New to GMRS

[WSDZ551]

I'm new to GMRS...  Actually haven't bought my first radio yet.  I used CB radios back in the 70s.  Not really new to radios.   However, this is a step up from CB and a little below the level of Ham (Some might say a lot below, I get it)...And I am coms officer for CAP Squadron.  Is there a written prodigal for using/Broadcasting GMRS?    I hope it's nothing like " breaker 19 this is the rubber duck".... Or spit in the back and yell hello like Andy Griffith in " no Time for Sergeants".        You just key up and start talking?    I'm kind of a stickler for rules so I want to make sure I understand this system and how to use it properly.  

[SteveShannon]

1 minute ago, WSDZ551 said:

I'm new to GMRS...  Actually haven't bought my first radio yet.  I used CB radios back in the 70s.  Not really new to radios.   However, this is a step up from CB and a little below the level of Ham (Some might say a lot below, I get it)...And I am coms officer for CAP Squadron.  Is there a written prodigal for using/Broadcasting GMRS?    I hope it's nothing like " breaker 19 this is the rubber duck".... Or spit in the back and yell hello like Andy Griffith in " no Time for Sergeants".        You just key up and start talking?    I'm kind of a stickler for rules so I want to make sure I understand this system and how to use it properly.  

Just key up and talk using normal words.  Use your ID once every fifteen minutes if you talk that long and ID at the end of a conversation. That’s it.  

[WRUE951]

GMRS is nothing like the CB craze. (Much more civil)   IMO your best chances of making contact with someone on  GMRS is on a repeater channel.     Like Steve said, just get on an open repeater or one you've been approved to use and talk away.    BTW,, welcome to GMRS. Hope you have fun and buy more than one radio 

[OffRoaderX]

16 minutes ago, WSDZ551 said:

You just key up and start talking?

Yes.. and throw in your callsign once in a while.

[WSDZ551]

I found a simple explanation on how to use it properly.   With a range of only a few miles  Maybe 20 on a good day and the right equipment....   What is the use of GMRS outside of using it amongst family members during outings or while working together.  

[WSDZ551]

1 hour ago, WRUE951 said:

GMRS is nothing like the CB craze. (Much more civil)   IMO your best chances of making contact with someone on  GMRS is on a repeater channel.     Like Steve said, just get on an open repeater or one you've been approved to use and talk away.    BTW,, welcome to GMRS. Hope you have fun and buy more than one radio 

I sure hope not... I'd hate to think I wasted money getting back into that junk.   I think I still have an old cobra radio somewhere...lol   

 

[WSDZ551]

1 hour ago, WRUE951 said:

GMRS is nothing like the CB craze. (Much more civil)   IMO your best chances of making contact with someone on  GMRS is on a repeater channel.     Like Steve said, just get on an open repeater or one you've been approved to use and talk away.    BTW,, welcome to GMRS. Hope you have fun and buy more than one radio 

How do you find repeaters and then how would you request access to one if you don't have access.....LOL

 

[SteveShannon]

25 minutes ago, WSDZ551 said:

How do you find repeaters and then how would you request access to one if you don't have access.....LOL

 

Click on “Repeaters” in the menu bar of this website and then search the database or the map. 

[WRUE951]

53 minutes ago, WSDZ551 said:

How do you find repeaters and then how would you request access to one if you don't have access.....LOL

 

go to the repeater section of this website and scan or look for repeaters in your area. The search tool or the map is a good start to locate local repeaters for your area.  Once you find a repeater you like you can message the owner through the repeater tools and ask them for permission to join their repeater..  If the repeater is listed as 'Open

 then its a good chance the owner(s) allows use.  Just follow rules..  

[GreggInFL]

1 hour ago, WSDZ551 said:

I found a simple explanation on how to use it properly.   With a range of only a few miles  Maybe 20 on a good day and the right equipment....   What is the use of GMRS outside of using it amongst family members during outings or while working together.  

The service is primarily designed for that use, but you are not restricted to that. It is a "General Mobile" service so the only limit is your imagination. You can use it for business as long as everyone is licensed. You can use it as part of a neighborhood comm backup in the case of an emergency. My HOA, for example just announced that channel 15 would be used if all else fails (seriously considering a repeater).

Don't forget that it shares channels with FRS radios, so in a close group you can connect to a number of unlicensed knuckleheads.

Welcome to GMRS!

 

Edited 19 hours ago by GreggInFL

[WSDZ551]

1 hour ago, SteveShannon said:

Click on “Repeaters” in the menu bar of this website and then search the database or the map. 

Found some!

 

[WSHH887]

3 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

Yes.. and throw in your callsign once in a while.

But then people can go on line and find out your address, or at least where you get your mail.  Any good stalker can find you with either.  

 

I mean heck, I not only got the address but used Google maps to find he who has been blocked due to, well let's just say being and "individual".

[OffRoaderX]

2 minutes ago, WSHH887 said:

But then people can go on line and find out your address, or at least where you get your mail.  Any good stalker can find you with either.  I mean heck, I not only got the address but used Google maps to find he who has been blocked due to, well let's just say being and "individual".

No lies detected.. But he knew the risk when he signed up and paid the tax for his GMRS permission-slip and was prepared for the mission.

[WSHH887]

3 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

No lies detected.. But he knew the risk when he signed up and paid the tax for his GMRS permission-slip and was prepared for the mission.

Mission?  I haven't been on one of those since 1972.  Didn't like what people who didn't like me were doing.

[WSDZ551]

Ask a question and the strange people come out to play......  LOL

 

[WSHH887]

1 hour ago, WSDZ551 said:

Ask a question and the strange people come out to play......  LOL

 

It's the strange ones that are most fun to play with.  Imagination is the spark that fuels fun.

[WRTC928]

I'm sure I seem like a broken record to the people here, but pay attention to the FCC's restrictions on power and bandwidth. They exist for a reason; some FCC desk-jockey didn't just pull them out of his ass. Exceeding authorized power and bandwidth can cause your signal to "spill over" to an adjacent frequency or stomp all over someone on the same frequency, thus interfering with someone else's enjoyment of the airwaves. Radios which are compliant with Part 95 Subpart E (GMRS regulations) typically have the limits "baked in", but lots of people use amateur radios on GMRS frequencies. That's technically a violation of FCC regulations, but I don't care and neither do other reasonable people. For that matter, as far as I can tell, neither does the FCC. However, ham radios often (usually?) can be programmed to exceed the power, bandwidth, or both authorized on GMRS frequencies, and I do care if someone is crushing my signal. Hams are taught to use the lowest power output that will work for your purpose, and that's a good practice for every radio service. Just be a decent human.

Be polite. Don't curse, be intentionally offensive, or otherwise act like a jackwagon. My rule is that if someone seems to take offense at something I've said, I just drop it. There are other channels to talk on and other people to talk to. If someone is being an a-hole, move your conversation to another frequency or use CTCSS/DTCS codes so you don't hear them. Periodically take a break in your conversation in case someone else wants to use the frequency, especially if you're on a repeater. 

There is no such thing as privacy on a radio. CTCSS/DTCS codes can keep you from hearing other people, but they won't keep other people from hearing you. Don't discuss your sex life or where you hid the house key. 

[SteveShannon]

23 minutes ago, WRTC928 said:

Don't discuss your sex life or where you hid the house key. 

Especially if they’re related …