Yeah, the move in some CB communities is to go from CB to the license-free 5 channel VHF MURS band,
https://www.itstactical.com/digicom/comms/the-best-kept-secret-in-radio-communication/ I've been into it since 2002. Many CB'ers (That know about it.), are doing dual 27MHz CB and MURS. Most do it for the variety, get away from F2 and E-Skip, and to get away from 27MHz CB jerks. MURS can skip though, via temperature inversions. Not really thousands of miles, but more like hundreds. The same time that you notice distant NOAA Weather 162MHz stations, TV stations, and FM broadcast stations, MURS DX is possible. Case in point, on some early mornings, a friend of mine near the PA border would be able to talk to Buffalo, NY stations on MURS CH1. In Canada, I don't think that they have MURS, yet. (It's been proposed up there.), but at times the London, ON, Canada ambulance dispatch can be heard on our MURS CH3 well over 200 miles away. Legally, at 2W out, using LMR400 coax, and putting that VHF antenna above the tree line, you can possibly get +20 miles out base to base. If you are a hill topper, sky's the limit in range. Even if you are not up in the clouds waving HI to airplanes, flat terrain, a wide-open valley, near the shore of a large lake, or sea, you can expect some decent ranges there. Yeah, there's activity still in the license-free UHF FRS band, like kids, hunters, traffic routing in constructions, etc., but most folks believe that they only go as far as you can throw them. And, depending on where you use them, that can be true. MURS does penetrate foliage better than FRS, albeit not much. So, my question is, who's using MURS around you? (Besides Walmart on CH's 4 and 5.) Maybe we should have an open thread on the MURS band? Passing thoughts here.
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