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This weekend I sat down and talked to an engineer who has been working with the FCC to shape rules for GMRS since before it was called GMRS. I got some pretty eye-opening information from him on the whole POTS v Broadband thing. He explained that linking a GMRS system to the POTS lines (no longer exists) and Broadband connections are legal (not a rule violation) for remote control... not voice traffic, is because all POTS providers and now Broadband providers provide voice service for a fee. So, sending voice over POTS / Broadband is considered theft of services. That explains why remote operation of a PRS station from any location on the same premises where the transmitter is located, is not considered to be remote operation/remote control and why RF (non-network) linking for voice operation is not prohibited. No theft of services is occurring.

Here’s another notification.

Here’s what the pop-ups look like on my iPhone:

The rules don’t actually say that repeaters can’t be linked but the say that GMRS communications can’t be conveyed by any kind of network. The FCC has issued an interpretation that says that means no linking. It has yet to be tested and this is why lawyers have flashy cars.

Yeah, definitely nearly impossible to see. My notifications don’t look like that at all. I’ll try to catch one.

OK, I caught one example. Sometimes there are longer ones, I think those are for reactions or similar things.

I have only a cursory relation with the group. I do listen to them on occasion and I have yet to hear anyone say, on the air, "we are violating the rules." Someone, somewhere in the group has made very sure that they believe that they are not in violation. I don't know the rules well enough to say one way or the other, nor do I care to involve myself. It's just an interesting position in which to find myself. "The internet" seems to think they are one way, they seem to think they are something else, and here I am in the middle seeing a little of both.

IMO, that indicates he knows they are violating the intent of the regs. The argument that the regs haven't been changed to reflect the clarification is as bogus as a $3 bill, and it's been used in dealing with other issues. In this case, and others like base stations using repeaters, the FCC provides explanations that affirm their interpretation of the existing wording in the regs. Since the existing wording is sufficient to them, there is no change required to the regs.

No, Buddy is in his 20s still. He’s Ky’s youngest and his actual name is Buddy Rocketman Michaelson.

I wonder if Buddy is Ky Jr? I remember Ky Jr would come and stay there during the summers. I think he may have been a year or two older than me. I'm 49.

Maybe he has notifications for it and can’t read them because they’re black on dark gray…

The problem I see with that line of thought is this is the forum section for his site therefore he should monitor it.

Nobody said it wasn’t happening and unless you report something I’m not sure Rich is seeing this, but whether you believe it or not we are trying to help solve your issue. So which notifications are you seeing that are black on dark gray. If you really don’t want anyone else to comment you should pm Rich.

Re: above replies, the fact y'all don't understand doesn't mean it ain't happening. This topic is intended for the man in charge, and he should know. It would be hard to capture a screenshot because I never know when one will appear and they clear after a few seconds.

That’s why I was wondering about what platform he was on. Windows, and I presume Linux, Mac, etc, has a lot of display settings that can be customized to ensure that low contrast between the background and the text isn’t an issue. I doubt that @rdunajewski specifically set notifications to black on gray.

Could be...or maybe HAM guy is secretly a pirate radio guy at heart? I don't know. If you look around, there's a couple of mega threads on a few different forums (none of which are local to the area) with people saying that they are going to report them...and all of those threads are over a year old now.

LOL. The HAM guy who said "Good for you" will probably be the one who turns them in.

change your setting in your browser setting. Dark to Light or Same as Windows

That's kind of how I feel. And it's a sentiment that I've heard several times. Others, though, seem to be aware and are in defiance. Awhile back some guy keyed up and asked for a radio check. The guy who asked for the check was a HAM operator recently moved to the area from somewhere out west, as I recall. He was new to GMRS and "didn't know you guys on GMRS were allowed to link repeaters online." What followed was a brief conversation between him and the guy who answered his check where the other guy admitted that they were aware of the FCC's clarification but that "the rule hasn't been officially changed" and that "until the FCC forces us to" they weren't going to change. HAM guy said "Good for you" and signed off. Even in my brief time in this hobby, I have come to believe that the FCC's doesn't do much enforcement at all. Plus, I kinda always like the pirate and the underdog in a fight. And if I wanted to be able to talk all over North GA, I couldn't do it myself for what they are asking in dues. But I also don't walk to talk all over North GA, nor do I sometimes want to hear them do it. So, there's that.

I also don’t like black on dark gray, but I don’t recall seeing any. Where are you seeing them or perhaps under what circumstances do you receive these notifications? What operating system or platform?

They still do. Their Superbowl parties appear to be epic. Ky is 87 now and Buddy (middle name Rocketman) has mostly taken over the Rocketman parachute business. He does good work but he had a period of time when he just wasn’t responding to customers. I think it has gotten better. All of my bigger rockets have RM chutes.

Amateur radio skews toward being an "old man's hobby." GMRS as a tool in support of family activities skews toward younger, family-activity aged people. But GMRS as a hobby is going to skew toward amateur radio age. Old men talking to random old about the radios they have and antennas they run, as a hobby. If you're using GMRS for skiing, boating, camping, hiking, offroading, that sort of thing, you're "keeping it young." If you're using GMRS to kibitz on forums, run neighborhood nets, talk to people you met through GMRS, you're raising the average age. I'm clearly guilty of kibitzing on GMRS forums. I don't get involved in nets or socializing over the air, I do ski, camp, hike... and I'm younger than some here, and older than others. I'm probably in the middle of the age range on this forum, on the older side of the "activity-oriented" users, and haven't reached the "socializing on 2 way radios" age yet.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for attending the get-together today! Also, thanks to all of our admins and repeater owners for coming out, and our friend Tim for helping coordinate! I had a great time seeing old friends and making new ones!

Should not have to explain this, but... I can't read black text on a dark gray background. If we're going to get notification popups, they should at least be readable. /rant

That's not even believable. As someone from outside the AO (but within receive range of Augusta repeater, which used to be linked), I still have an interest in the issue. Some brave soul who lives there should document the details and submit it to FCC and let them sort it out.