There are two styles of MURS two-way radio handhelds you can choose from. The MURS Multi-Mile Handheld Intercom is a light-duty, less featured two way radio. The MURS 110 Commercial Handheld Two-Way Radio is a heavy-duty fully featured two way radio. There is a big difference in price so you’ll want to make sure you choose the right one for you.

Both units will achieve a similar range and they both have all 5 of the MURS channels. For basic communication you could choose either radio.

The only advantage the MURS Multi-Mile Handheld Intercom has other than price is the fact that it integrates with a long-range motion sensor (MURS MAT which comes in the MURS Base and MURS Alert Kits). The MURS MAT will send its “Alert Zone 1” voice message to the MURS 110 Commercial Handheld but for some reason it sounds a little garbled.

The MURS 110 Commercial Handheld is built to what’s called “MIL-SPEC” standards. In an effort to achieve standardization objectives for purchases of products used by the military and other government organizations, the U.S. Department of Defense created standards that these products must meet. You will see these standards called military standard, “MIL-STD”, or “MIL-SPEC.” These standards ensure products meet certain requirements, commonality, reliability, compatibility, and similar defense-related objectives.

The Department of Defense also has standards for two-way radios and radios that meet this standard must meet levels for such criteria as vibration, rain, salt air, sand/dust, shock (dropping), humidity, temperature as well as other factors.

Buying a product that meets mil-spec standards means you are buying a quality product that is built to withstand tougher use.

The MURS 110 Commercial Handheld also has features you won’t find on the MURS Multi-Mile Handheld. They are summed up below:

The MURS Multi-Mile Handheld…

• is smaller so it fits in your hand better
• has Channel Scanning so you can listen to multiple channels at once
• has an audio output and microphone input jack so you can use headsets. These devices screw on to the radio so they can’t be pulled out. There are several types of headsets available.
• has NOAA weather radio capability for weather reports or for automatic alerts of storms
• has a programmable softkey that can be used for weather radio, gate opening, or for activating other devices that use 2-tone decode. Programmable on a per channel basis.
• has a charging doc that allows you to charge a spare battery for uninterrupted operation
• has an optional multi-charger unit available for charging multiple radios at once.
• has a voice scrambler when used with other compatible radios. With this feature turned on, other people won’t be able to understand your conversations.

So if all you need is plain voice communications and the environment you are using the two-way radio in isn’t too harsh, then the MURS Multi-Mile Handheld would be sufficient. If you need a really tough two-way radio with some features, then the MURS 110 Commercial Handheld is for you.

The good thing about a MURS Radio or intercom base station is that it allows you to extend range by using an external antenna. Both the handheld units and the base station units have what’s called a BNC connector that enables you to twist off the antenna that comes with the radio and then twist on a new antenna connected to a cable.

You will get noticeably better results and more range with your MURS radio with an external antenna. It is the single most important factor in increasing  transmitting and receiving range of a radio. You’ll need to make sure you choose an antenna that is specifically designed for the MURS frequencies and then choose the best location possible to install it.

The FCC limits antenna height for MURS radios to 20 feet above a structure (exclusive of the tower, mast or pole on which it is mounted), or 60 feet above ground (whichever is greater). The higher you place your antenna, the greater range you will get. If you mount an antenna on your vehicle and connect it to your mobile MURS two-way radio, the higher you place the antenna on your vehicle, the greater range you’ll get.

If you are using a handheld MURS radio and walking around with it, you can’t very well use an external antenna. You may be able to extend range by installing a better antenna than the one that came with the radio, but keep in mind that the antenna that came with the radio is “tuned” specifically for that radio. If you put on an antenna that isn’t properly tuned, you could lower range.

IntercomsOnline.com does not offer external antennas, find them by clicking on this link: external MURS antenna. You’ll find antennas you can mount on your car, building, or even inside antennas that will increase the range of your MURS Radio.

A MURS Radio uses 150 MHz frequency which is a Citizens Band radio spectrum that is called the MURS service. MURS stands for Multi-Use Radio Service. This is a newly created service for use in the United States and Canada. It is a low power, short range service in the VHF (Very High Frequency) 150 MHz Citizens Band radio spectrum.

The FCC does not require users of products for these bands to be licensed, but it does impose strict regulations on the types of products and services that may be supplied to consumers.

Previously the FCC came out with the Family Radio Service (FRS) in the 462 and 467 MHz spectrum in which you can find handheld units, but no intercom systems based on this service. MURS radios are similar to FRS radios but they have a power increase of four times that of FRS radio. And unlike FRS, you can add a larger or external antenna to improve range. If you want to put an antenna on top of your house, you can do it with MURS. Some antenna manufacturers claim an external antenna can increase the effective radiated power of a transmitter by a factor of 4.

These MURS Radios can transmit up to four miles, and perhaps more with an external antenna. These units are not secure, but there are fewer systems in use and few devices outside of a scanner to intercept this frequency. The IntercomsOnline.com MURS Multi-Mile Intercom uses the MURS frequency.

Below is a picture of a MURS Radio base station that you can use to communicate with MURS handheld two-way radios. IntercomsOnline.com are MURS Radio dealers for this and other products.