“Suggested” Channel Usage…

[AdmiralCochrane]

I ain't touchin' that

[Over2U]

On 12/3/2025 at 9:58 AM, kirk5056 said:

  I would like to have a channel, similar to Marine Ch 16 or the aviation guard channels, that one can stand by on waiting to be called then move to a chat channel to the long boring conversations about nothing.

 

That is not the intended use of the aviation emergency frequency.

[WRZD727]

I did a road trip from OH to Key West Fl, and monitored gmrs ch 19 & 20, and heard nothing the whole time. My CB was more active, especially in heavy traffic! I did call out a few times on my gmrs radio, and heard nothing. 

[Northcutt114]

25 minutes ago, WRZD727 said:

I did a road trip from OH to Key West Fl, and monitored gmrs ch 19 & 20, and heard nothing the whole time. My CB was more active, especially in heavy traffic! I did call out a few times on my gmrs radio, and heard nothing. 

Speaking in broad brushstrokes, I rarely - if ever - hear anything on GMRS simplex. Repeater traffic is much more common, but even less common that than the DX I hear on CB. I have to turn the squelch way up to filter out all the skip I hear on CB these days. It is non stop, most days.

The more I use GMRS and the more I get into radios, I see the differences in "use cases" between the various services and I understand why things are the way they are. At least, that is, if the service narratives are to be believed.

 

[kirk5056]

"That is not the intended use of the aviation emergency frequency."

No the aviation "guard" channels are stand by channels.  It is used to contact aircraft when other channels don't work.  ATC will call direct to an aircraft or have another aircraft in the area use "guard" to attempt contact.

I don't know if it is required by most aircraft have in as a standby channel most of the time. 

When an aircraft is intercepted by fighter planes they use the "guard" channels.

[AdmiralCochrane]

45 hours on the road from central MD to Waco and back, I spoke to 2 people on CB and one on GMRS.

CB in a 8 mile traffic back up due to an overturned load of frozen chicken about 50 miles east of Memphis.

GMRS contact was with some guys about to take their boat fishing.

[gortex2]

Sounds like my trips. Drove from Elgin IL to SW VA yesterday. 15 hours. couple multicar pileups on 65 in Indy area. CB was pretty chatty. Heard one repeater with a WX announcement but that was about the only traffic I heard on GMRS. Was the same for my trip north 2 weeks ago. 

[WRUQ357]

On 12/10/2025 at 7:08 AM, Northcutt114 said:

Speaking in broad brushstrokes, I rarely - if ever - hear anything on GMRS simplex. Repeater traffic is much more common, but even less common that than the DX I hear on CB. I have to turn the squelch way up to filter out all the skip I hear on CB these days. It is non stop, most days.

The more I use GMRS and the more I get into radios, I see the differences in "use cases" between the various services and I understand why things are the way they are. At least, that is, if the service narratives are to be believed.

 

My wife and I did a trip to Komiefornia a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, from South East Arizona to Northern Komiefornia. I had my DB-20G on scan most of the trip, and only heard some people wheeling outside of Mohave on Hwy 58. My CB did pick up a driver going East from Barstow warning about a car going 5 mph going west into Barstow. It was great having a heads up. We came up on a truck that rearended the car flipped it over, and the truck jacked knife into the center dived. 

[nokones]

10 hours ago, WRUQ357 said:

My wife and I did a trip to Komiefornia a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, from South East Arizona to Northern Komiefornia. I had my DB-20G on scan most of the trip, and only heard some people wheeling outside of Mohave on Hwy 58. My CB did pick up a driver going East from Barstow warning about a car going 5 mph going west into Barstow. It was great having a heads up. We came up on a truck that rearended the car flipped it over, and the truck jacked knife into the center dived. 

Did you hear this traffic on one of the Interstitial channels or the main 462 channels? Just curious.

S.R. 58 does have adequate coverage from a few repeaters from Barstow over the Tehachapies through Bakersfield to I.S. 5.

[WRUQ357]

13 hours ago, nokones said:

Did you hear this traffic on one of the Interstitial channels or the main 462 channels? Just curious.

S.R. 58 does have adequate coverage from a few repeaters from Barstow over the Tehachapies through Bakersfield to I.S. 5.

I believe it was a 462 channel. I could hear them for quite a while.