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That TV does not sound like it's smart.

I'm afraid that I am not familiar enough with that topic to make a video about it..

There's your mistake, right there.

This doesn’t sound “utilitarian”. In fact it sounds pretty social. § 95.1731 Permissible GMRS uses. The operator of a GMRS station may use that station for two-way plain language voice communications with other GMRS stations and with FRS units concerning personal or business activities.

Fusion and D-Star are Ham specific digital modes. DMR is used on the Ham bands, but was initially, and primarily, designed for business uses. Other digital modes, primarily designed for business band usage, you're likely to to encounter on the Ham bands are NXDN (ultra narrow and narrow), P25 Phase 1 and dPMR (typically used on the business bands in the EU). There are a few others but are almost specifically used on trunking systems, TETRA and P25 Phase 2. So far I haven't found anywhere in the USA where dPMR is used, however I have some radios that will do that mode. The first radio I purchased used was from a US seller so somebody had used it, but the radio didn't have FCC certification, so it wasn't really legal to use on the business frequencies it had programmed into it when I read the radio on arrival before reprogramming for Ham use. https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/500-ic-f3162dt-front-and-back-sidepng/?context=new

Success! Looks like I may have not been transmitting with the correct offset! I manually input a repeater pair, and got a successful (though faint) signal check response. Excellent. I've just ordered a programming cable so I can go ahead and program in my local repeaters more easily. But, at last I know the radio is working. I appreciate the help and patience everyone!

Thank God you have zero authority over who can or cannot use GMRS. There are many people who use it for many different reasons. Neither you nor I have the authority to say they don’t belong.

It’s simple. If you’re not with a concerned group of people with utility of the GMRS service. Beat it… It’s not a radio AOL chat room. It’s concerned groups and families doing THINGS. Don’t clog up a repeater pair with your money if you’re not with that vibe. The technicians class and the 440 is SOOO available for you guys… And you’re right at home there. You can just pour over your latest dialysis treatments and all the rest, and they’ll hang on your every word. But the GMRS/FRS is just for the groups, friends, and families just trying to keep in touch in the field. It’s wives, 13 year old girls, and dads. If you made a repeater, and this type of traffic isn’t welcome, then actually… YOU need to vacate. Free up that repeater pair for the 5 watt repeaters that actually need to be there..

Overuse of call signs are the guys that set their auto CW's on their repeaters every 15 mins of the hour regardless of traffic. Especially the ones that have to announce the date, time, temp, and city.. Crazy as hell

They have a mental/emotional defect that makes them crave power and control - often because in their life, they have none.

Im often mistaken for an adult because of my age.

You give them far too much credit...

Yep. me too. I understand doing it as needed. You never know who is on the other end and what ability to hear they may or may not have. Or if they can understand my voice. SO if they ask, I will give the call phonetically. But not every time. I got screwed by the FCC with a ham call of KB8VUL... now I get a TON of people thinking it's KD or even KE8.... but the VUL part, yeah, that's just a mess. So I do slow down giving my suffix. And it gets butchered a BUNCH. Now if I am on HF and trying to get a contact together for LOTW or something like that then I try really hard to let them know the correct call sign. If I am on the FM repeaters.... na. The only call sign you are REQUIRED to know per the FCC is your own. There is no requirement for logging contacts any more.

You're in the right place. I'm new to this as well and have found this group to be very helpful and extremely knowledgeable. Come back any time.

I do actually… I can point to language that pretty much implies that the use of GMRS is meant to be utilitarian, and I can also point to the Family Radio Service “adjacentness” to pretty much lay out what the “spirit of what GMRS is meant to be”,… And contrastly, who are actually the ones clogging up the works.. And by authority I mean, in the sense that I’m an authority of a well read user of the part 95 rules. Not one in the sense that I can kick in doors and shoot dogs.. I’ll challenge anyone here on part 95a subsection e like a theologian…

I agree. Do you hear traffic on that repeater? If so, do a CTC/DCS scan while RX comms. Once you got that, then break in and ask for permission. WRXU693

Nothing brings out a pile up on the amateur bands like a YL calling CQ. At a local meet up last Saturday, of of the guys was bitching about Contesters using a YL to call the CQ Contest, and when he answered, "some dude replied, I wanted to talk to the girl!!!" Like it was false adverstising or sumtin... But back to the topic. I only need to know one callsign, mine. I can't think of the callsigns any of the friends I talk to on Simplex; I know a couple of their numbers, but it's so we can tell the 3 Joes apart. We ID on time and and when we complete a conversation, and that's it. And no phonetics. A couple of the guys, we still use their CB "handles" when calling them! I don't ever recall anyone on GMRS asking me my callsign.

When the operator has used the phonetic alphabet when giving their call sign for years on the Ham frequencies it gets to be a habit, and those users likely don't even think about it. Personally I don't care. The rules specify when and how to ID. So long as it complies with the rules, just have to get use to it. A few of my commercial HT's have the ability to ID using a builtin CW, Morse, code feature. Unfortunately it has to be manually initiated. If it was automatic on a timer I would use it and skip the voice ID. I'm sure that would irritate a few people. I've even thought about designing a small Arduino type ID'er that plugs into the mic port of the radio and does it on a timed basis using Morse code.

Probably quiet because of cell phones and internet, would be my guess.

They'll be a judge to sign a TRO in 3....2....1.....

Overruled!

This is the way I do it on both GMRS and ham. I give it in plain old alphabet first and if the other party doesn't understand then I give it again with the NATO phonetic alphabet. However, when someone uses the NATO exclusively, it doesn't bother me a bit.

Like I said I get annoyed by it too. However I can see both sides of the argument. Gmrs radio and amateur radio communications via voice are generally conversational. There's no real need for things like tactical call signs and phonetic alphabet on the day-to-day basis. However there is plenty of opportunity when those things can be beneficial to The Operators. But that's not what annoys me. It's probably not what annoys Randy either, though I won't speak for him personally. What does annoy me is people who say their call sign at the beginning of their transmission and at the end of their transmission and in the middle of their transmission every single time they key up the microphone. We get it. We know who we're talking to. You only need to use your call sign three times in every hour of conversation. We don't need to hear it three times a sentence. And just so we're clear it's not a radio thing. I hate when people use words as fillers because they don't know what else to say. Words similar to "like" or dude, or ah, um, or whatever they use to fill in the silence between thoughts. My therapist says I'm getting much better at it though.

I just say let them do what they want. It hurts no one. If it annoys you maybe you should work on that. It a style, a personality. Now it they start demanding you do the same then maybe it's them with the problem. If this is their "fun" why should they need to stop. Just sitting here now and someone came on with their phonetic call sign just to say they were on the repeater. Not talking to anyone. Didn't bother me.

I agree. Use of the phonetic alphabet important for hams in order to accurately discern call signs for all the reasons you listed. Unlike GMRS logging calls in amateur radio is important. Almost nobody logs calls in GMRS. I would say nobody but there have been a very few people on this forum who have expressed a desire to log calls. But I find it very easy to ignore people using their call signs frequently or using the phonetic alphabet.

@OffRoaderX went far beyond sharing an opinion. I genuinely cannot imagine why anyone would be annoyed by use of the phonetic alphabet unless it's because "some people" think it's a symptom of trying to be a ham in a GMRS community. I think part of the reason hams use the phonetic alphabet so much is that amateur radio is international. It can be pretty hard to understand someone whose first language is not the same as your own, especially the pronunciation of some letters. Just think of how much "B" and "V" sound alike in Spanish. GMRS users almost never talk to someone in another country, so being understood is not as much of a challenge (unless you're in California). Furthermore, shorter wavelengths have higher frequencies, which typically improves clarity in voice signals. Even the difference between 70cm and 2m can sometimes be discernible. If you're playing around on 80 meters, you're going to repeat yourself quite a bit. GMRS, being at the higher end of the spectrum, rarely suffers from poor quality of voice signals. For the most part, if you can punch the signal through, you'll be understood. Simply put, GMRS users don't use the phonetic alphabet because we don't need to. It's easier for me to say "WRTC" than "Whiskey Romeo Tango Charlie", but sometimes I'm going to use the phonetic anyway. I have 33 years of using the phonetic alphabet in uniformed service and I also participate in amateur radio. It happens. I just don't understand why anyone gets their undies in a wad over it.

Hi all! Just got in to GMRS/HAM. Anyone active in here?

Hello all! New to GMRS, new to radio in general! I've got a couple of Baoefeng UV5G (PRO and PLUS) that I'm having fun learning how to use. Been working on pinging the repeaters for signal checks, but haven't heard back from the ether yet! I'll get there. Looking forward to learning this new mode of communication.

It's not so much complaining, more sharing an opinion. It drives me nuts, too. Its actually a topic I cover briefly in all of my training classes.

Sir, I am a serious Youtuber.. I don't "do" comical videos as they are beneath me and my audience.

I don't know about "those guys", but I know that after 33 years in uniform, it feels a lot more natural to use it than not. On GMRS, I try not to use it for the sake of the butthurt crybabies who'll take offense, but sometimes it slips out anyway.

So there it is. Control, and the fact you have none. And other GMRS operators trying to move in on your woman. Maybe it is effecting things in the bedroom. Maybe I shouldn't have gone there. NAAA, your a control freak and want ALL GMRS users to conform to your interpretation of the service. That ain't happening. And worrying about guys that use phonetics for their call signs as a rule... your concerned about them? They ain't seen female reproductive parts since they were born and women don't speak to them like that unless they are getting paid to do so. That's who you are worried about. There are little blue pills for that if you aren't taking care of things yourself to the point those people are a concern. Because it is now an AOL chat room. It's being used as a social communications platform, like it or not. If you don't like it, call the FCC and turn them in. They will laugh at you same as we are. And they will do NOTHING. And telling me to take MY repeater down.... again, keep hoping, but I will tell you that ain't happening either. I invite all users and all types of traffic to my machine. If YOU don't like the content, the channel knob is right there on the front of your radio. Go elsewhere.

Too bad guys, it doesn't break any rules... deal wid it. (My user ID here is based on phonetics and I don't intend to ID as a uniform yankee.)

Well, I am with Randy,,,, yet again,, and this REALLY needs to stop. You are going to find clowns that think they are calling for the release of nuclear weapons from NORAD when they get on the radio. And that sort of operational technique does need to be called out so it can be corrected. This can be done politely, by gently reminding the operator that their call sign as issued is WRKC935 and NOT Whiskey Romeo.... you are operating on an FM repeater with good quality audio and the phonetics are not needed. Or, 'YOU AIN'T CALLING FOR THE RELEASE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS YOU CLOWN. STOP WITH THE FING PHONETICS ON THE FING REPEATER AND TAKE YOU SORRY A DOWN ON THE HAM BANDS WHERE THE REST OF THE CLOWNS ARE HOLDING COURT.' One of course is a bit less direct than the other. And occasionally the phonetics are needed from the guy that rattles his call sign off like he's selling cattle at an auction. Of course, 'HEY DUMBSHT, this ain't a Barrett Jackon auction and you ain't selling a Superbird. You wanna repeat that for the rest of use that don't speak auctioneer?' Again, the phonetic route in this case is probably better. Depends on if you own the repeater or not, and if you want anyone using it or not. Do that on someone else's repeater, especially to the owner of that repeater and he might decide that you need to tune to a channel other than his and kick rocks.

As a possibly bothersome old man, I agree with some of your concerns. Hamification of GMRS is common and widespread and IMO needs to be addressed (but not everyone sees that as a problem). I disagree with you and Randy on using phonetics for callsigns; it's extremely hard to copy a callsign correctly without phonetics. Now you can say I don't need to know but callsigns are used to keep track of who is who (there may be several Steves and Bobs so first names alone aren't good enough). For those who only talk to family the behavior would be different.

Why do I catch this nonsense first thing in the morning and feel compelled to even bother to say something? First off WTF are you talking about? Are you referring to someone putting out there call sign on a repeater to see if others are also on the repeater? You answered that question in your own before anyone else ever could, THEY ARE BEING SOCIAL It's sort of HOW THEY CHOSE TO USE THE SERVICE. WTF do you care? You decided to post about it here so it must really effect you. Do you loose sleep at might over it? Does it plague your dreams? Is effecting your performance in the bedroom? The cure for any and all of that is tuning your radio to a channel without a repeater and turning off the scan function. Then you will NOT hear those pesky SOCIAL GMRS users calling out their ID's morning noon and night being social. And Randy, if you are looking for a topic for a video how about No being a TROLL

Why does it bother you?

What

Someone should make a video on Youtube explaining how simple it is to do...

There are more important concerns with GMRS use.

It kind of seems to me like so many GMRS users are eager to police what other people do on the air. Why?

Why? Just why?

That would be a full violation of the eff sea seas rules/regulations. I can't imagine those breaking the law would decide to use these frequencies illegally and for illicit purposes. They should have their licenses takes away. As soon as you here them ID themselves you should write it down and report them. /S

Unless you drive a Jeep