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”What Happens If You Transmit Without An Antenna?” With near 100% certainty nobody will hear you.

I just checked it on the app. Click on more details and you will see it. Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

In addition to info from @OffRoaderX and because you mentioned that you can transmit in frequency mode, if you are transmitting on 462.675 you also won't hit a repeater. 462.675 is a repeater receive frequency (or simplex channel 20). Your repeater channels will have the +5 offset automatically set. In this case it puts your transmit at 467.675. When you transmit on a repeater channel your other radio won't hear it unless you hit the repeater because your other radio is not receiving on the frequency that you are transmitting on. I hope that helps.

No, just because you can transmit does not mean you can/are/will hit the repeater. You can confirm if you are hitting the repeater by listening for the "kerchunk" or 'kickback' when you unkey the radio or by someone answering you on the repeater. Try getting your two radios more than 50 feet apart then try again. If the radios are too close you may not hear yourself through the repeater on the other radio.

I don't understand this statement. Simplex is the main point of GMRS. That is all I and many people use it for. To stay in touch with friends and family. Same with FRS.

Oh I know about not being active any more with HAM. I was very active until I got a job doing commercial radio and it seemed I had all these ham friends that I had never met come out of the woodwork wanting to know about old equipment and what was done with it. Wanting me to look at their broken radios (for free) and all sorts of other stuff. Then I ran into the issues of offering to assist with building and maintaining infrastructure (ham repeater) and being told they were different and what I knew about commercial radio didn't apply to ham repeaters (while they were using Motorola repeaters that I serviced daily). That pushed me away from the service for a long time. I am slowly getting back to it and doing my own thing. The problem it created, is I now ONLY do my own thing. I help some folks, but those groups I had issue with are shut out. I refuse to do anything for them. The one group I even offered tower space and a backup repeater to. Completely free, their call sign and all on the machine and would only require a phone call to get it activated if their stuff failed. They balked about it, Said they would need access 24/7 to the site. ( There are two people having access like that, me and the site owner) when I said they would need to schedule, but their access was not needed as I would host it on my gear as a backup and they didn't need keys to the site they again balked and said no. So the tower their repeater is on will be coming down soon. They have no where to put their repeaters and have zero options to stay on the air once the tower is down. I see it as being NOT MY PROBLEM.

Thanks again for the effort to educate me. I wish I could meet a ham and talk in person. This club only meets every other month, so my first possible meeting will be late Nov, about the time I take the test. I guess I can just be patient to get any ham equipment. I never thought about the option to boost your signal from a mobile with your own onboard repeater. I don't consider a 4-foot antenna huge. I have been looking at dipole antennas for HF I have a professional background (although dated) in computers and networking. I cannot even visualize using a ham transceiver for emails, video, file transfer, GPS??? I really need to find a ham so I can have a voice conversation. I am going to program every ham repeater within range into my HT.

The problem is, an advantage or disadvantage is a matter of perception based on what you want to accomplish. I can point out differences that push me in one direction or another. This is just really high view... and just the stuff I use. I am very sure there is more. In Ham bands: Max power is 1,500 Watts. There is a frequency space equivalent of 1,200 channels. Any mode of digital voice. Any mode of digital data (no encryption). Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) global positioning, messaging and more. 50w portable/mobile repeaters for under $300. Crossband repeat support. One radio will cover some of MF, all of HF, 6 meter VHF, 2 meter VHF, 70 cm UHF, all modes, at 100w for $1,000. Much more repeater coverage, including on HF and state-wide networks in many states. A much wider selection of hardware, including the option to build your own gear. Experimentation is encouraged. In GMRS: Much quieter / less users. Repeaters are available. Ease of licensing. Shared Licensing. Extremely affordable radios (as little as $9 each) Not at all. I have several handheld radios for redundancy (EmComm), but all of them cover everything from air traffic, MURS, VHF Business band, Marine, Amater 2m VHF, Amateur 70cm UHF, Business band UHF, GMRS/FRS and more. As I mentioned, in populated areas, with the option of the equivalent 1,200 channels compared to GMRS' only having 22 channels, you can always find a clear frequency to talk, send data, or whatever you plan on doing. And did I mention 1,500 watts on Ham for the opportunity to talk way further than you ever could with GMRS? HF gives you the option of communicating from 0 to 12,450 miles with just a few watts. If people go in the habit of it, there would be almost no practical reason to use anything but HF, beyond the data speed advantages of VHF and UHF on digital applications. You can do CW on GMRS. It is an authorized mode. I don't know anyone who does it because its considered a weak signal application. I did list a few more advantages above. I'm not sure what you consider a large antenna, but I have a 4 foot tunable HF antenna and I have talked to people in every state in the US as well as 102 other countries. Granted, a 7 inch antenna is definitely shorter than 4 feet, but 4 feet is hardly a hateful size. All of my radio friends are on GMRS, but that doesn't mean anything. An overwhelming majority of my radio friends are also into amateur radio because GMRS just can't offer everything that we want to do. We all do a lot of digital data and voice (such as email and computer networking over RF), EmComm support requiring much more power and portable repeaters, as well as the ability to talk long distance (like outside of the area if affected by natural disaster) without relying on anything but someone else with a radio on the other end... and much more. Honestly, I have a nice HF base station, massive amp and antenna. Same for UHF and VHF. I hardly ever turn them on. Most of my HF, VHF and UHF use is from the mobile. However, having the base station is nice if I do need to do EmComm or just don't feel like sitting in my truck to run a radio. I guess, the bottom line is, don't feel like you are missing something if you don't have a base station. You're not. One of the biggest things I love about Ham radio is, I can make my handheld seem like its a lot stronger that 5 or 8 watts. I have a mobile repeater installed in my Jeep. I don't need to have a ton of power in my handheld, because my portable/mobile repeater will transmit my handheld signal at whatever power I want, up to 1,500 watts. So, my HT never has to talk any further than wherever I parked my Jeep. As far as mobile power goes, 50w is kind of the standard, but it's not the limit. I have a collection of radios with all different output levels... 35w, 50w, 65w, 85w, 120w. I also have 200w and 300w amps... and 1,500w amps are available. There is no limit to digital. You can do voice, data like emails, video, file transfer, GPS, messaging, even things like chat consoles... you are limited by nothing but your imagination. The big draw about digital in general is, many digital services are called "weak signal services". Basically, what this means is, if you are on a frequency that zero voice can be heard... the digital connection can still be made on the exact same frequency and power level. So, in an emergency or extreme boredom, you are going to get you communications accomplished. I hope this help provide some insight.

Exactly! It's all pre-arranged comms. I still have my GMRS radio in my truck, but it's not on much anymore. I'll probably turn it on the next hurricane that comes around here.

It is looking to me like the radio has issues that it likely came with. I would try doing a full reset (menu 40) and if that doesn't clear up the issue send it back.

I thought he might have had an expectation that he could transmit on a simplex channel as if calling “CQ” on one of the ham bands and someone would “come back”. I think for most of us we just pick a simplex channel before we begin some group activity. All of us know to transmit on that frequency and all of us monitor that one frequency. We are not sitting around waiting for someone to transmit who isn’t engaged in whatever activity that binds our group together.

First, it is important that you understand that I know less than you, but I will offer some info on one point. I have only had a GMRS license for a couple of weeks. I found a repeater on RepeaterBook, and there was a menu option that said request access even though that repeater said "open" access. I did not hear back, and as I thought it over, I figured it was open to the public and started using it. I was only on it a few minutes at 5:30 AM, talking to my adult son, testing the limits of the setup as he drove to work. The owner of the repeater jumped on and asked if he could join the conversation. I ended up talking to him for an hour. He said he never saw my request because it is an open repeater, and he is glad to see it being used. This makes me wonder if the "Request Access" is a standard option OR if it is sometimes put there in error as a default or in the beginning when the repeater is first set up. I think if it is a private family repeater, it is easy just to make it closed access. If it says "Open," I would take it at its word. If anyone complains, just inform them their repeater is improperly designated and move on. I see that as their problem, not yours. It worked out great for me because that repeater gets me over an impenetrable ridge that is 1 mile to my south and gives me county-wide coverage. In addition, I made a great contact.

Thanks SShannon, I responded to your message. I appreciate the offer. WRUI365 - I don't totally understand what I am looking at but it was interesting to change the time and extent of the tails to see the movement of what must be GPS tracking.

The FCC database is public and can be accessed/searched here: https://www.fcc.gov/enforcement/orders Since 2012, there have been 0 enforcements for simple rule-breaking such as JUST transmitting without a GMRS license, only about 6 enforcements for more serious rule-breaking on CB, GMRS & ham.

... that said... I don't think the FCC is wandering around in the woods looking for any hikers to prosecute. Surely they have bigger fish. One of the other gentz on this forum mentioned he had access to the public FCC database on GMRS rule infractions, and he said seemingly to date... there are zero. in any case, I'd say you are likely safe if you ID for the lot. But if you get caught... you don't know me.

No problem, doesn't seem like there is too much active GMRS use in my area, but plenty of active HAM clubs.

One possibility is some Baofeng radios have been coming without the ability to use channel 15. There is a post here of people having issues with channel 15. Do you know for sure that the problem wasn’t there before you changed anything in Chirp? You may have to send them back. If you suspect an issue in your Chirp programming if you show us a screenshot we can look it over. Another possibility that may be happening is if two radios are to close to each other they will desense each other and not receive. You may need to move them further apart. Go outside and get 30’ or 40’ between them. Though if it’s only a problem on the one channel I don’t think that’s your problem.

Though I think this information is accurate, I have distrust for a source that is known to have deliberately fabricated sources in the past to make an answer be what it wanted people to believe when real data had other results.

As Marc said the advantage is in the eyes of the beholder. If I just want to talk to my non-ham friends without getting all excited about the technology I’ll use GMRS. But if I want to learn about radio technology with fewer limitations, I’ll use ham radio.

Randy's videos are helping people who are new to GMRS with a little added humor. I am a ham since the 90's and although I have my ticket I am no longer active and there are many reasons for that that I am not going to get into here. I am enjoying GMRS, Notarubicon repeater and the many other GMRS networks.

At least in my area most ham repeater traffic is 70cm or 2m which there are countless duel band radios. One is exactly like the GMRS radio you have already. The ability to hit a simulcast repeater system that pretty much covers most of the county including areas that dont have cell or GMRS is a big plus for me. One reason I got my Ham license was because I was limited in my reach with GMRS when it came to hiking or rural offroad areas near me. One such area was just asked about in another thread. There's no GMRS repeater reaching out there but on Ham it's as good as at home. All that said I started with GMRS and see value in both and would recommend spending some time with it first. Get to know your area, maybe set some local ham repeaters in your GMRS radios to listen to and see if you find benefit in Ham down the road a bit. You will be the best judge of what you want. Mostly you don't have to do it all or do it all at once. As for HF, I haven't indulged as of yet but I keep hearing how 10 meters is going crazy right now... crap another radio purchase awaits.

The *KG-Q332 is the euro version of the KG-Q10H. If you get one you want the KG-Q10H for the US. It is quad band, super het, ip67 and a solid radio (now that they fixed it). It is a slow scan if that matters to you, much slower than my KG-UV9PX. A google search will show that both of these can have GMRS and Murs enabled. I let you decide what the rules say. The KG-Q10H has a beta for Chirp at the present moment. *at least that’s my understanding.

Might I suggest you print out a copy of the (NEW) Operations Manual and instructions for the CTCSS & DCS code and operation/steps for a file to keep in the car for future use. I did this and it helped me alot -down the road-! Best wishes on the getting old and the new radio!

That is literally what I said... you just worded it differently.

I actually wrote a piece on my QRZ for Hams who visit my page and wonder why I have a GMRS license. I have encountered a few Hams who dont think one way or the other about having a Ham license and GMRS. A few I've encountered have both licenses. Then there are the Hams that treat Ham Radio like a "brotherhood" or an "exclusive club" and if they find out you also have a GMRS license, you are then automatically hated and put on an unofficial black list because you crossed over to the dark side, and according to them, you cant do that. Basically what I wrote was how Ham Radio is a hobby, GMRS is a means of communication. It is like people and cars. You have some who use cars as a means of getting places, like a person using GMRS just communicating. Then you have people who go to school for automotive, they work in a garage, they restore old cars and make a hobby or career out of doing things with cars, like a person using Ham Radio doing contesting and working on radios. Some people in this world just need a means of communication and dont care about working on radios and doing contesting. Before anyone gets into radio, they need to ask themselves what they want out of radio, not what someone tells them is best because the radio service needs new members.