How to make my dad want to invest in GMRS over HAM or CB?

[Guest Azzy216221]

To begin, I'm under 18 but really want to get into GMRS. I've been told it's better because people are nicer than on HAM and from my own research it's cheaper because one pay the license fee once and everyone in your immediate family has a license, and (from what I can tell) the equipment costs less when just getting started. I've tried telling him about it being more powerful than CB or FRS but he seems to think GMRS was made for those living on family farms who need to communicate over long distances, or for people lost in the woods. How do I make him realize it can also be used in the city? (Broadmoor, for those in the NOLA area.) And if it works, I will be back to tell y'all the good news!

TL;DR: my dad thinks GMRS is for country people, how do I make him think it's not?

[WRUE951]

19 minutes ago, Guest Azzy216221 said:

To begin, I'm under 18 but really want to get into GMRS. I've been told it's better because people are nicer than on HAM and from my own research it's cheaper because one pay the license fee once and everyone in your immediate family has a license, and (from what I can tell) the equipment costs less when just getting started. I've tried telling him about it being more powerful than CB or FRS but he seems to think GMRS was made for those living on family farms who need to communicate over long distances, or for people lost in the woods. How do I make him realize it can also be used in the city? (Broadmoor, for those in the NOLA area.) And if it works, I will be back to tell y'all the good news!

TL;DR: my dad thinks GMRS is for country people, how do I make him think it's not?

well,,  maybe if you get two GMRS HT's, program them for a local repeater and give him one.   Once he realizes the potential talking over repeaters without the hassles of getting a HAM license to do the same, he might get interested...  And say dad "this is for family and friends and we have lots of friends..  Then convince him to put up your own repeater.  

[Guest Azzy216221]

I think that's too close to the "with HAM you need to take a whole test but with GMRS you don't" point, which I've already tried. His problem is he thinks it's mainly for farm workers and that CB or HAM would be better for city living

[SteveShannon]

25 minutes ago, Guest Azzy216221 said:

I think that's too close to the "with HAM you need to take a whole test but with GMRS you don't" point, which I've already tried. His problem is he thinks it's mainly for farm workers and that CB or HAM would be better for city living

Why don’t you get your ham license. The technician test is relatively easy. HamStudy.org offers free study material at their website. Although I am not in Louisiana all the hams I’ve met have been very friendly. We need to encourage more young people to become involved in amateur radio and your enthusiasm is great!

As far as GMRS goes, there’s nothing in the regulations that makes it less suitable for urban areas. In fact if you were to examine the database of GMRS repeaters I think you would find that the vast majority of them have been established to serve populous areas, not  sparsely populated countryside property.
Yes, the ability to share radios with a family benefits family businesses like many farms, but GMRS is just as useful for families who are living and working in a city. 
Unfortunately, there’s probably nothing that we can offer you that will change your father’s mind. 

[beerftw]

Truthfully, if you or he wants the full radio experience ham is where it's at. You should focus less on steering away from ham and more towards also accepting gmrs. There is no one radio type that does it all, gmrs is simple, it is compatible with frs but with more power in handhelds and also able to use basestations, and in many areas not flooded with users like cb radio is.

 

  Ham can go really far even as far as video broadcasts, internet over ham radio, emails over radio, cw or morse code, and with higher license types communicating across the country or planet. But ham is not ideal for short distance coms as the rules are stricter and many channels are not dedicated to simplex coms or even have band plans on who when and where can use those frequencies.

 

  Gmrs is down to 22 channels for simplex plus 8 channels for repeater use, has good enough range, and has very relaxed rules. 

 

   I find gmrs is better for friends and family and work use, and more adaptable as I can hand out cheap blister pack frs radios in an emergency. Ham has more options and more range, but more rules to follow and more room for error. I would simply suggest pushing him to get a gmrs license as well as the ham license, radio coms are like potato chips, can't have just one.

[WRUE951]

1 hour ago, SteveShannon said:

 

As far as GMRS goes, there’s nothing in the regulations that makes it less suitable for urban areas. In fact if you were to examine the database of GMRS repeaters I think you would find that the vast majority of them have been established to serve populous areas,

your right, there is nothing in the rules restricting the number of GMRS repeaters one can establish. So if you have a lot of friends and a lot of cash, you can put up 25-30 repeaters as some here do..   In fact, you can spread them through multiple states too.   Hell Yaaaa.     

[SteveShannon]

2 minutes ago, WRUE951 said:

your right, there is nothing in the rules restricting the number of GMRS repeaters one can establish. So if you have a lot of friends and a lot of cash, you can put up 25-30 repeaters as some here do..   In fact, you can spread them through multiple states too.   Hell Yaaaa.     

I don’t understand what you’re talking about.

[WRUE951]

2 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

I don’t understand what you’re talking about.

Sarcastic point..  but its true.  

[SteveShannon]

2 minutes ago, WRUE951 said:

Sarcastic point..  but its true.  

It is true, but it had nothing to do with the young person’s question or my response, so I wondered what led you to it. 

[WRUE951]

5 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

It is true, but it had nothing to do with the young person’s question or my response, so I wondered what led you to it. 

Sure it does,, you're just looking at it with your left eye   

[AdmiralCochrane]

More nothing.  Pardon me for inconveniencing electrons to say so.

[RoadApple]

4 hours ago, Guest Azzy216221 said:

To begin, I'm under 18 but really want to get into GMRS. I've been told it's better because people are nicer than on HAM and from my own research it's cheaper because one pay the license fee once and everyone in your immediate family has a license, and (from what I can tell) the equipment costs less when just getting started. I've tried telling him about it being more powerful than CB or FRS but he seems to think GMRS was made for those living on family farms who need to communicate over long distances, or for people lost in the woods. How do I make him realize it can also be used in the city? (Broadmoor, for those in the NOLA area.) And if it works, I will be back to tell y'all the good news!

TL;DR: my dad thinks GMRS is for country people, how do I make him think it's not?

The choice between GMRS and/or Ham and/or CB comes down to, what is it that you and your dad hope to accomplish via your use of the radio?  Different radio bands/services often serve different purposes in terms of practical range, unwanted interference from distant stations, etc. There is a whole host of considerations, not the least of which may be the need for you and perhaps other family members to pass an exam to be licensed.   I suggest you first start by identifying what you want out of radio, then decide on which avenue makes the most sense.

[GreggInFL]

6 hours ago, Guest Azzy216221 said:

To begin, I'm under 18 but really want to get into GMRS. I've been told it's better because people are nicer than on HAM and from my own research it's cheaper because one pay the license fee once and everyone in your immediate family has a license, and (from what I can tell) the equipment costs less when just getting started. I've tried telling him about it being more powerful than CB or FRS but he seems to think GMRS was made for those living on family farms who need to communicate over long distances, or for people lost in the woods. How do I make him realize it can also be used in the city? (Broadmoor, for those in the NOLA area.) And if it works, I will be back to tell y'all the good news!

TL;DR: my dad thinks GMRS is for country people, how do I make him think it's not?

Do you have a GMRS license? IIRC, there is no minimum age limit (could be wrong, it happens), so get a license and two radios. Show dad how it works.

[WRUU653]

Does your dad have a ham license? If he does I would encourage you to get yours as well. Having a shared interest can be great. Having both licenses is fairly common. As for getting him interested in GMRS I would say get your license and if you can afford it get two radios and give him one. That might be all it takes. Good luck. 

[WRCR724]

4 hours ago, GreggInFL said:

Do you have a GMRS license? IIRC, there is no minimum age limit (could be wrong, it happens), so get a license and two radios. Show dad how it works.

Must be 18 or older. OP said he is under 18. 

 

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E/section-95.1705

 

 

[GreggInFL]

10 hours ago, WRCR724 said:

Must be 18 or older. OP said he is under 18. 

 

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-E/section-95.1705

 

 

Well, poop.

[WSKN262]

GMRS is for the most part with in a county, town to town communication from my research this is supposed to be the use of GMRS. HAM is for higher power levels and longer distance, more advanced coms. For incase of emergency coms GMRS is cheap and reliable. 10 watts with the right antenna and conditions can get you a long ways away. I am no expert but I have done my research. Maybe explain it in a way that you would like to practice on the GMRS band get your feet under you for future test maybe pay for his license. Regardless knowing how to operate a radio reliably trumps the opinion of only country folk use that in a emergency, having the GMRS license allows you to use/practice with up to 50 watts on the respective channels while others are limited to .5 watts.....  Just be mind full there is a reason .5 watts is a limit your not gonna hurt your self un knowingly with it. DO your research please not one of us here wants you to get sick.

[WSLH454]

Not sure you'll convince him either way. If he's not sure that two way radio is something your family maybe needs at all, then HAM is probably out. You could sink a lot of money into it as some have. No HAM has just one or two radios lol. CB would be a waste of money nowadays in my opinion. Base unit, mobile unit and antennas etc...GMRS is a lower cost way to see if it's be something you would use, and maybe later consider getting into HAM radio etc...$100 or less including your license and you're set with GMRS. Maybe try and convince your dad, with the idea of emergency communication in case of a disaster. In some situations we might not have access to cell phones etc...Best of Luck

[PACNWComms]

As others mentioned, once 18, get a GMRS license and a couple of radios. Advantage to GMRs is the no test license, 10 years for $35 fee, and that hardware is cheap. Then, with linked repeaters (often in cities and not necessarily rural farmland), you get the ability to talk to people in other cities. 

Sitting at my desk, I talk with people a hundred miles away via linked repeaters......this could be done via amateur repeater and radio, but would have cost more money (I had to pay the fees and take a test for the license), and then there is the "sad ham" mindset many have (I also live in a part of the country where the sun does not shine too often - leading to depression for many in the winter months). 

GMRS being UHF, tends to work better around buildings and slightly built up areas anyway......rural, I would be recommending MURS instead in the VHF band. Amateur if you have the license and hardware, GMRS if you do not like tests, and MURS for VHF and longer line of sight distance. 

[Bogieboy01]

On 2/1/2026 at 1:13 PM, beerftw said:

and with higher license types communicating across the country or planet

That can be done with a ssb capable cb radio, with no license whatsover... 

 

Also, with a standard technician license it opens up dstar and echolink vhf/uhf repeaters all around the world at the touch of a button on your phone... buddy of mine was showing me that right after he got his tech, we were talking to people in scotland via echolink on his phone... 

[GreggInFL]

On 2/1/2026 at 11:28 AM, Guest Azzy216221 said:

To begin, I'm under 18 but really want to get into GMRS. I've been told it's better because people are nicer than on HAM and from my own research it's cheaper because one pay the license fee once and everyone in your immediate family has a license, and (from what I can tell) the equipment costs less when just getting started. I've tried telling him about it being more powerful than CB or FRS but he seems to think GMRS was made for those living on family farms who need to communicate over long distances, or for people lost in the woods. How do I make him realize it can also be used in the city? (Broadmoor, for those in the NOLA area.) And if it works, I will be back to tell y'all the good news!

TL;DR: my dad thinks GMRS is for country people, how do I make him think it's not?

Do you have any radios now? FRS?

[LeoG]

You pay your 35 bucks and get a GMRS license that the whole family can use.  You buy inexpensive radios to test the waters while you are working on your ham license.  That way you can toy with the radios and have real life experience with them by the time you get your ham license.

Myself I'm not even interested in the ham license as the GMRS does what I need it to do.  Short to mid range communications with the family.

[WRZV602]

Just hide his cellphone and ask "now how would you get hold of me without a phone?

[WSFN703]

22 hours ago, PACNWComms said:

 ...Advantage to GMRs is the no test license, 10 years for $35 fee, and that hardware is cheap. Then, with linked repeaters (often in cities and not necessarily rural farmland), you get the ability to talk to people in other cities. 

Sitting at my desk, I talk with people a hundred miles away via linked repeaters...

Not to derail the thread but to provide accurate information.  I was under the impression that linked repeaters were shut down by the FCC in the last year or so.   Has something changed?

[LeoG]

Only that people don't always listen the the eff sea seas.