CB is for peasants, and GMRS is all the rage among everybody that's too stubborn to just go get their ham license already.
That about sums it up.
Seriously, it's a couple hours with the flashcards at hamstudy.org, then a $15 test (COVID might be screwing with that right now tho)
Not as much as you might think. When you go to HamStudy.org there is a link in the upper right corner for Find A Session. You'll find a variety of times and places to pass your test--some virtual, some in person.
Do enough people have ham radios that they can be used on a run?
Even if
every rig in your group doesn't have a ham radio--hell, even if you are the
only one in your group with a ham radio--it is still very much worth having. Thanks to radio repeaters which are scattered around the state, ham radio has the ability to reach out to distant operators when you're out of cell phone coverage (which happens a lot on Moab trails, in the mountains, etc) and an emergency situation arises. I've personally listened in when someone two trails away from me broke their Jeep and radioed in to their friend in downtown Moab, telling them what parts and tools to bring to them so they could fix it on the trail and drive home. There have also been times when a serious injury required life flight to be called in, and ham radio is an excellent way to make that happen, too (thankfully, I haven't yet needed to do that one myself).
Those cheap little Baofeng HTs have the ability to transmit and receive on GMRS and FRS frequencies. It is not strictly legal, per the FCC, for them to transmit on those freqs. But the ability is there. Most "name-brand" ham setups (Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood) don't have this ability without hacking them.
Correct. It is completely illegal for a Baofeng handheld--or any ham radio--to transmit on GMRS/FRS frequencies. This is why the name brand radios are programmed to not do so. However, it is legal to monitor those frequencies with a ham radio. My Yaesu ham radios can listen on those frequencies, though I very rarely do so.
For the curious: most mobile and handheld ham radios (including the Baofengs) use only one or two bands of frequencies--either 2 meter, or 2 meter & 70 centimeter. While the 70cm band is extremely wide (covering 420 MHz through 450 MHz), the vast majority of 70cm communication only uses the top portion, from 442 MHz to 450 MHz. By comparison, GMRS/FRS uses 22 specific frequencies in two tight groupings: 462.550 - 462.725 MHz and 467.550 - 467.725 MHz. The fact that these frequencies are so close to the 70cm band is one big reason why the Baofengs can transmit on them in addition to the ham band (over and above the complete disregard for FCC rules, of course).
I'll probably keep the CB in the Jeep just because it is already there
This is a good idea, because CB is still so prevalent in our hobby. I have both CB and ham radios in my Jeep and my tow rig, just to ensure I can communicate with the vast majority of my fellow 'wheelers. If I have the choice, however, I'll always choose ham radio over CB.
I'll have to work on my ham license. Last time I tried (many, many years ago) it was a little involved for me at the time. Doing it with flash cards sounds like a good way to do it. The Baofeng radio is the one I own. I figured for that price I ought to throw one in my Jeep just in case. Do enough people have ham radios that they can be used on a run?
