You just got your GMRS license, now you want your own repeater?

[Ian]

On 3/19/2019 at 10:51 PM, Ian said:

Ultimately, my goal with a garage repeater is essentially a chunky base station radio with a pocket-sized "terminal".  But I live in a coverage gap between all the repeaters in the area.  When conditions are good, I can occasionally hear one ID.  95% of the time, I hear nothing from them; 100% of the time, I can't open them up.

 

I think there's a role for the garage repeater, but that role goes away if there's preexisting good coverage.

Six years down the line, and there's good repeater coverage in central Florida.  As suspected, a 50w mobile with a bluetooth hand-mic has scratched one itch, and having repeater coverage at home has eliminated the desire to roll my own, even now that the RT97L makes operating a genuinely nice repeater technically trivial and generally affordable.  

 

Wouldn't have thought of this, but someone reacted to it recently.  

[dosw]

On 10/20/2024 at 10:58 PM, DominoDog said:

Sounds to me like you should spend more time in a book learning how radios work before jumping down someone's throat for having a question. This whole "hams vs gmrs" thing is the dumbest stuff I've seen in a while. It's perpetuated by certain individuals that like to use the phrase some people to stir the pot for engagement and clicky-clicks, but for the rest of us it's getting pretty stale.

There's a good observation here: "ham vs GMRS" doesn't help. People wanting to establish a good GMRS repeater would get a lot more traction on such projects by working *with* a ham club. In my area there are a lot of really good 2m and 70cm repeaters. And the groups operating those repeaters have solved a lot of the hard problems. If you can build a good relationship with them, you might get help navigating the waters of setting up a GMRS repeater.

[marcspaz]

The problem with the whole concept of teaming up with an amateur radio club is that some amateur radio operators despise people with a lower level license than them. There's no way they would accept somebody from the gmrs service as deserving of their time.

 

I have a general class amateur radio license. I am what is lovingly referred to as a no code General Tech. It's a dig that General and extra class license holders use to insult General class license holders who did not have to pass the morse code requirements. I have literally had dozens of experiences where General class license holders who passed their Morse Code test and extra class license holders who have passed there Morse Code test found out that I was a no code General and stopped talking to me in the middle of a conversation because I wasn't worthy of their time.

 

While there is a good amount of people in the amateur world who are absolutely amazing at Radio stuff and love to share their knowledge, there are way more people who are just grumpy old sour pusses who would rather cut a finger off than help someone who isn't "worthy of their time."

[WRXB215]

16 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

I have literally had dozens of experiences where General class license holders who passed their Morse Code test and extra class license holders who have passed there Morse Code test found out that I was a no code General and stopped talking to me in the middle of a conversation because I wasn't worthy of their time.

That is just sad. I guess that is where Randy came up with the term "sad ham." I have been very fortunate that I have not had such experiences. All the hams I associate with are very good people. And many of them are dual licensed.

[SteveShannon]

1 minute ago, WRXB215 said:

That is just sad. I guess that is where Randy came up with the term "sad ham." I have been very fortunate that I have not had such experiences. All the hams I associate with are very good people. And many of them are dual licensed.

I agree.  Fortunately, the behavior that Marc described is becoming less common, at least in my area.  I don’t know of any hams in our club who look down their noses at GMRS licensees, but most of us would be very happy to help an interested GMRS licensee become a ham also. For any widespread emergencies amateur radio has an advantage, but for nearby emergency communications GMRS and FRS are much more easily accessible to more people. Ham clubs should be studying how these services can be complementary to each other.

[UncleYoda]

I have experienced what Marc described, but I learned to avoid them so it has no impact on me.  If they are becoming less common it's mostly because the old farts are dying out.  Adding to what Marc described, a lot of HAMs want to only have meaningless social chat, which is not what I got radios for. 

Back on topic, there is a new GMRS repeater only up 30ft but the owner wants to link to a node (did he miss all the brouhaha?).  Same frequency used by other repeaters that likely overlap his area.  From what I recall the linked system owner shut down so I don't know why this is even still available.

[GreggInFL]

2 hours ago, marcspaz said:

...there are way more people who are just grumpy old sour pusses who would rather cut a finger off than help someone who isn't "worthy of their time."

Reminds me of shooting at the range. There are some long-range rifle shooters who consider clays (trap/skeet/sporting clays) to be beneath them. "I shoot at 1,000 yards. What's a long clay shot, 50 yards? Pfft. Too easy."

I'd love to get him on the skeet range with a ringer, a 14 year-old girl who recently hit 197 out of 200 at a national tournament.

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, UncleYoda said:

Adding to what Marc described, a lot of HAMs want to only have meaningless social chat, which is not what I got radios for. 

Good edit!

[Jaay]

3 hours ago, UncleYoda said:

I have experienced what Marc described, but I learned to avoid them so it has no impact on me.  If they are becoming less common it's mostly because the old farts are dying out.  Adding to what Marc described, a lot of HAMs want to only have meaningless social chat, which is not what I got radios for.  I deleted all the nearby repeaters from my channels because I'm fed up with these people.  I asked about joining a club in my hometown and was told no, to start my own.  After I moved I went to the nearest club meeting and was mocked for only doing 2m (and 440).  I've asked about starting nets twice and was turned down.  Gave up on ARES when they made training and deployment as criteria.  Skywarn was moved to a repeater I won't use because of policy.  Really nothing left for me on HAM.  GMRS turned out to be disappointing as well, but I monitor it more now than HAM.

Back on topic, there is a new GMRS repeater only up 30ft but the owner wants to link to a node (did he miss all the brouhaha?).  Same frequency used by other repeaters that likely overlap his area.  From what I recall the linked system owner shut down so I don't know why this is even still available.

I'm sorry you're experiencing the grief that you are, in your area.                                                                                             I Wish I could share some of the diversity of the folks here.  Most of our Hams are discussing future antenna projects, current projects, ways to help the younger crowd get started with their stations, and even our local Gmrs guys are discussing antennas, tech projects and ways to improve their hobby ! A growing number of our hams are becoming licensed for Gmrs, and vice versa, with our Gmrs crowd seeking out classes for their Tech and General licenses. Most behave and conduct themselves as adults, and try to help fellow operators. 

[WRTC928]

On 6/25/2025 at 1:52 PM, UncleYoda said:

...a lot of HAMs want to only have meaningless social chat, which is not what I got radios for. 

That is part of why I got into amateur radio, but not the only thing. I do enjoy having chats with people I know in my area. I also enjoy getting on local repeaters and chatting when I'm taking a trip. It's not the only thing I enjoy about it, but if some folks want to use it for only that, I don't mind. Occasionally, I get a bit bored listening to a couple of guys talk about their medical problems or sports, but I can always turn it off.

[Courtain]

GMRS Repeater Thread

Wow! 13 pages to this thread. What a read. I think Corey's initial post about a permanent repeater is spot on. And the comment about the "linkers" about made fall out of my chair laughing. Not being too experienced with GMRS, I'm guessing that nickname is for folks who link two or more GMRS repeaters together, and that practice is a no-no according to Federal regs. QSL?

To the point, I am considering a RETEVIS RT97L repeater for use while camping, dirt biking with groups, etc. The price point seems reasonable. It would be mainly used in the mountains of Eastern Oregon, so I doubt that I would experience much congestion on the available 'channels.'

I'm a "happy" Ham operator, as compared to the "Sad Ham," mentioned above. I am very active in Parks On The Air, so I have all the portable masts, etc., already. I even have a 48' fiberglass mast from DX Engineering, I bought a couple years back and have never used. Maybe this would be sufficient to provide some extended coverage around the campsite. Our primary camp is located atop a pretty high mountain, but being in the mountains of Oregon, they are covered with tall Ponderosa pine, Tamarack, Spruce and other coniferous trees.

I understand that down in deep draws or canyons, or around the back side of other mountains, there wouldn't be any benefit. But I'm thinking from mountain top to mountain top, with a high gain antenna on the repeater, might have some useful benefit.

So what do you all think? Would a 20 Watt repeater with a high gain antenna, make enough of a difference to justify the effort?

Thanks and 73,

Wayne - W7WGC - WRHU239

[SteveShannon]

8 minutes ago, Courtain said:

GMRS Repeater Thread

Wow! 13 pages to this thread. What a read. I think Corey's initial post about a permanent repeater is spot on. And the comment about the "linkers" about made fall out of my chair laughing. Not being too experienced with GMRS, I'm guessing that nickname is for folks who link two or more GMRS repeaters together, and that practice is a no-no according to Federal regs. QSL?

To the point, I am considering a RETEVIS RT97L repeater for use while camping, dirt biking with groups, etc. The price point seems reasonable. It would be mainly used in the mountains of Eastern Oregon, so I doubt that I would experience much congestion on the available 'channels.'

I'm a "happy" Ham operator, as compared to the "Sad Ham," mentioned above. I am very active in Parks On The Air, so I have all the portable masts, etc., already. I even have a 48' fiberglass mast from DX Engineering, I bought a couple years back and have never used. Maybe this would be sufficient to provide some extended coverage around the campsite. Our primary camp is located atop a pretty high mountain, but being in the mountains of Oregon, they are covered with tall Ponderosa pine, Tamarack, Spruce and other coniferous trees.

I understand that down in deep draws or canyons, or around the back side of other mountains, there wouldn't be any benefit. But I'm thinking from mountain top to mountain top, with a high gain antenna on the repeater, might have some useful benefit.

So what do you all think? Would a 20 Watt repeater with a high gain antenna, make enough of a difference to justify the effort?

Thanks and 73,

Wayne - W7WGC - WRHU239

Welcome, Wayne!  Yes, it very well might.  Do you have a mobile radio so you could test the coverage before buying a repeater?

By the way, I like Lakeside!  I came through there almost 30 years ago and saw the cow spotted place.  I had read about it in a magazine so I really enjoyed seeing it.

73 de AI7KS

[Courtain]

Yes, I have a couple of cheap ones that I bought years ago when doing high angle search and rescue work. But plenty of folks that ride with us, have used them extensively around there.

I'm really leaning towards getting the RETEVIS. If nothing else, I'll be the only kid on the block who has one! And after all, that's the whole point right!  He who dies with the most toys....generally leaves their kids a mess to clean up!

I'm in Yuma, AZ, right now. But I love Lakeside and the southern Oregon coast. I'll be back there by this weekend!

 

W

[WSKF315]

Good morning,

I started fiddling around with real basic stuff using a UV5R HAM radio, connecting to a repeater, setting tones, etc... but discovered GMRS and was attracted to it due to the more relaxed nature of users and the ability to purchase a family license.  I've been playing around with some handhelds with my kiddo which led me down the road to a portable GMRS repeater (thank you Notarubicon).  I purchased the Retevis RT97L portable repeater kit which includes their fiberglass antenna and coaxial cable.  I'm looking for some tips trouble shooting my current set up, but I know how forums can go so I want to preface a few things:

• I've read the initial post pinned and am not seeking advice on how I "should have" done things.  I am only looking for advice on current setup and trouble shooting for performance.  
• There are no published GMRS repeaters within my location - I purchased the items I did to fart around with this as a hobby and have some fun with my kid.  It is not about trying to reach 15 miles or anything like that.
• Current set up:
  • Multiple Baofeng GM-15PRO handhelds with ABBREE AR 771 antennas
  • Retevis RT97L mobile repeater inside garage.
  • Retevis GMRS fiberglass antenna mounted on a mast on gable of garage - approximately 25' off ground
  • No major obstructions around the antenna.  I'm in a rural town of less than 10,000 - mostly two story buildings - nothing really taller than that.  
  • I would be totally thrilled if I could transmit 1 - 1 1/2 miles from my garage.  Not looking for anything more than that, but current state is that I cannot.  I can connect to the repeater (467.72500/462.72500) and talk between two handhelds but am limited to about a half mile.

I will say that when I screwed the coax into the bottom of the antenna it didn't seem to screw on very well so I used a small pair of Channellocks and may have overtightened.  It seemed like something started to spin that shouldn't have  Is there a way to test to see if my antenna is even working properly before we go down the road of hypothesizing what the setup is even capable of?  We just got the damn thing mounted to the roof this weekend and I hate the thought of having to pull the whole thing down again.  There is no good way to do it....

I appreciate any help you can offer.

-WSKF315

[gortex2]

So i would start with a watt meter to verify your antenna is actually working. 

[amaff]

50 minutes ago, WSKF315 said:

I will say that when I screwed the coax into the bottom of the antenna it didn't seem to screw on very well so I used a small pair of Channellocks and may have overtightened.  It seemed like something started to spin that shouldn't have  

This is the sort of thing that we in the industry might call "A Clue" 

 

[SteveShannon]

52 minutes ago, WSKF315 said:

I will say that when I screwed the coax into the bottom of the antenna it didn't seem to screw on very well so I used a small pair of Channellocks and may have overtightened.  It seemed like something started to spin that shouldn't have  Is there a way to test to see if my antenna is even working properly before we go down the road of hypothesizing what the setup is even capable of? 

Do you have a multimeter? If so you can test the continuity between the center pin and shield. They must not be shorted to one another. 
Antenna connections typically screw by hand pretty easily until they tighten up, so difficult to turn followed by turning freely does sound suspicious. Did it ever tighten up or just keep turning freely? If it just keeps spinning you broke something. At the very least take it apart and inspect it before tightening it up again and probably don’t use pliers except to just snug it down  If you can’t screw it together the first 99% with your fingers, something is wrong. Stop and figure it out.

What connectors did that kit come with, PL-259 plugs and SO-239 jacks, or male and female N connectors? Did you add any cables to extend it?  Did you have the right connectors? Unfortunately I have seen people attempt to screw PL-259 plugs into N female connectors with disastrous results. 
 

[WSKF315]

30 minutes ago, amaff said:

This is the sort of thing that we in the industry might call "A Clue" 

 

Yeah, I was secretly hoping what I thought may have happened, didn’t happen.

[WSKF315]

15 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Do you have a multimeter? If so you can test the continuity between the center pin and shield. They must not be shorted to one another. 
Antenna connections typically screw by hand pretty easily until they tighten up, so difficult to turn followed by turning freely does sound suspicious. Did it ever tighten up or just keep turning freely? If it just keeps spinning you broke something. At the very least take it apart and inspect it before tightening it up again and probably don’t use pliers except to just snug it down  If you can’t screw it together the first 99% with your fingers, something is wrong. Stop and figure it out.

What connectors did that kit come with, PL-259 plugs and SO-239 jacks, or male and female N connectors? Did you add any cables to extend it?  Did you have the right connectors? Unfortunately I have seen people attempt to screw PL-259 plugs into N female connectors with disastrous results. 
 

I have a meter on order from Amazon to further test.  The coax screwed in fine by hand to the repeater - the antenna end looked the exact same so I’m pretty confident the connectors are correct.  I thought the issue may be shitty quality threads as I have seen some other posts on some quality control issues which is why I used small pliers.  
 

I should get the meter tomorrow and can further test.

 

[amaff]

1 minute ago, WSKF315 said:

I have a meter on order from Amazon to further test. 

For simple stuff like continuity tests, having even something like this is handy:

https://www.harborfreight.com/electrical/electrician-s-tools/multimeters-testers/7-function-digital-multimeter-59434.html

[LeoG]

Well 1st thing is the cable they likely sent you.  RG58/U?  If it is throw it away and get something better.  Start with an LMR400 and go on from there.

[gortex2]

So looking over the site it appears PL259 on both ends of the cable so SO239 on repeater and antenna. But as said looks like RG213 and according to the specs shows 50'. Rg213 is about 5db loss per 100, so in this case 2.5db of loss. Thats not nuts but definatley better cable would help. Midland ships a LMR400/RG8ish cable. 

[amaff]

4 hours ago, LeoG said:

Well 1st thing is the cable they likely sent you.  RG58/U?  If it is throw it away and get something better.  Start with an LMR400 and go on from there.

First thing...before his "my righty tighty turned into righty loosey"? 

Okay 

[WSKF315]

1 hour ago, amaff said:

First thing...before his "my righty tighty turned into righty loosey"? 

Okay 

This made me laugh .  I will say in my defense that I had already attached the coax cable to the repeater and had an idea of how much I had to turn it before it started to snug up and what that felt like (fingers only).  Attaching the coax to the antenna wasn’t the same.  I could tell the fitting was not cross threaded but only a few turns before it started getting harder to turn but not snugging up the same of that makes sense.

 

 

[SteveShannon]

13 minutes ago, WSKF315 said:

This made me laugh .  I will say in my defense that I had already attached the coax cable to the repeater and had an idea of how much I had to turn it before it started to snug up and what that felt like (fingers only).  Attaching the coax to the antenna wasn’t the same.  I could tell the fitting was not cross threaded but only a few turns before it started getting harder to turn but not snugging up the same of that makes sense.

 

 

It does make sense. The original PL-259/SO-239 combination had a circular array of notches that would lock the inner body and prevent it from turning. Newer assemblies only have four “teeth”.  If they’re not aligned correctly they will prevent tightening the plug completely. You have to manually turn the body of the plug to line it up and allow it to tighten. Using a channel lock might have sheared the teeth or turned the body just right, making it turn more freely.