A mobile radio is more powerful than a base radio or a portable radio.

A mobile radio is more powerful than a base radio or a portable radio.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Both are equally powerful
• D. It depends on frequency

Answer: (B)

Understand that transmit power varies by radio type. Portable handhelds are designed for short range and battery efficiency, so they run at the lowest power—typically fractions of a watt up to a few watts. Mobile radios, used in vehicles and powered from the vehicle, can push more power than portables, but they are usually in the single-digit to tens-of-watts range. Base stations, fixed in location with reliable power and high-efficiency antennas, typically transmit at much higher power—often tens to hundreds of watts, and sometimes more for repeaters. Because of this, a base station can be far more powerful than a mobile or portable, and a mobile is not inherently more powerful than a base or a portable. The common ordering is base > mobile > portable in transmit power. The statement is not generally true.

Understand that transmit power varies by radio type. Portable handhelds are designed for short range and battery efficiency, so they run at the lowest power—typically fractions of a watt up to a few watts. Mobile radios, used in vehicles and powered from the vehicle, can push more power than portables, but they are usually in the single-digit to tens-of-watts range. Base stations, fixed in location with reliable power and high-efficiency antennas, typically transmit at much higher power—often tens to hundreds of watts, and sometimes more for repeaters.

Because of this, a base station can be far more powerful than a mobile or portable, and a mobile is not inherently more powerful than a base or a portable. The common ordering is base > mobile > portable in transmit power. The statement is not generally true.