WROY767

@Boxcar Thank you for mentioning "spectrum" and better clarification regarding bands. I frequently make the mistake of lumping amateur radio all-in within the 2m/70cm while there is a whole lot more out there and some parts of the band can not have a repeater on them. (Nor would they work that well. a 10m repeater? ahh no. My bad.

I apologize if I missed it within some of the answers, but what Radio Service are you referring to? Amateur, GMRS, or Business? The short answer is Not True, regardless and I felt deeper explanation might be helpful. If you are referring to GMRS (Part 95), the FCC does not take any kind of interest in our repeaters. As stated above, there are 8 channels designated by the Commission which may only be used for repeaters. It is possible that whomever told you that was referring to the FCC not intending to make any changes to that part of the rule. They are not planning on allowing any of the other 14 channels to be used with repeaters (the FRS only channels). The FCC created the GMRS class, included rules for transmission modes and allowable uses, and set it off to fend for itself. It is not currently considering any changes to the regulations nor does it actively participate in its' usage day to day, unless there is a situation which requires investigation and potential regulatory action. (That happened in Tampa FL recently due to usage not in accordance with the regulations). As an aside, Incidentally, because i see this all the time, if you do something which is deemed not in accordance with the regulations, you are not breaking the law. These are not Laws. The FCC is no a legislative body. It is a regulatory body. You are breaking a rule, and that alleged infraction would be investigated, and if warranted, passed on to an enforcement body (a local District Attorney for example) who will impose enforcement actions in accordance with the FCC's policies. Except for extreme cases, (violations of the rules which result in significant property damage, personal injury, death, or disruption of the public broadcast and radio systems) you cannot "go to jail". You will not be incarcerated for using your Baofeng as your personal 2way radio on GMRS channels while at the County Fair, to keep track of your kids on the Ferris Wheel. If you are referring to Amateur Radio (Part 97), the FCC does not coordinate (which is the proper term, not regulate, nor permit, or allow, or license, etc) repeaters or any specific frequencies used with them. An amateur radio operator (person or club) is free to establish a repeater on any pair it so chooses. There are generally accepted standards such as offsets and splits, but even that is not set in stone. Amateur radio is 'self-policing" and thus, generally speaking, everyone gets along in the same sandbox just fine. A VEC plays an important role in all of this. They are Volunteers in that they do not operate as a commercial entity or receive payment for their services. (It is possible that a person working as a Frequency Coordinator is also an amateur radio licensee and provides this type of coordination for free, while charging for other activities.) I will explain coordinators and what they do at the end. If you are referring to the Business Band service (Part 90), the answer is still no. There are no plans to do so because there are significant regulatory standards in place. One of those is the regulation that any applicationfor a Business Band license includes the need for Frequency Coordination. You apply for a License, and the FCC approves your application in accordance with coordination. As an aside, the FCC developed the Band Plan, and in this scenario, does not get involved in the xxx.1234 mhz part of it as long as you operate in accordance with the Part and the Plan. You do not apply to use a particular frequency. A coordinator tells the FCC which one to allow you to use and that is then what is approved for your license. A Coordinator is a person or entity who reviews your application from the technical aspect. They are a business and charge a fee for their service. It is expensive in general terms, and the pricing typically is tiered depending upon how many frequencies you are requesting. Buytwowayradio.com charges a fee, which I believe is at one price for one frequency, and is one price for 2 or more. A local shop here in my community uses a Coordinator who provides up to 5 frequencies for your application for 1 price. They will look at your intended use (will you use mobiles, portables, repeaters, data, a mix, etc.) as well as things such as needed transmit powers, the location and height of the transmitter antenna, it's position relative to an Airport, or other restricted area, things specific to towers, and the other frequencies (and all of their conditions such as above), likelihood of inducing or being affected by other radio interference in the geographic region you seek to operate within. They analyze your application against all of the other data available in your area, and they recommend a frequency, (single, multiple, or repeater pair) and then forward your application to the FCC for final approval. This is Frequency Coordination, and is a required component for obtaining a Part 90 license. There is nothing to indicate that there is A: a need to restrict radio station licensing as it exists today, or B: actual Commission activity toward doing so in Part 90. I would venture to say that our slice (GMRS) will likely require some involvement in the future simply because no one anticipated the unprecedented rise in the actual usage. Take a look at MURS (VHF, 5 simplex channels, no fee, data OK, but absolutely no repeater use of any kind). It was developed, thrown out there, has generally limited uses, and thus floats along just fine for decades with light to no usage in most areas. Whereas GMRS has so many uses, it's difficult to find spectrum to operate, in some places.

Thanks so much Rich! It took me a bit, and it's very hard on a small screen so I spent some quality time today on dual screen 24"s at work. Much needed Personal Use on Company Time. LOL. I've thrown some rudimentary stuff together. However, my club still shows "Closed" on the banner. I sent an invite to a member and he got it but no way to actually sign up. Is there a moderation period or approval that my club needs before it goes "Live" or "Open" ? I do have it set as an open/everyone can join type group. BeepNet - SWFL GMRS Thanks. Tom

Please help me understand… I signed up for Premium based on the ability to create a Club. Per the signup I believe it said the 1st month is free. Having NO point of reference as to what the club looks like or how it functions, I bit the (free) bullet. If I/we like it then we’d pay the $50 year fee and have fun. I was charged $5 right away and all I have is an invoice. No instructions, no control panel, no email about how it works. Nothing. I don’t see clubs on the site anywhere One if my group members says he saw Clibs somewhere buried in the site but nothing in there but existing/old ones Nothing to create New ones I can’t find what he describes I hope I am just missing something. Please provide some instructions. I really want to create this.

@donniefitz2 Thanks foe this informative post. You provide to us more details than BTWR seems to have to you. One of the guys in my BeepNet GMRS group is having the same issue and I’ll forward this to him in the am maybe his radio isn’t a dud after all He too is using the SC stuff and bought from BTWR A question I had, having to pay that much (or at all) for return shipping. That seems excessive. What’s their policy on that?

How do I set up my premium group thingy?

Hopefully you are commenting on Zen said as quoted above? My setup, if I were to do it, would be using a Vertex UHF mobile or base, and a Vertex VXR-1000 vehicular repeater. A system designed to do this in the proper manner (voice of frequencies aside). While I own some BooFwangs as my group likes to call them, they wouldn’t be anyway near. Those ARE a mess I’m more ways than 1.

The Retevis 27 now has a Retevis software version. It’s specific to that model. Chirp doesn’t (at least I can’t make it) work on the 27. It’s a weird model but an awesome little radio. I have a 7-pack of the U model. PM me if you need info on it.

So let me ask the group about this… Using a MURS channel as part of a Crossband system. I , I mean “A Friend” would use 151.xxx on a vehicular repeater (commercially produced for this purpose) which is physically connected to a GMRS base. Why on earth would e want to do this? Can’t use a UHF HT, Need a base station to work the GMRS repeater I am a part of. Want to be able to walk around the house (yard, etc) with a VHF HT on .5w and talk. This isn’t a Parrot and it’s a repeater but not a MURS repeater The equipment is type-certified This setup is in practice nationwide in commercial and municipal situations. So if my example is not “legal” is it “illegal” strictly based on the frequencies being used? Thoughts?