satzmichael

Please advise: What is the proper procedure for one licensed GMRS user to call another when both have licenses? In other words, I am new, what is the proper way to call another licensed user? Do I say xxxx123 to xxxx321, Michael to John, or radio check? What is the proper procedure to call a known person, or an unknown person, i.e. "Hey, is anyone using this frequency?" Please don't respond with jargon or abbreviations, I am new and have no idea what a "travel tone, PL, off-set," or any of the other terms bantered about are on this site... hopefully, I'll learn them shortly, but for example, I'm trying to connect up to the Ft Lauderdale, FL Repeater... I can hear it (sometimes), sometimes I hear morse, but can't seem to activate it as I can't hear it back on another HT (I just learned that term!) So, what's the way I should "call" to see if anyone can hear me?

Thanks... my background in walkie talkies is about 40 years ago, so I am wayyyy out of date

So it's not a "walkie talkie" anymore, or am I just showing my age using CB radio?

Working through the settings on my Hand held, (HH?, WT? what is the proper term) to activate the repeater. A lot to learn for a newbie!

The unknowing, uninformed and unwashed such as myself are trying to follow the byzantine and myriad regulations but you have to be an engineer and attorney to understand them. I just want an easy way to communicate with my family when cell service is down (like on a cruise ship). I just obtained my license and WANT to be in compliance; that's why I signed up for this site, but if even seasoned users such as yourselves can't agree on what is legal and what is not; what hope do us newbies have? You guys throw out terms of khrtz, simplex, duplex, ctrss, and a thousand other terms us non-engineering background folk have no clue of what those are; yet I am trying to be in compliance (and yes, this is after reading the manual cover to cover). Now, in my mind, I am hearing voices of Yoda saying, "relax, Luke, use the force" before I key up my handheld. It just seems we shouldn't need an engineering degree to talk on the "family" frequencies when licensed.

Or unlicensed users in Fort Lauderdale Port who didn't know about licensing <------- but who wants to learn to be in compliance and just obtained their license (ME!!!). I will be transmitting in FtL from cruise ships, and don't want to do anything improper. I just applied to use the FTL repeater as well. Hopefully, I'll hear back soon and get the proper settings so I am in compliance. Can someone from the FTL Repeater get in touch with me to ensure I am doing it properly? Thanks all for the great thread. Michael S

It is amazing to me the depth of information on this site for the newly licensed user! Awesome job guys! Michael S

Hi all: Newbie poster here: It took 3 days for mine to show up on the site here, then registration was no issue; however, the log in took about 10 min to populate to allow me to actually respond to anything. I received the bad password error for about 10 minutes and then the system recognized my log in which was previously registered. Michael S