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Non-Chinese crap GMRS radios
WRVZ476 and 11 others reacted to OffRoaderX for a topic
Why would you care what they say? Just tell them that its an iCom and they'll say it sounds great.12 points -
Stop Yelling!!!
Riktar and 10 others reacted to SteveShannon for a topic
However, (with great affection for my friend Marc) I also have experienced way too many people who don’t speak up when talking into the microphone. That’s equally problematic. So, speak up but don’t yell.11 points -
If you are asking, its already too late.11 points
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It Begins - Time to scan the band - Heard anything?
wrwk394 and 10 others reacted to OffRoaderX for a topic
I do not understand how anyone with an IQ higher than 75 believes anything the media says anymore.11 points -
A lot of folks use Ham radios. A lot use commercial / LMR UHF radios. I often joke that "How do you know if someone's using a Motorola? Don't worry, they'll tell you."11 points
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GMRS/HAM radios
Willie and 10 others reacted to SteveShannon for a topic
People usually announce it on public forums.11 points -
Amateur radio, or ham radio, remains a critical tool for communication, especially in emergencies. When disasters disrupt internet and phone networks, ham operators provide a reliable lifeline, coordinating relief and sharing real-time updates using simple, battery-powered equipment. Beyond emergencies, amateur radio connects people globally, fosters innovation, and serves as a training ground for future engineers and emergency responders. Its independence from centralized systems makes it resilient against cyber threats and infrastructure failures. In a digital age, amateur radio proves that simple, reliable communication remains vital for connection, safety, and innovation.10 points
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Oh thank goodness some pioneering spirit came along and thought of this topic. It's about time! I'm shocked. SHOCKED. that no one's ever discussed this before! Now, I have some new and unique thoughts on Linked Repeaters I'd like to share with the class10 points
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9 points
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National call channel
Over2U and 8 others reacted to SteveShannon for a topic
No, we are unlikely to settle this debate, regardless of how many times the question is asked. But there are lots of other posts about it. Line A is one reason. 12 million people live above Line A and thus are prohibited from using 19. Second, GMRS really isn’t used by most people to “call out on”. It’s primarily for use between people who know each other while pursuing other activities. It works very well for that. Don’t worry, you didn’t start the debate. It just has some dormant periods. Welcome to the forum!9 points -
As a repeater owner I am noticing a trend that is concerning. I get a good number of repeater access requests that are marked for 'family emergency communications' in the request. I get A LOT of these. Now many of these folks never key the repeater past once or twice to see if they can hit it and verify they are in the coverage area. Then they are never heard from again. But if I have 100 individual license holders that are all considering my repeater as their primary means of communications in a disaster, there's going to be a serious problem. If all those are individual licenses, and not going to communicate with each other, then that's 200 users on one repeater all expecting to able to communicate within their licensed group individually. Meaning the possibility of 100 different conversations that might want to happen at more or less the same time. That's not going to work. The repeater is gonna be on the air for at least a week or two after a failure of the power grid. The generator will run for several days and then the batteries will take over for several more. Not saying that the tower can't fall, but it's not the standard guyed tower that many repeaters are on. It's 50 feet wide at the base with 4 legs and is very sturdy. To the point that the ones that were extended in height had broadcast quality tower sections that were 4 foot faced mounted on TOP of the existing towers to extend them and part of those installs are 60 foot free standing (not guyed) towers mounted to the top of the tower type I have the repeater on. So yes, a direct hit from a tornado may bring the tower down. But a better possibility is the antenna's being ripped from the structure. Outside that, it will be on the air. But it's still ONE repeater, with the possibility of a HUGE number of people wanting to use it at the same time all trying to get in there and use it at once. Now I realize that GMRS requires ZERO understanding of radio to get a license. The service is marketed and meant to fill the need for people that just want radios for whatever communications they require without any additional knowledge or understanding of the underlying technology. Appliance Operators would be a correct description. And that's fine. It's here for that very reason and is the expectation. But if there are a large number of people expecting to all use the same repeater, that never talk on it, you're going to be in for a rude awakening when the SHTF whatever occurs and you yank the radios out of the closet and fire them up and find the repeater you planned to use busy with other traffic.9 points
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Linked Repeaters
TrikeRadio and 7 others reacted to OffRoaderX for a topic
No, it has not, and never has been "illegal".. It violates the FCC rules, which are not laws and are not subject to criminal prosecution. Please take a moment to learn the difference between RULES and LAWS... I know this is a pedantic point to make, but if I've learned anything from you, it is that being pedantic is very very important..8 points -
Amelia Earhart's Final Flight - And One Thing That Could Have Saved Her
WSFL951 and 7 others reacted to OffRoaderX for a topic
You spelled 'retard' wrong.8 points -
Okay, im just going to put it out there. If you speak louder into the microphone, we are not going to hear you better. Just stop. Thats not how this works. In fact, the louder you are, the worse the quality is. Again, it doesn't matter what radio you have nor what microphone you have, if we are having trouble hearing you due to a poor signal or some technical issue, yelling at the mic doesn't help. There are exactly 2 times when yelling at the mic is appropriate. One is when the ambient noise level is high and you are trying to make your voice more distinguishable from the background. The other is when you DON'T key up, but you are yelling at the dummy on the other end. In both cases, I recommend you put the mic down and come back to the radio when the issue subsides. I hear this everyday I'm on the radio (and no, it's not because I am the one yelling at the radio). That is why I mention it.8 points
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Anyone asking thinks they can tell a difference. And if you compare two radios side by side maybe you can tell a difference. But the person 27 miles away hearing you through a repeater is mostly hearing their own confirmation bias. When I hear someone coming through all scratchy and thin sounding, I don't think "CCR", I think that person hasn't gotten their antenna up high, doesn't have good feedline, that sort of thing.8 points
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What does "265 DPL" mean as a repeater Input Tone?
Whiskey363 and 7 others reacted to OffRoaderX for a topic
Thanks for trying, but this is incorrect. GMRS/the FCC rules fully support "i" or inverted DCS/DTC/DPL tones. In a case where N or "i" is not specified, it can always be assumed to be "N" (Normal).8 points -
Something else the users of our repeaters need to understand is, if we as owners need the repeater for our own emergency use or to augment an emergency response somehow, we're going to change the tones and access methods, stopping most other traffic. Not that we would want to put families in a tough spot. If my repeaters aren't needed for an emergency response, I'll leave it on as long as I can. That said, service to the whole community has to take priority over basic traffic.8 points
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I like this approach. Kind of a Chevy Chase response. Q) what kind of radio you using? A) Motorola. Q) A Motorola? A) Icom. Q) wait, an Icom? A) Kenwood, it’s all I use. Nothing else, why would I? Q) huh? A) I like you Betty.8 points
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Recommended GMRS radio for vehicle
SteveShannon and 7 others reacted to OffRoaderX for a topic
All you are going to get is people re-enforcing their opinion that whatever they bought is the best.. and, you will get one that will say "brand X is junk and everybody i know that ever had one returned it or threw it away"...You can ignore him because we are all pretty sure that he is rhee-tarh-ded.. Tell us what is important to you in a radio and you will likely get some better recommendations ..8 points -
All I can say is that is everyone's individual right to vote or not to vote. I have been stationed all over the world and there is still no where else I would want to live. I gave a good many years of my life defending the rights we hold dear. I only want to see everyone exercise those rights.8 points
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National call channel
H8SPVMT and 6 others reacted to OffRoaderX for a topic
Yes - my thought is that within a few weeks this thread will be 10 pages long with nothing more than a bunch of verbal-masturbation and social-defects trying to prove to everyone how smart they think they are.. and, nothing will come of it.. then, a few months later someone will come and ask the same thing again and it will start all over again.7 points -
Everyone knows Progresso cans are higher gain give you more fars.7 points
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I made a special EmComm rig with two Campbell's soup cans from the '70s and 5,000 feet of Spider Wire.7 points
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@Billz Welcome to myGMRS.com. Lots of good people here who are knowledgeable and helpful. As @SteveShannon said @marcspaz video is a good one to start with. If you prefer the info in written form you might give this page a shot. I will also second @WRUU653 on HamStudy.org. That is what I used for my tech and general and I'm using it to study for the extra. P.S. I've been kicking around the idea of writing a PDF of GMRS basics and FAQ. Maybe I'll go ahead and dive into that. It would be something good to have.7 points
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I like yelling. That's what grumpy old men do.7 points
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BoofWang BF-F8HP PRO
WRXB215 and 6 others reacted to OffRoaderX for a topic
I TRIED to warn you! *Their.. .and.. Do you seriously think anyone came here to find out what you would do?7 points -
There was one guy that received a letter from the FCC that listed four violations. The last one was for using a non-type certified radio. That is not the reason he was investigated. They showed up because he was jamming a repeater. While they were there, they noticed he did it with a non-type certified radio and just threw that in for good measure. To my knowledge, that is the only time it has ever shown up on a letter and, like I said, that was not why they showed up at his house.7 points
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Non-Chinese crap GMRS radios
Raybestos and 6 others reacted to AdmiralCochrane for a topic
There is made in China and there is CHEAP made in China.7 points -
I'm guilty of this myself, I purchased 2, uv-82hp myself many years ago for emergency communication just in case shtf. Well shtf in western nc and because I have never used the radios or developed a network they were useless. Never again will I, nor my family be in this situation. I will be an active member of the gmrs community and do what I can to promote and build our gmrs community.7 points
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You need to understand the history of GMRS to answer this question. The original 'distress' frequency was 462.675, aka channel 20. While there is no longer a formal calling/distress channel, there are plenty of sites that have old articles about common distress frequencies in different bands, and the history of GMRS. Then there are guys like me who have been using GMRS since the '80s, who just remember. Also, the legacy distress/calling channel gets conflated with ORI. There were two groups, Popular Wireless and Personal Radio Association, that came up with the idea of an Open Repeater Initiative (ORI). It was designed to get repeater owners to open up and share resources instead of locking down systems. The idea was to make it easier for GMRS users to find and access repeaters. The group established the 141.3 CTCSS/PL as a “travel tone”. Originally, the repeater pair 462/467.675 was the ORI frequency (675 known today as the travel channel) due to 675 historically being the distress/emergency channel. However, ORI eventually morphed into any repeater pair using 141.3 for PL access and did not require prior permission. ORI and the founding groups are long gone, but many repeater owners still honor the spirit of ORI on their repeaters. In the absence of ORI, there has been debate in the community over what should be put into place, if anything. If we stick to the historic components of the FCC and groups like ORI, the calling frequency would continue to be 462.675, and the open repeaters would be on 467.675/462.675 with tone 141.3. However, the radio services is so small, the number of users has dramatically increased over the past few years, and with modern technology, just about any channel can fit the bill for "calling". A vast majority of us are scanning all the channels if we're not actively in a conversation.6 points
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6 points
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Or... you could have just replied 'no'.6 points
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Cue Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start The Fire… This debate has been here since before some YouTube hobo declared it to be 19. That of course ignores the millions above line A. It goes on and yet I doubt it will ever be resolved. Most of all it does not seem to matter. No one seems to use a call channel for GMRS I suspect because it’s largely a bring your own contacts service. The channel that seems to be used most for a call channel will most likely be the one your local open repeaters are on. That is the one place I do hear call outs. Lots say they use 16 for off-road but still I don’t know that that’s used as a call channel. GMRS Chart 1-22 = push button-talk-listen 23-30 & > = set ctcss/dcs, push button talk through repeater-listen to response through repeater6 points
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Well just don't exceed the number of fars allowed or you know who might come around and tell you - "NO SOUP FOR YOU!6 points
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The Importance of Amateur Radio in Communication
motten1978 and 5 others reacted to nokones for a topic
This is not the appropriate forum for the above posting. This is a GMRS forum and you should be posting this on a Amateur Radio Forum or Radio Reference.6 points -
Well that stinks. I don’t like to see people getting out of gmrs. I don’t see any repeaters in Albany Georgia that’s for sure. Might still be some just not on this site. Ham may be better option in This case. This is why it’s so important for new gmrs users to understand that gmrs is first and foremost a bring your own friends kinda deal. It’s designed for use while doing an activity with friends or family. If more people really understood this I don’t think we would have as many frustrated single station people getting out of the gmrs world shortly after getting in. to the op, Sir, unless you really need to recoup the money I would hang on to your h8. It can listen to so much that may come In Handy at any time. You can also transmit on ham in life saving times should the need arise. In the mean time maybe you can be the catalyst for change in your home town. Talk with people, make a face book group, (if you have face book) look into local cert or other emergency groups. Walk into the local fire station and talk with the crew. Talk with immediate neighbors. Try to get them into radios for local emergency comms. One of our local mountain communities has a sweet older lady that runs a simplex net on FRS radios for her neighbors. Many options to be the spark that starts a gmrs fire in your area.6 points
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New to everything
GreggInFL and 5 others reacted to OffRoaderX for a topic
Welcome to the forum! GMRS is for talking with your friends while off-roading, hiking, etc. in a very easy, UNcomplicated way H.A.M. is for chatting with anonymous men in the most complicated way possible while trying to show everyone how smart you think you are at the same time Never confuse the two and you will do just fine.6 points -
New to everything
GreggInFL and 5 others reacted to SteveShannon for a topic
Welcome to the forum. There are a lot of us here who got started at a later age. If you enjoy watching videos there’s a YouTube channel called Notarubicon that has a lot of basic GMRS knowledge videos. There’s also an excellent video on this forum by @marcspaz that’s an introductory level. I’ll see if I can find a link. Here: If and when you decide you would like to learn more about ham radio the concepts you learn here will help. I can also recommend an online study site that’s free (although you can buy their app for your phone for less than the cost of a beer at a local bar.) It’s called HamStudy.org. But most of all feel free to ask questions. There’s one guy who tends to scold some people for asking questions but he is definitely unlike anyone else here and it’s easy to add him to your ignore list. And sometimes he surprises me and offers good advice. Again, welcome!6 points -
Two antennas, one radio
WRUU653 and 5 others reacted to SteveShannon for a question
With an antenna switch you could select the one that works best. Combining antennas is more complicated. If you simply connect them in parallel you end up with an impedance mismatch and a minimum SWR of 2:1. A combiner may be built or purchased, but you really need to consider what you hope to accomplish by combining the two antennas. Will the combined antennas cancel out each other? Will they result in greater gain? Which direction because increasing gain in one direction necessarily decreases gain in another. In other words, it depends.6 points -
GMRS channels vs Repeater Channels
marcspaz and 5 others reacted to SteveShannon for a question
@WSFP666 - feel free to add socalgmrs to your ignore list and feel free to ask questions.6 points -
GMRS channels vs Repeater Channels
marcspaz and 5 others reacted to SteveShannon for a question
Correct. The offset should be automatically added for the repeater channels (RP15 - RP22) and the other channels (1- 22) shouldn’t have any offset. Channels 1-7 are limited to 5 watts. Channels 8-14 are probably not available to you. Channels 15-22 are limited to 50 watts, as are the repeater channels.6 points -
Three. When one is lazy and holds the microphone 3 feet away from their mouth.6 points
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I just passed my TECH and am awaiting arrival of my sparkling new call sign. I can say that the best thing I am doing is being a part of REACT. Their mission gives me a sense of purpose and gets me out of the house once in a while. Plus the people in the group are wonderful and so helpful. Find a group like that John. One that gives you a reason to grab your radio with great people to support you.6 points
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So what's the point?
RayDiddio and 5 others reacted to SteveShannon for a topic
You don’t need to see them. Line of sight means that UHF radio waves travel in a mostly straight line. Lower frequencies frequently bounce off layers of the atmosphere; UHF cannot be relied upon to do that. It pierces through the atmosphere and travels farther without attenuating. Hams use VHF and UHF to communicate to the space station or to bounce signals off the moon. Nor does UHF follow the curvature of the Earth. A half mile is seldom the outer limit, but under certain circumstances it might be. On the other hand many of us frequently enjoy ranges of several or even many miles. Most people get GMRS radios for communications while they’re doing other things, like hiking, fishing, off roading, or recovering rockets out in the wide open spaces.6 points -
No not lice nor crabs or the rona… my radio addiction is twitching. I got giddy today and ordered a cb radio just to tinker with. I fear more will follow.6 points
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What amount of data do they want?
StogieVol and 5 others reacted to OffRoaderX for a question
1) Install CHIRP NEXT 2) Select GM-5RH D) Program Radio 5) Thank me6 points -
GMRS/HAM radios
Hoppyjr and 5 others reacted to SteveShannon for a topic
Unless you do something incredibly stupid with your radio, nobody will know and almost nobody will care, not even the FCC.6 points -
GMRS/HAM radios
Adam426 and 5 others reacted to SteveShannon for a topic
Not according to the regulations, but from a technical standpoint yes, and many people do.6 points -
Non-Chinese crap GMRS radios
Sab02r and 5 others reacted to SteveShannon for a topic
How does anyone know you have a Credence Clearwater Revival unless you tell them? Practice saying Motorola. You want an ECR? Expensive Chinese Radio, or do you want something not made in China? Wouxun is an ECR that’s pretty highly considered. It doesn’t sound any different than a UV5R though. My Garmin Rhino is made in Taiwan, which is the other Chinese government, but definitely not our communist foe. It’s very well built, but will not allow the antenna to be interchanged. It has the best screen of any radio I have.6 points -
Election time again
Lscott and 5 others reacted to SteveShannon for a topic
Anybody can complain about the government. That’s part of the first amendment, but failing to vote means you missed your opportunity to do something about it. .6 points