Blackmar401

So I just got into gmrs like a couple months ago. Today I got curious and looked up the Ham test. I started going through the practice questions? Or testing pool I guess, and basically knew all of the first 20ish. Seemed to be just basic electrical stuff and common sense. Obviously I would imagine there is ham specific stuff like frequency and specs. Should it be easily passable with a little studying one of the test prep books?

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.

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.

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.

If your following the FCC rules by the letter!
If you using any Channel/Freq at the higher power levels, your using GMRS.
This does REQUIRE your callsigns, not just repeater use. at the start, after 15 minutes and at the end of your communications.
 
That's the difference between FRS and GMRS, the higher power levels on the shared Channel/Freqs.
Unit number are to be used after your Call Sign, if calling / talking to someone in your family, using your GMRS license.
 
 
Now if it’s for an official emergency use, usually the main coordinator, will assign you a unit number and record document your name and call sign.In my case, working with the state, county and regional. We then switch to unit ID and Last name.Some on GMRS and some on their digital band.

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

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.

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?

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.

I think the OP understands the rules same as the rest of us. The practical everyday usage of callsigns on the frequencies was his question, and I don't think too many people strictly abide by that rule. I don't. I do use them on an initial call or when signing off though. Just depends on if I'm on somebody's repeater or not and if I know the person I'm calling is sitting there waiting for me to talk. I really think the rules are there so the FCC can have something to enforce when people abuse the frequency, not to guide our everyday use. Again, this is GMRS, not ham. Good behavior and courteous use of the frequencies are what matter IMHO.

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?

That would be the Kingston 600 repeater. That person is usually broadcasting what is said on the police scanner during various situations. 

What’s 17? Route 17? I don’t know of any Route 17 in R.I..

I tried a handheld in my house as a receiver then went out to my car and my wife tried and I only got the break.

I don’t know the owner of the New Bedford 700 repeater, but I’m very good friends with the owner of the Plymouth 700 and Bridgewater 650. The plymouth 700 covers into the waterfront of New Bedford very well.

The New Bedford is on the frequency as the Plymouth 700 (PAWA) GMRS machine which is quite active during the day. The Plymouth one covers a good chunk of the cape and south eastern mass. There’s also the Kingston 600 and the Bridgewater 650 which also covers fairly well.

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.

What radio? And how far away?

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.

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.

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.

All is moot with EMP.
 
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I dunno, maybe I am just being crotchedy, but I usually have mine on 462.675 (Ch.20), as there's a repeater out on Long Island I can hear from my location in S.W. Rhode Island. I seldom if ever hear anyone on the FRS frequencies, my GMRS doesn't get them (Midland MXT90), so those are programmed into my scanner. I used to use an Anytone AT778UV for ALL those frequencies until I learned it wasn't Part 95 compliant, so back in the box it went until such time as I can obtain my Technician Ticket, which with any luck will be soon. The coverage on that Anytone is remarkable, to say the least. And despite what people say about range, with a converted Mobile Antenna and Ground Plane kit up on a repurposed flagpole I can hear a repeater in Madison Ct. (2 meter) from  my location, and the distance as the crow flies has got to be around 70-75 miles away, and to my knowledge it's not linked with any repeaters that are closer, and the GMRS repeater out on L.I. is probably 40 miles away A.T.C.F. in Islip I believe. I am situated in a pretty good spot for East/West propagation, but North/South is a challenge, but despite that some days I'll get +10db on that Madison Ct. rig, a little less on Islip. According to the Directory here there's a GMRS Repeater pretty close to me in New London Ct. that I requested access to, have yet to hear back from the owner though. So when I decide on either a Btech, Wouxun (sp?) or the bigger Midland, I'll be able to access at least two GMRS repeaters close by...we shall see...

The entry level Technicians exam is fairly easy, but I personally took (and still take) the examination process quite seriously. I wanted to get my ham ticket 40 years ago, but was put off by the CW portion of the exam. Only this past year did I learn it was no longer a subject that was tested on, so with this knowledge I finally decided to study for my license. I obtained both my Technician and the General Class upgrade. I now am actively working towards the Extra Class.
 
For me, amateur radio is all about gaining knowledge, experimentation and then working and collaborating with others that share that passion. Some get into it just because they want to use the cool cheap walkie-talkies that are available now.
 
Many folks I have heard say ‘just memorize the answers’. For me, that was the last thing I wanted to do. Yes, I wanted to pass, and I new I would given my nearly 40 years working in a branch of the communications field. However, I have always admired the hams and looked up to those that were took it seriously. I knew many that had some good solid technical chops. I was not going to sell myself short if I entered. I studied the books, went on lots of learning trails to fill in knowledge gaps, then took many practice tests and researched each topic when I got something wrong until finally I knew I could get every possible question right. You can feel pretty good about yourself and your accomplishments when you study, I know I did on test day.
 
As I reflected on passing each exam, I realized that passing was truly nothing more than just earning my ticket, my permission to enter. I learned that the knowledge gained in the testing process was just a drop in the bucket compared to what there is know. There is still so much more to learn and so little time to learn it. I wish I had not waited.
 
Don’t sell yourself short. Take it seriously, then get your ticket and enjoy the learning process which is the amateur radio hobby.
 
 
Michael
WRHS965
KE8PLM

If you can fit 120-150 conversations on the same freq at the same time and 98% of the time they don't know the others are there then they ARE extra channels. That is the beauty of GMRS over CB.