Linus

I heard Sonic over the radio across town years ago. They really had a good signal. I could not believe how well their bubble pack radios signal traveled. They had a grand opening and they were using GMRS to direct cars. I drove over and ordered a hamburger. While eating I explained to the manager that what was going on was not a good idea. FCC rules, etc. He was also unaware of the ramifications. They had just purchased the radios for the opening, I suggested that he have his staff change over to one of the FRS only channels. I showed him how and explained that 0.5 watts would work well in the parking lot. There was no need to paint the entire city with parking lot activity.
 
It worked out well. I never heard them on the air again. I visited often for a meal every now and then.
LPS

All,
Has anyone set up their radios to operate on simplex using split frequency and tone operation? I wrote up a use case here:
https://greyscale.zone/split-frequency-and-tone-operation-on-gmrs.html
Basically, two radios are independently set up to transmit and receive on different channels and tones. The reasoning is to make it so that outside listeners hear only one side of the conversation, and it makes it harder for them to interfere with an ongoing conversation. I understand that there is no expectation of privacy in GMRS. A user can make it harder for outsiders to interfere with a conversation by removing context (one sided conversations) and the quick ability to scan tones and interfere. Assume in this use case that both channels are checked for the presence of others before starting a conversation.
 
The example below illustrates the programming for two Wouxun KG-805G radios. 
 
Radio One Program Setup
  | Radio Slot | Radio Receive | Radio Decode | Radio Transmit | Radio Encode | | ---------- | ------------- | ------------ | -------------- | ------------ | | 39         | Channel 3     | DN174        | Channel 6      | DN205        |   Radio Two Program Setup   | Radio Slot | Radio Receive | Radio Decode | Radio Transmit | Radio Encode | | ---------- | ------------- | ------------ | -------------- | ------------ | | 39         | Channel 6     | DN205        | Channel 3      | DN174        |

Perhaps the answer to the main question is this: Asking for permission to use someone’s property is the polite thing to do in a civil society. There are rights and responsibilities in life.

Perhaps the answer to the main question is this: Asking for permission to use someone’s property is the polite thing to do in a civil society. There are rights and responsibilities in life.

Perhaps the answer to the main question is this: Asking for permission to use someone’s property is the polite thing to do in a civil society. There are rights and responsibilities in life.

Perhaps the answer to the main question is this: Asking for permission to use someone’s property is the polite thing to do in a civil society. There are rights and responsibilities in life.

Perhaps the answer to the main question is this: Asking for permission to use someone’s property is the polite thing to do in a civil society. There are rights and responsibilities in life.

How popular is GMRS with the people that you communicate on a regular basis? I think that is the important thing to consider. Think locally. Out here, my girlfriend and I get a lot of use in non-cellular areas. We also find it easier to use for a quick call while in a store.
 
I like GMRS because it is not amateur radio (I am licensed in amateur radio). GMRS gives us some utility that the whole family can use beyond what amateur can offer. GMRS roots are commercial. Amateur is great, but it is more hobby centric in my opinion. I have used both services in an emergency situation. I am glad to have both licenses.

How popular is GMRS with the people that you communicate on a regular basis? I think that is the important thing to consider. Think locally. Out here, my girlfriend and I get a lot of use in non-cellular areas. We also find it easier to use for a quick call while in a store.
 
I like GMRS because it is not amateur radio (I am licensed in amateur radio). GMRS gives us some utility that the whole family can use beyond what amateur can offer. GMRS roots are commercial. Amateur is great, but it is more hobby centric in my opinion. I have used both services in an emergency situation. I am glad to have both licenses.

I have always felt that we do not need laws for this. We need people to think about reasonable actions. Such as not using a radio while you are driving on an icy curvy road at night time. It seems like lawmakers feel that we need laws in place of reasonable thinking.
 
At least there are proper exemptions in place. For phone texting and driving, that is a significant threat to others.

I have always felt that we do not need laws for this. We need people to think about reasonable actions. Such as not using a radio while you are driving on an icy curvy road at night time. It seems like lawmakers feel that we need laws in place of reasonable thinking.
 
At least there are proper exemptions in place. For phone texting and driving, that is a significant threat to others.

I have always felt that we do not need laws for this. We need people to think about reasonable actions. Such as not using a radio while you are driving on an icy curvy road at night time. It seems like lawmakers feel that we need laws in place of reasonable thinking.
 
At least there are proper exemptions in place. For phone texting and driving, that is a significant threat to others.

Same for the distracted driving laws in many states. Amateur, CB, and two way radios are exempted in many if not all states.

I recently went on a 5 hour road trip in the Pacific Northwest. There was not a lot of activity on GMRS. Occasionally I would hear FRS users talking to each other or kids goofing around with the radios. I did pick up a few conversations on some repeaters that I am not familiar with along the way. One of the repeaters that I am familiar with I called out but did not receive any responses back. I was not really surprised about this.
 
My experience with GMRS is very similar to amateur radio along the same route on I-90. There is not very much radio chatter on repeaters or the calling frequencies for amateur radio.
 
Next time I might have a few magnetic decals that I can stick to the back of my vehicle that show the channel on GMRS that I am monitoring or the frequency that I am monitoring for the amateur radio service.

Based on what has been written here I’ve done a lot of research and understand the calculations required for dB. Thank you for all that. Here is a website that does an excellent job of describing when high gain antennas are needed and when they are not. I have seen similar information in the sailing world.
https://www.daywireless.com/blog/2019/03/30/to-gain-or-not-to-gainthat-is-the-antenna-question/

It looked like to me he was making as compliment on how professional and civil the response was.
 
I agree. There is a lot of really good information in this thread.

For me, FRS radios and GMRS radios were useful before I got a cell phone in 2001. I am licensed for GMRS, and amateur radio. I also have a license for operating radios aboard ships and aircraft. My first license was GMRS.
 
I like GMRS because it can be used for communications amongst family members and friends with their own licenses. The conversations on the radio service tend to be more communicative rather than hobby related. I head over to the amateur frequencies to hear technical discussions regarding antennas and radios.
GMRS is useful when hiking biking sailing and driving. In emergencies, I hand out FRS radios to my neighbors. This lets them keep in touch. I have had to use my Winlink radio service to help neighbors to communicate with family members during a severe ice storm years ago.
 
A similar land based HF service (not CB) like GMRS would be nice to have.

Thanks. I will let you know the results. We plan to use them for bike to bike communications, hiking and skiing. Repeater use may be part of our fun if we get separated by too much distance on the bikes. I had to ride back to my car a few weeks ago and pick her up. The distance may have needed a repeater. In that case the cell phone works.
Part of the search was finding a good finger ptt. We looked at throat mics, but we decided against them. We felt like we were choking.
I bought a finger ptt that works with our existing headphones. BTECH 2 Pin (K1 Connector) to 3.5MM Adapter with Push-to-Talk Button (Compatible with 2 Pin BaoFeng, Kenwood, BTECH Radios to 3.5mm Headsets with in-line Mics) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019YJMRZS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_gyoiFbDZSK90H
 
My girlfriend asked me about the amateur license as well. I am a VEC, and I look forward to her taking the test. I might excuse myself from that exam session.

I wonder what people do out here when they encounter the unlicensed. Assuming it is an adult on the other end, do you ever just have a chat -- say hello?
 
I am not talking about unlicensed users on a repeater. Those people do not have permission from the owner. My question revolves around the simplex users who transmit on the GMRS only frequencies and not he shared GMRS/FRS channels. I know that they also do not have permission from the FCC to talk simplex either, but I wonder what people here do when the unlicensed start a conversation with you. I do not have much of a history with this. Please note, I am not stating here that we should encourage unlicensed users to continue without a proper license. We paid for our licenses and follow the rules, other people should also abide by the same rules too.
 
In the amateur world, the only unlicensed users (abusers) that I have come across have been caused harmful and intentional disruption. I have ignored them, and in severe cases just turn off the radio. Fortune has it, those cases are very rare.
 
In the GMRS arena I once let a business know they were accidentally on a GMRS frequency. The business manager was reasonable and thankful for the information and moved to FRS.
 
Since I have had my license, I have never actually carried on a conversation (except a briefly with business unknowingly on the wrong channel) who is unlicensed on a GMRS only channel. I have my scanner on all day and the GMRS/FRS channels are almost completely clear and unused here. Occasionally I hear someone on FRS. It might be once a week if I am really lucky. The last GMRS call sign I heard over the air was in 2001 while riding in the car with someone in Wisconsin. 
 
My use of the spectrum is pretty much me and my family. I have occasionally loaned out some older FRS radios to others and spoken to them on my GMRS radio. Very few people I know out here in the Seattle suburbs has ever heard of GMRS. Personally I tend to ignore unlicensed users because there are many other channels that sit unused here. Other than a lack of a call sign identification, I can usually tell they are not licensed because they use that really annoying roger beep and the equally dreadful call button. I do not sit around for 10 minutes waiting for the other user to ID.    For others, I am certain there is a really serious issue of unlicensed users. It must be worse in a larger city especially if a repeater is involved. Most users who are not licensed probably never realized they need a license in the first place because they do not read the manual.
 
I draw from an analogy. They are like people who have overstayed their visa or not bothered to get one in the first place. They are around, but not legally.

I heard Sonic over the radio across town years ago. They really had a good signal. I could not believe how well their bubble pack radios signal traveled. They had a grand opening and they were using GMRS to direct cars. I drove over and ordered a hamburger. While eating I explained to the manager that what was going on was not a good idea. FCC rules, etc. He was also unaware of the ramifications. They had just purchased the radios for the opening, I suggested that he have his staff change over to one of the FRS only channels. I showed him how and explained that 0.5 watts would work well in the parking lot. There was no need to paint the entire city with parking lot activity.
 
It worked out well. I never heard them on the air again. I visited often for a meal every now and then.
LPS