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You idea to buy everyone a license especially now that its 35USD is pretty decent, the only issue with that is I have a rotation of people that are not the same. If they were this would work 100%. I use a lot of 1099 type contract labor. Good suggestion however! Thanks

I read about this few years back and it did not seem to be functional for what I needed. Can you explain how I can coordinate an assigned frequency for use anywhere in the USA, without going through the process from one location to the next. Yes I am interested to know exactly how this can work, perhaps others on here are also. Please detail the whole process and how it works for any domestic region you are in. If I can make this work just like you say? I am so done with GMRS band. Thanks

Well, that is something. Frequency coordination would be possible if every location was the same. It is not, changes often, and dealing the technicalities of coordination, reprogramming if needed for each location, is a time sink. I don't want to start a conflict, yet I respectfully ask you to consider what you "think" vs. what you know. Whatever your needs and use are I can't know.

Well, hard to know where to begin on this. Do you know how many challenges are faced by small business every day? Doing this correctly, would involve frequency coordination across several state lines and counties. Business band licensing and hardware costs really add up and the less costly hardware is really something else! The only thing I can say about cheap hardware is that it is just enough of a radio or repeater to make you wish you actually had one. The situation for me is one of "perfect competition". The marketplace sets the price, I can participate, yet have limited power and margin controls. Monthly overhead is high. If I had a budget like Amazon does? This would be a different story. Thanks for the comments!

Back to the language issues again... I do not want rules on this. I was advocating for personal restraint in some operating habits that I observe have been creeping into GMRS. That is all. Pragmatism, reason, and being mindful of a shared resource. We have enough rules. Thank you for the comments!

Interesting... This sounds like some kind of amateur radio application? What region are you located in if you don't mind me asking? Most area's have phased things like this out as the newer technologies for emergency use have become available. I would suspect you are doing all this is in rural use areas? It is off the radar for most people, yet in really rural area's, emergency services of any kind are spotty at best. I normally use simplex, and when I do use my portable repeater, it runs 15 watts. This is enough to handle everything I need. To answer another posting, all my hardware is Midland LMR stuff. The people in Kansas City I simply can't say enough good about for support. They are the real deal!

Use is minimal, yet I have not found a decent solution around this for use in several states/counties without a massive budget for it. Oh, and as it is known? This happens a lot with other people nationwide. Everyone on this forum has likely heard many worksites on the air. The FCC gets involved when fixed operations report interference. That is the history.

Yes... While I don't expect trouble considering the range and limited use and interference, the license technically does not include my "unlicensed" people. They are not related to me and are involved as part of another entity or groups (NGO, GO, private parties). Using repeater channels.

Wondered what you used two portable repeaters for? The reason I have one, and have a lot of portables is for doing survey work and prescribed fire on private land. They get used several times a year, and although it is "old school", many times out of cell network coverage and it allows entire group to stay coordinated at once (safety and efficiency). I have looked at cell phones with built in UHF, yet those are costly, and I would have to buy those for everyone. So I stick with GMRS only, and my portables are ex fire/police issue and durable. Fall on them or drop them and they still work. I I am technically stretching the letter of the law on my GMRS license for this application, yet business band coordination won't work well either. Up until I got a ration of grief on this thread, I had totally forgot about Mursy MURS and I own no quality hardware for that band.

Well... That is something! I never heard someone do that except on citizens band and amateur radio! Jesus Murphy! There goes the neighborhood. Yes, as the advice from others said, when you hear things like this just walk on...

Hello JoCoBrian. Yes, that is good manners! Especially given extended dead air time. If a utility user appeared and needed time, of course bow out and there is no problem. Each region and user gang has it's own theme, Yet if there is a planned utility event? It would honestly be a good idea if the repeater owner had a sms message list to tell authorized users that the repeater needed priority for an event. I can list my own needs, yet most of these don't apply for major metro areas. The only caveat I would add is to still try to keep it fairly short if you have a number of utility users sharing.

Thanks for the reminder of my signature. I did remove it and had forgot it was there. Did not want to insult you, as if I did it would be done directly only. You had posted some thoughtful comments that I appreciated. My radio friend and I have known each other since age 11, and we have called it this since that time and referred to CB as "chicken band" at the same time. One time we saw a guy pull a spiral cut ham out of the fridge, jam an upside down coat hanger into the top, and then a microphone into the front and key the mic, develop an intense stare, push his hat back on is head and say, "CQCQCQ"... We just don't take ourselves that serious. Alas, can't please everyone.

Yes, use them in the field! They are VERY handy. More safe and durable than a phone anyway. Wow 3 repeaters! that is a task!

I have to admit... Mursy MURS does sound great! I liked it a lot!! yet did not want to say it as I thought the whole mess was getting too weird!

Hello Marc, I was seriously considering offering my one fixed repeater as "open access" and have been searching for the best answer on this. The issues with the Cincinnati system and several others coupled with things I have observed with the North Georgia system, have helped me make this decision. I have the fixed unit, one portable repeater system, 6 mobiles, and 14 portables. I normally use simplex, yet there are times for portable repeater use in rural Georgia, Idaho, or Dakota's. Still a lot of places where cell signals are weak or don't exist yet. In spite of some strange postings, this was the goal. It has been reached. My fixed unit reaches up to 40 miles in some directions so coverage is good. I just decided to keep life as simple as I can. Thank you for the thoughtful posts along the way! Joseph

I wish someone had told me! I am not blaming others for my mistake. Hard to blame someone else when I did not know what I did not know! Yes, Hard to know everything about the language and all the nuances. I came here to help make a decision as to listing a public repeater or not... Lots of good people here and good suggestions which have been even more help to make this decision than I even could have imagined. I was kindly warned by a couple people from day one as to why they chose they way they did, and they have stood silently by, as I reinvented the wheel and now understand what I did not before. I internalized absolutely nothing from these forums ever, except that I did apologize for the reference that I had no idea even existed. I do apologize for that reference! I had zero clue! Here is the outcome of all I can see and read, plus the unusual hidden advocacy deeply buried in the forums sometimes. 1.) Business band license will not give enough mobility to use in every region I need it to (frequency coordination issues) on the fly. 2.) GMRS utility use and amateur radio use are in stylistic contrast to each other which could make operational issues an ongoing problem. 3.) I need portable repeater use plus simplex use at times also. 4.) Utility users are of one mind and there seems a direct personal identity correlation (emotion) with amateur radio people (often enough, yet not always). 5.) I need to keep traffic as low on the mobile and portables as I can. 6.) As always, we are the sum total of our fears, doubts, and insecurities. Nobody on this forum can type anything that would get me upset. We have not met, we don't know each other, the internet is famous for misunderstandings. It is 100% good all around! Final decision? Yes, repeater stays private. Thank you to all posters of every kind!!! My only regret is that this all had to be via the web and not in person... That would have helped very very much! If anyone finds themselves in Idaho or Georgia and wants to touch base? Send a note. J

Nice addendum to my posting, thank you for that. I liked that you vented on my quote usage also. I had suspected there was something else going on there with my use of the phrases. They did indeed belong in quotes due to the style of use they have, yet as promised, I will use the more formal description of the amateur radio subject. I talked with my buddy on the weekend about how upset a few were about me using the "hammy ham" phrase and I googled it!!! I could not believe what the result was! I had no idea and I never imagined it was a derogatory slang phrase for a gay person! I will NOT post the result as you can do that for yourself! I apologize for my suggestion and not knowing the slang even referred this. Simply unreal! Referencing what my Irish buddy said about people being "homely" and all? I wished I had just told everyone here they were "homely" instead! I just wish someone would have had the courage to go ahead and tell me what it meant for God's sake!

LOL... Too funny... OK why not. This is all repeater related. This is a watered down version 1.) Think before you xmit, if you can't think of anything to say avoid the PTT button. 2.) Q codes (thanks to group poster for that reminder) 3.) Weather, Arthritis, Space fillers (see #1). This situation is caused by user boredom, and can be cured by primary productive activities. 4.) Keep it short... Think "utility". (probably get hollered at for putting it in quotes) OK teaser done. Gotta go, I will check back in here next week unless banned already. All is OK no matter what and I mean that! Thanks! P.S. On the thought of language use, A friend of mine once told a couple coworkers they "sure looked homely". They were not happy. He is from Ireland, and it was in fact very much a complement. Damn hubris! It seems the world is out to get everyone....lol

To be fair, GMRS is an acronym, not slang

OK... I am amazed by this really... I had no idea this was an issue. It is slang after all in English?, and I will refrain from using it. I will address it as amateur radio. That is not slang. Please don't be offended, English culture is every bit as amazing as others. I had no clue quotes were sneers! I have seen a few things on this forum that I had not a clue what it even meant. I could not tell if it was a compliment, insult, or what... Yeah, that is how true it is.

Thanks Sshannon, you seem like a humble guy that does not fall over your own ego! I too always have room to improve here in many ways, and will stop when I have my dirt nap! I had a zoom meeting yesterday with an agency partner, and we discussed making field radio use more efficient for multiple users doing different tasks. The issue was one NOT raised by me but some others. After it was all done, we could see that "on-air" guidelines were not effectively outlined. Oh yes, here comes the "orientation video"... So, let me consider how big the blow-back may be if I listed everything here vs. just putting up an orientation video for my own repeater viewable by anyone with the link. Sometimes things like this are tough... It is my desire to make crystal clear I am not "anti-ham", as that would make zero sense! Thanks!!!

Yeah, I understand 100%. It is right at the core of how new hardware sales are propped up. If I decide to list my repeater, the "orientation video" will deal with some of these issues with as much tact as possible. Thank you for the "heads up". ???

Well, in my attempt to keep the flare ups at a minimum, I have tried to not go into detail... Its OK though, I will go ahead and list them in detail this weekend on this thread. Just to be crystal clear, I do not position as "anti-hammy" and take note I did qualify to say that some of this likely comes from CB also. I guess you may or may not be surprised to know that I have a "ham" type license. I never have identified as such though in my life... It's just a thing really. Stand by for detailed list this weekend when I get time, especially since one or two users have politely asked what I mean exactly. I take nothing here personally at all. Thanks!

Excellent point. If we don our reality glasses looking at this scenario, we see that extensively linked networks are those requiring fees. So this becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. I read all the comments thus far. Thanks to all for those.

YES! I agree on your private use scenario... In my area, I would like to make my repeater more accessable, yet the thing that has stopped me is hearing the local "hams" use other systems nearby. I dont want to cause an unpleasant scenario, but the idea for a "user video" seemed best. I'm not sure it will be successful, but I will make it and post it publicly in the next few weeks. It will take some serious planning because it will be hard to make people who have an "h" license understand that they need to go back to step 1 and unlearn some pretty awful on-air habits, and some of those may have come from CB radio also to be fair. The recent thread about using Q codes on voice mode was a real colon clutcher. I had forgotten about that one!