Official/Unofficial GMRS Road/Travel Channel

[nokones]

In the early GMRS years, the 462.675 MHz (GMRS Ch. 20) freq pair with CTCSS tone 141.3 Hz was designated as a nationwide emergency channel. In the subsequent years and as GMRS evolved, the same channel and tone was no longer restricted to just emergencies and became recognized as a nationwide travel channel and tone and GMRS organizations recognize and utilizes Ch. 20 as the standard travel channel.

Yes, CB Ch. 19 was recognized as a nationwide truckers channel except for a very small part of California, and in Oregon and Washington State. Three other CB channels were used instead of Ch. 19. Ch. 19 was only used in the California desert traveling north and east from Barstow.

I get it that "some people" would like to designate GMRS Ch. 19 as a travel channel just like CB Ch. 19 was recognized as a nationwide channel on the highways and byways decades ago.

But, why change something that has been in play for many years before GMRS has exploded in popularity in the last couple years. Ch. 20 should remain the travelers channel tone 141.3 and lets not create unnecessary confusion among the newbie and longtime GMRS users.

I kinda like the idea of designating Ch. 19 as a nationwide calling channel but a nationwide travelers channel and tone has already been decided way before most of the newbie users were born.

Keep Ch. 20 and 141.3 Hz CTCSS as the travelers calling/monitoring channel as it has been recognized as such for more years than most GMRS users have been living. 

 

 

[WRXB215]

@nokones Very well said. I will Like when my reactions are replenished. That's my only complaint about this site, I need more reactions. 

[nokones]

OMG, it's the internet, social media, and You Tube causing all this undermining and disorder of a civilized society of "GMRS People". I think "these people" that are causing all this movement may be driving Jeeps and Nissans to their secret society meetings.

 

[WRUU653]

32 minutes ago, WRXB215 said:

@nokones Very well said. I will Like when my reactions are replenished. That's my only complaint about this site, I need more reactions. 

If you get the Premium membership you get unlimited reactions. 

[AdmiralCochrane]

On 10/13/2023 at 9:13 AM, nokones said:

OMG, it's the internet, social media, and You Tube causing all this undermining and disorder of a civilized society of "GMRS People". I think "these people" that are causing all this movement may be driving Jeeps and Nissans to their secret society meetings.

 

Don't give away the secret handshake.  John has a long mustache. 

[jwilkers]

20....as it has always been. Plus, 19 cannot be used north of Line A.

Sent from my SM-A136U using Tapatalk

[WRZD727]

Another vote for ch 19.

[WRXB215]

I connect to repeaters while they are available. After that, I take a nap until I get to my destination.

[JamesBrox]

It's about time someone took this vote and get a general consensus . Mr. Grindr can do what he wants.

WRXU693 

[Lscott]

5 hours ago, WRXB215 said:

After that, I take a nap until I get to my destination.

I hope not while you’re driving. 

[WRUQ357]

We just did a 3500 mile round trip to Mississippi and back through Eastern New Mexico to Santa Fe and then home. My sisters in law and I kept our GMRS radios on channel 19 for most of the trip. It was only busy passing through the big cities.

[WRQC527]

On 11/3/2023 at 7:14 PM, Lscott said:

I hope not while you’re driving. 

I've always said I want to die peacefully in my sleep like ol' grandpa did. Not screaming in terror like the rest of the people in the car with him.

[CyborgAlienWRYG738]

According to my radio:

15 is the calling freq

16 Safety frequency?

17 Emergency frequency

20 Travel Frequency

with their default PL tones.

Unless you go to simplex 1-7 channel.

1 calling frequency

2 Safety Frequency?

3 Emergency frequency

At least how it's listed on my radio. I'd like to see it be all in 1, like:

1 Calling frequency

3 Safety frequency?

15 Emergency frequency

20 Traveling frequency 

Since 1 & 3 are able to have high power as well as the repeaters channels for the important communications, like road reports, jabbering, and emergency needs. All GMRS/FRS radios should be capable of default repeater settings to get out in emergency on those 2 frequencies at least. If you want to make a repeater with a different setting than defaults on those frequencies, then so be it. But, all repeaters should be able to repeat on those frequencies by default no matter what their other settings are for their "private" communication. Just for the reason for what they are intended. Yes it cuts down on the amount of channels perse but, at the same time, it doesn't.

You want to link everyone from New Brunswick to Key West from Norfolk to LA and all points in between, great, pick a certain channel and use it's default settings for that channel, like for example, it should be on Ch 20. 

You need to feel special like the Atlanta Net then ch 16 is fine, there's other channels available to use for the same thing if you're trying to just be local for family use, like channel 17 could be used for that with separated tones PL or DCS, for multiple towers in the same area.

I'd also like to see like Ch22 for use with digital comms too but...

Just my 2¢.

[CyborgAlienWRYG738]

As a side thought, if everyone is building a tower to "add to the grid", so to speak, and everyone is using Channel 20 with PL tones of 141.3 for transmit and receive then they'll link up if enough people with enough power are using that 1 frequency without needing the Internet or other linkage software to complete the task. 

Everyone wanting to do their own thing is why it's all a fragmented mess everyone doing things differently complicating things. Which is great for people who only want to talk to their click and NOONE else because they are greedy snobs no one else wants to talk to anyways, they'll still have a way to do that and frequencies available for it. 

[WRXB215]

14 hours ago, CyborgAlienWRYG738 said:

greedy snobs

I don't believe that is at all accurate. It seems to me that most repeater owners have been quite generous in allowing us to use the expensive equipment that they paid for themselves.

[WRQC527]

14 hours ago, CyborgAlienWRYG738 said:

As a side thought, if everyone is building a tower to "add to the grid", so to speak, and everyone is using Channel 20 with PL tones of 141.3 for transmit and receive then they'll link up if enough people with enough power are using that 1 frequency without needing the Internet or other linkage software to complete the task. 

Everyone wanting to do their own thing is why it's all a fragmented mess everyone doing things differently complicating things. Which is great for people who only want to talk to their click and NOONE else because they are greedy snobs no one else wants to talk to anyways, they'll still have a way to do that and frequencies available for it. 

You seem angry.

[CyborgAlienWRYG738]

45 minutes ago, WRQC527 said:

You seem angry.

Not at all. 

[WRUU653]

15 hours ago, CyborgAlienWRYG738 said:

According to my radio

None of which is official or even remotely a standard other than the basic channel set up as lined out by the FCC. Just saying.

I can hazard a guess at where you got your radio (BSR). I wouldn’t put much belief in thinking everyone else has a radio that is set up this way or that there are some hard fast rules to its program. I have one from there as well. First thing I did was dump most of the preprogrammed channels and load my own. 

[CyborgAlienWRYG738]

2 hours ago, WRXB215 said:

I don't believe that is at all accurate. It seems to me that most repeater owners have been quite generous in allowing us to use the expensive equipment that they paid for themselves.

I'm not talking about those people whom allow us to use their equipment they pay handsomely for, I'm talking about those people that expect you to pay their expenses for them individually. 

Doesn't effect me so I don't really care but, it irks me that people would be so greedy to expect everyone to pay their expenses for them, in yearly dues, even if they're just traveling thru maybe once a year, if that. I understand wanting people to help pay for the equipment they use, I don't understand making each of them pay the entire bill for it. And being the ONLY repeater in the area, blocking out emergency calls by doing this, (making everyone pay to even get the transmit frequency), when especially since the main people who own it are emergency personnel themselves.

I understand that I'm not privy to their costs for all the services they provide but, still it seems exorbitant to charge so much to use the airwaves, even to attempt to get an emergency 1 time use message out. (I don't know of any actually doing this, just what I've heard/read about, in other areas.) 

[Sshannon]

3 minutes ago, CyborgAlienWRYG738 said:

I'm not talking about those people whom allow us to use their equipment they pay handsomely for, I'm talking about those people that expect you to pay their expenses for them individually. 

Doesn't effect me so I don't really care but, it irks me that people would be so greedy to expect everyone to pay their expenses for them, in yearly dues, even if they're just traveling thru maybe once a year, if that. I understand wanting people to help pay for the equipment they use, I don't understand making each of them pay the entire bill for it. And being the ONLY repeater in the area, blocking out emergency calls by doing this, when especially since the main people who own it are emergency personnel themselves.

I understand that I'm not privy to their costs for all the services they provide but, still it seems exorbitant to charge so much to use the airwaves, even to attempt to get an emergency 1 time use message out. (I don't know of any actually doing this, just what I've heard/read about, in other areas.) 

You’re wrong, mostly. I suspect that your complaints are based on something you have read on the Internet, that others complained about, not personal experience. Your complaints simply don’t truly reflect most of the real world.  Most repeater operators freely share their repeaters, asking only that you request permission so they have some control over access.  In some cases they ask for donations to help cover expenses.  In other cases they charge an up-front fee or dues that represents a share of the costs. There are other options, including cell phones if you don’t like it.

Regulations prohibit making a profit by sharing a station but certainly allow recuperation of expenses. A repeater is just another station:

(3) A station may be shared only: 

(i) Without charge; 

(ii) On a non-profit basis, with contributions to capital and operating expenses including the cost of mobile stations and paging receivers prorated equitably among all participants; or 

(iii) On a reciprocal basis, i.e., use of one licensee's stations for the use of another licensee's stations without charge for either capital or operating expenses. 

(4) All sharing arrangements must be conducted in accordance with a written agreement to be kept as part of the station records. 

 

 

[CyborgAlienWRYG738]

1 hour ago, WRUU653 said:

None of which is official or even remotely a standard other than the basic channel set up as lined out by the FCC. Just saying.

I can hazard a guess at where you got your radio (BSR). I wouldn’t put much belief in thinking everyone else has a radio that is set up this way or that there are some hard fast rules to its program. I have one from there as well. First thing I did was dump most of the preprogrammed channels and load my own. 

Oh, I understand this. I was just saying that if everyone used the same convention for those frequencies then one could theoretically travel the country and expect that those channels were set up to be used in that manner. Especially the emergency frequency and travel frequency.  I'm saying it would make sense to me to standardize at least  some of those frequencies, so that everyone is on the same page. I guess I wasn't clear on that. 

I'd like to see the FCC also open up the low power frequencies to be used by low power and/or temporary use repeaters so say a family wanting to set up a small repeater to cover their farm/event for example, could do it without needing to setup one with a lot of power, or being overpowered by someone wanting to put up one for everyone in the state to use. (Ok I know you could just use a couple of HT's and basically accomplish the same thing but, I don't know of any GMRS HT's capable of actually doing this, and that's not my point.)

Say you're having a jamboree or something and just need a temporary setup with basically low power and capable of covering a small area to use temporarily, this would be better to be able to use those frequencies to accomplish what's needed.

It's just my 2¢ and thoughts on the matter. I also understand the point that others have of not wanting anything standardized, I'm just not on board with that line of thinking. I also think that GMRS should be expanded to include more channels, at least 40, maybe using some of the 2m bandwidth as well, if for nothing else but, DMR or whatever.

[CyborgAlienWRYG738]

13 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

I suspect that your complaints are based on something you have read on the Internet, that others complained about, not personal experience.

I said as much. I'm not wrong in that I realize most people don't charge to use their equipment, again I am NOT talking about them!

[UncleYoda]

You have no chance of taking 2m frequencies away from HAM (it's already too crowded).  There are 150 MHz freqs that aren't used much since the emergency responders moved to 800MHz etc. - try to get those and leave 2m HAM alone.

[bobthetj03]

On 11/6/2023 at 9:08 AM, UncleYoda said:

You have no chance of taking 2m frequencies away from HAM (it's already too crowded).  There are 150 MHz freqs that aren't used much since the emergency responders moved to 800MHz etc. - try to get those and leave 2m HAM alone.

He'll have to steal from 70cm to keep it in the UHF band. 70cm has room, lol! 

 

[bobthetj03]

Leave 15-22 for the repeaters. Dump the wattage restrictions and make 1-14 5 watts. Now you have 14 channels to pick a national calling frequency for GMRS.