Why did you get into GMRS

[GuySagi]

I'll apologize in advance for starting a somewhat self-serving topic, but I'm sure interested in what it is that attracted people to GMRS radios/getting a license/etc.? 

 

Please let me know what brought you to GMRS, if you can spare a moment or two. 

 

Also, if there was a photo/article that piqued your enthusiasm I'd sure love it if you had time to include a link.

 

Call my questions field research if you like, I do a lot of writing/photography and think too many people are completely reliant on cell phones in emergencies. It's hurricanes in my case and after the last one I could only stay in touch with my quadriplegic daughter not too far away (cell towers were down for days) using MURS, otherwise I might have felt it necessary to brave the storm to check or aid her. No way of punching a long-distance signal out with that service, though, hence my upgrade to GMRS hoping to repeater up (so to speak). 

 

Even those articles and images you find are a real turn off are solid info.

 

Thank you for taking the time to consider question and I sure do hope everyone has a glorious and safe day. 

[tweiss3]

There were multiple reasons:

1. Good easy way to start into radio.
2. License is a family license.
3. Seemed like the ideal ticket for hunting use.

[marcspaz]

For me, it was a collection of conditions.

 

My family spends a significant amount of time in rural and undeveloped areas with no cellular infrastructure. Being able to have some form of communication while on foot or mobile, without everyone getting an amateur radio license, was a must. Especially when we tend to move about in separate groups.

 

Also, somewhat in the same category, I do things like 4-wheeling and other outdoor activities. Many of my friends use FRS and GMRS to communicate while spending time outside. It seems to be going more mainstream.

 

Then, of course, there is always a risk of infrastructure failure. I needed a way for my wife to reach me while I am out of the house, if an emergency occurs. She had her amateur radio license, but it long expired and she is not interested in getting it again. There are several public GMRS repeaters around me that run on emergency power, if needed.

 

So, it was just an obvious and affordable option for our needs.

[berkinet]

Because GMRS is a service that exists for one simple purpose, providing voice communications in the local area, with a very low barrier to entry.

 

Note, there are people who try to turn GMRS into a sort of mini amateur radio, and there are amateurs, who try to build a pseudo-GMRS service for friends and family. But, in the end each service has its own intended applications and it’s own reason for existence and that’s why I am licensed in both

[tweiss3]

Because GMRS is a service that exists for one simple purpose, providing voice communications in the local area, with a very low barrier to entry.

 

Note, there are people who try to turn GMRS into a sort of mini amateur radio, and there are amateurs, who try to build a pseudo-GMRS service for friends and family. But, in the end each service has its own intended applications and it’s all reason for existence and that’s why I am licensed in both

 

Very well put. Its the reason I decided to get my HAM as well. 

[fremont]

 

There were multiple reasons:

1. Good easy way to start into radio.
2. License is a family license.
3. Seemed like the ideal ticket for hunting use.

 

All of these three but the last one was key (for being outdoors, in general).  Had too many evenings where someone was overdue and the Wally World FRS radios weren't helpful.  Wanted the ability to use a vehicle-mounted mobile unit with better antenna (and access to higher ground) to help run down stragglers.

[GuySagi]

Awesome points everyone, thank you so much. Now how do you convey the serious usefulness in images that stop readers long enough to learn GMRS is a viable solution? Radios on a white background likely appeal only to current enthusiasts (or so I surmise). The environmental stuff I've seen has a few have people hiking in great weather or talking next to a Jeep in bright skies. Tweiss3 I'd sure love to see an ad or article that communicated your point that the whole family is licensed, too. I think that's a great way to encourage participation....dang it. This is a really dumb question, but is there an industry group for two-way radio manufacturers in the U.S.? In the work I do I often coordinate stuff with the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which represents manufacturers, wholesalers and dealers. They initiate some awesome programs based on outside input, hence my question. Heck there's even a flashlight/portable lighting non-profit called PLATO that does similar stuff. 

[berkinet]

You asked why I got into GMRS. You did not ask if it should be promoted, or on what basis.

Perhaps you should also be asking that question as well...
Do you feel GMRS should or could be promoted, and if so, how?

Personally, I see no need to promote the service. The reasons described above all relate to benefits provided to some activity or another. So, promote the activity. But, I see no point in just encouraging the salles of more GMRS radios and the issuance of more GMRS licenses.

[GuySagi]

Sorry, I phrased my follow-up post poorly. There's a painful lesson in some of the folks attracted to CB radio through hype/marketing years ago, so it would be a disservice promoting GMRS that way.

 

I was just hoping to gain a better understanding how and why people got in (other than myself), the catalyst so to speak that drove them to wrestle with a new semi-technical "hobby" and pay the Fed to do so. 

 

I haven't finished my first cup of coffee yet, so let me pre-apologize if this fails to clarify my post. I think everyone's given me solid info, thank you again it's awesome stuff.

 

When national preparedness month arrives and articles appear, if the editor's feeling generous a two-way radio mention might be granted a graf. That's maybe 50 words, could be three sentences. If one's a run-on it can include the aid GMRS can be throughout the year in rural settings, during hunting season or the fact the entire family is licensed. Now readers understand the investment doesn't need to spend its entire life in a go bag that may or may not ever be used.

 

Yes, everyone here understands that, but most people do not. And (God forbid) if disaster strikes a couple more licensed locally is never a bad thing. 

 

Comments so far indicate the photos of happy hikers and spotting off-roaders are solid graphics, which is not what I suspected. 

 

I don't care to promote or drive sales of GMRS. That's not what I do and personally enjoy the uncluttered wavelengths, where things get done without headache. 

 

I sure do appreciate the input and hope everyone has a glorious and safe weekend.  

[berkinet]

At its heyday, CB was a social event, the Internet of its time. People bought CB radios because they didn't want to miss out on what was happening. CB was the end, not the means to an end.  I would guess that a huge percentage of CB radios were trashed within a month of purchase.  As you summarized from the responses to your original post in this thread, people get into GMRS to support some end that exists outside of "radio."   So, the picture to me is any group of people engaging in some activity, which could just be their daily lives, who have a need for simple, reliable communications to support that activity.

[wayoverthere]

I agree that the family aspect is a good one to showmaybe the family camping, talking back to dad Manning the BBQ at camp, or kids with a flat tired calling back to dad.

[berkinet]

...the family camping, talking back to dad Manning the BBQ at camp, or kids with a flat tired calling back to dad.

Or mom!

[marcspaz]

Here's the thing, for some of us, its entertainment or emergency communications.

 

However, my family use our radios around the house while working in the yard, while racing my car to talk to my corner spotters and crew from the track, while fishing, 4wheeling, hiking, spending time at the park, caravaning somewhere with multiple vehicles, and on and on.

 

The list of things in our lives that we can integrate radio for the better is endless. Therefore the "image" to draw people in are endless. The best way to advertise isn't with someone specific to radio or activities you can improve with radio, but rather, find a common image that will have the most amount of impact on the heartstrings of your target demographic. The radio really has nothing to do with it. People buy toys and non-essential products based on emotions, using how they feel to justify spending the time, money and effort.

 

That is... if that's really what the end goal is. If you're trying to sell radios, learn your target demographic. Asking folks like us is going to be a mixed bag of tricks that's just going to cloud that even more.

[berkinet]

Here's the thing, for some of us, its entertainment or emergency communications. ....

Very nicely stated. In life sometimes there are some questions that are best left unanswered, giving us a long time to think about them.

[Mikeam]

For me I was studying for the Ham license and I stumbled across the GMRS system. Sent in for the license and ordered a radio the BTECH GMRS-V1. I have a CB in our Jeep but with the hand held I can also talk to friends with their bubble pack radios with the GMRS hand held and in some areas local repeaters. Quit studying for the Ham license for a while and may not go there. With a CB and a GMRS I can talk to most Jeepers in a run and that was the main reason. What I have found is the hand held obviously receives a useable transmission farther than it can send, case in point I can hear clearly a repeater 52.4 miles away but I can not bring that repeater up to talk on it. Going to put in a mobile unit in with a good antenna and for now this will serve the purpose. A side note my ridding buddy has his Ham license and he carries a HT unit so we really are covered. Now a sort of negative note I this morning watched a well known Jeeper  advocating using BAOFENG hand held Ham radios and programming them for GMRS and I see the GMRS getting the same crowd that ruined the CB which is still a good radio for most off road traveling (loggers in our area use them, a CB, to warn others of where they are on narrow forest service roads).

[KirkM]

Can't use the airways without the license. Lots of camping and out with the jeep in non cell phone areas- need a way to communicate other than the CB radios. Works great around the neighborhood too. Home base- mobile and hand held. 

[nvrocketeer]

Hmm. Lately around our house, we've found times and places when a two-way radio would be nice outside. Cell phones let you talk, but it's a hassle. Also, having NOAA Weather Radio is a nice thing to have outside.

 

I poked around the interwebz and found a radio package with the features and accessories I wanted and a doable price. (Features, I confess, did include more power than FRS.)

 

That's how I ended up with GMRS. It did what I wanted to do, and I was willing to pay for the license and learn the rules. I might go further than the handhelds ... but that depends on whether I'm putting up an antenna mast for OTA TV or not. 

 

I've considered testing for amateur radio levels. But I don't particularly want to do what ham does, if that makes sense. And the financial gates for amateur are just too much for me to tackle. CB's no place to be. FRS is too weak. So, here I am.

[n4gix]

The costs for beginning amateur radio are no more than that for GMRS, honestly! Most new hams start out with a dual-band 2m/70cm handheld radio, many these days going 'modern' and buying a DMR/Analog handheld.

 

HF can be done for under $500 these days, such as a Xeigu G90.

[Riktar]

 I live in a rural setting with less than ideal cell coverage. I wanted an alternate way of staying in touch with the wife when I am out and about on my property and offsite (usually with 10 miles) as well.

 

 My brother who has been using GMRS for several years in his hunting group suggested going with that based on his experience.

 

 After doing some research online and finding out about repeaters, national linking, etc. etc. I dove in with both feet. 

 

 Now my daughter and her husband have mobiles in both their vehicles as well as a base in their home so we have another way of connecting. Repeaters rock! 

 

 I also picked up a couple of cheapy HT's from Walmart which serve me incredibly well on the property for staying in touch with the house.

 

 Heck with all the stuff I have learned (and still learning more everyday!) from the fine folks here and on the air, I am now the one answering questions my brother has regarding setting up a base unit for his house!

[GuySagi]

Dang that's awesome Riktar. Hopefully some of the info here will sink into my thick skull. The recurring theme of bad cell phone coverage in rural areas is interesting on this thread and certainly educational for me. I know when I lived on the Blue Ridge in Virginia (if I put a repeater up it would have covered Winchester and halfway into West Virginia...dang it) and commuted an hour into Fairfax for work you could see the house if you slid off the dirt road on the ice, but couldn't punch a cell phone call through. Not good at my age, even then, when you leave at 5 a.m. year round. Guess I understood that the whole time, but eight years living on North Carolina's piedmont with topo maps that look like white sheets of paper erased that memory to a point.  

[berkinet]

...The recurring theme of bad cell phone coverage in rural areas is interesting on this thread...

Of course, you have to keep in mind that without something like a phone patch (which is not allowed on GMRS) two way radio is only useful to the extent someone is listening.

 

If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, did it make a sound?

[JohnE]

9/11

[Skylda]

Greetings!

 

First, new here, first post.

 

I started as a HAM back when I was 14, now pushing 40 I realized all the hiking, camping, and our volunteer work with the family it was easier to get a $70 license to cover us all, than try to convince them all for the next 5 years again to get a HAM license. 

 

FRS was useful on hikes, or in close vicinity vehicle travel, but GMRS allowed me to keep a small portable in every vehicle, with small mag-mount antenna, and a mobile/base in the home on a roof antenna and gives emergency comms for the family if no cell coverage or the like.

 

In my area, just about everyone on GMRS is also a Ham, so I've run into plenty club friends on the local repeaters here.

 

73,

 

Skylda

WRHS956

K3ZRT

 

[Linus]

For me, FRS radios and GMRS radios were useful before I got a cell phone in 2001. I am licensed for GMRS, and amateur radio. I also have a license for operating radios aboard ships and aircraft. My first license was GMRS.

 

I like GMRS because it can be used for communications amongst family members and friends with their own licenses. The conversations on the radio service tend to be more communicative rather than hobby related. I head over to the amateur frequencies to hear technical discussions regarding antennas and radios.

GMRS is useful when hiking biking sailing and driving. In emergencies, I hand out FRS radios to my neighbors. This lets them keep in touch. I have had to use my Winlink radio service to help neighbors to communicate with family members during a severe ice storm years ago.

 

A similar land based HF service (not CB) like GMRS would be nice to have.

[captdan]

So many reasons

 

I started using FRS/GMRS bubble pack radios so long ago I forget when I started, maybe late 70's or early 80's we all had CB radios in our 4x4 vehicles that we took on the beach at the Jersi Shore and the woods. CB gave us more range, but the CB radios were so big and bulky and required a huge antenna when most of the the time we were within line of sight, but just out or range to yell at each other especially on the beach, those bubble pack radios worked great, no problem with a mile or little more, line of sight on the beach, no obstructions.

Fast forward to post 911, cell phones were down, lived in a close neighborhood, everyone dug out their kids bubble pack radios and were able to communicate and relay messages back and forth.

Few years later at a rustic community in the Pocono Mountains of PA, the community office monitored one frequency in case anyone needed to contact the community management office. Everyone else monitored a different frequency as a "calling" frequency.  If someone needed something they would just call out on the "calling" frequency like, anyone want to go trail riding this afternoon, anyone around that can give me a hand doing whatever for a few minutes and one of my all time favorites bon fire and adult beverages at the Jones, 7:30 tonight. Ya all get the picture.

Currently we use GMRS & MURS around our farm. All of the equipment have a radio installed on them, additionally everyone takes a walkie-talkie with them when they go out. We are 8 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico about an hour north of Tampa, hard to believe dirt - sugar sand roads - very poor cell service when we have it, lucky to get DSL internet service at 1.5 gigs. So we initially used radios on our farm. As we met and got to know neighbors, they bought radios and now the neighborhood has our own network, our "family" channel has become the "calling" channel which is fine with us, we don't miss much going on in the neighborhood then. So much easier asking once on the radio if anyone has a certain tool or part for our tractors, atv's etc or something for the horses than making 15 to 25 individual calls.

It works great, all the kids take a walkie-talkie with them when they are out on their dirt bikes or ATV's, they can switch to a channel and talk among themselves, they can call out on the calling channel if they need something. Pretty much everyone knows everyone, we all know who is trustworthy etc.

Of course, again one of my favorite parts, as they say "pop up" parties .....The announcements comes over the radio Everyone welcome at the Dog House, grills on, fire is lit  !