Overview

Hi new gmrs user. Located in Niles,MI Using Hand held radio but plan to get a 50 watt mobile radio to use as a base station connected to my outside 144/440 antenna. Will install a gmrs antenna if needed.

Ron in Rockford/Cedar Springs area. Call sign: WSFP868 Just received my license, waiting to receive my HT.

Scott here from Grand Rapids, MI...NW in the walker area. Callsign WSFN655

Dave, here. Located in Flushing, Michigan. License number WSDD439. Fortunately, I live near a fantastic repeater, in Flint. I mostly talk on the Mi8 repeater system, which includes a number of fine folks from Detroit to Cheboygan. The furthest west that I’ve contacted thus far, has been Muskegon, Michigan.

Updated 9-29-24 Rev. 10 Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin GMRS users listed GMRS Contacts Manager-9-29-24_ Rev.10.xlsm

Hey all, I've long had intentions to setup a GMRS repeater but living situations were not stable. Earlier this year we finally bought a home, and are in West Olive. I would like to get input from y'all on an antenna, and eventually what repeater channel/tones would be best. Antenna related: The only way I'll be able to get any height is sticking it up in a tree behind the house. We are somewhat restricted from antennas here, but I can get away with one back there. So please keep that in mind when recommending one. Also, I know there are some types of coax not suitable for repeater use, could use a recommendation there as well. Repeater related: I will likely be using Kenwood TK880s to build it. I cannot afford a proper, hardcore repeater. But I am a fan of the TK-890 and would like to stick to Kenwood for the important stuff. Would a TK880 setup be worthwhile and effective over here? Seems like the only repeater listed over here on the coast is the Muskegon one thats private. I'd like to get better coverage along US31. Also, I recall hearing something about repeater linking on GMRS being shot down recently, would I be able to setup my repeater to be a part of the existing WM GMRS system, or would it just have to be a stand alone deal? Another possibility I have considered, is there is a HAM repeater somewhere here in West Olive and I considered reaching out to them to see if they would allow me to setup with them and use their tower. But for now I would like to get something going at the house.

Howdy, Names Alec. WRUS980 located in West Olive. Got licensed last year, and have listened around but just started picking up chatter from the Moline repeater since we moved this way from closer to GR and got interested. Have not actually made a contact on GMRS yet but I'm looking forward to jumping in!

I've updated the database to now include these states for GMRS active licensed users (Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin and New Jersy) as well as Michigan. Please let me know if there are any questions. This database is searchable by call signs including partial call sign, first name, last name, city, etc. You can amend (update) the data as well as indicate a contact was made.

Please let me know if there are any questions. This database is searchable by call signs including partial call sign, first name, last name, city, etc. You can amend (update) the data as well as indicate a contact was made. Updated 6-2-2024 Rev. 8

Welcome to our new members from Indiana, Ohio and New Jersy. I've updated the database to now include these states for GMRS active licensed users (Indiana, Ohio and New Jersy) as well as Michigan. Enjoy! Updated 5-5-24 Rev. 7

Please let me know if there are any questions. This database is searchable by call signs including partial call sign, first name, last name, city, etc. You can amend (update) the data as well as indicate a contact was made. Updated 4/28/2024 Rev. 6

The Mishigami Repeater System is a group of networked repeaters scattered across Michigan and parts of Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin. The GR550 (West Michigan Operators Only) is part of the Mishigami Repeater System. (See their Facebook page for more information on other Mishigami linked repeaters, as well as how to make your own allstar node and connect to Mishigami yourself.) https://www.facebook.com/groups/662001551625951/ Here is the status page showing all Mishigami nodes: http://1020.node.gmrslive.com/supermon2/link.php?nodes=1020,1021,1022,1023,1024,1155,1156,1157,1158,1159,1205,1206,1207,1208,1209

Also added a tab for posting your radio setup. Equipment/Setup

Currently in the process of doing some small updates to the website, other than that I have added a link in the resources tab to the GMRS Contact Manager that @WSAD407 posted the other day.

Please let me know if there are any questions. This database is searchable by call signs including partial call sign, first name, last name, city, etc. You can amend (update) the data as well as indicate a contact was made. Jeff (WSAD407)

Some helpful videos:

Another way to see satellite information is a nifty ($4.99) app called Orbitrack. It's a fairly straight forward app, a bit more intuitive than N2YO. The bottom bar scrolls left and right. Showing more options. Just like on N2YO you want to look at the culmination. That +53 is decent. Screen_Recording_20240222_145559_Orbitrack.mp4 This app also has a time change option to fully see the passes prediction. For $4.99 I think the app is very good.

This guide is not meant to be advanced or technical in anyway. It is for beginners, I write it with the mindset that anyone can pick up a radio* and pick up these signals. This is a guide specifically for NOAA APT weather satellites. (NOAA-15, NOAA-18, NOAA-19) This method can be expanded on to pickup other types of satellites too. But that is for another time. *The radio in question will have to be one that can receive 136mhz-140mhz roughly. (Most APT weather satellites transmit on 137.xxxmhz usually) First things first! We have to figure out the satellite orbit, and be able to track the satellite. Thankfully there are plenty of resources to do this. N2YO.com is arguably one of the best satellite tracking websites. From the homepage click the three little lines and click sign in. Create an account for yourself. Then we can set your location. Click 'Add a new location' to add your location. Once you've done that. Click the three lines again and click on Most tracked satellites. We are going to track NOAA-15. NOAA-15 transmits on the frequency 137.620mhz. Scrolling down shows a map and the information on the next pass over our location. From here we can (optional) choose to track the satellite for future purposes. Again you don't have to though. This information is good for the next pass, but what about future passes? Well the website has a 10-day prediction. So as you can see I circled some numbers. Long story short: the closer to 100 the better. Basically it's how directly over you the satellite will pass. At 87 it will be pretty much on top of our location. So all you have to do now is grab your radio, put in the frequency and wait... Well there's a few more things. You should be able to pick up a signal using just a regular HT(so long as it can receive in those frequencies) and a whip antenna. Even something like a UV5R can be used. Experiment with antennas. As you can see below I was using the normal rubber ducky antenna that came with the radio, sometimes signals also come in better when the radio is on it's side. Snapchat-1810112746.mp4 That is it for the guide for now. I won't go into decoding at the moment. I plan to make a guide about decoding. But using an HT is NOT recommended if you want to actually receive decent pictures, you'd want to probably use a SDR(Software defined radio). This guide was purely to show you how you can pick up the signals.

Here soon I plan on getting a personal GMRSLive (and eventually myGMRS) node up and going and hopefully documenting the process well enough that I can make a guide for here.

**Post is a sort of edited/updated version of this topic on the main forums. I also had no way to repost it, so all of the credit of this guide goes to: mcallahan Here is a step by step guide on how to obtain a GMRS license and call sign from the FCC. To obtain a GMRS license, one must file an application with the FCC and pay a $35 fee. No exam is required, and the license is valid for 10 years. The FCC’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) is is an online portal to manage your FCC applications/licenses, and pay any applicable fees via a single account. The ULS eliminates the need for paper applications and submitting via snail mail. You may also view the status of pending licenses in the ULS. Once registered with the ULS, you will receive an FCC Registration Number (FRN). This is a 10-digit number that is assigned to a business or individual registering with the FCC, and is used to identify the registrant’s business dealings with the FCC. Once you have this ID number – save it! This will be your username to log in to the Universal Licensing System. One thing to note is that your call sign and license is public information and is easily searchable in FCC databases and other records. Should you choose to register with your home address, this will be visible to anybody if they have your call sign. Exposing personal information on the internet is a concern now more than ever, so one approach to limiting the amount of personal information in FCC databases is to use a P.O. Box as your contact address. Step 1: Create an FCC Universal Licensing System account If you are a first time user, create a new ULS account here (skip this step if you have an existing ULS account). Select “Register” to be issued a new FCC Registration Number: Some questions are asked before proceeding, then you can fill out an application with your name, address, password, etc: Step 2: Log in to the ULS After creating the account, or if you have an existing ULS account, log in here. Use your existing FCC Registration Number (FRN), or the FRN provided after completing the first step. Once you are logged in, you will be taken to this screen which shows your current and applied for licenses: Step 3: Begin application for a GMRS license Now we can apply for a GMRS license and pay the fee. On the left hand side menu click “Apply for a New License.” On the next screen, select “ZA-General Mobile Radio Service” from the very bottom of the drop down menu and click Continue. The next step is to answer these applicant questions. Most people can leave “no” selected for each: Click continue after these questions, and on the next screen supply the licensee name and address: Once this is complete, click Continue. The next step is to answer the following question, then click Continue again: The next step will show you a summary of the application. Verify all the information supplied is correct, and click “Continue to Certify.” Step 4: Submit the application The final step before submitting application is reading all the certification statements, which summarize the rules you are agreeing to follow as a GMRS license holder. Electronically sign the application and submit: When you submit the application, you will be prompted to complete payment. After that, all you can do is wait! Applications will appear in ULS Application Search in about one or two businesses days after the application is filed. If you made an error in the application – don’t worry! You can file an amendment to the application. See the Applying for a New License in the Universal Licensing System FAQ for more information about the application process for FCC licenses. I have read posts online where people have reported getting their license within a day, and I’ve read posts where people said it took three weeks, so I can’t give an accurate answer to the “how long until I receive my call sign?” question. I applied for my GMRS license around the holidays and it took two weeks to receive my call sign. Step 5: Receive call sign and download authorization documents Check back to the Universal Licensing System daily, and when you see the call sign under “My Licenses” you are ready to get on the air! To download or print a paper copy of the license authorization, click Download Electronic Authorizations: Select your GMRS call sign from the “Filter by Radio Service” box and add it to the “Authorizations to Download” box then click Download: ORIGINAL POST BY MCALLAHAN - https://mfcallahan.blog

Added a link to the West Michigan Technical Group. This group is NOT a club. Just a group of west Michigan locals who collaborate on radio related projects (The maintainers of the WMTG600 Repeater, as well as multiple HAM band repeaters. More information: https://www.wmtg.me/

this is generally how I had it setup for my radios, using the tone mode. I tried the TSQL before and I don't know, it didn't seem to work as well. However this is how myGMRS.com's chirp configuration is setup specifically for in this example Moline Only thing I'd change is NFM to FM. It most likely will work better (don't ask me why, I'm not quite sure myself at the current time being, but I heard from someone on these repeaters that WFM is better to use.) From what I've looked up, this is what I've found: https://www.twowayradioforum.com/t/tone-or-tsql/7198 My radio configuration you see there, are channels that I created on the radio itself, So I went in the settings and set the RxCTCSS and TxCTCSS and when uploaded to chirp that's what it put, and when redownloaded to the radio they still work fine. TSQL though is for setting both IN and OUT tones.

Quick question, do you need to have the output tone programed. Within CHIRP, under "tone mode", do I choose TSQL with the squelch tone of say 141.3 (TX), or do I choose "Tone" with both TX and RX set to say 141.3? The Moline repeater seems to work fine set to TSQL but under repeater details it shows input 141.3 and output at 141.3 which means I should be set to "tone vs TSQL"? Thoughts?, Jeff - WASAD407

*Sidenote: Using a programming cable and software may also assist you a lot easier than trying to do this on the radio itself.

Alright so I have noticed, myself being one of them, newer people at first not completely sure how to set up their radio to access local repeaters. I'm going to (try my best to) explain every specific setting in a relatively simple way, that'll hopefully allow anyone to be able to program their radios. First thing: Choosing the repeater you want to Tx(Transmit)/Rx(Receive) on. (I won't be using any real repeaters in my examples) for this guide we'll use: Example 675 (Ex675). Repeaters will (most likely) be using either CTCSS or DCS tones. CTCSS - In this example there's both an input and output tone so we have to adjust the Rx/Tx CTCSS settings on our radios accordingly. (Make sure to set both if there are two separate Rx/Tx options.) DCS - This one is going to be the same as setting the CTCSS, but instead of CTCSS the setting will be called DCS (There also may be two separate settings for Tx/Rx.) And the numbering is a bit different (Don't worry about the difference between CTCSS and DCS at the moment, right now we're focused on getting you connected to a repeater.) Ex675 is going to be using what is usually known as 20RP or Repeater 6 channel(Freq: 462.675 - 467.675) (You can also use a custom channel, but make sure the offset is on.) REMEMBER!!! Repeaters are (usually) on an offset of +5mhz so adjust this in your settings! Once you are done putting your settings in, don't just hit the transmit button to see if you hit the repeater. Call out your callsign and ask for a repeater check. ("This is WSAH999 repeater check, over.") If you were not able to hit the repeater: double check your settings. More than enough times radio settings can accidentally be backed out of without saving. Make sure you saved your settings by going back in after saving them to see that the settings have reflected the changes. If all else fails: you may need a better antenna(or your current antenna just needs to be in a better place. If you're inside, try going outside then testing it. If you can get on top of your house, even better.) or you may need more radio power.