SteveShannon

You give them far too much credit...

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.
 

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.
 

I agree. Use of the phonetic alphabet important for hams in order to accurately discern call signs for all the reasons you listed. Unlike GMRS logging calls in amateur radio is important. 
Almost nobody logs calls in GMRS. I would say nobody but there have been a very few people on this forum who have expressed a desire to log calls. 
But I find it very easy to ignore people using their call signs frequently or using the phonetic alphabet.  
 

You're in the right place. I'm new to this as well and have found this group to be very helpful and extremely knowledgeable. Come back any time.

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…
 
 

Nothing brings out a pile up on the amateur bands like a YL calling CQ. At a local meet up last Saturday, of of the guys was bitching about Contesters using a YL to call the CQ Contest, and when he answered, "some dude replied, I wanted to talk to the girl!!!"  Like it was false adverstising or sumtin...
But back to the topic.  I only need to know one callsign, mine.  I can't think of the callsigns any of the friends I talk to on Simplex; I know a couple of their numbers, but it's so we can tell the 3 Joes apart. We ID on time and and when we complete a conversation, and that's it. And no phonetics.  A couple of the guys, we still use their CB "handles" when calling them! I don't ever recall anyone on GMRS asking me my callsign.

Why does it bother you?  

When the operator has used the phonetic alphabet when giving their call sign for years on the Ham frequencies it gets to be a habit, and those users likely don't even think about it. 
Personally I don't care. The rules specify when and how to ID. So long as it complies with the rules, just have to get use to it. 
A few of my commercial HT's have the ability to ID using a builtin CW, Morse, code feature. Unfortunately it has to be manually initiated. If it was automatic on a timer I would use it and skip the voice ID. I'm sure that would irritate a few people. I've even thought about designing a small Arduino type ID'er that plugs into the mic port of the radio and does it on a timed basis using Morse code.

Fusion and D-Star are Ham specific digital modes. DMR is used on the Ham bands, but was initially, and primarily, designed for business uses.  Other digital modes, primarily designed for business band usage,  you're likely to to encounter on the Ham bands are NXDN (ultra narrow and narrow), P25 Phase 1 and dPMR (typically used on the business bands in the EU). There are a few others but are almost specifically used on trunking systems, TETRA and P25 Phase 2.
So far I haven't found anywhere in the USA where dPMR is used, however I have some radios that will do that mode. The first radio I purchased used was from a US seller so somebody had used it, but the radio didn't have FCC certification, so it wasn't really legal to use on the business frequencies it had programmed into it when I read the radio on arrival before reprogramming for Ham use.
https://forums.mygmrs.com/gallery/image/500-ic-f3162dt-front-and-back-sidepng/?context=new
 

Thank God you have zero authority over who can or cannot use GMRS. There are many people who use it for many different reasons.  Neither you nor I have the authority to say they don’t belong.

Thank God you have zero authority over who can or cannot use GMRS. There are many people who use it for many different reasons.  Neither you nor I have the authority to say they don’t belong.

Success! Looks like I may have not been transmitting with the correct offset! I manually input a repeater pair, and got a successful (though faint) signal check response. Excellent.

I've just ordered a programming cable so I can go ahead and program in my local repeaters more easily. But, at last I know the radio is working. I appreciate the help and patience everyone!
 

It's not permitted on GMRS but digital is in no way exclusive to H.A.M.. I do not have a H.A.M.s radios license but my FCC Business License (LMR) lets me transmit digital and encrypted.

Bummer. Here's a list of things I'd try:
Verify your offset. Channels 23-30 should already be set to +5 Mhz. If you're inside, get outside and away from nearby buildings. I can receive just fine sitting at my desk, but I can't transmit to nearby repeaters unless I'm sitting in a very specific spot (thus the mobile mount on the porch). Make sure your radio actually works. My dead TD-H3s act like they're transmitting and I can pick them up from other rooms in the house but not across the neighborhood, much less hit a repeater 25 miles away. Either send someone out with a second radio to make sure it works or get a cheap SWR meter and make sure the HT is sending power to the antenna. If everything checks out and you still can't get to the repeater, you can try a 771 GMRS antenna. (Edit: could also try to build a rat tail counterpoise if you're feeling feisty, but if you don't already have a wire stripper/crimping tool, you'd probably spend as much on wire, terminals, and tools as you would on a 771)

that's the direction i was thinking as well, just trying to turn the train of thought into something coherent.
i suspect the base programming on those uv5g will be similar what shipped on my Btech gmrs50x1, channels 1-22 were the 7 low power simplex frequencies (1-7), the 0.5 watt FRS frequencies (8-14receive only on mine), and then the 8 high power simplex channels (15-22).  Slots 23-30 were set up for repeater use, with the +5.0mhz transmit offset baked in, though they used the same receive frequencies as 15-22.
if i have a local repeater that the output is 462.575, i'll be able to hear it whether i'm on channel 16 or channel 24, because both receive on 462.575.  However, on transmit, channel 16 is transmitting on 462.575 as well, while 24 will incorporate the offset and have me transmitting on 467.575 (which is where the repeater is listening).

 

The only other thing I can think of is the transmit frequency. The repeater channels receive on the same frequencies as 15-22, but transmit on 467.xxx MHz channels.

They'll be a judge to sign a TRO in 3....2....1.....

Offroader just signed an Executive Order.  

So it is spoken, so shall it be done. 👍

Overruled!

I do, though. Everyone in this thread is henceforth banned from using GMRS. Banned, I say!

Edit: ah, dang it.

Thank God you have zero authority over who can or cannot use GMRS. There are many people who use it for many different reasons.  Neither you nor I have the authority to say they don’t belong.

Thank God you have zero authority over who can or cannot use GMRS. There are many people who use it for many different reasons.  Neither you nor I have the authority to say they don’t belong.

Thank God you have zero authority over who can or cannot use GMRS. There are many people who use it for many different reasons.  Neither you nor I have the authority to say they don’t belong.