I see that one of the things on the packing list for MOTD is "FRS radios".
I'm guessing this is the little walkie talkie type of thing? What does FRS stand for by the way?
So I'm looking to get a few of these and was wondering if there was any brand to look for or avoid? What features are good/bad. What is a good source for these, online, Walmart, etc.

Thanks,
Annette

 

FRS radios - I don't know what the FRS stands for - are indeed the little personal walkie talkie like radios you can buy at Walmart or Target or Radio Shack type stores. They come with different options and price ranges, but I got a good basic set of two some years about for about $30 each.

We use them to communicate between cars during driving events.

The unofficial MINI channel is 7/21. Which I assume we will be using again.

 

be sure you get a set that has subchannels.

The MINI frequency for most all runs in North America is Channel 7 Subchannel 21 or 7sub21

 

Some frs radios dont do sub channels. Make sure the ones you buy do.

 

Thanks, I'm sure I wouldn't have even thought of that!! I'm going to do some online searching for fun. I guess they work better than cell phones will up at the Dragon.
Annette

 

Oh, and I think FRS stands for "Family Radio Service".
Annette

 

FRS stands for…
The Family Radio Service and is a very low power, short range UHF Citizens Band service in the 460 MHz band.

GMRS stands for the General Mobile Radio Service.

 

Well, I did a quick bit of research. The FRS radios are supposed to work up to 2 miles and the GMRS is rated for 5 miles. In tests, though, they seemed to have about the same distance of coverage, so I'm not sure if it's worth it for me to spend the extra money on the GMRS radios. Plus it looks like you have to register and pay a fee with the GMRS radios. Good thing I have a bit of time to get these.
Annette

 

Most of the radios you find are both FRS and GMRS. Get the smallest and
most powerful (longest range) you can find. Costco, Sam's Club, Best Buy,
Circuit City, and most sporting goods megamarts are your best bet.

Make sure the ones you get have "privacy" channels (a.k.a. subchannels).
AtlantaMINIS does use the MINI frequency: channel 7, subchannel 21.
Without the subchannels you would be able to hear what eveyone else says
but they would not hear what you say.


More info, ad nauseum, is available on this thread from last year's MOTD
packing thread:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=38803

 

Oh well guess I am screwed. Bought a set a few months back and it doesn't have subchannels.

 

EBay my friend. See if you can sell them and get the ones with sub channels!

 

Just so you know the range they claim is when they test them at open sea. You aren't going to get anywhere near that range when you're surrounded by a forest.

I bought a set of Motorola GMRS/FRS radios about a year ago for ~$60. They came with the charger and battery packs. Nice thing about the set I picked up is that if you don't want to use the battery packs you can just use 3 standard AA batteries.

 

I got a nice Motorola set for like nothing at Best Buy!

 

One handy to transmit, and one tucked away in a cup holder with a patch cord to the aux input for better volume. Great for spirited motoring on the Dragon where RPM's can stay a bit higher. And especially good in the convertible.

 

sorry.. I cant edit the post... here is a link to them on Amazon.comMotorola Talkabouts

 

If everyone is talking on that same subchannel and 400 ppl show up ... LOL, that ought to be fun

 

When on the Dragon, we tended to carry both of our radios with us. One of them would be on 7/21 and the other one would be set to whatever frequency was agreed upon by the folks we were traveling with. The 7/21 is the 'official' channel and everyone should try to keep persona; conversation to a different channel whenever possible

 

Looks like I may be in luck. It calls the sub channels listed as "codes". CTCSS Codes. But the description of them fits exactly what you guys are talking about when you say sub channels. Sub Channels 1-38 for each of the main channels.

Soooooo I should be alright.

 

Be sure to get a headset. You won't hear much but garbled static with the supercharger spinning and the gears whining! There is just too much going on and you won't want to be reaching around, trying to grab the radio and find the trigger button while whipping around a turn and needing to downshift.

I bought a universal headset that had one earpiece (iPod style insert that goes sideways into ear) and a microphone on a clip (w/ transmit button) from BestBuy for $15 or so.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1108126066598

I hate BestBuy, but the 3 other stores I checked first didn't have 'em.

 

Well, now I feel better! I just bought a set of Cobra PR4750-2 radios at Walmart for about $56.00. I liked the fact that they are water resistant (just in case) and that they came with earbuds. I was thinking I was going overboard and getting something a bit beyond what was needed, but now I'm going to keep what I got.
Here's the link to Cobra, good way to compare features.
http://www.cobra.com/index.php?page=...e1b4a1d803.jpg
Annette

 

Yep, that's the same headset i got. Turns out, it only transmits at full power when used with my Motorola radio... This may drain the battery quicker... but the extra power might be needed up around the bends.

 

FRS FAQ available @ http://www.provide.net/~prsg/frs-faq.htm