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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?

I have AM/FM CB in my truck. My town is on I-35 south of Norman OK, and I do hear some traffic on CB, but none of it has ever been on FM. I suppose some might consider its hypothetically shorter range a detriment, but I think mostly nobody is on it because nobody is on it; i.e., why use FM when there's nobody to talk to? There are a couple of companies (sounds like maybe a gravel company and something else) near me that use CB and for that purpose FM would probably be superior.

Can't tell that when on channel 6, The Super Bowl.

Search for threads with Fixed Station in the title. There are a couple and they are multiple pages trying to address this.

Tthe Line A restriction no longer exists. I agree with everything else you said.

You're right. I skipped right over the part where you were only talking about fixed stations.

Yes, both input/output are the same. Not my first time programming/utilizing repeaters with this radio. The repeater must be out of service at this time. Not a lot of choices for repeaters on Cape Cod. Can't hit the two repeaters in Falmouth from Yarmouth.

Nope! This is what my copy says: (c) 467 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, control and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. Mobile, hand-held portable and control stations may transmit on these channels only when communicating through a repeater station or making brief test transmissions in accordance with § 95.319(c). The channel center frequencies are: 467.5500, 467.5750, 467.6000, 467.6250, 467.6500, 467.6750, 467.7000, and 467.7250 MHz. Notice that fixed is not included in the restriction to repeater use. (Fixed stations aren't allowed to use repeaters so that makes sense.)

As is the case up north where we go. Cell Service is spotty to no-existent. We have a Landline at the Cabin. We use GMRS there for Mobile (auto and pontoon) for general chatting and contacts.("lunch is ready", "how's the fishing?", "Grab some bread and a dozen more minnows.") Were we to need help, 911 is right there to call on the LL. And if perchance the LL is down, there's a couple of pretty good 2m repeaters I can hit with better than average chance someone is listening. In the 8 years we've used GMRS up north, I can count on one hand the number of others using it that we've heard on the air, and definitely have never heard any traffic on 19 or 20 when travelling up there and back, or while in the area.

That's interesting. It doesn't mention fixed stations. Not that it means anything for most of us, because we're unlikely to be operating a station that communicates only with other fixed stations. § 95.1763 GMRS channels. The GMRS is allotted 30 channels—16 main channels and 14 interstitial channels. GMRS stations may transmit on any of the channels as indicated below. (c) 467 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, control and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. Mobile, hand-held portable and control stations may transmit on these channels only when communicating through a repeater station or making brief test transmissions in accordance with § 95.319(c). The channel center frequencies are: 467.5500, 467.5750, 467.6000, 467.6250, 467.6500, 467.6750, 467.7000, and 467.7250 MHz. Out of curiosity, has anyone here seen a true fixed station in operation? What was its purpose?

I've heard and talked to 3 people on FM CB. 2 were arranged with friends, the other was trying it out when the 3 of us were talking and joined in the round-robin we had going. I'm thinking it may slowly catch on but so far not much out there. OTOH, I've worked a lot of (mostly) Stateside FM on 10m so it is a given that DX is possible, so mayhap there'll be some UK/EU users to be heard. But the lower power limits might make that that a bit less likely?

GMRS came into being in 1987. The FCC officially recommended GMRS channel 20 (462.675 MHz) with a 141.3 Hz tone as a travel channel in 1988. This recommendation was removed in 1999. That means that there has not been an official "the" travel channel in 26 years. Given that's the case -- that the FCC *removed* the recommendation for a travel channel 26 years ago -- "nailed down yet" seems to be wishful thinking. There isn't an official travel channel. There isn't any de facto travel channel. There is the suggestion, from some, that 19 be the travel channel. Its adoption has not reached a critical mass sufficient to make it matter what people suggest and recommend. And north of "Line A", would be irrelevant anyway. In every area I've used GMRS in, there is not much rhyme nor reason to how the channels are used. People turn on their radios, pick a channel, and go. And on almost every paved road in the US where there's any hope that one of the 300k GMRS licensees in the country will happen to be listening within range and willing/able to respond, there is much more likelihood that cell phone service could summon AAA, a tow truck, police, an ambulance, or some other quick-responder in shorter time, with less confusion, and using established and tested infrastructure (cell towers, dispatch systems). The technological climate that existed when a designated travel channel was recommended does not exist today. The only areas lacking cell coverage today are areas with populations so sparse that it's also highly unlikely you'll find someone monitoring 19 within propagation range. If you are in a group, agree to a channel to use.

Okay, I can see why using channel 19 and the repeater channel (however the manufacturer has labeled it) interchangeably could be confusing to some people.

What? It's a simplex channel because transmit and receive are the same frequency (no offset). Normal repeaters require the offset but there is a thing called simplex repeater too. And there's nothing in the regs that prevents fixed stations from transmitting on 467 simplex if your radio lets you.

To shore up what the others are saying, I also have an AM/FM CB and no, there is no one using FM. Sometimes I leave it on FM and I can pick up AM to see if it sounds any better but it mostly just sounds muddy. I don't suspect FM is ever going to catch on in CB.

Same here. I haven't heard anyone on FM.

I have an AM/FM CB. Had one for years. I've never heard a single random station on FM. I had two friends who also have one. They are the only reason I knkw the FM part of the radio work. Most of the time, we end up on SSB so we can use the 12w output, but AM is pretty much king. And that is only when we are in metro areas during the work day. The rest of the time, CB is dead.