Leaderboard

That is correct. There are several other threads that started with someone pontificating about how others use GMRS incorrectly. None of them settled anything. This is one place where GMRS is similar to ham radio; someone thinks their way is “the only right way” even though the regulations don’t support that.

A guy on one of the FB Groups for GMRS/FRS/MURS/CB posted: "I'm thinking off throwing out a call on my MURS Radio to see if anyone is around to talk, what do y'all think?" Besides the obvious reply about it being pretty much used for businesses for short distance comms. etc., my question back was, "what will you do for a callsign, given there are none for MURS; 'This is Cleanup on Aisle 9 monitoring, anyone around?' "

Do not confuse me with "some people" who apparently only come here to try and make themselves feel better about spending way too much money on their toys by making fun of or demeaning other people's toys.

When I'm conducting tests (on air and not into dummy loads) I announce my call sign and "Testing" and when done, my call sign and "Clear". That way if I'm interfering with someone they can specifically refer to me by call sign to get my attention. If I hear a request for a radio check I'll reply with my call sign "copies you 5 by 5" or whatever reception quality I think I'm receiving. There's a couple of guys who rag-chew for several hours on .700 simplex every evening without ever IDing. Most boring conversation imaginable. My repeater ID's every 15 minutes if continually up, then 15 minutes after the last transmission and then goes silent until somebody keys it up again. There are some near me that ID every 15 minutes in both Morse and voice and announce the (incorrect) time regardless of traffic (and I've never heard any traffic other than the automated announcements).

That’s a tee shirt right there!

Im often mistaken for an adult because of my age.

That's why I made my comment about people needing to eat a Snickers Bar as they seem to be very hangry over stuff that doe not matter. In the end it doesn't really matter how you use GMRS as long as you follow the FCC regulations and guidelines. Same goes for amateur radio too.

The MA09 antenna isn't all that bad. I found that mine wasn't really omni directional. We had a wind event and it bent the flimsy bracket I was using. When I used it while it was at a 15º tilt it was working better than it had in a while. I replaced the bracket and all of a sudden my signal went to crap again now that my antenna was vertical again. I had oriented it in the exact same direction because I have a cell phone booster antenna and I keep it pointed at the cell tower on the mast. I got this crazy idea and I rotated the antenna about 10º and reoriented the cell phone antenna and my GMRS signal got substantially better (from my house). Found that really odd that it made that much of a difference. Must have moved one of the lobes and now it's pointed at my house.

I’m just providing real life results in my situation and it was the same time of day. But, yes, two different radios. I’m trying to get a better picture of what and where different variables come into play in my area. I was able to use the MP-31 from this same street in the winter with less dense foliage.

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.

I have been in GMRS for about a year now and have had fun with it. I recently got a HAM license. I'm not sure what to call myself... GMAM - (Gee Ma'am) SPAM - Not completely HAM but there is some in there 'GMRS HAM - (Gee Mrs. Ham) - O.G. GMRS and HAM Radio Dork - self evident HARS I think I will settle with John. Kinda smooth, flows...Yeah that's it, John.

"Making contacts" with anonymous men certainly counts as a personal activity... Very.. very personal..

Well it’s right there.. Personal and business activities. Concerned parties. Not “making contacts” across licenses.

So you are here talking to a bunch of tech radio dorks and you think it's OK to be vague. OK.

Can't transmit into a repeater. Can absolutely transmit on ch 550-725

Yes following the regs does matter and why I stated the following: One really can't tell if someone is on a FRS radio or GMRS radio when using simplex channels as the FCC messed up when they allowed both services on the same channels. Obviously you won't ever hear a FRS radio on the GMRS repeater channels. Again. GO with what works for you on how often you say you call sign as long as you are at a minimum giving it every 15 minutes and at the end of your conversation.

After trying all weekend, I have to accept, that at 66, I can't do it by myself anymore Licensed GMRS person and I have a TID H3, and yes, it is in GMRS mode. I used it this past weekend, listening to a really cool discussion forum in NW Indiana and decided to try to dip my toes into GMRS repeater, so I asked for permssion to a local (to me, anyway) repeater and have been nicely granted access to PULASKI-550. Frequency is 462.550 Output tone is 141.3 hz Input tone is 110.9 hz I don't care how many times I tried putting this into the menu options that I "thought" required: 11, 13, 21, 23, et al, no combo would ever make this thing remotely sound like it was gaining repeater access. Can anyone help me with a simple guide to programming this repeater into my H3? I've tried various YouTubes and, of course, not a single one had anywhere near the setup I need for this repeater. Thanks in advance!

We can break your bank guessing at what the problem might be. My feeling is that your antenna probably isn’t higher than the surrounding terrain and trees. Getting it higher can help but UHF does poorly in vegetation. Poor cable contributes by attenuating the signals in both directions, but antenna gain and visibility is by far the most important factor.

Ya, I didn't even use the cable after I saw what it was. I have the RT97S which is only 6.7 watt out of the socket and I think I had right around 2 watts at the end of the cable. Pretty pathetic.

I found a spot like that 17.5 miles from my repeater. Pretty much a foot either way and nothing. Amazing I even found the spot. And there's no way I should have even been able to touch my repeater with a mountain in the way. I know it's mine from the courtesy tone I use.

Thank you, Steve.

At the risk of being flamed…I tried using a Baeofeng MP-31 (output of about ~2W) to reach a low watt repeater about 3/4 mi away in a heavily tree lined suburban area. Unfortunately, I was not able to successfully hit it. I swapped to a Tidradio H3 with the stock antenna and was able to hit and communicate through the repeater. This radio transmits at about 5W. Attached is a photo of the area I was walking.

That is the plan if/when I get the roof drilled for a NMO mount. I do plan on adding a backing plate to the underside of the cab roof. I would not want the roof to tear if I hit something with the antenna.

Well if he bought the kit like I did it came with 50' of RG59u (58?) which was horrible for UHF and the cable being that long.

Unless the output tone is different from the input tone … Which can be remedied by setting your radio to receive on the repeater input frequency and scanning tones.

My suggestion is mounting it top/center of the roof.

There's your mistake, right there.

You give them far too much credit...

They aren't (in this case at least). I support FCC's strict prohibition on linking. Stand alone repeaters are enough. If they were to allow some linking it should be done by special permit only.

Screw that. This site should not be promoting breaking the rules.

to sticky the thread, right?

I'm taking this horse to the glue factory.

That figures. I frequently monitor the FRS/GMRS channels when out walking for exorcise. I rather routinely hear traffic from outside of the area when on the Detroit and Mt Clemens machines, so the linking is still on-going, just not publicly advertised. Everyone I've heard behaves themselves, ID's etc. and no crazy topics. You might even get bored monitoring the system. The weather reports are useful at times, particularly in the winter when it might be raining, or light snow, down south and blizzard conditions farther up north.

Welcome!

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..

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

I totally agree with that, that’s great advice.

Indeed. Our group is 100% open to GMRS users...and nearly half of our group has GMRS licenses. We also maintain a GMRS repeater (SARC 650). It's used every day.

No. Absolutely not. The inventor (Motorola) named the technology Private Line, aka privacy codes. It was done to provide the operators privacy, meaning a lack of interruption from unwanted signals. Its the same concept as a privacy sign at a home or a hotel... privacy and it's literal term means to be left alone. A lot of people misunderstand the definition of privacy, confusing it with secrecy.

India and Vietnam soon to be..

With hurricane season underway, our HOA just announced that the board and staff will be monitoring 462.550. Now everyone knows someone will be listening. Including FRS means folks will at least be able to hear updates, even if they can't TX very farz with their $10 HTs. At the next board meeting I'm tempted throw out the idea of a portable, off-grid repeater. This place is too flat with too much vegetation for reliable HT simplex, but a decent antenna on the property high point would make a world of difference.

All I have is the GMRS and cell phone. I know when the cell phone quits the GMRS will work. But what I don't know is if there will be someone on the other end that will answer or help. But it's certainly better than having a useless cell phone and nothing else. On top of it the GMRS radio I have can transmit on a whole host of bands by just putting it into open mode. If it's an emergency, anything goes. If the eff sea seas comes to arrest me for using it without a license it still means someone is coming.

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.

Yep, it's sad that you have to do things like this sometimes. You shouldn't have to find a way around it. I think some of the manufacturers misinterpret the regulations. Any GMRS radio should be able to have multiple repeaters programed in with the same frequency but different tones so that as you travel, you just switch to the one you are near.

Offroader just signed an Executive Order.