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Seems to me that problems like these led to the development of organizations like ARRL that popped up back in the day for the Amateur Radio Service. The question of the day is if that’s necessary for GMRS. I personally think that there would be some merit to an organization that focused on GMRS voice and very limited data communication methods and teach basic radio operation. Amateur Radio is pretty beyond basic when you think about it. A basic service like GMRS is pretty nice, and could be even better with a little more organization. It’s worth noting that when the FCC makes rule changes they take organizational input very seriously. MYGMRS.com input was mentioned as justification for rule changes (and for keeping certain things) In the FCC’s last round of rule making for the GMRS Service, right up there with Garmin. Professional and hobby organizations serve a huge purpose and there are probably quite a few users of the service who would be interested in such a thing, and there are probably just as many who don’t give a dang either - but that’s kind of the beauty of it, you don’t have to be an electrical genius to just jump in feet first. GMRS meets many different needs. To those who find it a hobby there are just as many who find it a tool on their farm or a way to call home from the parking lot.

Until this week! Retevis submitted the RT97 for FCC Part 95E approval and got it. The FCC ID is 2ASNSRT97. The interesting thing is they are only certified for 5W whereas the other RT97's are rated for 10W output. The best part? You can preorder yours now from myGMRS! I have 2 on the way from China and will place an order for more based on demand. Current ETA is mid-June for the first batch, but no idea how accurate that date is. Shipping to the US has been very slow lately due to the lack of flights from China. There are things I've ordered from early March that still haven't left the country, but they were not Express shipments. I think these have potential to explode in popularity for GMRS. Everyone wants cheap repeaters that are plug-n-play, and these are about as cheap as you can get while being type-accepted and not just 2 HTs taped together.

Needs more cowbell.

That is a huge step in the wrong direction, IMHO. We need FRS & GMRS to stop sharing frequencies. Let FRS be low power narrow band and give GMRS operators more wideband frequencies. I'm tired of sharing the channels with 4 and 5 year old kids screaming at their cousin who is only 30 feet away, about how much they love play dough.