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Eh... I do all of this for free for 3 different groups... we have people who volunteer time and I pay for all of our digital footprint. Unlimited storage, unlimited throughput, unlimited email accounts and email storage for $150 per yeah. Few bucks per registered URL / Domain. I spend more for dinner for my family one night out at a restaurant than for our internet footprint for a year. Having donation options would be one thing, but there is zero chance you're convincing me that you need to collect a membership fee to cover costs, imho

Sorry, but I have to disagree. There will always be some knuckleheads sure, but when I wandered in here a couple years ago as a clueless wonder my first reaction was that this was one of the most professional, knowledgeable and helpful forums I'd ever run into. That's still true, IMHO. People don't always agree on everything, but that's life. "Hostile" is the last adjective that leaps to mind.

I can understand. The part of " Nor should there need to be." is my hang up. For a radio service that advertises itself as being for families and group activities, there really should be some kind of friendly nature or support for and around it. YES. mostly agreed. A lot of the people I personally have interacted with and know that use GMRS (and FRS) tend to see it as the happy middle between CB's wild west cavalier users, and the well structured HAM. There is a bit of structure to GMRS, hence its used for EmComm activities and CERT where CB really has no practical use, and not much utility to HAM in local emergency response. I could be wrong though. That is why I really had preferred not to discuss much of anything here. But, since I was prompted elsewhere. Why not?! Also, thank you for the response.

Fine, so bring those ideas here.

Oh no, this topic wasn't introduced because of that. That was just one more thing on the list, yes. I've wandered this forum a lot before considering posting. and other places such as YouTube, etc. on the subject.

Absolutely correct. So that means there is room for ideas from other places. That is probably also why there is such lack of support for GMRS outside of a scattering of HAM operators who casually play around with GMRS.

It did not start as a top down, and I don't see it that way still. I pretty much left it open. However, I did intentionally include the thought of "hey here is some national level ideas" for the GOTA program idea. Perhaps the club and the GOTA program should have been posted separately some how. I'll have to consider it. As I said to UncleYoda, I didn't see anywhere that said I had to ask permission to start a club or what it's purpose would be for. and I do say that with all due respect. Please don't take that as me being dismissive or come off as rude. There was enough interest in the group of people I spoke too long before I posted it on here. We shall see if anyone is interested. If not, then perhaps we'll all get lucky and it will fade away like a bad dream. haha. I agree, and thats unfortunate that this site is the only one. GMRS needs much more representation from the dedicated GMRS users. I have respect for HAM operators, but that is a WHOLE different purpose and use cases. Thank you for all of your thoughts, opinions, and considerations. We shall see how it goes.

Well said as always Steve.

Very much appreciated. I am not interested in getting into HAM, as I don't see any value or use to my needs or future plans. It's a good thought though. Networking? We have a Discord channel, and will chat with email to discuss over arching ideas and thoughts. The GOTA website would end up having a forum like set up to place 'reports' for those who want to do it, and get rewards similar to POTA - and then some. Still working out ideas on that. Since GMRS is more of a local comm thing, there really isn't much more of a use for state, and national communications outside of email and social media programs to help each other out. re: fees addressed. Yeah. sorry, I posted in the club discussions that the fees and even membership levels are still undetermined but listed the latest idea. Still gathering a best way forward idea with transparency to where the money goes. The idea is a bit small right now to really be considering this as a hot ticket item. Thank you again, for addressing things that may need more looking into.

for the point. as to discussing it here? I wasn't and still not aware that I needed to discuss any of the idea here. Just because someone wants to start a national level club doesn't mean that people have join, respond, give notice, or even acknowledge it. You pretty much point that out with ARRL too. This is not a "the sky if falling situation". Nobody has to ask permission to start a club, anywhere, or for what purposes. Would it have made it different if I started a business instead that sells radios and offers training services for anyone in the country? No, but I could see that as more of a threat (by your concerns). It requires no approval other than through the business licensing body for whatever state I am in. Then why this whole thread? THIS is how my idea started off. Locally I have talked to a few people and their suggestions were that an organization (non-profit of course) would have more credibility in helping to set up demo events, and leading activities, and helping to teach people. Clubs have some but, anyone can create a club and say they are doing the right thing. Non-Profits are kind of required to act in good faith. I guess part of that is fair, and I'll also agree in part. Such as POTA being one of the more useless things out there. Except if you look at practicing in a park with other HAM an interesting thing. I spoke with some county park ranger friends of mine about the GMRS radios in regards to POTA and they liked my idea for GOTA. They also said it would be a very helpful idea at the camps and RV sites - at least locally. GMRS users dont have to just listen to other users, It would help to remember that outsiders are also interested in what we as a complete community do too. Another opinion. Although I do think free tier for club members is a great idea. There are others who like to give back and assist clubs and groups, and offering a benefit for it feels rewarding to many. How to create that reward is a larger topic, including additional levels of membership (The current discussion is a paid tier, but has not been set as finalized). You do you. I can tell you never would've budged anyway. If watched your other posts on topics. Kudos on sticking to convictions.

Other than this forum (and another older one) there is no community aspect to it. Nor should there need to be. Therefore there isn't and doesn't need to be a welcoming vibe. If you do net check-ins you'll probably be welcomed, but that's just more of the carry over from ham. And yes, there are many people trying to make GMRS a carbon-copy of ham on different frequencies with no test needed. To me, that ham stuff destroys most of its value as an alternative. As far as this forum goes, although they post welcome comments, the overall tone is hostility.

That's fine where it is 100% underground, but go any distance and it will be above ground somewhere. Just ask the dump truck driver who wiped out the pole in the next county and had us down for several hours.

First, what errors do you receive when trying to connect through Chirp? Are both of these models listed as supported by Chirp? Then start going through the steps: 1. Does the cable require a driver to be installed before it’s plugged in? 2. Do you see comm ports created in Device Manager when you plug in the cable? All GMRS repeaters receive on the 467 main channels (channels 23-30 or possibly RP15-RP22) All GMRS repeaters transmit at a frequency that’s 5.000 MHz lower: which are known as the 462 MHz main channels. On a certified radio the split or offset in frequency is automatically handled when you choose one of the preconfigured repeater channels: (channels 23-30 or possibly RP15-RP22). Look on either the map (which I find easiest) or in the repeater database associated with this site (the one you’re on right now, MyGMRS) to see what repeaters are along your way and program them into your radio. Welcome to the forum!

Also in Many areas of the U.S. our internet is carried on underground fiber optic lines, which keeps it well protected.

GMRS is local, not national. There are no operating synergies.

Those of us who are Well equipped don't lose any ability to communicate at all, because as a contingency we can switch to Analog repeaters on Vhf or Uhf, or even digital on simplex. The integration of the internet with two way radio create a robust system that works worldwide on up to around 1600 individual talkgroups.

There has always been some of that negativity centered around disdain for “cheap Chinese radios” and the people who use them. But I don’t think that’s why your effort to start a national user group was greeted negatively. Instead I think the “build it and they will come” vibe just didn’t sit well with people. You might have a good idea, but it felt like the structure was added before anyone was invited and people are funny about things like that.

I think that this feels like a top down rather than groundswell movement, although I don’t think that’s what @SeaScholar intended. “We have formed a club for all of you who are interested,” doesn’t feel quite as inviting as starting a topic that says “Would there be any value to starting a national organization? If so, what would we hope to achieve? What benefits would you like to receive.” and then following the topic to its logical conclusion. I think the idea of a national organization might have value if there’s a common interest, but since GMRS is basically more of a communication utility while engaging in other activities, rather than the activity itself, I’m not sure there’s enough common interest. The MyGMRS site might be the closest thing to a national organization that many of us wish to devote time to, but I’ll watch and see how the GMRSUS goes. I wish you success and depending of how it evolves I might even join.

There's no "may put some truth to it". It doesn't show on your license anymore, so it doesn't apply.

@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.