All Activity

With the ranch we are on it all day long Checking on live stock & other ranch business. The firearms range is rented out 7 days a week from 0900-2200 for day and night shooting and the range officers must call every time the range is hot and cold. I have been very happy with it since I put the better cable on it.

So, let me see if I have this right. The "legal use" of 467Mhz simplex is all about the devices on each end of the communication as that determines if you are classified as a "Fixed Station". Seems to be a fluid definition.... When the radio in my house is being used to communicate with the radio in your house, we can call ourselves "Fixed Stations" and transmit simplex on 467Mhz. But if a mobile or handheld popped up (simplex) on the same 467Mhz frequency and tried to contact us they would be in violation. Likewise, if either one of us "Fixed Stations" failed to ignore that person's transmissions and communicated with that mobile or handheld (intentional or not), we would by virtue of that action, change our classification from a "Fixed Station" to a "Base Station" and would thus also be in violation for using 467Mhz simplex.

can you reach the Plymouth 700 that might be near enough.

And people mention Simplex Repeaters, but the official Personal Radio Services definition of a Repeater Station doesn’t support store and forward, which is what a Simplex Repeater does. To add to that the only channels Repeater Stations are allowed to transmit on are the 462 MHz main channels and the only channels that radios may transmit to a repeater are the 467 main, repeater communications are clearly duplex.

Yet, a lot of people ignore the rule and talk simplex on them anyway, mostly travelers. I guess they think they are being more 'private'

No, you’re correct, one of the radios would be transmitting on 462, but the other would be transmitting on 467 and not through the repeater.

On a normal repeater channel, Talk Around would be transmitting on 462, so that is allowed. Maybe I misunderstood the idea though.

If you read the regulations strictly it’s not allowed. When you’re talking directly to the little lady are you talking through the repeater? When you’re talking to the little lady are you both using Fixed Stations? You might be able to claim that you’re briefly testing… But I don’t think anyone cares. I know I don’t.

I don’t think it was an omission. Fixed Stations may only communicate with other Fixed Stations so they cannot communicate through a repeater anyway. Also Fixed Stations are limited to 15 watts. It’s easy for me to imagine a set of Fixed Stations being used as for dedicated family communications between buildings, such as farmhouses and outbuildings on a farm or for irrigation control using DTMF controlled relays.

Nothing on FM. The only traffic on AM was during traffic jams. Seems like many truckers still have CB's but are only using them to communicate the location of a jam and which lanes are open. 4 times during my trip.

Oh, I see it now. Thanks! Interesting carve out for "Fixed Stations". Was there a specific reason for this exception to the repeater input clause or was it simply an omission in the text?

So what about talk around? I use that a lot. On the other side of the river where my repeater doesn't reach my home station does. So I just switch into talk around to communicate with the little lady.

FCC Part 95 Subpart A - 95.303 Definitions: Base station. A station at a fixed location that communicates directly with mobile stations and other base stations. Fixed station. A station at a fixed location that directly communicates with other fixed stations only.

I saw the new listing in RepeaterBook the other day, and on here today. I'm looking forward to this one.

There’s nothing in the regulations that prohibits simplex use on the 467 MHz main channels. They are limited to use for either repeater input, short term testing, OR Fixed Stations, with no mention of simplex or duplex. Others have already posted the regulation, but here it is anyway:

I'm not sure about that. I believe I recall reading that the 467Mhz frequencies are for repeater input only and simplex use is not allowed.

I hear what you are saying. There was no other traffic on the repeater... which is why I asked for a radio check... I didn't hijack the room. Just trying to learn what repeaters are enjoyable to use and which are not. Just took me by surprise...

Your radio, your choice, unless your radio is using their radio to retransmit (ie, you're hitting their repeater). When you use someone else's repeater, even one that is almost never used, you should attempt to comply with the repeater owner's requests for how their repeater is used. And if you misstep, just take it in stride when someone helps you to fit in better. It's a silly thing to get hung up on, either way, though. But when you enter a room, you look around to see how people are interacting in that room. A repeater is similar; you read the room first. If the room has largely agreed to not use roger beeps, why be *that guy*?

I agree. I am a HAM as well as a new GMRS user (moving more to GMRS, just because folks seem nicer). Just last evening, I added a stale repeater (open, no permission required to use) to my handheld and received an acknowledgement of my transmission and them promptly instructed to turn off the roger beep. It took me by surprise. Didn't know it was a thing with folks. I wanted to respond back, but didn't want to start a thing... And I didn't know if it was his repeater (and it is always him) or not. Just want to chat and learn...

Never heard FM there. Mostly AM Mudduckers...

I suspect even when it supports a farming operation, it will be quiescent more than it's transmitting. There probably are business operations which could overwhelm it, but even the GMRS repeaters I consider pretty active near me spend a lot more time listening than transmitting.

Remember those people claim it's a communication hobby. Really?

Read section C. These are the repeater main 467 channels. Fixed stations I believe are primarily for equipment control and not for normal communications. This would make sense since the 467 main channel frequencies are the repeater inputs, which can also receive control commands from a fixed station. 47 CFR § 95.1763 - GMRS channels. | Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute

If it's going to catch on, it will probably gradually grow from something like this -- using it to talk to other people who are part of your group. Eventually, if people hear activity on FM, they may start to use it.

Oh I've listened across the CB range using an SDR where it's easy to see the spectrum use. And wow, not just channel 6, but a few others are totally overrun with people who have to be causing brown-outs in their towns when they key up. The funny ones are where you see a big swoop across several channels every time they key up, finally landing on their desired channel, which they fill so broadly that they spill over into adjacent channels. The swoop is wild though. What kind of crazy equipment is sweeping through several channels on its way to landing where it is supposed to be?