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Could be a lot of trees in the way and they're using a more powerful transmitter and antenna. Maybe your signal isn't strong enough to reach them. They might be using a Rx tone and can't hear you. Or they just don't want to talk to you like OffRoaderX said.

Or maybe they just dont want to talk to you.

All the digital voice modes have their pro’s and con’s. To start off research what seems to be popular in your area. That way when you buy equipment you’ll have someone to talk with on the air. Also look for sound samples of real digital voice communications using the mode you’re interested in. Some people have a hard time adjusting to the sound quality. Yes, you read that right, digital voice communication doesn’t sound exactly what you hear with just FM. Some people say certain digital voice modes sound better to their ears than others. That ultimately might really be due to the quality of the pre and post audio processing in a given radio. When it comes time to buy a radio the choices are reasonably good for some. Others you’re stuck buying new or used commercial radios since those are not manufactured in Ham specific gear. A lot of us here have various radios doing about every digital voice mode out there. We would be happy to make some equipment recommendations.

Yeah, I double/triple checked, then jumped over to a repeater and had a quick convo to make sure things were working there.... then jumped back to GMRS19, heard a conversation going on, waited for it to end and heard that someone was monitoring, so I jumped on and tried a signal check and *crickets*... so maybe its something else in the setup.

Sure, the other person might be out of range, maybe on the other side of the person you hear.

are you making a statement, or asking for help?

Usually, but not always. Its possible his antenna is not as good as yours, or he's transmitting with more power/from a better location than you are, or your antenna does not transmit as well.. It's also possible that he is using an RX code, so he only hears transmissions using that code/tone. Are you SURE it wasnt a repeater you were hearing?

Hello all, Still very new to GMRS. I was jumping on GMRS Channel 19 tonight as I heard some local traffic (not repeater traffic). I keyed up for a radio check, but got no response. If I can hear others, they should be able to hear me on Simplex, correct? Some of the traffic I was hearsing was definitely only one-sided... like I was only hearing one person in a conversation responding to questions. I'm not using any tones... is there a reason I'd only be able to hear one side of a conversation and no one could hear me?

mcleanilares.org

KA3BQE

I'm hoping to help integrate GMRS into the McLean Il ARES severe weather nets.

you should be able to master the Tech in a very short time... I would start looking into get your test scheduled.. Some areas are booking aout as far as 45 days.. You got this.. Get her done

for very limited radios.. I was hoping he is aware of that.. If he was going to get into DMR it sounds like he will need to buy a DMR radio. My suggestion would be to check OPEN GL website..

Fixed

The technical aspect of ham radio is like the cost, it goes from very little to...well no one really knows the limit.

Very similar to the one I heard, "every radio is a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough."

I'm only just now dipping my toe in anything past FRS radios. I've watched a few HRCC videos and HAM seems super intimidating....although the allure of being able to talk to the ISS from my backyard is incredibly tempting!

I was going to mention that specifically but I mentioned it in an obscure sense when I gave my microwave example.

And in almost every case, use yagi antennae pointing at each other. They (FCC) should refer to them as Operational Fixed Stations like they do in the Part 90 rules and regs.

Oh, ok, even my new (2 Years Old now) Cobra 29 LTD Classic AM/FM CB radios have the PA switch and jack port in the back of the radio.

Set of KG-UV6D HTs plus accessories. $140 shipped or best offer. Great deal for over $250+ worth of gear and accessories! 2 HTs, chargers, earpieces, 1 speaker mic, 1 AA battery pack, (not pictured) , 2 car plugs (not pictured), programming cable. IMG_0335.mov PM me with reasonable offers.

That’s a great way to get past the initial reticence. Good job. Try the free flash cards at HamStudy.org. For me they were an excellent way to learn the material, not just memorize the answers.

Just for the heck of it, and not knowing much at all, I just took the Technician's level test on the freeham website. Failed it. 45%, but that's with ZERO studying or prep. I'm sure that with some effort and prep, OP could do it. Go for it!

From personal experience it certainly makes programming channels MUCH easier.

to the OP.. Curious why you think you need OpenGD for DMR?