Two way radios

[Snowreap]

there might still be a reason for CB radios, but for most people FRS radios are a better choice.

FRS (Family Radio Service) is restricted to a half-watt of output power, which gives them a fairly short range.

GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) allows a higher power output than FRS (and hence offer a longer range), but they also require an FCC license and are subject to more restrictions on how they may be used (for example, GMRS is specifically targeted at individuals using radios to communicate with their immediate family, and is not currently licensed for other uses such as communicating with your friends, unlike FRS which *does* allow non-family communication despite what you'd guess from the names).

lax enforcement of GMRS rules does not mean that you can legally transmit on GMRS-only channels without a GMRS license, or transmit on FRS channels using a GMRS radio at more than 0.5W ERP (Effective Radiated Power).

here's a nice site where you can get more information: http://www.gmrsweb.com/gmrsfaqa.html.

-ken