watched. Seems like it would be great for license free car to car comms when hooked up to mag mount antennas.

[@noyb72]

The antenna is key. A 6db gain antenna turns the MURS radio into an 8W radio, which would readily increase the transmission range by 50%. Additionally, a high gain antenna will be longer, significantly increasing both transmission and reception capabilities. Redo that test with high gain antennas on both MURS units in whatever environment you want and both clarity and distance will go to MURS. Stick to a broadband MURS channel and the benefits are even larger.

[@unclebillscamping]

That’s good information. I may do a video testing this.👍

[@BrokenMonkeyProductions]

I'm very new at this MURS/portable radio stuff. I have these exact radios we are using for a safety team and I really want more range. Can you tell me more about the antenna you mention and possible other options? All our radios will be portable if that matters. (I read something about a base station with external antenna but it appears that base station would need to be on the transmit or receive end of all communications, right?)

[@chrisgullett4332]

None of that matters around powerlines. Powerlines are kryptonite to radio waves. Powerlines run right over my house, and I cannot get any radio signal inside. I cannot get over the air TV stations, my radios cannot receive anything at all. I literally have to go a couple blocks away before I can get anything on my radios. I know there are different types of powerlines, and they affect radios differently, but the powerlines over my house are like super strength powerlines, and they ruin every radio wave. When I was a kid we had powerlines running near our house, and on one side of the house you could not get anything on the radio, but these powerlines are way stronger, and they make it impossible to use any radio in my house. So besides the normal things like structures and elevation, powerlines also cause poor radio performance, and are the enemy of radio waves. Most people never think about powerlines when using radios, but they are the cause of lots of problems.

[@StormsRadiosCats]

You also need to remember that all the FRS channels and a couple of the MURS channels are narrow band, once you get on the fringe the modulation will be below the static. Nice test though

[@unclebillscamping]

Thank you for the informative comment.

[@robertmeyer4744]

all 22 Ch on FRS is narrow. 8 to 14 is 500 Mw . some FRS all 22Ch are 500 Mw. old 14 Ch FRS 500 Mw. Ch 4 and 5 on MURS can be wide band. newer FRS radios are 2 watt but 500 Mw 1/2 watt on Ch 8 to 14. on GMRS CH 1 to 7 is 5 watt and Ch 14 to 22 can be 50 watt. and repeater split on the last 8 channels.

[@danielnavarrete5481]

Thank you for doing this test. I have been looking for a video comparing frs 2 watt to murs.

[@unclebillscamping]

No problem. I might try this again with FRS and longer antennas or tiger tails.

[@Texas2WheeledRider]

As for the fullness of the voice, What channels were you testing on? MURS 1,2,3 have only 11.25 kHz of bandwidth 4 and 5 have 20khz of bandwidth Some FRS Radios are rouge and have 20khz which is supposed to only for GMRS radios.

[@RyanStraub-f8s]

So are 4 and 5 better?

[@truehope287]

How will a MURS work in a concrete building??

[@unclebillscamping]

Pretty good but it will have problems penetrating through dense walls. This is why big box stores use them. Great on the inside but very little signal gets out.

[@jasonposte8521]

The only other advantage gmrs has is has more channels.

[@bulldogbrower6732]

GMRS hand held are 5 watts. Mobile and base units are 50 watts.

[@tylerfinses4762]

Have you compared this to the RB38V?

[@unclebillscamping]

No I have not but if they want to send me a pair I will gladly try them out.

[@summerwindcharters1326]

Great test! As a newbie gmrs living in a treed/hilly suburban area I was surprised to get 3+ miles with the wife inside our house! Of course I was running 5 watts/larger antenna, but very pleased for the price. If I can get enough neighbors interested in a block watch I'd go FSR for sure.

[@JoshuaXiong]

Lower frequency usually traveler further.

[@ometofu]

Meh. Same like 30 years ago. No innovation

[@unclebillscamping]

It’s pretty basic but better overall than FRS for the most part.

[@Bootyhunter1971]

30 years ago there wasn't a single radio this small lol. Let alone for the price of radios these days.

[@ometofu]

@@Bootyhunter1971 it is hard to imagine 30 years ago was 1992. Midland even have them in colors… all junks.

[@Bootyhunter1971]

@@ometofu What?

[@ometofu]

@@Bootyhunter1971 move on. stay kinetic

[@RingwayManchester]

Love this bill!

[@unclebillscamping]

Thank you for the kind comment👍

[@dannyo6699]

My wife and I both work for Walmart, and Walmart uses channels 4 and 5 on the MURS system. Walmart is grand fathered in for those 2 frequencies. So I purchased a couple of different MURS radios for us to use. First off, I bought us the Retevis RT27V radios which have fixed antenna's. It's also available as the RT27 FRS radio which is proabably why the early models had a fixed antenna, but the newest RT27V models now come with removable antennas. They work just fine in the store, we get good reception and broadcast with them (everyone else is using the store provided Motorola radios. Very good but also very expensive). The radio's are inexpensive, around $30.00 or so each, and seem pretty durable. They've been dropped numerous times on concrete from at least 3 feet and so far haven't failed us after 3 years. I recently bought an RB38V MURS to try. It's a smaller, more compact type of unit, and the antenna is changable on this radio. So far, the factory antenna seems to be the best I've tried but I haven't done any intensive antenna tests with it, and only have a shorter flexible rubber style antenna for it. That antenna was not as good as the factory antenna. I lost a lot of the broadcast with that antenna. I also believe that antenna is VHF/UHF so if I could find it for VHF only, it might do better. Transmit and receive seem to be similar to the RT27V and it can be programed to receive NOAA with the Retevis programming software from Retevis. I'm a fan of MURS and have wanted to do a few range tests with it too. So far I've only been able to do 1 test, and that was just driving around town and calling my wife in our 2nd floor apartment. It was a pretty cold day so I just broadcasted from inside the vehicle since she was inside the building. Upwards of a half mile with line of sight to the building, it worked acceptably. So I expect vehicle to vehicle at a half mile should be within it's capabilities for a roadtrip usage. Next I'd like to try them broadcasting in the open from clear hilltops to see what maximum overall range can be achieved with them. We've got several hills around us and almost no tree cover to block signals. I expect even an FRS radio could get a longer range going directly line of sight...probably not the ranges the radios advertise on the packaging at Walmart, but multiple miles, line of sight, should be within their capabilities.

[@CraftinFears_Official]

That's weird my walmart uses murs channel 2 instead of 4 or 5

[@dannyo6699]

@@CraftinFears_Official On the Motorola radios that most employees use, the really expensive radios, it's channel 2. On the MURS radios you buy for less , like the Retevis, or the Dakota Alert or the BTECH, it will be channels 4 or 5. The Motorola radios are geared towards Walmart use, whereas the MURS radios are for general public use. But they do still use the same frequencies.

[@CraftinFears_Official]

@dannyo6699 true and I can definitely tell my walmart uses expensive radios as the transmissions can be heard outside the parking lot and even sometimes near the houses near by

[@truehope287]

How do you think the RB38V would do in a large concrete building?

[@unclebillscamping]

It’s kind of a yes and no answer. MURS is used becous it’s signal can travel far but it has led penetrating power so it’s signal is less likely to pass through dense objects. So if it’s and open concrete building it would probably work just fine. If it’s a very large enclosure with a lot of rooms and dense walls maybe not so much.

[@jesseespinoza367]

Can you turn off the cts dcs tones ?

[@Adamdaj]

FRS may dominate the old 49mhz radios or the 900mhz, but FRS and MURS has somewhat of an equal chance in an urban enviorment, but MURS may not ideal in large scale indoor warehouse, even though Wal Mart and Sam's Club seems to make it work. However, Camping, I rather have MURS, even if I was able legally to change antenna on FRS. MURS would definately be my choice, because VHF Hi Band is what I perfer.

[@unclebillscamping]

I think MURS is a good choice or maybe she’ll out the money for gmrs.

[@reidtillery2856]

Since these have to be recharged, how are most people going to use them in a grid-down situation when there's no power to recharge them?

[@unclebillscamping]

In a grid down situation I would much rather have rechargeable devices that could be plugged into a car outlet. The alternative would be using batteries which would be harder to replace eventually. I would rather be using something like solar generator and a decent folding panel to collect and store power or even a smaller panel and a power bank.

[@Bootyhunter1971]

Everyone should own an emergency radio that has am/fm and a light and can be charged with a dynamo crank handle. You can find them with usb out so you can use the crank to charge other devices.

[@Bootyhunter1971]

Thanks for the effort. The same model radio made for the respective bands would have been nice as this may simply be the difference in the quality of the 2 radios more than the frequencies they are operating on. The frs radio definetely sounds stronger. The murs radio had picket fencing even from the shortest distance and just sounded weaker. With all that vegetation and being outside, conventional thinking would say the Murs should smoke the Frs. Not the case here at all, so I suspect the model radio and also say people generalize too much about which service works in what environment.