Davichko5650

ID with callsign and then the Beep!

Exactly why I didn't bother programming the set I bought. Cheap entertainment for the grandkids and if we're out in the garden at home, or in the mud on the trail, if one gets dropped, damaged, run over, whatever, no big loss!

Slight correction ( and said with love!) It's nice to ID when you start talking, but the requirement is every 15 minutes and at the end of your transmission.

THIS! It's a bit cliche, but the old saying "you get out of it what you put into it" really applies here. Are you looking to explore what the service, as an adjunct to other services you may also be using or as a stand alone, can do for you in reaching out for contacts? Are you looking to keep in touch with family, friends, fellow travelers? Are you looking to explore how the equipment works and assembling the best working station? All this can be part of GMRS. I can't speak for them, but my gut feeling is the FCC won't change, or at least not in a radical sense, the Regs. for the service. The explosion is licenses being granted may reach a peak and level or fall off, but those $35 fess coming in don't hurt them in the least.

As they (FCC Enforcement and Legal) folks pointed out in the "Chinese Buffet" video (sorry can't recall the actual title on YooToob) - complaints are not part of the official records; so other than having an inside source at the Overlords, we would not know the number or nature of the complaints they receive. They did say they get scads of "Jim and I were talking and Bob interrupted us" kinda things very often...

Had a friend with a Pacer - ugly outside, but pretty nice inside. I had an Ambassador - front seat folded down into a massive bed and the 390 V8 was a screamer even in that barge. But also a fan of Bugs. And Bugs are only air cooled, rear engine, anything else is a New Beetle only!!! Then there's the Vega - good styling but man what a Turd, especially up here in Salted Winter Roadland.

Had an Army buddy and a good friend that both had Gremlins. Surprisingly good little cars! And... Mac's Diner in North Saint Paul for a good burger 'round hear.

Saw a lot of that being used on some of the Ice Road Truckers episodes wen they were hauling in MB and NWON into places I've flown into for the walleyes. May have to revisit them as I never looked close enough to see what radios they used, but most seems to have a CB and a VHF rig in their rigs.

What "some people" (nod to Randy) like to refer to as "ham lite". I go with the service to effect commuications with family and a handful of friends/neighbors, but especially when up north where cellphones are spotty at best. Somewhat around town here, mostly on the HT's around the house. I go to other services for talking to strangers and friends in the DX world!

We despeartely need your expertise over on the most excellent FB Group "a group where we all pretend to be amateur radio elmers" Randy would also love it as we really send up the "Some People" crowd!

And your hands and feet dry. BTW, after seeing the video on the new $11 BooFwangs, went ahead and ordered up a pair. Wonder if they can be programmed via Odmaster?

Welcome to the world of GMRS! Sounds like you're on the path of discovery in trying out the radios for range. As far as not getting responses to your radio check calls, understand that, for the most part. Most people use GMRS as a point to point, short range communications service within a small circle of family and/or friends, and are not listening for, nor responding to, other users on the air. If you are receiving the other radio you have, you do know they work. So factors such as terrain, obstructions and antennae come into play for the amount of "Fars" you will get. He gets his share of grief from "Some People", but look up notarubicon on Youtube. Randy is a wealth of knowledge for both GMRS and Off-Roading. Enjoy, check back in often!

I feel left out, I've been getting pretty much zero spam calls of late. I do like that meeting idea, be sure to order up a few pizzas to be delivered at the meeting time!

Twin Cities also did - KEC65 on 162.550 was off the air for a few days

Those I've seen of course. The WQUR589 I had and forgot to renew. Tried to get a waiver to get the call back when I did reapply, but a friendly call to the FCC and they explained I was better off just getting a new call. "It's GMRS, it's not like you're attached to the old call like you are to the Ham one, right? A waiver for a call re-issue is pretty much unobtanium" I must say, the FCC phone helpline is pretty good!!! And maybe I'm the rare one, but I've never had any problems navigating their online system when renewing for HA or ZA...

Not speaking to that here, but in 1976 I was issued KAUO6363 for Class D CB. Up until a few years ago, still had the paper copy I got from the FCC. Wonder how far back, or if it even does, the ULS archive goes for those?

Pretty active around these parts. Lots of stations on the upper channels, mostly LSB, but there's some FM happening as well. I'm close enough to a freeway, so I can get something on 19 most any time up to the wee hours when it'll die off. But there's also a number of locals running on 27.535 just above 40 also on LSB that I can listen in one most evenings. Have an old friend from my previous employer who is a freebander up there on 555. Not once have I bothered with the "you know that's against the FCC regulations" speech. Not my job!

Well as QOATIG will point out - or did, as have a few others on YooToob, the big money in enforcement is in Pirate Radio and Telephones. I'd think FM on the low bands is something they'd have to get complaints about before any action on their part. and that action would probably just be a "knock it off" kinda letter. I can't see them bothering. Based on that video with the FCC Enforcements folks at the chinese restaurant, I imagine their response would be, similar to what the one FCC engineer told a person in the audience who complained about 7.200 - "turn the big knob." Only done FM on 10, but yes my FT-450D could do it from do it from 1.8 - 54 MHz, but I've got too many other modes I'm using at the moment to delve into that much.

It's also still printed right on the License.

I rarely monitor any channels other than the specific simplex channels Wifeypoo and I use within range when travelling on-road. When on the road solo, if I'm using a two-way radio, it's on HF. Locally, it's also either simplex or a couple repeaters, but mostly only family and a couple friends, I don't go looking for conversations with random operators as a rule. Off road of course I know that TQOATIG (pronounced - Quo Atig) has reminded us ad nauseum that Ch. 16 is the go to! Then again my Cheesehead friends over in Sconnie seem to like Ch. 7 for that.

Again, not a bandwidth issue. Pt 97 says an angle modulated signal (fm or phase mod) cannot exceed a modulation index of 1. 1.8 khz at 3.85 Mhz has an MD of 1.465 according to the formula I've used in the past. Unless my slide rule is sticky? This is the reason for the amateur bands that FM is not very useable below 28 MHz. It can be done, but it takes a lot of fiddling with your gear to get that 1 or less MD. Spelled out way down in 47 CFR 97.307 (f) (1)

I'm a bit rusty on the FM side of things, having studied it last circa 1978 (not counting whatever studying done on the Amateur Radio side of things), but I thought the limiting factor for FM below 28 MHz was based on the Modulation Index. For the most part, the band allocations below 28 aren't wide enough???

Assuming you don't mind used, I've had great luck with used Lenovo ThinkPads from a couple gens back. Built like tanks, external batteries you can swap out. I've picked up 2 in last 3 years for like $65 or less off ePay (, I know, I know) loaded with Win10 Pro. Tons of them out there, but be sure to check the seller's info and ratings, etc. Used them to program with Chirp and various mfg CPS software (including my Kenwood TM-281 and a friend's TK-8180). They work very well in the field running Digital modes and RTTY on the HF ham bands, as wll as VaraFM on 2m VHF. Other than programming, have done zero with them for GMRS, I don't use it other than family and a few friends. They're both still running like champs, so very good bang for yer buck!

Really??? I do know that, but chances are average to good if you're hearing spanish on 11m, it's coming from down south Mexico way or down further.

Outside the US, Channel 9 is not designated as an Emergency or Traveler Assistance Frequency for the most part.. Lots of Mexico and other SA DX users on the channel at times...