AM/FM Radio is a safety issue

[tgpii]

FRS and CB radios don’t require a license. GMRS shares some frequencies with FRS but allows more power, detachable antennas, and repeaters, which is why it does require a license. The good part is it’s just a simple FCC license (no test), and it covers your immediate family under your call sign.

For scanners, a trunking scanner is what you need for modern police/fire/EMS systems. Most agencies now use trunked radio systems instead of simple fixed frequencies, which requires a scanner that can follow those systems. Keep in mind some departments are also moving to encryption, which means they can’t be monitored at all even with the right scanner.

What about Murs?

 

[tgpii]

If you are a sports fan you may want A/M or into political radio.

 

[tgpii]

SINCGARS? Nobody is getting one of those with the internal guts still intact. Harris is a brand of Radio so what model are we talking about? Might as well bring up the MBITR while you're at it.

FRS/GMRS are an option. I've been thinking it would be fun to have CB, GMRS, and a trunking scanner in the truck. Covers the bases for me.

Murs?

 

[ElectricShitbox]

Meshtastic

 

[AeroWolf]

If you ditch the radio, then please ditch the A/C, cruse, and cup holders. Make it cheaper. In 1996 I had my first car an 1987 toyota pickup. Regular cab, am/fm casset(cd were in by 1997), 4 speed manual, no cruise, and no A/C.

I do not think the Slate comes with cupholders unless you opt for the interior center console.

A/C and Cruise control, were worth adding due to the relative ease of integration into existing Thermal Management and Motor Control Software systems.

The radio and cupholders do not touch on any critical system, and can be easily replaced with independent components that can be added to owners taste. The really only way to make the Slate cheaper is to manufacture outside the US, or ditch the SUV modularity aspect.

 

[Electroliner]

The Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS) is a license-free, two-way radio service in the VHF band, authorized by the FCC for personal or business use with up to 2 watts of power. It utilizes 5 channels in the 151-154 MHz range and allows for removable antennas,

 

[IamSpotted]

I am.a newbie when it cimrs to.non am/fm radios. Is frs just a cheaper/less power/walkie talkie verson of grms? Can you get a frs/grms/ cb all in one? The Slate dash board looks perfect for cb/frs/grms. I hear that the antenna is another story. Since the slate is composite the atenna has to be grounded to the metal frame?

FRS and GMRS are related, but not the same thing. FRS (Family Radio Service) is basically the “no license, low power walkie-talkie” version. It’s limited in power and uses fixed antennas (you can’t upgrade or detach them). GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) is the more capable version. It allows higher power, removable antennas, and can use repeaters, but it does require a license (no test, just a fee). So yes, you can think of FRS as the simpler/cheaper subset of GMRS, but they’re technically separate services that share some channels.

Can you get CB + FRS + GMRS all in one?
Not really in a true, clean “all-in-one” unit. CB radio (27 MHz AM) is a completely different system. FRS/GMRS (around 462–467 MHz UHF) is another system entirely. Because they operate on totally different frequencies and use different antenna designs, manufacturers don’t typically combine them into a single radio. You might find multi-band ham radios that cover more, but CB + GMRS/FRS together is basically not a standard product.

You’re right to be thinking about grounding. CB antennas absolutely need a good ground plane to work correctly. Traditional installs rely on the vehicle body (metal) as that ground plane. With a composite panel vehicle, like the Slate, you don’t naturally have that metal surface, so you have to compensate. These are some common solutions:
Add a metal ground plane plate under the antenna mount
Use a fender/roof mount tied into a metal frame section
Use a no-ground-plane (NGP) CB antenna system (works, but usually with some performance tradeoffs)

For FRS/GMRS, it’s less sensitive to ground plane issues, but you still get better performance with a proper mount and elevation.

Bottom line
FRS = low power, no license walkie-talkie
GMRS = higher power, licensed, better range
CB = totally separate system, needs proper antenna grounding

No real single radio covers all three well
Composite paneled vehicles make CB antenna grounding the biggest challenge

 

[JoeBlow-Kokomo]

Hello I’m new on the forum and this is my first post. A Slate could be in my future if it is ever equipped with a sturdy trailer hitch and an AM/FM radio.

It doesn’t seem like Slate is planning to install AM/FM radios as standard equipment even though they are standard SAFETY equipment. It’s imperative to be able to receive weather, road condition, and emergency information from the local channels you see on road signs—not something easily available from a cell phone, if at all.

Also such radio needs to function within the vehicle’s electrical fields—not necessarily something available off the shelf somewhere, and assurance of reliability really needs to come from the automaker.

The cost would be very negligible if integrated universally and it would likely save lives every year.

Why is this not happening? I would think it would be common sense.

Because everyone has a cell phone and can get weather updates from it. Nice try though.

 

[JoeBlow-Kokomo]

Only people harping for AM to stay alive work at AM radio stations.

 

[JoeBlow-Kokomo]

If you are a sports fan you may want A/M or into political radio.

What sports are on AM radio? They have all moved to FM channels where there are actual listeners. We have top shelf minor league baseball and hockey teams. Hockey teams been on the air for 50+ years. AM for most of my life. Now on FM. Same with baseball. There are 2? strongish AM signals in my part of the midwest. Everything else is very weak and tiny little stations. I've not heard any sports other than high school coverage in a few years, but I dont' try anymore.

 

[Imhotep]

What sports are on AM radio? They have all moved to FM channels where there are actual listeners. We have top shelf minor league baseball and hockey teams. Hockey teams been on the air for 50+ years. AM for most of my life. Now on FM. Same with baseball. There are 2? strongish AM signals in my part of the midwest. Everything else is very weak and tiny little stations. I've not heard any sports other than high school coverage in a few years, but I dont' try anymore.

Here in Seattle, the Mariners are on 710 AM.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Only people harping for AM to stay alive work at AM radio stations.

But what about Clear Channel stations? The FM spectrum can't do that.

 

[sodamo]

Just wondering, after you guys retire, no longer commuting, just gonna sit in you vehicle and listen to radio?

actually, my FIL would do that in winter on sunny days as it was warmer than house.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

Just wondering, after you guys retire, no longer commuting, just gonna sit in you vehicle and listen to radio?

actually, my FIL would do that in winter on sunny days as it was warmer than house.

Ummmm….no. That’s why God invented Man Caves, IIRC.

 

[sodamo]

Ummmm….no. That’s why God invented Man Caves, IIRC.

But no one here talking about a man cave system, just their Slate. Of course the right system just move it with you. Oh wait, that could be my phone or tablet. Grrrr