MURS Radios

The reason a lot of those older land mobile radios are available is because they weren't compliant with the FCC's new bandwidth regulation. Even though the transmitters can have their deviation (FM modulation limiter) turned down to +/- 2.5 KHz (from +/- 5 KHz), their receivers would still hear, under the new regs, three channels instead of just the one in the middle that you're on. And the narrower bandwidth radios will seem very low in volume, as the older i.f. stages needed a wider received signal to "fill up" the detector stage.

So you can put a not-yet-very-old synthesized radio onto the MURS frequencies and get the deviation and power adjusted down, but you'll still have a barn door for a receiver. Since a used Syntor-X or Delta won't be anywhere legal or even very efficient when used for MURS, it probably wouldn't be any worse to just leave it on whatever business frequencies are in it and bootleg there. Of course, if it came out of public safety or "Special Emergency", the name the FCC uses for ambulances and, curiously, school buses, using the radios as supplied would probably quickly get the attention of some very unhappy people.

Similarly, using a "wide bandwidth" radio from eBay on the MURS channels without any modifications to it besides changing the RF channels will probably start making enemies of the lawful users on the newer, narrower business channels just above and below the one(s) you've got programmed, because they'll still be able to hear your audio, similar to what happens when a CB gets its limiter clipped. Not precisely the same mechanics, because it's FM vs. AM, but it's still a matter of occupied bandwidth.

A few big-ticket radios, like Motorola Micor 110-watt radios, would not keep stable with their transmitters down under about 5 watts. So even if you pick up some GM300s or TKs from before the narrower bandwidth regulations started to kick in, they may not be as good a performer as one of the newer cheap Chinese radios. Some of them are type accepted for both Part 90 (land mobile) and Part 97 (amateur), they aren't type accepted for Part 95, which includes MURS. But at least they can be set for legal power and TX deviation; a couple even have software-defined receive bandwidth. My wife's car has one of them, set for 2 watts and narrow bandwidth, programmed for MURS channels, hooked to the vehicle's DC power, a +3 dBd antenna on the roof, and a small speaker-microphone. The whole thing fits in the center console (well, except the antenna) and we get about 10 miles between mobiles. She can talk from her car to the house, with a modest J-pole antenna at 30 feet, up to about 20 miles.

The only thing it's missing is the Part 95 type acceptance label. Other than that, the TX and RX (including adjacent channel rejection) specs are about what I'd expect from any other handheld radio on my service bench. And, not counting labor to install, it was about the price of a Cobra 29, even with the VHF antenna.

I leave mine on scan while I'm in my service truck, and the 5 MURS channels are all in my scanner at the shop. I rarely hear any activity on any of them, except on rare occasions from the nearby Walmart on 154.570 or 154.600.

So the lack of any practical radios for use on MURS seems to be the only barrier keeping people off the band. As has been expressed, it would be easy to put a channel number tag on the cab/trailer of any truckers who are MURS-equipped. Sounds sorta bizarre, but as soon as there are more users, there will be more users. Well, sorta.

73

 

Not true. Let's stop and think about this for a second. Ok what is the #1 thing that makes or breaks ANY radio? Hint it's NOT power. It's the antenna!

Ok, now how big is a 1/4 wave MURS antenna? Hold yourself back for this BIG surprise.....

About 19" tall! Yes I said it! ABOUT 19 INCHES TALL!

So what does this mean?

1. You can run virtually the best antenna for MURS and STILL be within height regulations.

2. If 1/4 isn't your fancy, then you also have 5/8 wave which I believe is roughly 5 feet tall, maybe less than that.

Now if you recall, MOST truck style CB antennas are this tall...they are nothing but 9 ft. of wire coiled around a shaft to some degree. Which hinders range. A full MURS whip OTOH is fully exposed, so you have a lot of gain, and therefore "mo powah" (as Gadfly puts it) isn't exactly needed.

NOW....if you really wanted to keep your CB roots going in terms of power, THEY DO make amps for 2 M amateur use that might work ok on MURS...I've not tried it.

Bottom line, MURS would give you the option of running a full range antenna with better TX and RX, and you wouldn't have to deal with near as much skip on MURS as you do on CB.

Oh...and yes Wal Mart uses MURS in their stores. I can bring my HT in and tell them I need customer service and get it faster, as opposed to trying to chase down some 16 y/o kid who is only there for his min. wage paycheck, and could care less about offering assistance.

My 2 cents

 

But I would not run that amp on the MURS band. The external antenna alone would get you out further than the legal limit (4watt) cb. I have been advocating truck drivers use MURS, D.O.T. and or FRS as alternative modes of communications.

Furthermore, every Trucker (and you Truckerettes/Ladies) should learn and know how to operate a FM 2meter/70cm dual band radio; that is entering a PL Tone and CTCSS manually; join SKYWARN.org and consider getting their Technician Amateur (ham) Radio License, cost $16 test and $10 every 10 years or something like that. Those Chinese FM dual band handhelds and FM mobile banders are truly amazing...opened freq's!
If that is too much for many of you, then get a Uniden HomePatrol.com and just monitor.

aimhigh

 

Look up a Motorola Radius Dealer they will probaby have them in stock. You could call Radio Wave in Burbank CA, Factory authorized service for Motorola and Motorola Radius.

 

The renewal for ham license is free.

 

In Canada, MURS was scheduled to be inaugurated in June 2014, however, the federal government second-guessed itself and has deferred its usage until further notice. The reason? See the following link.

http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf10822.html

Ironically, although Canadians are not yet permitted to utilize the existing, foreign-manufactured MURS handheld transceivers on the five designated VHF frequencies, American visitors to Canada have been heard communicating on them--although on a limited basis thus far, probably because they are unaware of that capability.

The fact remains, however, that there still exist some legitimate licensees operating on one or another of the MURS frequencies in Canada, so foreign visitors are advised to listen first before talking with their friends while on vacation or business.

As it currently stands, as there seem to be fewer and fewer such business licensees clinging to MURS frequencies (arguably due to economic reasons), it should be only a matter of time before every last one of them moves to another non-MURS frequency, thus opening the door for Canadians to finally have access to them.

Since MURS utilizes VHF and therefore has superior range than the ubiquitous GMRS/FRS "bubble-pack" UHF handhelds, I can easily see how MURS, despite the low power output, will become more popular with truckers for line-of-sight, truck-to-truck communications.

Of course, MURS was never meant to become a substitute for official trucking company dispatching, but most likely it will serve as an alternate option to CB radio--although CB will maintain its value for various reasons, traditional and otherwise.

 

I got my tech license for free through a testing program that is my area a few times a year. Going to go back for my general next time they are here.

I use one of those Chinese 2 meter radios in my truck and I have the murs freqs programmed but only ever hear businesses and all the walmarts on them.