[Antenna]

6 hours ago, Guest yooper said:

 I have a CB antenna and gmrs Jpole antenna on the same mast 3 apart. Will the two antennas in close proximity to each other lessen radio transmitting power? Will one radio bleed over to the other radio while transmitting?Only one radio will be transmitting at a time. My gmrs radio is 20 watts and the CB is 3 watts.

Any help is appreciated!

They should not affect each other significantly. Edited to add: Mount one above the other rather than on the same level.

[RepeaterID Universal Test]

38 minutes ago, LeoG said:

If it's a private repeater you don't need it.

That’s only true if the only people who use it are operating under the owners license. If any other license holders use it then it must identify. Obviously that’s not the case here because MrSig has asked if others can check and see if they can access his repeater. 
But I don’t understand why anyone would go to the expense to add a Repeater ID to their repeater but not have it actually ID their repeater. 

[Simplex Linking vs. Repeater Linking]

6 minutes ago, marino389 said:

I know that FCC clarified that you can't link repeaters. But what about a simplex node with AllStar? Is that ambiguous?

Actually, no, the rule is that GMRS communications may not be placed onto a network. That extrapolated into not linking repeaters. 

[RepeaterID Universal Test]

1 minute ago, Mrsig said:

It work great on my system. They are super friendly guys at Repeater ID.

This is what they made for me.

 

Did you not include the call sign?

[Unlocked UV-5G?]

1 minute ago, BoxCar said:

I will guarantee the FCC knows about all the issues with ham/GMRS radios on the GMRS/FRS channels. Are they going to do anything about it? It's extremely unlikely because the issues are 1) low power, 2) local to a small area, and 3) it's not worth the effort to enforce the rules for something this trivial to the majority of the users.

Exactly.  The only time a person might be cited is if they do something really egregious (like monkeying around with public safety communications) and these violations are tacked on.

[Antenna Height Secret]

Just now, Papa2118 said:

I have asked.

You asked why they’re resistant to disclosing the height of their antenna?  Good job!  What did they say?

[Antenna Height Secret]

44 minutes ago, Papa2118 said:

Just curious why some repeater operators are resistant to disclosing how high their antenna(s) are.  I guess you can hit it or you can't, but it can be useful to know sometimes if you want to know what is or isn't in the way.  Say you're testing and know you should be hitting a given repeater but can't and you're trying to figure out if terrain is a factor.  Just wondering.

Ask when you request access. Also, when testing, plan to drive closer to the repeater until you definitely know you’re hitting it.

[Over use of call sign announcements on GMRS]

Just now, marcspaz said:

 

It's not fun... and I shared a significantly cleaned-up version of what was actually said.

What I hear is that one guy is going into town to get parts for the tractor or a load of feed. He and his friend get together on 70 cm DMR for maybe 10 minutes every day just to check in with each other. It’s nice to hear. 

[Over use of call sign announcements on GMRS]

2 hours ago, marcspaz said:

I wish it was that boring around here.  We have the most uncouth people on the radio around here.  One lady got on the repeater (not simplex) to tell her husband to go break-up the kids from fighting because she was taking a crap and couldn't get off the commode.  

I am so glad that people don’t act like that here in Montana. 

[Repeater]

26 minutes ago, WSIY957 said:

Newbe question time. Why do some repeaters come with this raspberry pi thing.

All repeaters have some kind of repeater controller. There’s an open source repeater controller built on the raspberry pi. 

[optimize signal for a Baofeng AR5RM]

17 minutes ago, Guest Tim said:

I am a new radio user.  I purchased the Baofeng AR5RM hand radio.  I want to talk to my family that live within a 10 mile radius in the Kansas City, KS area.  I have a GMRS license.   Questions.

How do I optimze range, at this point it only goes about half kilometer?  Need at least 10 miles.

Do I need a repeater to boost signal?

I have Chirp installed on my computer.

A better antenna, mounted as high above your roof as possible (and the same on their end) might work. 

[State Parks and Lakes]

2 hours ago, UncleYoda said:

There is a designated frequency for emergency use on Marine radio (be careful though, may be monitored by Coast Guard).  Nothing I know of for hikers (except Montana I think designated ch. 3).

For GMRS Wyoming designated 307 (channel 3, CTCSS tone #7) because the entire state has 307 as its area code. 
I don’t know anything like that in Montana. Here it would be 406. 

[Over use of call sign announcements on GMRS]

20 hours ago, SvenMarbles said:

Well it’s right there.. Personal and business activities. Concerned parties. 
 

Not “making contacts” across licenses.

Sven, I think you’ve lost your marbles,

That’s exactly why we have call signs and why we’re required to use them: to identify ourselves to others and have a way to look them up when we engage in the personal or business activities of “making contact”.   
Although it’s not explicitly encouraged like ham radio it’s absolutely not discouraged in any way, explicitly or implicitly. 

[Any one close to Bushnell, Fl?]

Absolutely not. 
First, you need a 50 ohm cable. 
Second, you need to keep the run as short as possible. If you can use 10 feet, use 10 feet.

It should be something like LMR400 or better or even hardline. 
I recommend not ordering from Amazon. They’re not experts. They’ll just sell you anything. Instead use one of the professional radio companies or ham radio dealers. 

[Midland MXTA26 Tilted]

1 minute ago, WSHH887 said:

Just learned something.  But the only way you could ensure both antennas were horizontal would be if the vehicles were some how "related".  Like from the same company or agency. 

Or you try it both ways. You’ll see hams rotating Yagi antennas to determine the antenna orientation for the signal they’re chasing (mostly VHF and UHF).

[Midland MXTA26 Tilted]

45 minutes ago, WSHH887 said:

My ignorance is showing but I have seen antennas mounter horizontally. Why?

If the radio you are trying to talk to has its antenna mounted sideways (horizontally polarized) you’ll get better results by mounting your antenna the same way, unless the signal is bouncing off something which also can change polarity. 

[Over use of call sign announcements on GMRS]

1 minute ago, LeoG said:

Make more.  It's not going to end soon.

That is correct. There are several other threads that started with someone pontificating about how others use GMRS incorrectly. None of them settled anything. This is one place where GMRS is similar to ham radio; someone thinks their way is “the only right way” even though the regulations don’t support that. 

[Any one close to Bushnell, Fl?]

39 minutes ago, Mrsig said:

Correct I got it as a package deal with the antenna, mic & cable. I can get about 1 1/2 miles west of me though the old oak woods & about 3 miles east though the pastures. So you guys think I need a better cable.? My antenna is a 

MA09 High Gain 462~467MHz GMRS Omni-Directional Base Antenna  4.5/7.2 dBi High Gain Fiberglass Antenna 5.75’

Thanks Sig

 

We can break your bank guessing at what the problem might be. My feeling is that your antenna probably isn’t higher than the surrounding terrain and trees. Getting it higher can help but UHF does poorly in vegetation. Poor cable contributes by attenuating the signals in both directions, but antenna gain and visibility is by far the most important factor. 

[Any one close to Bushnell, Fl?]

8 minutes ago, LeoG said:

Yup, was too lazy to go look last time and couldn't remember.  ends in 9 is 75 ohm ends in 8 is 50 ohm, right?

That’s correct. But RG-59 has been replaced by RG6.

8 minutes ago, LeoG said:

Here's the roll of 50' I never used that I got with my kit.  If I knew it was going to be this I wouldn't have ordered the kit.

Sell it to someone for use on HF or lower. It’s just not suitable for VHF or UHF.

[Any one close to Bushnell, Fl?]

2 hours ago, LeoG said:

Well if he bought the kit like I did it came with 50' of RG59u (58?) which was horrible for UHF and the cable being that long.

50 feet of RG-58 would attenuate a buttload of UHF RF. 

[Yes, I am that newbie that cannot get GMRS repeater to work on a TID H3 :)]

1 hour ago, pruitthall said:

After trying all weekend, I have to accept, that at 66, I can't do it by myself anymore

Licensed GMRS person and I have a TID H3, and yes, it is in GMRS mode.  I used it this past weekend, listening to a really cool discussion forum in NW Indiana and decided to try to dip my toes into GMRS repeater, so I asked for permssion to a local (to me, anyway) repeater and have been nicely granted access to PULASKI-550.

Frequency is 462.550

Output tone is 141.3 hz

Input tone is 110.9 hz

 

I don't care how many times I tried putting this into the menu options that I "thought" required: 11, 13, 21, 23, et al, no combo would ever make this thing remotely sound like it was gaining repeater access.

Can anyone help me with a simple guide to programming this repeater into my H3?  I've tried various YouTubes and, of course, not a single one had anywhere near the setup I need for this repeater.

Thanks in advance!

So although the output frequency is 462.550, the frequency you must transmit to the repeater is 467.550 MHz. That’s usually taken care of automatically if you select a repeater channel.

[Any one close to Bushnell, Fl?]

1 hour ago, Mrsig said:

Bump.

Any one close to Bushnell, Fl that can check out my RT97L Repeater system? It is not putting out as far as I think it should. I think I have something wrong.

Thanks Sig.

What kind of range are you getting?
If people can use it when they’re near, the most likely thing you have “wrong” is simply antenna height, as @LeoG said.
The other possibility is that your signal is being attenuated between your antenna and your repeater. What is “50-3 pure copper coaxial extender cable for RT97L”?  What cable type is it and how long is it?  Perhaps the 50-3 refers to the length? 50 feet three inches?

[Repeater Approval]

Unless the output tone is different from the input tone …

Which can be remedied by setting your radio to receive on the repeater input frequency and scanning tones. 

[Over use of call sign announcements on GMRS]

1 hour ago, SvenMarbles said:

I do actually… I can point to language that pretty much implies that the use of GMRS is meant to be utilitarian, and I can also point to the Family Radio Service “adjacentness” to pretty much lay out what the “spirit of what GMRS is meant to be”,… And contrastly, who are actually the ones clogging up the works..

And by authority I mean, in the sense that I’m an authority of a well read user of the part 95 rules. Not one in the sense that I can kick in doors and shoot dogs.. 

I’ll challenge anyone here on part 95a subsection e like a theologian…

 

 

This doesn’t sound “utilitarian”.  In fact it sounds pretty social. 

§ 95.1731 Permissible GMRS uses.

The operator of a GMRS station may use that station for two-way plain language voice communications with other GMRS stations and with FRS units concerning personal or business activities.

 

[GMRS Repeaters]

5 hours ago, WSDZ473 said:

Why is it that the GMRS channel are so quiet? I never hear anything out of these GMRS channels. Are there any GMRS repeaters in NYC in 2025? If so can you please share the information 

 

 

Be sure to listen without any RX tones or codes so you can hear what’s transmitted on each frequency.  If you have the wrong code or tone on RX you’ll hear nothing. With no tones or codes you hear everything.