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So you'd need two different radios, or one radio with two different antennas to make use of these and the existing GMRS channels? Does not seem very user-friendly... If they are unused, throw 'em to the H.A.M.s.. they'll use it.. they'll use anything.

This is a warning to everyone in this thread that Rule #7 forbids the discussion of weapons including firearms on this forum. I just removed about 20 posts in violation of this rule. Beyond that, it was also completely off-topic for this post and GMRS in general.

I’m always surprised when people pass on getting their ham licenses because of DXing and contesting. One of my other hobbies is rocketry. A lot of people in rocketry get their Technician licenses so they can use 2 meters and 70 centimeters. They’re able to talk on handhelds and put APRS transmitters in rockets. They never go any further because they don’t have to. They don’t participate in contests or DXing. There’s almost no contesting or DXing on either 2 meters or 70 cm. The main advantage of a technician licenses over GMRS is the vast number of frequencies available compared to the 30 channels within two shared one MegaHertz wide bands. Nobody should be pressed into becoming a ham if they don’t want that for themselves, but I have known people who didn’t believe they were smart enough or that they couldn’t do the math. But the fact is there’s not enough math on any of the tests to prevent a person from becoming a ham or advancing through the levels and the tests are really not aimed at separating folks by intelligence. Basically, the Technician test is about learning the rules and a few very basic concepts. Memorizing is actually encouraged because that’s how the basics of anything are learned. If anyone is interested in becoming a ham but has self doubt I hope they will reconsider. They are smart enough and they can get past the math requirements.

Oh... that explains why HT's work better for us fat people! Especially on lower frequencies. Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

Ham is a hobby of hobbies. You figure out what you want to do or what might interest you and you do it. I think a lot of people judge the exams to be harder than they actually are, because they start reviewing the question pool and they don't know most of the material. But, you can learn it. There's also a lot of talk about "Amateur Extra is a lot easier if you have a background in Electrical Engineering", which might be true, but EEs weren't born knowing that stuff either. They had to learn it to get their degree and work in their field. If they can learn it, you can at least learn the minimum you need to pass the exams. I feel like you should aim as high as possible, then you can grow into your license privileges, rather than hitting a wall when you want to try something new and having go back and study for another exam. And, when you reach AE, you can just enjoy no longer being in perpetual "studying for finals mode." Just my take...

Does anyone think this is remotely a thing that is on the radar of law enforcement? “What ya got Bob? DUI? B and E? Domestic…?” “Na man this guy doesn’t have a valid GMRS license!” “What kind of animal is he?!!”

To drag this (kicking and screaming) back on-topic.. Right now I have a free "access by request" system (with poor coverage - the best anyone has reported is a little under 7 miles in the NYC area). I'm waiting on an updated antenna (this whole Commscope to Andrew changeover has been a complete disaster, with even large corporate customers being quoted 4-5 month delays on catalog products and even longer for customized ones) and a tower climber to install it and the heliax, plus various incidentals (16 ground rods, cable to connect them, lightning arrestors, so on). Once all that is done, my repeater will still be free to access on request, but if someone wants to make a donation, I'll gladly accept it. My repeater info page will have a link to a secondary page with the actual invoices and amounts for the various pieces of the project, with a total dollar amount. There will also be a list of donations which can be marked either "anonymous" or someone's name and/or call sign if desired, along with amounts and a total dollar amount donated so far. Think of it like the giant "dollars raised thermometer" outside your local volunteer fire department. I doubt I'll recoup 10% of what this improvement project is costing, but it's nice to know that some people care enough to support a mutual hobby project. Nobody gets preferential treatment for donating vs. not donating. To add - donations will not be tax deductible, will be reported by me as "miscellaneous income" on my tax returns, and so on.

I'm in your camp. I have very little desire to collect names from around the world like Pokemon, just isn't my thing. That and the cost of entry into HF is more than I'm willing to spend. I got my General ticket for the challenge more than the added privileges. 2m\70cm\1.25m are very active in my area and I do get a small thrill when I can key up a repeater 50-60 miles away with an HT running through an amp in the car. I've got 3 mobiles, 9 HTs, and still have less invested than a used HF rig would set me back. If I really want to reach out around the world, I can do that on TG 91. Yes, I know that many consider that cheating, then again, I really don't care :). They can enjoy the hobby their way, I'll do mine.

When Hams "sell Ham Radio" to non Hams, they tend to do more talking about communicating around the world rather than what you can do locally. Out of the guys I have talked to, that is the only thing they were ever really told about Ham. I actually tried to change their mind and show them the benefits of the 2m/70cm bands, but they were against it. There is a lot you can do with the local bands. It's too bad they don't get used to their full potential. If I had endless amounts of money to blow, I would be setting up repeater systems, linked networks with all sorts of added goodies and I would utilize the bands up as high as I could go. Sadly, I don't have the money or even the time. When it comes to the test, that tech test is really easy. It almost seems easier than when I took it back in the 90's. If you encounter any math, it is really simple. Memorizing will help. I really had to do it when taking my general. I passed, but just like the tech, I didn't really learn a lot, until I started talking with other Hams, experimenting, and applying what I learned. I always believe that the true learning part comes after you pass the test and really get into Ham Radio and meet others and start experimenting. I am with you on hoping these interested ones reconsider. The ones I have met were very knowledgeable. They weren't the run of the mill CB'er that just sits and chats. These guys had the basic tech knowledge.

Maybe at this point you may need an intervention, maybe.

Its funny how "some people" using the internet that is free to use while paying an internet service provider hundreds of dollars a year, to access said internet will complain about paying less than $100 a year to access a privately owned repeater.

You are correct that linking GMRS repeaters is not allowed but you are incorrect if you think that means there are no linked GMRS repeaters.

Hello, I set up a quick and dirty base station antenna in my attic. It's a Midland MXTA26 antenna fed by a MXTA24 NMO cable. I put a 14" aluminum pizza pan under it as a ground plane. I have about $55 into this setup. The radio is a Wouxun KGSX20G+ fed by a Pyramid 12Amp power supply. So far I think it's working well. I guess I need some adapters to test this setup with my Surecom meter but no smoke yet. Any tips or critiques appreciated. I wanted to test the attic concept before committing to more expensive hardware.

If that's the case then it's amazing that I can talk to anyone while using a HT. I'm a 5'9" and 145 pound skinny guy.

I;ve been a two way radio dealer for 13 years with ICOM Rado's. I'm not new to use of radios or FCC Rules. Too! I've worked as a EMT-P for 32 years and have plenty of experience operating TWO WAY RADIO's. I posted these rule and regulations for new users. Even reading and signing the FCC form before paying, It's always good to go back and reference these rules rather a newbie or a long time radio user.

I had to laugh when I saw this. It is very true. I get it though. If you look at what Hams had to go through to just get to a General license back in the day, it wasn't easy like it is today. You had CW requirements etc. To get your General license now is actually simple. I have studied all three tests and the Tech is easy. The General takes the Tech and gets a little more in depth but is still pretty easy. The Extra is the one that is hard. I got to General and I am good for now. Eventually the older crowd will die off and the newer crowd will take full control. I think we have been seeing that already. They are making Ham more inviting and looking less like a brotherhood that you join. Ham is supposed to be fun. It isn't for everyone though, but for those who like it, it can be fun. You have people who just want to key a mic and talk to their friends, and then you have those that are electronics geeks and really get into the meat and potatoes of radio. Neither is bad, they just get into two different things.

I made mine because I was excited to get it and bored at the same time.

In my experience, that's actually pretty rare, but the few a-holes make a lot of noise. Most of the hams I know have the attitude that different services are for different purposes, but radio is radio. I'll bet at least half of them have GMRS licenses. Many (most?) hams are old enough to have grandchildren, and we help them learn the basics on GMRS. Don't listen to the haters. They're wee todd it.

Yep...not enough counterpoise.

I'd say that if it gets you connected to who you want to connect to...then it's a great setup. I've been using the same antenna with a metal sheet in my garage, works great for what I need it for. If I needed to get out much further, I'd do something more elaborate as well. My main antenna is an Ed Fong J-Pole that's also up in my attic. We have a 'lot' of wind and weather here and I put it there while I figure out an external, and permanent, solution.

Yes, we'll take them. That's down near 6m territory.

Thank you! This is the way it should be done. I believe your efforts will be rewarded in the future. It's a balancing act between people that will donate and ones that won't. Don't sweat it and enjoy the journey of deploying it the way you want it. Let us know with progress reports.

Regular. Learn to ignore it or use the forum function.

What if I was operating under my maternal grandfather's GMRS license? He has a different last name and AFAIK, there is no requirement that a family keep documentation of such.

So,,,,, you play all day at work.. You're Fired!

Baofengs are easy pezy to collect. Even a Cave Man can do it

Uhhhhh?????

I agree, not even close to needing intervention. 50 years ago I had a CB and Radio Shack scanner in my car.

So far mine has been working great! Very happy with it. Been testing it with some of the other ranchers so far in heavy woods we have gotten 14 miles south and 12 miles north of me so far.

You sir are slacking. Not enough radios!!! Now that's areal nice setup. Enjoy.

If you haven't already, look around for GMRS clubs in your area. If there are others, it might be very difficult to start another one. If there isn't much competition, it's really just a matter of passing around the word. You'll have to decide if meetings will be held in person, on the air, or both. You might want to have a short presentation on some GMRS-related topic at each meeting to keep people interested.

Yes

Gee Admiral, thanks for making me feel like such a dork.

Call up your friends who use GMRS radios and say “Let’s start a club!” Then just get together every so often and talk about GMRS radios. If you want to have a repeater, chip in some money (quite a bit) and put one up. If you want to solicit donations you’ll want to incorporate as a tax exempt corporation. There’s a fee for that. Then file a 1023 form with the government to get off to become a 501(c)3. The short form costs $275.

I have been pretty good at leaving a paper trail (or Internet trail), so the correct people know what I am up to......it does "out" the boot lickers though, often. If you just pay out the rope far enough, most people will not only pull the rope, but hang themselves with it. The ones that don't, I assist as much as possible......keep good people around you, and let the rest fall by the wayside.

That’s how they are here as well, but there are only a handful of us who actually have licenses. The vast majority of GMRS just buy the radios and use them miles away from populated areas. Honestly, that doesn’t bother me a bit. Maybe there shouldn’t be GMRS licensing for handheld use or lower than some wattage level.

I very much doubt I'll be in a position where I have to prove I have an amateur or GMRS radio license. I just bought the card because it's cool.

I'm not involved with that product (I do the BF-F8HP Pro handheld and the GMRS-RPT50), but BTECH seems to be committed to providing features people request, as upgrades. The BF-F8HP shipped with firmware V29, went to V33 about a month and a half later, and V44 which just came out. A bunch of the enhancements in that firmware were due to requests from Facebook, here, to me directly or to BTECH. So the radio you bought the week it was released in October 2024 can be upgraded to the same functionality as the units currently shipping. The only difference is that new V44 radios will come with a somewhat updated v44 manual which describes the new features. The GMRS-RPT50 got a bunch of features people asked for, like being able to used the microphone to use the radio as a base station, to get rid of the annoying (if you're the only person with physical access to the repeater) password prompt, etc. * Please bear in mind that I'm a contractor working with BTECH, so noothing II say should be construed as the official position of BTECH. vers-old.pdf

Someone wiser than me once said, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Get them interested in radios, and they'll never have enough money for drugs.

CTCSS is older and more prone to spurious noise opening the squelch - weather or ambient. Additionally, there are relatively few usable tones. DCS is newer was was designed to address those shortcomings. Both came out of Motorola, who initially was one of the only manufacturers of radios with enough frequency stability to use DCS (though others caught up quickly). Even today, some Baofeng as they age have trouble with a DCS system. Also, many older radios can't use DCS at all, and a few transitional models needed modules to enable it (usually you'd swap our the CTCSS module to a dual mode module). So, yes, DCS is better, but CTCSS more compatible.

You are not listening,, 'It's the Winds'

That is how it is with some of our club members. And we all enjoy hearing the kids talk on the GMRS repeaters talking to Grandma and Grandpa. Some of the kids are as young as 5 and all of them do really good using call sings when required and waiting their turn when a group of people are on the repeater. Some of the kids might not ever get into amateur radios but I know a few that definitely will.

Thanks for all the kind words and info from everyone. I have been having a lot of fun since getting my Tech and then General license. Lots of great contacts on 10M, 12M, and 20M. My farthest contact was about 6500 miles to southern Africa (Namibia). Amazing what you can do with 20 watts and a dipole antenna (at 30 ft elevation) when the ionosphere cooperates. Last weekend was a bit frustrating, but I was playing with an Inverted-Vee 10M/12M at about 15 ft. I am going to make it a 10M/12M/15M/17M and then get it up to 30 ft.

Haters gonna hate. The same guys hate other hams that use or don't use digital modes etc etc. As I've said before, the majority of active members in our local club are just into 2 way radios and don't care which license, band or transmission mode you are into.

Some sad hams hate on other amateur license holders especially the old curmudgeons that had to write essay answers on their tests and had to pass the CW code portion too. They feel that since they had to walk up hill in 2 feet of snow both ways to school that everyone else should have to do the same.

I have been assured by "some people" that this is a lie, this never happens, and it is impossible - and if you spread these vicious lies you are a racist or a nazi, or "too dumb to pass the test"..

There aren't really any good ones out there.

CW is never required. It’s just an option. As long as people can understand that you’re IDing yourself and the repeater you should be fine.

About the only way to do that would be to carve off 8-10 frequencies from the 440 band, and hams would completely lose their s*** over that. I understand why. Once the camel's nose is under the tent, the rest will soon follow, and hams don't want to lose anything they have. I don't think there's any way the FCC will authorize new channels for GMRS. In this particular instance, it's not something they will consider at all, because the goal is to simplify rules, save money, and reduce regulatory burdens, and reallocating frequencies to GMRS won't do any of that. My prediction is that changes to amateur and GMRS regulations will be few or none. My reasoning is that ham and GMRS are already pretty lightly regulated and there's not much to be gained by changing anything. The only thing I could see happening is that other users could pressure the FCC to reallocate part of the amateur radio spectrum to give them more bandwidth, but again, at present that won't accomplish any of the FCCs goals. Indeed, it would make things more complicated since they'd have to write a whole new set of regulations. It may happen someday, but probably not under the present administration.

The responses don't surprise me. Seems counter productive towards getting people interested in a radio hobby. You want to talk money, we're currently burning in a brand new hytera ip addressable repeater going up with a DB420 antenna. Easily over $3k without counting duplexer, lightning protection, and cable. This will be at 950' in downtown Miami. Open to all. Part of the reason it's being done is the general "you stay off my repeater" vibe we picked up from looking at the local gmrs listings. It was baffling to see how unfriendly this side of the radio hobby can feel.