only for families. I don't think FM
would work because we are riding in a lot valleys and hills.

I don't think handheld CB is going to do any better around hills. You need a
quarter-wave antenna with a good ground plane (such as a car would provide)
to get any real range with CB, and even then hills will still block a lot of
the signal.

You actually could use GMRS but each person would need their own $80
licesnse. They call FRS the Family Radio Service because the FCC didn't want
a bunch of yahoos cussing and jamming as may happen from time to time on CB,
but non-family members are certainly still allowed to communicate using FRS.

I recommend you stick with FRS an deal with the line-of-sight issue. If you
are biking in a long line, people in the middle can pass messages to those
in front and back as you crest or round hills.

If you need more range, you could go to MURS. Four times the power, and at a
frequency that will bend around hills a little bit better. You can also use
replacement antennas ( = better range). However, MURS radios cost $100 and
up vs. FRS which cost $10 and up.

There are some Chatterbox FRS units designed for motorcycle helmets, these
may work on a bicycle helmet.

You seem to be the only poster in this NG w/o a sack of crap under the
skull. Could you please answer my question. I just posted it on a uk ng. I
am in the US though.

I need to establish an absolutely reliable line of verbal communication
between two stationary points separated by about a quarter mile. It takes me
under 10 min to walk the distance. The place is located downtown a middle
size US city. I have tried to communicate via a Microsoft messenger. It
works but so far I haven't been able to make it reliable. The conversation
breaks down. I am sure I will fix the problem eventually but I need a backup
system anyway.

I have tried a walkie-talkie T5950 by Motorola. It is the most powerful I
could find at Radio Shack. It is advertised as capable of maintaining
communication over 5 miles. In fact it barely covers my distance because of
the interference by residential and industrial structures. It operates at
its limit capability, there is a lot of static and as a result it is also
unreliable.

I turned my attention to CB radio. There are hundreds of systems on the
market. I have NO background in the business. The money is no object but I
don't want to be extravagant. My needs are simple--to be able to talk on
demand any time. I don't want extra features of any kind.

What power output do I need? What kind of antenna? One office is located on
the fifth floor of a concrete building, the counterpart is on the second
floor of a century old brick building.

I would appreciate ANY suggestions. I speculate that among people who lurk
in here there are dealers promoting their products. I would appreciate them
staying clear. I would greatly appreciate opinions of people with PERSONAL
experience.

Thanks.

I need to establish an absolutely reliable line of verbal communication
....
I have tried a walkie-talkie T5950 by Motorola. It is the most powerful I

From what I can find on the web, this radio only puts out 1W, which is not
much. Handheld radios can legally go up to 7W, though very very few go above
5W. If your communications are possible but poor at 1W, they would probably
be acceptable but maybe not crystal clear at 5W (you will not get 5X better
signal because when you double your power, your signal only improves 1.5X).
The problem with consumer-grade radios is they seldom tell you the power
output on the box or bubble pack, so you may have to do some research to
find radios that do 5W. When they say "6 miles" or whatever on the package,
that is completely meaningless.

Be aware that only the 1/2W (500mW) FRS radios are license-free. Your
current radio and any other radio like it that puts out more than 1/2W are
GMRS radios, and require you to obtain an $80 license from the FCC in order
to legally operate them. Since the FCC will not issue a license to a
business, one person at each of your locations will need a license (unless
you are related; family memebrs can share GMRS licenses).

If you don't want to sink $160 into GMRS licensing (the licenses are good
for 5 years), you can look at license-free MURS radios. These radios only go
up to 2W though, so I'm guessing they will not have the power you need.
Also, the radios themselves cost $100-$200 each.

Most CBs only put out 4W and CB has other issues too (interference from
CBers three states away). If you can find a couple of inexpensive CB radios
that do SSB (not all do, read the specs carefully!), you get 16W of power in
SSB mode. That would probably do the trick though you might find yourself
changing channels once in a while to get away from interference.

What power output do I need? What kind of antenna?

I think the simplest solution is to find a pair of 5W GMRS or 2W MURS
handhelds that have detachable antennas. If these still can't make the
distance, you can purchase aftermarket antennas. These will be long and
ungainly, but will about double your performance over the stock stubby
antenna. When you look at aftermarket antennas, try to get one that
advertises a 5/8 wavelength element, as 5/8 has more gain (=better signal)
than the more common 1/4 wavelength element. Aftermarket antennas can be
found at a commercial radio shop (the place where police depts buy their
radios) or at a ham radio shop. Make sure you get antennas tuned to
462-467MHz for GMRS or 154MHz for MURS, or you will fry your radios the
first time you transmit.

Hope that helps!

"user" wrote in message
...
I need to establish an absolutely reliable line of verbal communication
...
I have tried a walkie-talkie T5950 by Motorola. It is the most powerful
I

From what I can find on the web, this radio only puts out 1W, which is not
much. Handheld radios can legally go up to 7W, though very very few go
above
5W. If your communications are possible but poor at 1W, they would
probably
be acceptable but maybe not crystal clear at 5W (you will not get 5X
better
signal because when you double your power, your signal only improves
1.5X).
The problem with consumer-grade radios is they seldom tell you the power
output on the box or bubble pack, so you may have to do some research to
find radios that do 5W. When they say "6 miles" or whatever on the
package,
that is completely meaningless.

snipped

Hope that helps!

I cannot thank you too much. I will have to study your answer and may have a
few more questions.

Yesterday I tried to apply for a FCC license for a GM radio as them call it.
I could not find GMRS category. I got lost in the application because the
system kept asking me about the latitude and longitude of my place which I
have to investigate and there were other errors/ contradictory answers I
could not even properly understand.

I can spend as much as necessary on this line of communication, provided it
is convenient and reliable. Money is no object.

Thanks.