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That isn't the stated purpose of the radio service, but I think it's a better use of the band too. I've reached out to random contacts, but usually they just stop transmitting. D: I wasn't doing anybody any favors dancing around the issues. I'm aware my desires are idiosyncratic, and I'm sometimes prickly. I look forward to devising clever solutions to my weird problems, sharing for the world to see, and making friends with the people who have similar problems. I'm really tempted to put another Midland 275 in the family ragtop, after the 100 freaked out. I'm super not impressed with their mag-mounts, and I'm trying to get Sti-Co to talk to me after early negotiations; I want a fender-mounted antenna that doesn't require any new holes for each of our cars, but they went silent when I pointed out that the sales agent was looking at roof-mount "sharkfin" antennas and I wanted their higher-gain fender mount. Irritiating, but unsurprising. Given the family friction, reversible mods are definitely favored over drilling holes, which is me-having-a-long-sigh motivating, but it is what it is. Fortunately, Ozzie UHF-CB enthusiasts have embraced the handheld control head with 8p8c jacks -- ethernet. So I'm looking for a good way to hang a few handheld control heads in a Tacoma's cab, and moreso a late model Miata. Midland's mic hangers are too deep, and give the weight too much leverage to rip the sticky off; command strips with hooks and "buddy hooks" were quickly winning, but in flor-I-duh, the heat and humidity will melt command strips too! Not quite back to square 1, but it's frustrating. At least the buddy hook lets me stash the speaker-mic on the E-brake while driving, but you really can't see the display from above (stupid calculator display!) I'll probably try to get the rest of my "minimally-licensed" radios bought or installed, and I've got like three cubic meters of the lights and luminaries of genre fiction competing with the ham study, which is the real limiting factor once I get done with estate work. I'm leaning toward Uniden CMX-560 and 760 radios, but I really resent that you can't get a SSB CB in a handheld controlhead form factor. It's stupid, but it's a big reason I hesitate. Given the resemblance between the HHCH radios from Uniden on CB and Midland on GMRS, I really have to suspect a common cheap-chinese-radio source behind them, and wonder if I should go there. Speaking of estate work? My grandfather had one heck of a run, a long and happy life, and a short illness at the end - just enough time to come to terms with it. Ideal, in most people's estimation, but I still miss the man. Can't say he didn't do it all right along the way, though. it stung at first, but the more I tried to reach out to contacts, the more I realized that most of them were FRS users who were freaked out by sharing a channel than GMRS users trying to make contact. I've got a ... (goes out to garage) Midland 70-1336b 2m rig waiting for some love. (It'll need a lot of bias resistors replaced to access the A range; the B range is very much business only, if my memory is correct) Thank you! Just need to find some me-time where my brain hasn't been reduced to runny jello first to polish off the studying and take the silly test already! Anyway, I'm out of brutal honesty, and need some sleep. Edit: Oh, Berkinet? GMRS isn't really dead in Florida, I just live in a big hole in repeater coverage, and those I can hear are boring to listen to. I gotta believe they're run by snowbirds, who only use them seasonally. Otherwise, it's hard to understand why tower leases are maintained while everything's abandoned. I look forward to our resident mad scientist and his Oviedo project.

I think it was a bad mistake. Little kids and their families use these frequencies and all I hear from 7am to 7pm are flaggers at a near by construction site using profanity non-stop all day long. One dude literally uses more curse words per sentence than not. Every sentence starts and ends with an f-bomb. I'm so tired of hearing it. AND... there is no way the are compliant as far as radios go. They are 5 miles from me as the crow flies and they are using handhelds. I've been thinking about going over there to get the company name, take some pics, and do a little radiogate to send to the FCC.

Because I can't help myself... I like to learn new things and after using some local repeaters in my area I thought it would be fun to set one up. I also have access to a facility where a repeater being located there would be very useful for my friends and family.

Sorry if that sounded like it was directed specifically at you, it wasn't. I just meant other users might not be interested in talking outside their own user group. This is particularly true for family based groups where the communications tend to be limited to immediate practical matters (pick up some tomatoes while you are at the market...). BTW, A quick look at the RepeaterBook page for Florida seems to show a lot of activity on 2M Good luck with your ham ticket.