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@SeaScholar, first let me say thanks for joining the thread and entertaining questions. I didn’t see you had joined here and yes you are correct. Asking questions would be more helpful. I apologize if I came across negative. I have looked over your plan of activities and I must say it looks exactly like what ham radio is already. Some questions. Have you considered becoming a ham? How do you plan to use GMRS for events? (as this is a limited service open to all) What sort on air networking are you looking at using if any? Fees have already been addressed? I see Amateur radio clubs doing what you propose and they have a non profit tax status. I do think it’s important for money transparency when it’s my money. Anyway thank you again for bringing any info. I suppose other people may have questions. That’s all for me.

I'll give you a point for entering the fray. But why didn't you discuss it here first? ARRL has that same kind of mission statement language. Doesn't mean much in the real world applications. What if anything will you do about the current misuse of the service? (other than education cause the offenders won't listen) I'm already contacting people and they're of course ignoring me. Would they listen to an organization? I wouldn't expect you to see it that way (or admit it) but experience tells me how these things can morph into more. Your idea of what's junk and my idea of junk are likely not the same. You're already promoting GOTA and I hate all the P,S,T,etc-OTAs -- we don't need made up excuses to talk on our radios. AND WE DON'T NEED ALL THOSE HAM ACTIVITIES BROUGHT TO GMRS. It makes it a lot more suspicious when someone starts collecting fees/donations. We've already had discussion of club membership to use repeaters. Doesn't change my impression at all. But thanks for at least responding/

Sorry, no. Not at least in the basic determination of radio. End to end communication by airwaves. As soon as fiber optics or copper get involved for the transmission of voice you are not "radio waves". It's my opinion. And when the internet goes down you lose communication. When the internet goes down on a real radio broadcast you don't even realize it because it doesn't affect you.

Hey everyone, I wanted to start a discussion and get a pulse check from the community on something I've been thinking about lately. GMRS has always been touted as the simpler, more accessible, and frankly, friendlier radio service compared to some others out there. It's been seen as a place for people who just want effective, no-fuss communication for everything from family camping trips to coordinating small business operations. The barrier to entry is low, and the community has generally reflected that with a welcoming and helpful attitude. But is that still the case? Lately, I've noticed a shift. Reading through forums and listening on the air, I'm sensing a current of negativity and gatekeeping that feels very out of place in the GMRS world. It feels less like a community of users helping each other and more like a new territory for seasoned hobbyists to stake a claim, bringing with them the same elitism and disdain that many of us sought to avoid in the first place. So, I have to ask: Is GMRS still the friendly, practical service it's meant to be? Or are we seeing it become just another playground for disgruntled HAMs to spread negativity? I'm genuinely interested to hear what you all think. Have you noticed this too, or am I just tuning into the wrong frequencies? Let's discuss.

I appreciate your honesty. But if those simple qualifications are all you base your ideas on instead of asking more questions, good luck to you Sir. As to my background, I have a long extensive background in communications, Emergency Management, and Organizational Leadership. It might also help to know that I was a career military professional as well using advanced communications and control systems (such as GPS and APRS style systems). But, my guess that doesn't mean much to a simple "Guy doesn’t even have a repeater, only had his license for a month" consideration. CERT is a great program, and I applaud those who ACTUALLY join and perform any work with them. Fees for GMRUS was already addressed, and I will say that some of these comments have made me look into it more. I can see plenty of good reason to include a free/unpaid membership tier for those who are not interested in helping the group, or the GMRS community as a whole.

YES it IS Radio, because you're still transmitting on the link frequency to your hotspot, using RF, OR using RF direct to a dmr or other digital repeater system on the same network. Internet only comes into play at your modem, or at hub of a repeater that you transmit to.

When money is involved, now you got my attention. I completely missed that at first, mostly because it says “Free” at the top of the club page and I didn’t really look at it, but then when you dig in it’s $10 - $15. Guy doesn’t even have a repeater, only had his license for a month and appears to be interested in turning GMRS into Ham radio. Does the club have non profit tax status? No thank you and yeah I’m not worried. I think joining a local CERT would be more beneficial or get your amateur license and join a local ham club if this sort of thing is appealing to you.

Here is the invite link: https://discord.gg/YsutNfxe3H Hope to see you there. There is a lot to discuss if this group will work. OR, if we need to evolve the idea.

NO THANK YOU.

Hello everyone, Thank you for the discussion surrounding the General Mobile Radio Users Society (GMRUS). I appreciate the passion everyone has for the GMRS service, and I understand that any new club or organization will naturally be met with questions and a healthy dose of skepticism. I'd like to take a moment to clarify our mission and address some of the concerns raised here. Our Goal: Advocacy and Education, Not an Empire First and foremost, I want to be crystal clear: GMRUS was created to be a community-focused advocacy and education group, not a top-down regulatory body. Our mission, as laid out in our founding documents, is "to create a supportive and educational community for GMRS and FRS users, empowering them with the knowledge and skills to effectively use these services." We see a large and growing community of radio users who are drawn to the simplicity and accessibility of GMRS and FRS. These are hikers, campers, RVers, families, and small businesses who have found the perfect communication tool for their needs without wanting or needing to step into the world of amateur radio. GMRUS aims to be a resource for them. We believe they deserve a national-level organization that provides resources, fosters community, and advocates for their interests, much like the ARRL does for the HAM community. Addressing Your Concerns Directly Let's tackle some of the specific points mentioned: Is this a "takeover" of GMRS? Absolutely not. We are not seeking any authority over the service. Our goal is to support users, not govern them. We want to offer optional resources like training workshops, "Elmer" mentorship for licensing, and community events. The idea is to strengthen the GMRS community through collaboration, not control. Will this "promote more junk on the air"? Our core mission is the exact opposite. We believe that education is the best tool to combat misuse of the airwaves. By providing accessible training on proper radio etiquette, programming, and emergency protocols, we aim to elevate the standard of operation and make the GMRS experience better for everyone. An educated operator is a responsible operator. Is this a "pay-to-play" scheme? The discussion of a modest membership fee is about sustainability for a non-profit organization. Any funds collected would go directly toward operational costs like hosting a website, developing training materials, and covering insurance for events. The goal is to provide tangible value to members, not to create a barrier. We are still working on the details, but the focus is on keeping it accessible for everyone. We have immense respect for the HAM community, but we also recognize that GMRS serves a considerably different and equally valid purpose. Our goal is to build a welcoming, inclusive, and practical community for all GMRS users. I hope this clears up some of the misconceptions. We're excited about the continuing future of GMRS and believe that a supportive national club can be a tremendous asset to all of us. I'm happy to answer any more constructive questions you may have.

Not really radio, is it? Might as make a phone call.

Hello all, WSJU491. Used comms professionally for over 30 years but brand new to GMRS. Just bought two radios for myself and my gf for overlanding and I'm having a bit of trouble connecting them to chirp to be able to program some things internally that you can't do on the keypad. Baofeng GM21 for gmrs and UV32 gps model for ham. Most of the iphone apps I've found on YouTube and online don't recognize one or both models and the chirp software won't connect through the 341 cable that came with the radio from Baofeng. Anybody able to walk me through how to do it? Next question is we're taking a trip tomorrow and I'd like someone to walk me through how to connect to repeaters and use them along the 2 hour road trip. Thanks!

I see absolutely no way they could "take over." I also see no way they can actually attract an appreciable number of members. GMRS isn't like HAM.

And there's ROIP, or Radio over internet Protocol which can allow Worldwide crystal clear coms. I use a SharkRF Openspot, which allows P25, DMR, C4FM, and Pocsag modes in Digital. Being in a Highrise with Limited antenna options, this method works Extremely Well.

I've mentioned it repeatedly, and in great detail, that the treaty has been amended / replaced with a new treaty that removes the restrictions for our frequencies. Regardless of what is on your previous copies of your license, it is no longer in affect.

That is straight off of my license. I have ability to use all 8 channels because I live below line A, however, I don't have to drive too far north or east of me and I am north of line A. When I go shopping in Bangor, I am well over the north of line A. What I do find interesting that may put some truth to this is that if I download my GMRS license now, the Waiver says NONE.

Is there going to be a net the night of 8/28/25? And has anybody been able to get on the repeater? Can anybody get back to me? Let me know what's going on.

I see it's pay-to-play... No thanks. I don't need a Home Owners Association for my radio use. LoL

While a good idea, linking only creates more problems if not done correctly. If you are looking at linking a couple repeaters or a few repeaters to make a large area to cover, that isn't bad. But when does the linking stop? and because you linked these repeaters together, now two guys sitting on one repeater talking will tie up the whole system. Unless of course you own the system and make it closed. In that case it would work. Another thing to think about also is that GMRS repeaters have to be installed on commercial towers in many cases to work reliably. If the public safety and cell phones get knocked out in a "disaster", so isn't GMRS and Ham. Disasters don't pick and choose what towers and systems they put offline. When one crashes, they all crash. The networks behind them may determine what gets knocked out first, but Ham and GMRS are both vulnerable to disasters when it comes to the repeaters. The other idea that many Hams will give you is to get your Ham license and get on HF. Totally not viable, unless you want every single individual person in your family to study for two different tests, learn all this radio theory that means absolutely nothing at the end of the day if you just need long distance communications to pick up a mic and talk. And then you have to spend a fortune on radio equipment. No, QRP radios are not viable because the HF bands are too unpredictable. Sometimes you get away with 5 watts and then the next thing you know you need a lot of power just to get over bad band conditions, and even then it is not guaranteed. I know because I have been living this joke of HF going long distance all year and a good chunk of last year. Anything above 30MHz is not worth my time, leaving HF. The HF bands have been plagued by solar flares knocking them dead unless you run a kilowatt or more so it is hit or miss. But remember, we are talking about reliable communications, not QRP contesting. Reliable as in cell phone reliable. So, at the end of the day, either all of you get your own individual Ham licenses, hope that Trump cares enough to force the FCC, that he tried to rearrange, to allow linking, or do what I do, rely on cell phone communications. I have GMRS, and a general class Ham license and do not rely on either for reliable communications because they simply are not reliable. I just use radio for the pure fun of it, "when" it works. If cell phones crashed, radio may be the only communications, but it still wont be reliable. It will be hit or miss depending on band, power output, and location.

Missouri still maintains their VHF low systems as a backup.

My portion of illinois is completely void of 30 - 50 mhz traffic. All the low band agencies are now on a statewide trunking system. I still have a couple neighbors using 46/49 phones amazingly.

2 meter 144Mhz and 1.25 meter 220Mhz bands are also covered on the H3, you need to activate the 200Mhz frequency in the menu. 70cm is a given. You can also listen to FM CB if there is anyone on those bands (there aren't LOL). You have to activate the 200, 350 and 500Mhz bands in the menu along with the AM option to listen to them. I've only filled about 70 memories and I'm doubting I'll need many more. I suppose if you use the radio as a scanner having a lot of memories would be nice.

You aren't kidding. I will have to choose coffee over radios if it comes down to it. No one would want to be around me without coffee. I'm a bit grumpy when there is too much blood in the caffeine system. On topic. It will be interesting to see if this proposal amounts to anything. There are still public safety and others that already use 42-49 MHz. Yes most of them only use it as a backup system but they do maintain the towers and radios.

My 935H is just a talkie, but it's 2m/1.25m/and 70cm, as well as Gmrs and Murs if you enter the 4 digit code. A thousand memories on it is nice too.

The H3 covers 8 different bands. Murs is one of them. It also does AM airbands and many of the Ham frequencies. I assumed that the 935H would sound more like a real mobile radio instead of the tinny sounding CCR's like the H3. One of the main limits of the H3, don't know if it's the same with the H8 is only 199 channels to store and only the first 55 allow you to transmit. The rest are receive only.