WRQC527

Absolutely, as well as bandwidth. GMRS has a very limited number of set frequencies, so proper etiquette often dictates short transmissions and like you said, short-distance communications, whereas ham radio has an incredibly wide range of available frequencies and modes across numerous bands, and covers everything from short distance simplex to global communication. Where the OP is going off the rails is by driving that overused wedge farther between ham and GMRS, as so often happens here. Truth be told, I'm sitting here listening to a couple of guys on a GMRS repeater here in SoCal who have been ragchewing for the better part of an hour.

I would hazard a guess here that the "awful habits" brush you paint the general ham radio community with is that hams tend to talk more, and that "awful habit" doesn't fit with the GMRS service. Ragchewing on a GMRS repeater is probably not part of the use case for GMRS, but the reality is that it happens. Remember that they are two different services, with at times completely different use cases. As a GMRS user, I keep my transmissions short and sweet, usually on a repeater that I am a paid user of. As a ham, my ham friends and I carry on discussions on my repeater that last quite a while. I have no intention of unlearning anything. What I do is treat each radio service with common sense, and use each one for what it's pretty much intended for, paying special attention to the rules and guidelines of the repeater owner. There are GMRS people here who cannot stand hams, and there are hams here who have a hard time with GMRS folks. Then there are those of us in the middle with dual citizenship who can't quite figure out why either side is sniping at the other side, and who would much rather see everyone play nice.

I just ordered a new UV5R from Amazon on 2/17/23, got it on 2/18/23, and right away programmed it with ham and GMRS to see if it would transmit out of band. As expected, it wouldn't. After performing the standard unlock sequence, GMRS works. The firmware version is HN5RV01.

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That makes sense, up to a point. The reason being that your base station with 50 watts can transmit farther than a handheld. Meaning that your handheld may be able to hear the base, but the base might not be able to hear your handheld. The trick would be to not travel farther from the base than your handheld can transmit. You can also transmit to someone closer to the base and they can relay for you, but that's assuming there is someone between you and the base. There's lots of variables to this, like how high the camper is, the terrain, etc. The way your circles are configured in your diagram would mean that your handhelds would not be able to reach the base. Just because the circles overlap a little doesn't help you. The base needs to be in the circle your handheld covers. Hope that makes sense.

And now, Templeton, we've come full-circle back to your original post "Better understanding how GMRS repeaters work". This is a real-world situation. Repeaters are "Operator 3".

This is already the single most extensive thread on this site. If you're communicating with someone else who is covered by your license, they need to ID with that license. That's it. They can add their name, a number, a letter, a location, whatever they want, as long as they ID with that license. Simple.

Oh yes. I picked up my license last year so I could contact my wife when I'm out of cell coverage in the local mountains. I'm a ham, she's not really interested, so the no-test-one-license-for-the-whole-fam-damily-for-a-penny-a-day works for us. Also, a lot of off-roaders, overlanders, etc, are using it. Maybe there's someone like that who frequents this site who can elaborate.

The GMRS repeater I frequent here in SoCal has two different input/output tones, because one is for members, the other is for associates and "affiliate users", (those of us who throw down $12 a year to help keep the lights on). I'm not exactly sure what that accomplishes, and in reality, if you set your radio with the output tones, you may end up doubling with someone using the other tone because you can't hear them. So I don't use the output tones, and I just use my lowly affiliate user input tone so I can hear everyone. My 2-meter repeater only has one input tone and no output tone.

I have a Pryme that I use on my VX-7R (about $30) and a Yaesu SSM-17 for my other Yaesu HTs. They sound about the same and get good audio reports. I'd stay away from any MFJ products. The ones I've heard on the air sound awful. A couple of people I know use Baofeng speaker mics. They sound a bit muffled but they're usable.

That could get them in serious trouble with the United Federation Of Planets Communications Commission. I hear they're much more strict than the FCC!

The ISS carries amateur radio equipment, and sometimes they chat with folks on Earth if their schedule allows it. No GMRS though. There's a few amateur radio satellites that are basically orbiting cross-band repeaters. Much too much to discuss here, but a visit to the AMSAT website is worth your time. But again, no, there are no GMRS satellites in space. It would be cool though.

Generally speaking, in the U.S. at least, handheld radios capable of FRS can't have removable antennas. That's not to say there's some European models that do have removable antennas, but I seriously doubt the radios you have fall into that category. The manual for a radio with a removable antenna would likely show how to install and remove it. There also appears to be other models of the G-11, such as the G-11 Pro, but they do not look like yours. My guess is that you're limited to the antenna that comes attached to it.

Believe it or not, 5 watt handhelds with decent antennas can reach the receivers or repeaters on the International Space Station or an AMSAT satellite which are around 200 miles up. This is because there is nothing between the handheld and the space station. Those same handhelds cannot reach more than a few miles at best at sea level because the signals are blocked by terrain, structures, foliage, and all manner of other obstacles. It's all about line of sight and how high the repeater is. My repeater is at 5,700 feet, and we can hit it with handhelds from sea level 30 miles away, probably more.

No. And as far as opinions, the FCC is not interested in opinions. Only rules, fines, and fees. The horse is dead.

No. You are absolutely right. The original subject concerned how GMRS repeaters worked, which was covered extensively. Your questions are many, as are our answers. The best way to get answers is to post specific questions and/or look through answered questions and forums. We're here to help. I mean that.

Templeton, you have been given numerous explanations about how repeaters work. By introducing theoretical and ambiguous concepts and situations, you are confusing yourself. Most repeaters do one thing. They receive your weak HT or mobile's signal, they amplify it, and send it out on a different frequency. That's it. The best ones are high up so they have a massive coverage area.

Here you go. It's a DIY filter made from a quick link, wire and a capacitor. There's commercially made units out there as well, probably on Amazon, etc, but I made this one. http://www.sanantoniohams.org/tips/whine.htm

I've had a couple of radios do this. A Wouxun HT and a Juentai JT-6188 mobile. Even at walking speed the radios break squelch intermittently. Not when stopped. I attribute it to poor receiver filtering, which is allowing speed or abs sensor signals to break the squelch, since none of my Yaesus or Icoms have the problem. My mobile radios are connected directly to the battery with a noise filter that removes 99% of the alternator whine.

Agreed. When I listen to and occasionally talk on my CB, I don't hear any particular dominant language. English or Spanish generally. Coincidentally, it's very similar to the language assortment I hear on GMRS. Not that everyone hears what I hear, that's just my experience.

Also remember that just because your handheld can hear the repeater, the repeater may not be able to hear your handheld. Repeaters put out a lot more wattage than a handheld, and do it through a much better antenna system. The repeater I maintain puts out well over 50 watts and is located at almost 6,000 feet, giving it coverage from Santa Barbara to San Diego. My Handheld at sea level cannot always reach it even if I can hear it, normally due to terrain or obstacles like buildings.

You should hear me at genetic research symposiums though. I have them rolling in the aisles.

That's because I'm a wannabe comedian, not a wannabe genetic researcher. Lighten up a little.

I've had two radios that act in a similar manner. The first one was a Wouxun KG-UV9T handheld, the other is a Juentai JT-6188 mobile. Both of them are virtually unuseable as mobile radios in my 1998 Sienna because some signal generated by the vehicle is breaking the squelch randomly. My guess is since it only happens when the van is moving, it has something to do with the ABS or vehicle speed sensor circuits. In any case, the squelch circuits in those two radios are unable to deal with the signal, whereas with my Yaesu mobiles and handhelds, I have no such problems. Another thing is that squelch settings on the Baofeng radios are not as effective as they are on, say, Yaesu radios. I have 2 UV-82s, and in order to set up decent useable squelch settings, I used Chirp and went into the service settings and adjusted them there. I don't know if the same settings option exists for the GMRS-V2 or the UV-5R. With the JT-6188, the squelch settings are useless. Zero is wide open, 1-9 are all the same. I'd bet $100 in Monopoly money that you're having the same issue I had.

Seriously though, I'm able to get in to both the main mygmrs.com and the forums. Whatever it is may be local to your device, internet provider, network, etc. Maybe clear out cookies, restart your device, etc. I'm no IT professional, I just know that with the right amount of tampering and profanity, I can usually get my computer to work. In fact, I coined a phrase at my house... "Don't underestimate the power of profanity."