Blackmar401

I'm just wondering if these "letter of the law" guys are the same guys that do 65 in the high-speed lane then turn the highbeams on when 15 cars swerve around to the right and then cut them off one after the next.

Exactly. I think these guys all understood it that way as well they are just trying to be difficult. My main chanel that my family uses has next to no traffic on it. Maybe once every few days I will hear a short call but thats it. But like you said if you are being respectful and not tying the chanel up or interupting other people then I doubt the fcc is sitting their with a timer ready to hunt you down when you miss your 15 min ID. Now when the business downtown has 80 people all speaking Spanish and talking over each other and yelling (possibly being vulgar) and making everyone's radio sounds like a telenovela being interupted by an auctioneer all day then yes they probably will look into it to keep the paying members happy. Me telling my wife im stopping at the store on the way home after 30 hours of dead air.... not so much.

not all gmrs radios have the same channels? That's new to me. I know repeater chanel 17 on my midland is the same frequency as the one in my btech. Considering they use the same frequency you would think the repeater channel using the simplex 17 frequency would be called repeater 17? Or does your radio have channels that mine doesnt?

I bought a couple on Amazon and couldn't find the right one. I ended up just getting a different one and cutting all 4 ends and putting on my own connections so I can keep the power cord running where it is if I move the radio temporarily

Does anyone actually use them. I have been using gmrs for a few months now and the only callsigns I have heard used are on one of the repeaters I pick up. It's a group of guys who are truck drivers/dispatch but also hams. Other than that every other repeater and 15-22 I am yet to hear one. I was using mine but honestly now I just use it to clear the chanel at the end

if using A radio while driving is going to distract you to the point of causing or not avoiding accidents then you have no business operating a vehicle to begin with because you just don't posses the mental faculties to safely do so. A radio is less distracting then having a conversation with a passenger.

repeater 17

i literally asked about doing this a couple weeks ago and upset alot of people. I think it was on reddit though

Oh I don't know if he owns it,just sounds like he is out of work and is on alot talking to a few truckdrivers every morning

Is that Stan? I think that's his name I hear him on 17 in the am starting in providence until I get to Attleboro then sometimes at night if I have the base scanning at home.

Why not just set up a decent antenna on the house with a base inside. I get not wanting to drill holes but you would only need one hole for your coax. I just build a wooden shelf inside my kitchen cabinet. The power supply sits on the bottom then my base is on the top portion with a 2.5" hole directly under the speaker. I actually installed an electrical box and just made a hole in a blank faceplate but thats really not necessarily, you could just make a line size hole straight through and use silicone around it. If you own the house why not customize it to your liking. My antenna is attached to the side of the house and sits at around 30', this allowed me to use a 30' run of lmr400 to minimize signal loss.

You bought a 40w base radio. It has repeater channels on it so if you are near a repeater and have permission and the privacy codes you can use it. That is all.

What radio? And how far away?

Anyone in Rhodeisland get access to any of the repeaters that we pick up? Sounds like 17 is out in MA. There is possibly an active one in warwick on 15. 16 is in Rehoboth but seems like the guy only wants Motorolas and other higher tech radios on.

It would also be a moot point if an asteroid blew the planet to smithereens, however power goes out 99.999% of the time for reasons other than emp's and extinction level asteroids.