Between the input on this forum and links that i'm pointed to, wow.

So, questions, in no particular order.

Can a licensed FRS/GMRS radio with a fixed antenna be modified so that one
has an external on therir roof higher up? Or two cars in a convoy with a CB
type whip antenna connected to these 2 way radios.


How much power does a cellphone put out ?

can a 2.4 GHZ/ 5.4 GHZ wirless phone be modified with an external antenna on
the base?

Thnx

jeff

In article ,
Jeff wrote:

Between the input on this forum and links that i'm pointed to, wow.

So, questions, in no particular order.

Can a licensed FRS/GMRS radio with a fixed antenna be modified so that one
has an external on therir roof higher up?

No, not legally.

Making any modification at all to an FRS radio, immediately voids the
radio's certification for use on the FRS frequencies, and it becomes
illegal to use it to transmit on those frequencies.

The FCC rules on FRS radios specifically state that antennas on these
radios may not be made removeable.

Some years ago, Radio Shack (or their OEM) figured out a cute way to
work around this restriction. They built FRS radios in the form of a
magnetically-mounted "puck" with a fixed whip on top, which were
intended to be mounted on the roof of a vehicle. A cable ran back
inside, with a speaker-mike on it and (I think) a cigarette-lighter
plug. Because the radio itself was on top of the vehicle, and because
the antenna was permanently attached and didn't have directional gain,
the radio was within the rules and did receive FCC certification.

I don't think RS has sold this model for several years, and I don't
know if a similar model is available anywhere else.

The rules are different for GMRS. I believe that it's possible to buy
radios which operate only on the GMRS frequencies (they won't transmit
on the FRS-only frequencies) and which have plug-and-jack antenna
connections. You could put a whip antenna on your roof, if you use
this sort of radio. You would have to have a proper GMRS license to
do so.

Or two cars in a convoy with a CB
type whip antenna connected to these 2 way radios.

Again, this is possible with GMRS-only radios, but not with FRS-only
or dual-mode FRS/GMRS radios.

How much power does a cellphone put out ?

Which cellphone? :-)

Typically it's a few hundred milliwatts on average, if I recall
correctly.

can a 2.4 GHZ/ 5.4 GHZ wirless phone be modified with an external antenna on
the base?

It's physically possible, but it's very probably a violation of FCC
rules. Making any "in the field" modification to a Part 15 device
will void the device's certification, and it becomes technically
illegal to use the device to transmit.

A meta-suggestion: if you're interested in using radios which can
have more power, more available frequencies, and a lot more
flexibility for modification and antenna selection and mounting, and
if the intended application is not commercial/business use, why not
buckle down and study a bit and get yourself (and others in your
group) tested and licensed as ham radio operators? The test isn't
difficult - quite a lot of people pass it after a one-day cram
session, although I personally recommend taking a few evenings to read
through the material and really understand the background - and the
usual VEC testing fees for three or four people would come to less
than the cost of one GMRS license.

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

Thank you for taking the time and thoroughly answering all my questions

"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Jeff wrote:

Between the input on this forum and links that i'm pointed to, wow.

So, questions, in no particular order.

Can a licensed FRS/GMRS radio with a fixed antenna be modified so that
one
has an external on therir roof higher up?

No, not legally.

Making any modification at all to an FRS radio, immediately voids the
radio's certification for use on the FRS frequencies, and it becomes
illegal to use it to transmit on those frequencies.

The FCC rules on FRS radios specifically state that antennas on these
radios may not be made removeable.

Some years ago, Radio Shack (or their OEM) figured out a cute way to
work around this restriction. They built FRS radios in the form of a
magnetically-mounted "puck" with a fixed whip on top, which were
intended to be mounted on the roof of a vehicle. A cable ran back
inside, with a speaker-mike on it and (I think) a cigarette-lighter
plug. Because the radio itself was on top of the vehicle, and because
the antenna was permanently attached and didn't have directional gain,
the radio was within the rules and did receive FCC certification.

I don't think RS has sold this model for several years, and I don't
know if a similar model is available anywhere else.

The rules are different for GMRS. I believe that it's possible to buy
radios which operate only on the GMRS frequencies (they won't transmit
on the FRS-only frequencies) and which have plug-and-jack antenna
connections. You could put a whip antenna on your roof, if you use
this sort of radio. You would have to have a proper GMRS license to
do so.

Or two cars in a convoy with a CB
type whip antenna connected to these 2 way radios.

Again, this is possible with GMRS-only radios, but not with FRS-only
or dual-mode FRS/GMRS radios.

How much power does a cellphone put out ?

Which cellphone? :-)

Typically it's a few hundred milliwatts on average, if I recall
correctly.

can a 2.4 GHZ/ 5.4 GHZ wirless phone be modified with an external antenna
on
the base?

It's physically possible, but it's very probably a violation of FCC
rules. Making any "in the field" modification to a Part 15 device
will void the device's certification, and it becomes technically
illegal to use the device to transmit.

A meta-suggestion: if you're interested in using radios which can
have more power, more available frequencies, and a lot more
flexibility for modification and antenna selection and mounting, and
if the intended application is not commercial/business use, why not
buckle down and study a bit and get yourself (and others in your
group) tested and licensed as ham radio operators? The test isn't
difficult - quite a lot of people pass it after a one-day cram
session, although I personally recommend taking a few evenings to read
through the material and really understand the background - and the
usual VEC testing fees for three or four people would come to less
than the cost of one GMRS license.

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

In article ,
(Dave Platt) wrote:

How much power does a cellphone put out ?

Which cellphone? :-)

Typically it's a few hundred milliwatts on average, if I recall
correctly.

Maximun licensed power for a Cellular Subscriber Unit is 3 Watts.
The Cellular Radio Service has an Adaptive Power Feature which
means that the Power Output of the Subscriber Unit is set by the
Base Station and determined by the signal level of the Subscriber
Unit at the Base Station.