SteveShannon

So, it appears we're seeing an excess of success. Cheap radios, easy licensing with very loose rules on who may use, increased number of repeaters, and repeater networks. That GMRS is regulated to be very easy for families to connect with each other under a single license, perhaps too easy. What could be done? Many people (myself included) would prefer that GMRS be used primarily for short messages, rather than long winded sessions. Actually that's good etiquette for any repeater usage. Likewise, although station to station conversations don't have to be limited in length for ham radio, they probably should for GMRS, since there are so few channels. Should there be a more public dissuasion of people who want to rag-chew on GMRS? Multiple times per week someone gets on here and says they bought a GMRS radio and they're dissappointed there's nobody to chat with. Should there be a pinned post that we can steer them towards, or a set answer that's basically "You've got the wrong idea," nicely of course. Randy has been good about saying that.

You are 100% correct. I don't think you'll get banned, though. You might even get some write-in votes in the 2024 General Election.

We sure did.

I still don’t get it. There are a lot more 70cm, 2m, and other frequencies available to hams. Why do you think it’s licensed hams instead of ham wannabes who are doing this? What would attract a ham away from the more plentiful options they have with amateur radio to the very limited GMRS?

Thanks - I can understand not wishing to raise a repeater only to have it taken over for rag-chewing. I get the idea that a lot of people buy GMRS licenses because paying $35 is the same for either hams or GMRS, but GMRS doesn't require a test. It sounds as if the people flocking to GMRS are simply looking for an easier way to play radio. I don't understand why someone who is already licensed as a ham would be attracted to GMRS for that reason. Maybe these are people who either couldn't pass the test, were too intimidated to try, or it's just easier. Perhaps the price for GMRS should be raised to $70 again and the price for a ham license be removed? ?

Just so I can learn, what are the operating habits that some hams have developed that are unwelcome?

Just for shits and giggles, try listening on the input frequency (with no tone) for the repeater that’s only a mile away. That way you can see if anyone else is trying to hit it.

Sorry. That’s all we get. ?

That should work. For me it’s easier to think in terms of repeater input (467) and output (462 range) and that’s exactly what you are doing. Maybe the repeater is on a different frequency or out of range. No luck contacting the owner?

They probably could be ported, but that’s not always easy. The Raspberry Pi boards use ARM processors but have the Raspberry Pi OS, whereas the OrangePi and boards like that use Armbian OS.

When you say the repeater TX frequency, are you talking about the repeater output frequency (462.xxx) or the frequency people transmit to the repeater (467.xxx)?

Kerchunking means pressing your push-to-talk button in an attempt to activate the repeater without speaking or identifying your station. Yes, all analog repeaters will respond to that as long as you are in-range, on-frequency, and using the correct tone or codes. You might not hear it but others may. Do you hear anything at all from those repeaters at any time, such as an ID?

When I put the faux Nagoya 771 on, I get two more S units, as reported by a DMR repeater that I’m hitting. That can mean a lot to quieting and background noise within the same range. But I don’t think it will make much difference in range for UHF. Range is more a function of getting an antenna up in the air where it can be seen, above the horizon.

There may be others who are also passively scanning. If you’re all waiting for each other it would seem very dead, so someone needs to initiate the conversation. Don’t hesitate to pick up the mike and say “This is WRVZ494. Can I get a repeater check?” Also, don’t shy away from saying “Is there anyone who wants to chat?” It’s not against the rules and you might find out there are quite a few others who are just scanning.

Some places it’s even deader. In those places, the best way to be able to hear others reaching out to make contact is to get your Technician ham license and a dual band ham radio. There are ham radio repeaters in a lot more places than GMRS and calling CQ (meaning “I want to chat”) is part of the tradition. Steve

Can you record what you’re hearing so we can hear?

I agree with the others. A mobile MURS radio doesn't do anything that a good MURS handheld won't do. Either can be connected to the same external antennas, With a handheld all the controls are in your hand, a feature folks are willing to pay extra for in a mobile radio it would appear, It's possible that the KG1000M has a better receiver than an inexpensive MURS radio, but probably not much different than a decent handheld, 2 watts is 2 watts, regardless of form-factor, 5 channels is 5 channels, regardless of form-factor, If you just want a microphone in your hand, there are ones that plug into the handhelds. It's like they asked "What's a problem nobody has, so we can solve it?"

For what type of usage? Handheld, mobile, or base? Handheld: Nagoya 771G is a common upgrade - Comet and Diamond make similar antennas and Signal Stick makes an ultraflexible antenna. Make sure you buy the right gender SMA. Mobile: Midland MXTA-26 is a nice upgrade, but you must also have an NMO mount Base - I don't have the experience others have. There are lots out there. Laird DB404 gets mentioned a lot here.

Or like this? This is the sound of DMR on analog: 69713266866__0F6DB109-652A-4953-9EF0-588F7C4C79E5.MOV

I don’t know of a single introductory thread here. If anything you’ll be permanently scarred by the arguments about what kinds of radios are best and whether a roger beep portends the end of the world as we know it, but it’s actually a pretty fun bunch of people. Some of the best introduction to gmrs is in the form of Notarubicon videos on YouTube, although you will also want to pay attention to some of the people here to hear some reasoned differing opinions. In particular, look for his GMRS for Dummies video. Don’t let anyone tell you your radio isn’t good enough. Eventually something someone says may sound like that, but don’t take it personally. You’ll quickly learn what’s good enough for your own needs. Welcome to the forum!

I just found two FRNs for your name and sent them to you in a PM. The older one was from 2002.

So, I don’t know if this will help, but I was able to find it this morning. I went to this page: https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/advancedSearch.do?csfrToken= And when I searched I gave just my name and my city/state/zip, although I probably could have left those off.

I don’t know. I don’t even see my second FRN now. Sorry ?.

However, if you want a different callsign it is possible to cancel your existing license and get another. There was a guy on here just the other day who has done that four or five times.

I have two FRNs. I couldn’t figure out how to recover my first one, but somehow I did so then I got my licenses (ham and GMRS) under my first FRN.