# Radio Distance Range? Ham vs CB vs FRS vs GMRS vs MURS



## radiomaster

*"How far will that 2-way radio go?"

"What type of radio should I get for most communication range?"*

We see these questions being asked a lot on various forums, especially outdoors, sports, prepper, or survivalist sites. It often leads to complex answers and heated discourse because so many factors influence the distance of radio communications.

To simplify, the following charts show how many miles you can usually communicate over normal terrain in suburban or rural areas with different types of radios, power levels, antennas, and station configurations.

Many thanks to the radio operators at the HFpack organization for providing this information and permission to use it here on preparedsociety.

The graphs compare the most commonly available 2-way radios such as ham, CB, FRS, MURS, and GMRS. Some radio gear advertisements tout the maximum possible distance in perfect conditions, an often misleading specification that only techs can achieve if they are both on mountain peaks.

*In the real world, people want to know the normal dependable average range of a radio. Here it is:*



Symbols show average probability of communication. Red solid arrows with blue mileage indicates a 90% high probability of communicating at this distance. Dashed line with a red arrow shows 75% probability of dependable communication. A yellow dashed line shows 25% or less probability of communicating for this distance.



The above graph shows the distance range between two base stations using a basic antenna mounted on the roof of a suburban house with a height of about 20ft above ground level. Communication distance can be greatly improved over this by advanced gain antenna systems or a high pole or a tower. This estimate is based upon radio-to-radio direct communications without the use of a repeater.



The above graph shows the distance range between a mobile vehicle with a basic vehicle antenna, communicating with a base station using a basic antenna mounted on the roof of a suburban house. Communication distance can be greatly improved over this by advanced gain antenna systems or a high pole or a tower at the base station. The distance can be adversely affected by interference from the vehicle engine; further distance can be achieved by parking on a hilltop or open area and shutting off the vehicle. This estimate is based upon radio-to-radio direct communications without the use of a repeater.



The above graph shows the distance range between two mobile vehicles with basic vehicle whip antennas. Communication distance can be somewhat improved (25%to 50% further) over this on VHF and UHF by the use of a gain antenna. The distance can be adversely affected by interference from the vehicle engine; further distance can be achieved by parking on a hilltop or open area and shutting off the vehicle. This estimate is based upon radio-to-radio direct communications without the use of a repeater.



The above graph shows the distance range between a pedestrian with a whip antenna and a mobile vehicle with a basic vehicle whip antenna. HF backpack radios, HF packs, CB backpack radios, or manpack radios are compared with Handy Talkies, Walkie Talkie, or HT radios. Communication distance can be somewhat improved (25%to 50% further) over this on VHF and UHF by the use of a gain antenna on the vehicle. Distance on VHF will be somewhat less if a smal rubber ducky antenna is used on the pedestrian radio instead of a full size antenna. The use of a counterpoise radial wire on the pedestrian radio improves distance. This estimate is based upon radio-to-radio direct communications without the use of a repeater.



The above graph shows the distance range between two pedestrian radios with whip antennas. Improved distance can be achieved by standing in an open area or on a hilltop. HF backpack radios, HF packs, CB backpack radios, or manpack radios are compared with Handy Talkies, Walkie Talkie, or HT radios. Distance on VHF will be somewhat less if a small rubber ducky antenna is used instead of a full size antenna. The use of a counterpoise radial wire on the pedestrian radio improves distance. This estimate is based upon radio-to-radio direct communications without the use of a repeater.

Many thanks to the radio ops at HFpack for permission to use this material here.
(article posted on preparedsociety by written permission of the primary source: ©2013 HFpack)

*1. Please post what distance you get.
2. Please post the type of radios you use. 
3. Please describe your antennas or station details.

We all want to know!*

Thanks! See you on the airwaves! -radiomaster


----------



## cowboyhermit

Good stuff, I see these questions asked all the time and there are so many factors. Sure longer wavelengths travel farther but then there is the power factor which is obviously just as important, and the amount of gain in a typical (for that device) antenna. This info gives a quick reference to typical situations.:2thumb:


----------



## Well_Driller

I don't believe there's really any one good solution given the nature of radio, and the circumstances and/or conditions one might be operating under. Serious ham operators typically have a full room of radios that can communicate on all bands because there are advantages and disadvantages of each frequency range, and having access to all bands gives you more flexibility. Now if you're trying to keep a low profile having a 150ft tower on a hill that looks like a pincushion will likely attract unwanted attention, however wire antennas for HF can be easily hidden and give you world wide communications capability. I have two neighbors that are hams. One has a 150ft tower which you can see for miles. The other has a hidden wire antenna system for his HF that I never knew was there until he told me about it. I've driven by his place for years and never knew it was there. I happened to hear him on HF once and asked him about it. I have radios that go from HF on through VHF and UHF bands. Around here we typically use the 2 meter VHF band and 70cm UHF band for local communications and HF for long distance from out of state to world wide communications. Another thing to consider if you're serious about communications and may want to communicate with others or listen in on what could be informative info being transmitted during less than ideal radio conditions such as high noise levels, interference etc. that makes voice and data impossible is taking the time to learn and maintain proficiency in CW (international morse code). Some may disagree with me on this, but it has been proven to be very reliable and efficient in noisy band conditions or where it is completely impossible to use voice or data. My theory on this is if some major devastating event happened whatever that may be, and voice and data are impossible for whatever reason, too much voice traffic, congested bands, noise, interference, emergency traffic operators will revert to CW operations, and that will cut out a lot of the general public from knowing what is going on if they don't know CW. I believe they had a reason to drop the CW requirement from the ham tests as they knew the majority would not bother to learn it, but at the same time there would be a few who would learn and retain it. Those who are hams will know what i'm talking about, you can go on a frequency that is full of static and you would never hear someone trying to contact you using voice, however you can hear CW even a very faint signal and copy it at 100% if you are well versed in CW, and all you need is the very basic radio to both send and recieve it. I know if I had to send a message to someone I would do it in CW to cut down on the number of people who would know what was being sent. I know for a fact there are very few here who know it, and the ones who do would be the ones I would be communicating with. So, I have made sure I have capabilities on all bands, all seperate radios, I don't believe a single all band radio is redundant as if you lose that radio then you have nothing, where with separate radios one lost doesn't completely disable your communications, and those all band radios are expensive. I pick up a radio here and there and just keep adding to the radio room.


----------

