So did you get your $35 GMRS License?

[MacJack]

WOW what a pain...  Because I have several FRN numbers and logins, it took me a day to clean up and consolidate.  All done and granddaughter applied for her GMRS (code ZA) license.  Just in her price range $35 along with her Ham license.  

So if you are having issue gave a shout out and someone maybe able to help you....  It is a system of getting your FRN # first the setting up your online payment via CORES then applying for your license via ULS database...  Have fun it a government bureaucratic process. 

[BoxCar]

There is no need for multiple FRNs as the number only identifies the applicant not the service or license.

[SteveShannon]

Also I believe you can transfer all your licenses to a single FRN and then either ignore the other FRN or request they be deleted. 

[bobthetj03]

I used my same FRN # when I got my Ham tech license. 

 

[TavisB]

Got it yesterday!

[OffRoaderX]

anyone that got a $35 license - can you confirm that it's for 10 years, and not for 5 years?

[WRQC512]

2 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

anyone that got a $35 license - can you confirm that it's for 10 years, and not for 5 years?

I can confirm you get the license for 10 years.

[rwolenski]

I got mine.  Been wanting to get one for the family, mostly to keep in contact and motivate them to get a ham license, but couldn't part with the $70 fee.  When I heard it was going to be $35 I waited and finally got it.  I really don't think they will get a ham license but who knows.

[WRFP399]

1 hour ago, rwolenski said:

I got mine.  Been wanting to get one for the family, mostly to keep in contact and motivate them to get a ham license, but couldn't part with the $70 fee.  When I heard it was going to be $35 I waited and finally got it.  I really don't think they will get a ham license but who knows.

Side bar question: Do you think your family would benefit from a HAM license? What can do you on HAM that a basic user of UHF/VHF can't do with GMRS/MURS?

This could be my misconception but I see HAM as a band for people who like to experiment and more "advanced" radio work besides simple voice communication. 

Personally my family isn't going to get any benefits from HAM at this point in time. In our situation the GMRS license works well, for us. Its purpose was back up communication here in the local area. Our telecommunication network has gone down in earthquakes, mostly due to overloading. Based on where we live and work a single low powered GMRS repeater connects it all together. That made selling a GMRS radio to them easy. A simple HT that they can just turn on to monitor and talk with a simple PTT. Simple, easy, affordable. No need for them each to apply for a license. Call signs are simple. When needed you just call it out and from there just use your first names. And quite frankly, no one is going to jump down the throat of a user if my wife or kid doesn't ID every 15 minutes or the end of the convo like happens on HAM. This user friendly experience has morphed it into more than just a backup plan and it get used recreationally. Mostly for backcountry communication here. 

I am not saying GMRS is the greatest thing ever. It's just another radio service band that has an intended purpose. Same as HAM. 

[BoxCar]

Amateur radio requires each user to be licensed unlike GMRS where one license covers all family members. The primary advantage for amateurs is the 144 and 440 MHz infrastructure around the world. The number of repeaters covering large areas with many interconnected to the Internet allows an amateur worldwide contact using one of three primary digital modes.

[wrci350]

30 minutes ago, WRFP399 said:

Side bar question: Do you think your family would benefit from a HAM license? What can do you on HAM that a basic user of UHF/VHF can't do with GMRS/MURS?

@WRFP399Side bar comment:  It's "ham", not "HAM".  The word is not an acronym, and shouldn't be in all capital letters anymore than RADIO or REPEATER.  

As @BoxCar said, "your family" cannot get "a ham license"; amateur radio licenses are for an individual.

Here's the FCC's definition of GMRS:

"A mobile two-way voice communication service, with limited data applications, for facilitating activities of individual licensees and their family members, including, but not limited to, voluntary provision of assistance to the public during emergencies and natural disasters."

The scenario you describe, where you use GMRS as communication during an emergency or during recreational activities, matches the FCC's stated purpose for the service. 

People can and do use amateur radio to do the same things, but (at least around here) that would be the exception rather than the rule.  Most of the time hams are talking to someone is not a member of their family, and quite often it will be someone they don't even know.

A lot of the traffic on the ham bands IS just "simple voice communications".  Many hams enjoy rag-chewing, which is just getting on the air and talking to other hams about anything and everything.

With a Technician amateur radio license you can use 2m and 70cm (plus some other bands) and that is where most of the repeaters are.   There are a lot more frequencies available for repeaters in the 70cm band than there are in GMRS, and as @BoxCar mentioned some repeaters are linked into networks.  (Yes, I know that is true of some GMRS repeaters too.)  A lot of 70cm ham repeaters have been around for a long time and have great locations and huge footprints, which is not true of most GMRS repeaters.

On the VHF side, you can run a lot more power on 2m than you can on MURS (think 80 or 100 watts instead of 2!).  MURS also does not allow repeaters.  As a general rule, you can talk further on VHF than UHF, and I quite often will talk 2m simplex to someone who is 20 or 30 miles away.  If I was using a 5 watt GMRS HT at my house I would be lucky to talk to someone a mile away due to the terrain.  As far as range goes, there is a 2m repeater about 30 miles from here that I can hit with an HT (running about 5 watts) and that repeater has a footprint of 40-50 miles in all directions from its location.

Hopefully that helps.  If not, the takeaway should be "ham" not "HAM"!  

[OffRoaderX]

HAM ...

[WRQE697]

On 4/21/2022 at 6:14 PM, WRQC512 said:

I can confirm you get the license for 10 years.

It’s 10 years. Just got mine.

[wrci350]

13 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

HAM ...

Behave, or the sad hams will haunt your dreams tonight.    

Sorry, I don't see a "ham" emoji.

[WRFP399]

I think my question was not phrased correctly....

 

[WRQD922]

I’ve been a ham since 1989 . After the drop to 35.00 bucks finally applied and received the licenses a couple of days ago. Very easy process. Looking forward to playing on GMRS. 

[WRPT916]

I had minimal use of two Motoralas, but I never got the license. So when I got a better HT, my conscience started bothering me. I read that the fee was going to $35, but the Red Tape went on forever. So I paid the full $70 about 10 days before the fee dropped. I guess it was a contribution! 

[WRPW521]

Same here. Paid $70 and I barely hear any traffic around my area. There's also a slim pick of GMRS repeaters in my area. Mostly are all private. I'm already looking into getting an amateur technician class license. I suspect more people are jumping over to amateur bands for more activity.

[MacJack]

On 4/22/2022 at 3:59 PM, rwolenski said:

I got mine.  Been wanting to get one for the family, mostly to keep in contact and motivate them to get a ham license, but couldn't part with the $70 fee.  When I heard it was going to be $35 I waited and finally got it.  I really don't think they will get a ham license but who knows.

I agree... got new GMRS license for my grand daughter and all is good for 10 years as I'm 75 and she good to go!!!

[MacJack]

On 4/22/2022 at 5:44 PM, WRFP399 said:

Side bar question: Do you think your family would benefit from a HAM license? What can do you on HAM that a basic user of UHF/VHF can't do with GMRS/MURS?

This could be my misconception but I see HAM as a band for people who like to experiment and more "advanced" radio work besides simple voice communication. 

Personally my family isn't going to get any benefits from HAM at this point in time. In our situation the GMRS license works well, for us. Its purpose was back up communication here in the local area. Our telecommunication network has gone down in earthquakes, mostly due to overloading. Based on where we live and work a single low powered GMRS repeater connects it all together. That made selling a GMRS radio to them easy. A simple HT that they can just turn on to monitor and talk with a simple PTT. Simple, easy, affordable. No need for them each to apply for a license. Call signs are simple. When needed you just call it out and from there just use your first names. And quite frankly, no one is going to jump down the throat of a user if my wife or kid doesn't ID every 15 minutes or the end of the convo like happens on HAM. This user friendly experience has morphed it into more than just a backup plan and it get used recreationally. Mostly for backcountry communication here. 

I am not saying GMRS is the greatest thing ever. It's just another radio service band that has an intended purpose. Same as HAM. 

I have five in our family and only my now 13 yo grand daughter and I got our Ham ticket end of May 2021.  We like GMRS more for conversation with the family but Ham allows us to be in the world... we talk to folks all over the world via DMRoIP.  

[bobthetj03]

Bottom line, you need options. Don't limit yourself. 

[WRFP399]

I think if you came to GMRS to rag chew with randos you probably feel underwhelmed. That is definitely ham territory. GMRS is really just an expanded FRS and seems to be focused on family and friend tactical (meaning local) communication.

[JeffL]

On 4/22/2022 at 2:44 PM, WRFP399 said:

This could be my misconception but I see HAM as a band for people who like to experiment and more "advanced" radio work besides simple voice communication.

GMRS is a practical radio service where short range voice communications is needed.

Amateur (ham) radio can be used for the the same purpose but is more of a communications hobby radio service.  It can be used for local or world wide communication, experimental communication, satellite, bouncing signals off the moon and back to earth, microwaves, TV.  You can use different modes like AM, FM, SSB, CW (code), digital etc.

[MacJack]

On 4/25/2022 at 11:52 PM, bobthetj03 said:

Bottom line, you need options. Don't limit yourself. 

So true life has to have options.

[MacJack]

On 4/26/2022 at 1:57 AM, WRFP399 said:

I think if you came to GMRS to rag chew with randos you probably feel underwhelmed. That is definitely ham territory. GMRS is really just an expanded FRS and seems to be focused on family and friend tactical (meaning local) communication.

You are on target... we use GMRS for family and neighborhood with PL code thus we know each other and more meaningful conversation, e.g. your horse is loose again.  Half of our family will not get Ham ticket.