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There is one radio service that encrypts conversations, doesn’t require users to ID, and doesn’t require users to own a license. It even has a worldwide network of repeaters. What’s more, it fits in a person’s pocket. In fact most adults and a lot of kids already have these wondrous radios.

It's simply a requirement of getting the license. Technically, its also required on Business & Public Safety licenses as well.

If you’re using a radio that requires a license to use, you’re required to identify the license you’re using. It’s a very simple concept. If you’re authorizing someone to use your license, they are required to identify your license. Equally simple concept. If you are the license holder, you are responsible to ensure that they do. Still simple. Inconvenience or the opinion that a rule is stupid has never been recognized as a justification for violating regulations. However, the FCC almost certainly won’t enforce it.

Sounds like FRS, CB or MURS is better suited for you and not a licensed service.

Per a discussion on the MidWest system the other day, here are a few recipes that I discussed. Feel free to add to the post with your own favorites. Foil bags Pound of raw shrimp pealed and devined pound of smoked sausage sliced red skin potatoes corn on the cob broken in half ears Butter (full stick cut up) Old Bay seasoning to taste (I like a lot) Place ingredients in double layered foil envelope (foil folded in half and rolled shut then a second layer on it over top the first). cook on grill until potatoes are done. Can also be made in dutch oven in a stove Turn foil bags half way through cooking. I cook this between 350 and 400 in the grill or stove. Attention needs paid to it after 15 or so minutes to keep from burning it. Cook until potatoes are getting soft. Sausage 'Stew' No idea on real name. It's just really good. Cavenders Seasoning. Probably 2 tablespoons, but the more the merrier. pound of smoked sausage Sliced Red skin potatoes cubed to 3/4 size Red or Orange pepper corn on the cob broken to half ears one 2 liter of root beer or Dr Pepper Original recipe called for 1 or two cans and the rest water. Don't bother with that. Use the FULL 2 liter. Enough liquid to cover the contents for boiling Combine ingredients and light boil until potatoes are almost mashing soft. Serve in bowls.

The more succinct answer is that repeater antennas are up high. If your friend with his handheld was dangling from the same tower, he'd hear you fine on his Baofeng too. It's about line of sight. But at that same distance if he were standing down on the ground, probably not.. So yes, they increase YOUR capability of reaching them because they're up high and listening with relatively clear line of sight.. It's why we all try to put our VHF/UHF antennas up as high as we can. When you get up on your roof, how far can you see on a clear day? And how far can you see from the sidewalk? It's basically that simple.

You got me lost; I know you're the licensee, right? I realize as a licensee, you're responsible for IDing your station. Your family members are able to use the radio. The same rules apply, even though your name is attached to the license. For example, your call sign WXYZ123, your family members would Identify with your call-sign and maybe add WXYZ123-A -1. Depending on how you and your family members want to set up communication procedures.

Which we’re already probably paying. And it doesn’t do simplex, but hey, none of us get everything we want.

Also comes with a monthly bill.

You missed the part where I mentioned DTR radios. They work amazingly well for my use case and I just wished I could get something with similar features with a bit more range. Eh, it's a tough crowd so I guess we'll leave it at that. GMRS and Ham are apparently not for me and won't be in the future given the responses of most users here. I will keep the equipment I have around in case of grid down shituation but I don't expect they will get much use otherwise.

I know.

I can remember, as a kid, impatiently waiting for the TV (black & white) to warm up so I could watch my favorite shows.

Yep. This is a pet peeve of mine. There is a device that costs about $150 you can use to add it.

I remember the old TV's with the "instant on" feature. The tube filaments were powered at reduced voltage when the TV was "OFF" then the full filament voltage was applied when it was turned on. Since the filaments were already near operating temperature it didn't take long for the TV to be ready. This also increased tube life due to the reduced thermal and mechanical shock between cold and hot filaments.

Yes, while the ones in the unit work, I did find several online vendors that have "tube kits" for the SX-24/25, not too bad of a price, ~$65 to replace all the tubes. Might buy a kit just to have when one finally goes. They do get hot, noticed to top hinged cover had some black scorch marks from the tubes that get the hottest.

It's likely a dead tree.

Simple. GMRS was not intended to be private. You need to use a call sign basically the same logic why you’re required to have a license plate on your car, registration number on boats, airplanes etc. Don’t want to use call signs there is always FRS.

If you want to transmit and receive on the same frequency use one of the simplex frequencies. Channels 15-22 receive on the same frequencies as repeater channels 23-30, BUT there is no offset. So, rather than selecting channel 30, use channel 22. It transmits and receives on 462.725 MHz

So if your just hiking or biking use low power and dont worry about call signs. Toss them a FRS radio and be done.

Yeah, now you have to look for some NOS, new old stock, tubes to keep it going. Likely cost you more for those than what you paid for the radio.

LMR 400 for 35' feet. RG58 - Loss per 100 - 10.6db LMR400 - Loss per 100 - 2.7 So at 35' of RG58 you are loosing almost 4db which is over 50% of signal loss and power.

Linking repeaters through the Internet, or via a private broadband connection (private point-to-point microwave radio, like using Ubiquity radios) is not prohibited by the rules. The FCC rep's opinion in the video is “hearsay” and is not considered authoritative. The female rep even notes this earlier. Here is a brief tutorial on this matter. § 95.349 Network connection. Operation of Personal Radio Services stations connected with the public switched network is prohibited, unless otherwise allowed for a particular Personal Radio Service by rules in the subpart governing that specific service. See e.g., §§ 95.949 and 95.2749. Fact 1: The Internet is not a “public switched network”. § 47CFR § 9.3 - Definitions. Public Switched Network. Any common carrier switched network, whether by wire or radio, including local exchange carriers, interexchange carriers, and mobile service providers, that uses the North American Numbering Plan in connection with the provision of switched services. Fact 2: Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are not considered a “Common Carriers”. They were between 2015-2017, when Net Neutrality was in place. Net Neutrality was eliminated in 2017. § 95.1749 GMRS network connection. Operation of a GMRS station with a telephone connection is prohibited, as in § 95.349. GMRS repeater, base and fixed stations, however, may be connected to the public switched network or other networks for the sole purpose of operation by remote control pursuant to § 95.1745. § 95.303 Definitions. Remote control. Operation of a Personal Radio Services station from a location that is not in the immediate vicinity of the transmitter. Operation of a Personal Radio Services station from any location on the premises, vehicle or craft where the transmitter is located is not considered to be remote control. § 95.1745 GMRS remote control. Notwithstanding the prohibition in § 95.345, GMRS repeater, base and fixed stations may be operated by remote control. Fact 3: While “control” or “remote control” normally refers to the act of enabling or disabling the ability of a transmitter to “activate”, the term “operation by remote control” refers to people using the repeater remotely. Conclusion: Linking GMRS repeaters through the Internet is not prohibited. Linking through a private connection (not routing through the internet) is certainly fine as well. Just don't install an autopatch on GMRS. If anyone is aware of a formal case where a licensee received a formal NOV for linking after 2017, please let us know. I suspect one does not exist. What typically occurs is that an NOV is issued for harmful or destructive interference (IX). For example, if I operate a repeater in Boston, which activates a repeater in California, and the California repeater walks on top of another local repeater, then we have harmful IX. This is a violation. Not the linking.

Well my license reads as "radio station license" so the grant holder, the radio station licensee themself should only need to identify once every fifteen minutes, not every one of us adding up to four or three or two or twenty times every fifteen minutes. I think we assign more rules to ourselves than is even required. No where did I read that this was expected. I'm not even about to ask my family, who does not even know or care about the rules, to come on the air and try to remember my callsign every fifteen minutes right after I do it. Just so we can keep in touch while hiking. I do not think that is the purpose or intention of GMRS. I'll identify every time as required, as we use the radios. EDIT: What I have been doing is when I first start using the radios, I'll find a channel that is suitable and seems clear. I'll then identify "WRZS227 and family operating on GMRS channel (whatever)" and will basically just yield to any other traffic, and then we just talk as we need to and as conversation dies off and comes back up I'll give the call sign "and family" again. So far the FCC hasn't rained down hellfire or sent any kill commands to our walkie talkies.

Think about it like this: all 308 casings are the same size not all are loaded with the same amount of propellent.

I understand the rules. I was asking what WSAG543 wanted to do that was prohibited.

Other than encryption I don’t understand what you can not do in ham radio.

The current radios would get interfered with by the other radios. We are talking about adjusting all the bandwidths of the radios. No one is realizing that. Even some of the GMRS radios currently in use will interfere with digital. RF is RF no matter what you run. If you guys all want to experiment with encryption and all this other fancy means of transmitting, please, petition the FCC to use the VHF and UHF bands on Ham Radio to do this. There are areas where these bands dont get used. I have encountered so many Hams that have nothing good to say about these bands. I can find hundreds of Hams that refuse to use them. They sit here with DMR hotspots, APRS and repeaters doing nothing useful. I say, revamp the Ham bands from 50MHz on up and make it worth something to even people like you who are interested in this sort of thing. Even I would get back into Ham Radio if that was the case. I got out of it because I am tired of getting talked down to for liking these bands and then getting my GMRS license and the fact that Ham Radio is stagnant on these bands. I would sign my name to a petition if someone wanted to incorporate this stuff into the Hams Bands. Ham Radio should be the service that is forward thinking, instead it Leave GMRS simple for those who cant tell the difference between simplex and a repeater because they just simply want to use a radio to communicate without all the strings attached.

Well said I couldn't have said it any better. Leave the GMRS spectrum alone!!!

I use mine for off-roading.. any time I want to "make contacts" and find anonymous men to talk with, I use the Grindr app.

Try to save your pregnant wife's (or daughter's) life in Texas when complications are threatening it! Or try to regulate guns near schools in any state (United States v. Lopez [1995])

The Communications Act of 1934 establishes the authority of the FCC to regulate the airwaves, which they do through regulations that they pass using the NPRM process (even if they completely disregard our comments when they want to). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47

I don't recall it being mentioned on the forums here, but in October, Garmin petitioned for a rule change as well: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/search-filings/filing/1005158792395

The 50 watt mobiles will transmit on the 8 sole, repeater/simplex channels and create havoc for other GMRS users. Bad idea, even for "rural" .