MURS and RETEVIS RB17V Review
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- Ever try using a MURS radio for your day-to-day comms? I haven't. Until now. Here I share my experience with my first MURS radios, the RB17V from RETEVIS. In this video, I'll introduce MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service), and share my review on these simple and inexpensive radios.
Chapters:
00:00 - Getting Situated
00:55 - Introduction to MURS
03:17 - RETEVIS RB17V Radio Intro and Features
05:06 - RETEVIS RB17V Operations
06:49 - RETEVIS RB17V Range Test
08:20 - Difference Between MURS and FRS
09:25 - Final Thoughts / Who Are These Radios Good For?
10:31 - Where to Buy the RETEVIS RB17V
11:04 - Wrap Up / Outro
AMAZON Links (affiliated):
RB17V Radios (4-pack): amzn.to/3D9O9Gw
RB17V Radios (2-pack): amzn.to/47YpgxO
Inexpensive K1-Style Hand Mic (I own 4 of these): amzn.to/3FcYXFQ
RETEVIS Website Links (not affiliated):
Home Page: www.retevis.com/
Purchasing using one of my affiliated Amazon links may earn me a small commission. The price is the same to you. Commissions earned go towards helping to support this channel. Thank you for your support. - Розваги
Solid video. Spot on with your VHF/UHF characteristics. We saw the exact same thing as our fire department switched from VHF analog to UHF trunked HTs. Usually one member of an engine crew carried one of the old “bricks” with us when working well inside of concrete buildings. Not having anyone hear us call a “Mayday”, if needed, was not something we wanted…
Hi Bro, I'm volunteer ff for 38 years and your spot on. VHF is pretty much gone in fire service. All fire department by me switched UHF only many years ago and operate on a repeater system. We also have a private line channels for fire ground operations, other then fire dispatcher office. It's come a long way from old crap we had used for fifty years.
The best review I seen. Educational, good stage set up, good microphone tone very clear. Very good lighting. Clear explanation of the item.
I loved your comment about loving your Radio Shack walkie talkies as a kid. That comment brought back a lot of good memories as my buddies and I would play "spy" on the weekends and keep in touch with our "Space Patrol" WTs. Ahhhhh, good times. :~)
Very interesting on how the MURS out performed the FRS. But, I agree on staying with the GMRS for our trail comms!! 73
Very nice review Tom.
Excellent review
Great video. I have used them on Boy Scout events. Never dropped a signal even through trees and rocky terrain. Staticky at times, but readable. As a ham myself, noise and clear signal matters.
Stay well.
Great video. I think I'll get a pair to use when RVing. Handy to talk to spotter when backing into or out of RV spot in campgrounds.
Hi John I have pair my brother and I were selling, only used few times on job site.They work good if your interested. $60
You film very well great stuff
Love your channel
Thank you, Marine. Great video.
Thank you!
Hi Tom, good video, I enjoyed it. I do have a pair of these radio's and they work well. The radio's operate on VHF which isn't used much any more depending on where you live. Most all fire and police today are using UHF or a trunk system. Those 5 frequencies on radio's are mostly clear all the time giving the user a better operating range. We know range all depends on terrain and weather, but they work great for short range like at a concert, sports game, camp ground, beach, etc. They work well in short transmit area of use. If you need some inexpensive two radio's these are great for the cheap price. Just remember you can't talk for a long distance, only short.
I was debating between GMRS and MURS . You answered my questions and now I can make my decision. Thank you
glad I could be of some help? Which service do you think you'll be going with? It generally all comes down to intended use, including what others in your group may be using for comms. If it works for your needs, then it shouldn't matter which service :)
Just remember that GMRS allows many more watts than frs
Just remember that GMRS allows many more watts than frs
I bought the MURS radios for around $55 to use on our farm especially when someone has the kids down at a creek that can run swift and the banks are sandy. We tried them out and proved they would be helpful.
Nice review Tom. They look like solid radios and as you said, MURS is far less used than GMRS/FRS which has pros and cons depending on the use case.
Excellent!
Excellent videos…from an Air Force guy ; )
Glad to see you back. Good video. But I'm looking for waterproof radios, for my bug out bag.
Got a baofeng waterproof GMRS radio in my queue to review so Hopefully that will provide some good intel for ya :-)
I've been on MURS almost 20 years now .
Great review and outstanding commentary. Your editing is fantastic in the intro, well done.
I just picked up a 2021 Crosstrek Limited and your car videos are invaluable. Thnx 73 de W1SMM Semper Fi (6324) I'm partial to all the blue flavors! What's your favorite?
creative intro!
thanks! Creative name and avatar! Go go gadget radio!
Good summary---Based on my experience (electrical engineer, broadcasting tech, Amateur Radio) the reason for so many comm choices is kinda like why so many kinds of plyers: a different tool for each specific task. With so many radios on the market, why not go ahead and get several?
The most used ham radio repeaters (little handhelds, leveraged by powerful "repeating" booster stations) are on the VHF 144-148 MHz band. UHF (about 440 MHz) repeater stations effectively cover smaller areas vs. VHF). Likewise, MURS radio at VHF frequencies "could be more forgiving than FRS or handheld GMRS."
But then UHF frequencies can sometimes be more effective than VHF because interference from other users on other channels might not be so strong. MURS, on VHF, might also be easier to use with its inherently less serious distance or line-of-sight degradation. VHF frequencies are, however,, crowded in the US. Sometimes in urban areas a 144-148 MHz Amateur channel will be obliterated when two, other, strong nearby signals "mix" (that is, "inter-modulate") and add or subtract right in your handheld's receiver, creating a sum or difference frequency that falls on top of the one you're trying to use, and overloads your receiver, knocking out what you were tuned to.
But if you're still with me, also consider a tradition among Amateurs, engineers, and other radio users: In an emergency, your knowledge and experience can be invaluable in filling gaps in normal comm systems or backing up First Responders and Emergency Operations Center types. Having GMRS, FRS, Amateur, and of course MURS equipment with which you can assist in rescue/recovery actions (by non-technical or inexperienced volunteers and local/state employees) can have a bug impact. And MURS radios, in particular, with their simplicity, no-license-required, and straightforward ease of use, can be great additions to an Amateur's, GMRS enthusiast's, off-roader's, or public service minded person's "toolbox," "bag-of-tricks" (or other metaphor).
So, with these kinds of prices for what are now fairly capable Chinese two-way radios... buy some from each category, become familiar with them , and feel good about the potential assistance you could provide, should whatever, at some time, thoroughly, "hit the fan."
Love your Video... 2 questions, 1, white sox or Cubs? 2, I have a bunch of Baofeng UV5Rs, 2 DM-1701s and a couple mobile radios for the car and truck. Is it worth getting the GWRS licence for my collection
Hi Tom I see your north of me, There a ton of people near Oak Lawn area using MURS. Pretty cool radio thanks for doing the video, I found you yesterday looking at hamstick dipoles. 73's
Nice. interesting to know. Oak Lawn area eh? Haven't been down there much but cool to hear you're in the neighborhood! What are folks using MURS for mostly by you? Business? Private? Mix?
@@TomtheDilettante private just guys that where on cb or still are wanting to advance or more private since not many know of MURS, there are some guys that are also hams too. they mainly use 151.820MHz
Tom, Retevis probably has software available on their website to program tones , I have a pair of their earlier MURS ht's and can do tones and timeout times thru the software
UHF works better indoors. As you mentioned, Walmart uses MURS radios and often experiences the limitation of a low-watt VHF radio indoors as that signal must travel through shelves, coolers, cement, and steel barriers.
You can program the radios through the K1 connector.
I think Buying The Radiodity UV-5G / Baofeng UV-5X which is both a GMRS and MURS radio is a way better deal. 2 for $60 and can use all Baofeng UV-5R accesories as they are shaped identical. You can STILL hand them out as MURS to be used as MURS and its a win win because you wont have to relearn another Radio, can program it with CHIRP on Linux, MAcOS or Windows and are cheap enough to replace if they break. Also its harder to accidentally change the channel (extremely important) and can even lock the keypad....you can also hack it to become a FULL unlocked UV-5R to to talk on HAM thought it may be breaking the FCC rules to do so.
Hey Tom, you're a comms guy. Any chance of you exploring and doing some content on Meshtastic in the future?
im working to get certified now but this video got me thinking about range between uhf and vhf so now i know to do vhf for range on road trips! also can you please look into making a video on the installation of your weboost?
Thanks for watching, and I've had success so far with both GMRS (UHF) mobile units at 15+ watts as well as VHF (Ham radio 2m band). So far, I think my favorite is 2m ham band in a digital mode like CF4M (Yaesu). As for the Weboost, I'll try to get to that in combination with a good field test. Need to get out to where cell signal is sparse and put it to the test. The current install has been there for months, but to be honest was intended to be short term, not permanent. So it's a little sloppy for my own taste :)
@@TomtheDilettante ahhh ok yeah I have a weBoost myself but I just have no clue how to route the cable from outside to inside
You can program them
Retevis RB17v only have 5 channels, but offers the CTCSS and DCS codes totally 282 groups. So it totally has 1410 matches.
Great video! I liked the music and the coffee! As for the Retevis radios? Well, I've never used them so it's good to see a solid review. I do wish this radio used a PL but I can live without it. I'm usually in the woods far from others. I usually do overnight hikes and I'm wondering if this radios battery could make it two days with very little talking. Maybe 8 hours a day?
Drat! I forgot the battery life test. Sorry about that. I'll run one and put the results in the video description. As for something for the woods, it depends on what you need it for. If communicating with others with known like radios, these would be good (pending battery life). But if it's for general emergency and comms, then I would suggest a more commonplace radio service like GMRS or Ham. Not many people rockin MURS as far as I know which is good and bad depending on the situation.
It can be programmed with CTCSS or DCS tones in the software along with some other settings. Also the battery capacity is huge with these radio at 4400mAh 16.28Wh
@@djsoundzentertainment42 is that right? I missed the programming part. My bad. Thanks for chiming in! I’ll check it out.
Another very interesting vid. These 2 way radios would be of good use to me here in Scotland (whether legal here or not!).
I have a pair, $60 bucks, I'll ship it to you !
I got RB17V, it barely makes it to a block in urban areas. Also, car 2 car it barely hit 200ft before getting a lot of static in reception. ymmv
The biggest advantage with MURS is that you are allowed to change the antenna. You could replace the stock antenna with a 1/4 wave whip to extend the range. You could even use a yagi on a 60 foot tower and talk to someone with a similar setup 50+ miles away as long as there are no hills in between, although you may as well just get your ham license if you are going to spend that much money though.
With FRS, the antenna must be permanently attached to the radio and can't be modified.
Hmmm...a Yagi on these little MURS HTs eh? Cool idea. Might have to add that to the "tinker list" :)
You're very eloquent
These have the same Chinese voice as brand called Firward which seem to be on FRS but with privacy channels.
can be set as WX receivers
Yes that is correct on the frs better around town and murs is better in woodland
"Your crayon eating Jarhead cousin" Some of the grunts I gave Prick-77s might disagree with that assessment. Semper Fi.
Ha. RTOs might be an exception. Nonetheless, we’re all crayon eaters right? Letting people believe we’re stupid offers a nice tactical advantage :-). Rah!
@@TomtheDilettante If you don't mind me asking, when were you in and what did you do?
@@ekimp252 don't mind at all. I was in from '98 to '03. Got stop lossed in '03 to go play in the sandbox. I was an airwing POG playing with Hueys (UH-1N) and Cobras (AH-1W). POG or not, was best time of my life and I'd do it again in a heartbeat :)
@@TomtheDilettante Roger that Devil. I was in '79-'83, field radio operator, 1st Battalion 8th Marines. Last couple of years I was FAC team, got to tell pilots where to drop their ordnance. An absolute hoot! Made friends in the Corps on a level that I've never had again, that's what I miss the most.
MURS better while using an mobile mag mount, less cable losses, less static. motorcycle cruising
lets ignore 0.5watt vs 2watt difference
if you're referring to the Midland Xtalker, they are advertised at 1.5w on high (except for channels 8-14 which are limited to 0.5w).
dont use VHF inside homes or cars people
WTF IS TEH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RB RV RT ... WHICH IS BEST?
SHEESH CRAZY COMPANY !
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