Over use of call sign announcements on GMRS

[marcspaz]

Like I said I get annoyed by it too. However I can see both sides of the argument. Gmrs radio and amateur radio communications via voice are generally conversational. There's no real need for things like tactical call signs and phonetic alphabet on the day-to-day basis. However there is plenty of opportunity when those things can be beneficial to The Operators. 

 

But that's not what annoys me. It's probably not what annoys Randy either, though I won't speak for him personally. What does annoy me is people who say their call sign at the beginning of their transmission and at the end of their transmission and in the middle of their transmission every single time they key up the microphone. We get it. We know who we're talking to. You only need to use your call sign three times in every hour of conversation. We don't need to hear it three times a sentence.

 

And just so we're clear it's not a radio thing. I hate when people use words as fillers because they don't know what else to say. Words similar to "like" or dude, or ah, um, or whatever they use to fill in the silence between thoughts.

 

My therapist says I'm getting much better at it though.

[WRXB215]

1 hour ago, WRXL702 said:

The NATO Phonetic Alphabet Should Only Be Used For A Clarification When Necessary

This is the way I do it on both GMRS and ham. I give it in plain old alphabet first and if the other party doesn't understand then I give it again with the NATO phonetic alphabet.

However, when someone uses the NATO exclusively, it doesn't bother me a bit.

[WRTC928]

2 hours ago, LeoG said:

I just say let them do what they want.  It hurts no one.  If it annoys you maybe you should work on that.  It a style, a personality.  Now it they start demanding you do the same then maybe it's them with the problem.

If this is their "fun" why should they need to stop.

Just sitting here now and someone came on with their phonetic call sign just to say they were on the repeater.  Not talking to anyone.  Didn't bother me.

That's pretty much how I feel.

[WRUE951]

a lot of 'want to be' HAMER's practice their phonetic techniques on GMRS..   Pretty easy to follow these guys.. Just listen to WIN and PAPA and you'll know what i mean.   

[SteveShannon]

On 7/12/2025 at 12:47 PM, SvenMarbles said:

It’s simple. If you’re not with a concerned group of people with utility of the GMRS service. Beat it…

It’s not a radio AOL chat room. It’s concerned groups and families doing THINGS. 
 
Don’t clog up a repeater pair with your money if you’re not with that vibe. 
 

The technicians class and the 440 is SOOO available for you guys…  And you’re right at home there. You can just pour over your latest dialysis treatments and all the rest, and they’ll hang on your every word.  
 

But the GMRS/FRS is just for the groups, friends, and families just trying to keep in touch in the field. It’s wives, 13 year old girls, and dads. 
 

If you made a repeater, and this type of traffic isn’t welcome, then actually… YOU need to vacate. Free up that repeater pair for the 5 watt repeaters that actually need to be there..

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.

[hxpx]

34 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Neither you nor I have the authority to say they don’t belong.

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

Edit: ah, dang it.

[LeoG]

1 hour ago, SteveShannon said:

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.

He's telling me how I can use my repeater on the free airways.  Schmuck.

[OffRoaderX]

1 hour ago, hxpx said:

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

Overruled!

[WRXB215]

2 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

Overruled!

So it is spoken, so shall it be done.

[WRUE951]

2 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

Overruled!

Offroader just signed an Executive Order.  

[LeoG]

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

[GrouserPad]

On 7/12/2025 at 2:47 PM, SvenMarbles said:

It’s simple. If you’re not with a concerned group of people with utility of the GMRS service. Beat it…

It’s not a radio AOL chat room. It’s concerned groups and families doing THINGS. &nbsp
 
Don’t clog up a repeater pair with your money if you’re not with that vibe. 
 

The technicians class and the 440 is SOOO available for you guys…  And you’re right at home there. You can just pour over your latest dialysis treatments and all the rest, and they’ll hang on your every word.  
 

But the GMRS/FRS is just for the groups, friends, and families just trying to keep in touch in the field. It’s wives, 13 year old girls, and dads. 
 

If you made a repeater, and this type of traffic isn’t welcome, then actually… YOU need to vacate. Free up that repeater pair for the 5 watt repeaters that actually need to be there..

I think the issue lies with a person of used group who literally ties up every single repeater frequency so they can essentially prevent any possible new users from utilizing the service. 

[Lscott]

22 hours ago, marcspaz said:

There's no real need for things like tactical call signs and phonetic alphabet on the day-to-day basis.

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.

[WSEL330]

I'm taking this horse to the glue factory.

[hxpx]

27 minutes ago, WSEL330 said:

I'm taking this horse to the glue factory.

to sticky the thread, right?

[Davichko5650]

On 7/12/2025 at 11:50 AM, SteveShannon said:

  Maybe he’s intrigued at hearing a female voice on the radio.  

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.

[Davichko5650]

On 7/12/2025 at 3:39 PM, OffRoaderX said:

Sir, I am a serious Youtuber.. I don't "do" comical videos as they are beneath me and my audience.

I noted that on your last video on a Wouxun HT!  I was on my smart TV and couldn't comment on the precise nature of your verbiage!  Although, I'm betting that "Certain Individuals" did leave some good ones worth reading?

[WSEL330]

13 minutes ago, hxpx said:

to sticky the thread, right?

And dead horse...

[OffRoaderX]

7 minutes ago, Davichko5650 said:

I was on my smart TV and couldn't comment

That TV does not sound like it's smart.

[Davichko5650]

14 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

That TV does not sound like it's smart.

Streaming the YooToob on it. I can thumbs up/down things subscribe or save for later. All these things except comment. I'd have to add a keyboard but I use one at work most days so that's a non-starter.

I rarely watch YT on either my phone (smarter than the TV) or on my home Laptop (it's normally trying to contact those random men out there)

[Raybestos]

On 7/11/2025 at 10:57 PM, OffRoaderX said:

Someone should make a video on Youtube explaining how simple it is to do...

Do we know anyone around here with such a platform who might do that?   

[SvenMarbles]

On 7/13/2025 at 4:55 PM, SteveShannon said:

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.

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…

 

 

[UncleYoda]

21 minutes ago, SvenMarbles said:

I’ll challenge anyone here on part 95a subsection e like a theologian…

The issue is not what it says (anyone can copy and paste), but that people don't agree on the meaning.  All you have to do is look at some of the past threads to see the interpretations being applied.

[WRKC935]

On 7/13/2025 at 12:32 PM, WRXB215 said:

This is the way I do it on both GMRS and ham. I give it in plain old alphabet first and if the other party doesn't understand then I give it again with the NATO phonetic alphabet.

However, when someone uses the NATO exclusively, it doesn't bother me a bit.

Yep. me too.  I understand doing it as needed.  You never know who is on the other end and what ability to hear they may or may not have.  Or if they can understand my voice.  SO if they ask, I will give the call phonetically.  But not every time.

I got screwed by the FCC with a ham call of KB8VUL... now I get a TON of people thinking it's KD or even KE8.... but the VUL part, yeah, that's just a mess.  So I do slow down giving my suffix.  And it gets butchered a BUNCH.  Now if I am on HF and trying to get a contact together for LOTW or something like that then I try really hard to let them know the correct call sign.  If I am on the FM repeaters.... na.  The only call sign you are REQUIRED to know per the FCC is your own.  There is no requirement for logging contacts any more. 

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, SvenMarbles said:

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…

 

 

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.