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

[WSER584]

If i do a small repeater 10w and an antenna on my roof any idea of how much better that just a handheld? Don't forget i can go in any direction from the house then not just handheld to handheld.

[SteveShannon]

1 minute ago, WSER584 said:

If i do a small repeater 10w and an antenna on my roof any idea of how much better that just a handheld? Don't forget i can go in any direction from the house then not just handheld to handheld.

What do you mean by “better”?
Why would you want a repeater instead of simply a base station with an antenna on the roof?

[LeoG]

Just now, WSER584 said:

If i do a small repeater 10w and an antenna on my roof any idea of how much better that just a handheld? Don't forget i can go in any direction from the house then not just handheld to handheld.

Depends on who you are trying to contact.  If you are trying to contact your house you don't need a repeater, just the antenna setup.  If the repeater setup is 1/2 way between where you will be and who you want to contact that's a good reason for a repeater.

In my case I've setup at my shop which is a couple miles from my house.  Not exactly a good place normally but my house is in a valley and my repeater has a 100' higher ground level.  So when I am a town or 2 away I can still talk with the little woman whereas if I just set up an antenna at the house it wouldn't have made any difference.

There is a mountain range about 5 miles east of my shop I'd love to setup on.  I would have access over the mountains and be up 500' higher than my shop.  But that's a pipe dream.

[WSER584]

ok, thanks. My main goal is to stay in touch after a hurricane in Florida with family. I can only get about 2 miles handheld to handheld, but family is about 6-8 miles away. Probably won't work unless i spend a lot. oh well. 

[LeoG]

If you put an antenna up and they put an antenna up on their roof you might be able to contact each other.  Everything depends on what's in the way.  If there's a hill/mountain it's not happening.  If it's a bunch of trees it's possible, if it's flat country and open then it shouldn't be an issue at all.

Is there a member of your family that is in the middle of all of you?  That would be the ideal person to house the repeater.

[LeeBo]

When I first got my license, Repeater Book listed a repeater 1.8 miles from my house. I was never able to connect to it and others could not hear me when using the same repeater.  I reached out to the owner only to find out they had to remove it by request of the property owner.  So yes, I did the whole "hey, I can start up a repeater" thought.  Then I got with the owner again and he let me know what all was involved in repeater ownership and I quickly changed my mind.

[WRUE951]

On 6/1/2024 at 2:24 AM, WSCU465 said:

Guys, just a quick question... Similar to ham radio repeaters; is there any coordination involved to prevent interference from one repeater to another? I know you set PL Tones on the input/output but my question is more for permanent installations.  Sorry I'm new to GMRS.

i'm still laughing..  Now you know why the linkers almost turned GMRS into a frantic zoo..  

[GreggInFL]

On 9/19/2024 at 9:06 AM, WSER584 said:

ok, thanks. My main goal is to stay in touch after a hurricane in Florida with family. I can only get about 2 miles handheld to handheld, but family is about 6-8 miles away. Probably won't work unless i spend a lot. oh well. 

I'm in Florida as well and feel your pain, i.e. two miles between handhelds.  You could cover that distance by simply plugging into a better antenna.  I suggest you try a mag mount antenna on your vehicle and plug it into the handhelds.  Cheap way to start and since we're talking emergency only, rather than daily use, the worse thing you'd have to do is agree to drive to a local hill.

I've used this with my hand held and it works rather well.

Is there a repeater near you?