How do I increase the range on my GMRS radio?

GMRS radios operate on “line-of-sight” , which simply means that as long as they or their operators can clearly “see” each other with nothing between them to obscure their view, the radios should be able to communicate with one another.23 Ara 2016

They assume a 5 watt handheld, 50 watt mobile, 5/8 wave mobile antenna with 6 dB gain and 5/8 wave, 6dB gain omnidirectional base antenna at 50′. Urban Environment – Around 1/2 – 1 mile from handheld to handheld, up to 2 miles mobile to handheld, and up to 5 miles or more, base to mobile, with base antenna at 50′.

Typically though, most GMRS radios use between 1 and 5 watts of power. Their range is a bit better than FRS radios, with typical hand-held devices being somewhere in the 1-2 mile window . Some mobile units with higher antennas can have a range up to 5 miles.

Other Ways To Increase GMRS Radio Range For longer range, use the high power GMRS channels, 15-22, where 50 watts of power is allowed, if you have a full power mobile . Your set should have a high/low power mode, and you can switch this to high for more power output.

The MXT400 MicroMobile is the Most Powerful GMRS Radio and Perfect Long Range Solution. This radio boasts 40 watts of broadcasting power with a 65 mile line-of-sight range.