captdan

Waterproof is a tough benchmark - there are some water resistant radios. The big plus when looking at GMRS radios is the ability to change out the antenna's.

Thank you very much. Dan

I know that CW is permitted for station identification My question is can morse code be used for the "normal" transmission of messages between 2 GMRS radios or stations ? Thanks in advance Dan

I just noticed it says on my profile 0 warning points. I don't see that anywhere else. Does everyone have that notification, but only see by the individual or am I special ? Also, what are warning points? do I get a prize if I collect enough of them ?

We use it here along the Gulf Coast of Florida. About 8 miles inland, the area is mostly Florida Pine Forests and we get a little better penetration & distance while using MURS over GMRS. Additionally, because MURS is generally not available it gives us just a wee bit of security if you will over using a bubble pack GMRS/FRS frequency.

So many reasons I started using FRS/GMRS bubble pack radios so long ago I forget when I started, maybe late 70's or early 80's we all had CB radios in our 4x4 vehicles that we took on the beach at the Jersi Shore and the woods. CB gave us more range, but the CB radios were so big and bulky and required a huge antenna when most of the the time we were within line of sight, but just out or range to yell at each other especially on the beach, those bubble pack radios worked great, no problem with a mile or little more, line of sight on the beach, no obstructions. Fast forward to post 911, cell phones were down, lived in a close neighborhood, everyone dug out their kids bubble pack radios and were able to communicate and relay messages back and forth. Few years later at a rustic community in the Pocono Mountains of PA, the community office monitored one frequency in case anyone needed to contact the community management office. Everyone else monitored a different frequency as a "calling" frequency. If someone needed something they would just call out on the "calling" frequency like, anyone want to go trail riding this afternoon, anyone around that can give me a hand doing whatever for a few minutes and one of my all time favorites bon fire and adult beverages at the Jones, 7:30 tonight. Ya all get the picture. Currently we use GMRS & MURS around our farm. All of the equipment have a radio installed on them, additionally everyone takes a walkie-talkie with them when they go out. We are 8 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico about an hour north of Tampa, hard to believe dirt - sugar sand roads - very poor cell service when we have it, lucky to get DSL internet service at 1.5 gigs. So we initially used radios on our farm. As we met and got to know neighbors, they bought radios and now the neighborhood has our own network, our "family" channel has become the "calling" channel which is fine with us, we don't miss much going on in the neighborhood then. So much easier asking once on the radio if anyone has a certain tool or part for our tractors, atv's etc or something for the horses than making 15 to 25 individual calls. It works great, all the kids take a walkie-talkie with them when they are out on their dirt bikes or ATV's, they can switch to a channel and talk among themselves, they can call out on the calling channel if they need something. Pretty much everyone knows everyone, we all know who is trustworthy etc. Of course, again one of my favorite parts, as they say "pop up" parties .....The announcements comes over the radio Everyone welcome at the Dog House, grills on, fire is lit !

None - other than my using GMRS, this part of the Gulf Coast of Florida is a GMRS & MURS quiet area. There are no repeaters in the area

I think the idea of a GMRS/FRS radio "system" is great. Even if you double down and have both a repeater for a GMRS "channel" and a simplex FRS "Channel". Then a sign posted on the entrance road notifying people entering the camp that a certain "channel" should be avoid and only used to contact the office, recommend a second "channel" every one use for calling and contacting each other while around the camp. GMRS repeater capable radios would be great for any administrative type people, coordinators, group leaders etc that could communicate across the entire camp with a repeater if necessary. A camp that size could only benefit from a good communications system

following

I use the Jacksonville repeater while traveling North. We have never heard anyone else on, and in case the repeater owner records transmissions, we always say a Thank You on the air, to the repeater owner for allowing us to use it for our hour passing thru. That's an area of heavy traffic and congestion, and while everyone has a cell phone, the radios just make life so much easier, no dialing a number, everyone gets the message with one broadcast. The repeater makes life so much easier, it works well, even the vehicles with hand held units can communicate with everyone if the convoy gets separated in the traffic. Anyway - in response to your original question, no I've never found another repeater in that area. When we travel, I use one radio for communication and a second scanning in case there is a new repeater.

Thank you both for your responses - while I agree with both comments regarding not having a tone to activate the repeater, there are six repeaters listed on mygmrs in Florida that report no tone is used. I was programing a GMRS radio for a vehicle that travels around the State of Florida. I keep a list in the vehicle of available repeaters by location as I do not program the same frequency pair in with the same PL code. For example there are 78 repeaters listed for Florida, while six report no tone, 28 of the others, while on different frequency pairs, all use 141.3 so they only require 8 programing slots rather than 28. Because I have the receive side open - no tone - on the 8 frequency pairs utilizing 141.3 on the transmit side, I just wanted to confirm that I do not need to program in the 6 locations that report no tone required for their repeaters. While there are more than enough programing channels on a mobile radio, only a limited number of a hand held unit so avoiding duplicate entries is important. Thank you for your learned responses, as always it is appreciated Dan

ok maybe a silly question, just wanted to make sure. If a listed repeater says there is no tone, my question is will that repeater operate if I transmit a tone anyway. For example a repeater is listed as 462.675 NO TONE, if I transmit at 467.675 with the travel tone of 141.3 will I trigger the repeater or will the repeater reject the signal because a tone is attached ? Just wanting to know if I would need to program in the frequency pairs with the travel tone and without the travel tone in case a repeater has no tone. Thanks for indulging me Dan Citrus County Florida

I heard from Rich who said the problem should have been resolved, however I did not receive the updates this recent Sunday. I'm sure Rich is working to correct the situation. Dan

Thanks ! Dan

I have stopped receiving the weekly Sunday night e-mails regarding repeater updates. Have the e-mails been discontinued or have I been deleted from the e-mail list ? If so how do I get back on the list ? Thanks Dan WQRN707

In Pennsylvania and here is central and south Florida I have heard Wal Mart on MURS #5 154.6000. Just recently I heard 2 wal mart trucks talking on that frequency, not sure if the trucks were using hand held or mobile units.

West coast of Florida the Wal Mart's use MURS # 4 154.570. It's used in their stores and the Wal Mart trucks apparently have the radios also as I hear store personnel calling on the air for the truck drivers to back into a particular loading ramp to be unloaded. MURS # 1 151.820 is used by automated alarms in this area also. I have no positively identified the users but sounds like some of the horse farms in the area. Frequently the automated message - "Alarm in area 1" and 2, 3, and area 4. Best I can tell so far is they are attached to farm gates, when a gate is open it is announced on MURS. Just recently I read some prepper groups are encouraging the use of MURS #1 as a universal prepper channel. Prepper Net Every Tuesday night at 8:30PM CST on 151.8200 Mzh Some folks have come together and chosen a frequency or channel that all preppers can use. They assume that you probably have a Baofeng or Wouxun type radio, or other radio capable of transmitting in the MURS band. We picked this frequency because you do not need a license. You do not need to be a ham radio operator. Just program 151.820 into your radio and label it as PREP. It is our intention to have as many members of our community as possible to use this frequency. Every Tuesday night at 9:30pm est just monitor that channel. At some point, after we get enough people, you may begin to actually have contacts on that channel. Perhaps you are going to travel and you may find preppers on that channel For what it's worth.

There are repeaters identified or listed in that area. Along the Atlantic Coast there is a repeater 85 miles north of WIldwood in Point Pleasant, another in the same area in Brick Township, but none in the Wildwood area. Dan

Thanks !

Can you PM me the information about the Philly repeater - if its that good I will contact the owner for permission to use it once in a while when I am up north here - and ask about what he is running - I am still researching and learning as I prepare to put up my own repeater in Florida. Thanks Dan

Thank you - I was not sure what you meant either !

I am learning - trying to - before it's time for me to put up my own repeater. Can someone explain "for repeater dummies" this feature ? Each channel provides for quick and reliable decodes for up to 24 users with 38 CTCSS and 83 DCS codes available. Does this mean that the unit servers as a repeater on each of it's 16 channels ? I thought that each individual frequency pair - required there own repeater ? The comment about 24 users - do I understand this correctly that on each channel ( frequency pair ) that the repeater will accept up to 24 different "PL" tones, so in effect there could be 24 different groups on each channel just listening to or hearing their own transmission - unless of course they have an open receiver with no tone. Thanks in advance Dan

Logan - so sorry to hear of your blight - I keep reading and learning from your experience and will be reaching out to you as a resource when I am ready to put a tower & repeater up. I should not have neighbor problems as I will be somewhat isolated. Good luck and keep us posted ! Dan

WOW - not to be too nosey but just curious - what is the issue with the lawyer ? zoning ? people objecting to an antenna tower on your property ? Just curious - I am going to building in citrus county in the next few months and eventually it will include a tower and repeater. Dan

Well it would be nice if it would be corrected - quite honestly it is a pain ! Very annoying Dan - NJ