predator_machine

I would not recommend these, as they just plain suck. They advertise 10, 18, 20, 28, even 37 mile range, yet you may not get 1/4 mile out of them.

#1 The power output is weak,
usually 1 watt or less ERP, they do this so they can sell the same model in canada that allows less power on the GMRS band. And on the licence free FRS channels, less than the legal 1/2 watt limit, at least every model I ever owned.
#2 They lie,
37 mile range, haha...maybe if you are in the vaccum of outer space and just happen to be floating beside a parabolic dish. And they won't dare advertise the power output for obvious reasons. Even in the owners manual, some manufactures claim it puts out 2 watts or more ERP, yet look up the FCC number and truth be known, less than 1/2 watt (BellSouth branded GMRS)
3# The $90 licence.
To use GMRS channels you are supposed to have a licence. Your licence exam consist of your ability to fill out a cheque payable to the FCC. Its good for 5 years I think and only covers you and your family, not your 4x4 club, not your hunting club, just you and your kin. $90 for something that may not do 1/4 a mile. (real GMRS may be worth the licence and allows up to 5 watts power and repeaters up to 50 watts, but real GMRS radios cost quite a bit more and are not found on the shelves of Walmart and Radio Shack)
4# The $90 licence, again.
Is generally unenforceable against users of the blister pack radios. Occacionally a company will get stung with a hefty fine from the FCC, but it was because they pissed off a licenced user who made a complaint.
5# Children.......
.every 11 year old in america has one of these things by now, the conversations, noises and blabbering of 11 year olds gets very annoying.
6# "privacy" codes.
A sick joke, has nothing to do with privacy. They are like the 21st century version of the "squelch" knob on a CB, when set it will only listen to signals from a radio set with the same privacy code, and ignore others. Even those aware of this, when you set a privacy code, other users are still on the channel trying to talk, you talk, they talk and since FM has a tendency to overpower the weaker signal, you still hear them instead of your buddy trying to transmit something of importance.
7# The batteries,
500mAh, expect 15 minutes of talk time or less, at work we usually toss em in the trash when we get a new radio. (we use licence free FRS, 1/2 watt or less, "lo-power" )
8# Marketing,
refer to #2, they lie. they should put the power output, a more realistic range estimate and a big red caption, $90 FCC licence required!
9# Once again, the range.
Before I found salavation and became a "born again" amature radio operator, I did many sins with CB, VHF marine, GMRS, once I even keyed the mic on an old vintage HF marine rig as a small child.
I tried to use 2 watt motorola FRS/GMRS radios and could not get 1/4 mile of range in mountainous terrain. Is the nature of the band. Higher frequencies do not go through earth very well. I kid you not, with a "28 mile" radio it would not go 1/4 mile at the other side of the "holler". With a handheld CB in the same spot, set on low (1 watt) power I can reach the house loud and clear. I can also get 10 miles of range between my vintage TRC-211 handheld (with the 4' telescopic antenna) and my truck that also had a 4' magnet mount whip. I am not sayin this is typical or reliable range but every time I tried to call home from that spot my wife can hear me loud and clear on my base station.
I think it funny when other ham operators bad mouth the "chickenband" yet brag bout how they just got took for $90 for a GMRS licence. I think with 10m, 6m, 2m and 70cm and higher bands, one would be content to run all the repeaters and radios in the world. Why not set up a ham repeater, which we seem to have a general lack of up here.

For my purposes CB works much better than the FRS/GMRS, another good choice would be the MURS, recently allocated frequencies in the 150-174MHz band that no licence is needed, with up to 4 watts power.

Might be a wise choice for all the hunters out there illegally using VHF marine to hunt on. It uses the same band and, it is legal. They have and will come after you, even in the woods they have caught people using marine handhelds. Not only FCC, but coast guard. You think you are 300 miles from the Coast Guard, but you forget about that lake 10 miles away, or that navigable river up the road, VHF marine and the coast guard are there too.