Linked network

[LmcV5]

Hello, I was wondering if you allow simplex nodes on your network. I am looking to buy a little node using a handheld radio and a raspberry pi. Thank you in advance! 
WRKT665 

[rdunajewski]

At this time, we do not. We only support repeaters that are directly connected to a node or via a link radio.

Simplex nodes will add a whole new level of confusion and complexity for the users, and each node would typically only benefit one user. It makes more sense for us to devote our time and effort toward repeaters which generally cover more people. 

[WRPR796]

Hello everyone, I guess I'm not understanding the process if adding a node will add confusion for other users.

I drive a truck for a living, and travel completely at random throughout the lower 48. As you can well imagine I spend vast amounts of time with no repeater coverage, and when I am in range I'm only there for very short time.

While a full duplex repeater is possible here in the truck, it would infact feel very much like overkill hardware wise, and a simplex node seems like a much simpler solution, although due to the lack of Pi's I am looking into trying to build something without a Pi involved, it would still be a simplex node though, so am I wasting my time trying to use my GMRS while I travel??

[wrci350]

5 hours ago, WRPR796 said:

so am I wasting my time trying to use my GMRS while I travel??

Just curious ... who are you hoping to talk to?

[WRPR796]

6 minutes ago, wrci350 said:

Just curious ... who are you hoping to talk to?

With any luck, YOU, why do you ask??

[wayoverthere]

8 hours ago, WRPR796 said:

Hello everyone, I guess I'm not understanding the process if adding a node will add confusion for other users.

I drive a truck for a living, and travel completely at random throughout the lower 48. As you can well imagine I spend vast amounts of time with no repeater coverage, and when I am in range I'm only there for very short time.

While a full duplex repeater is possible here in the truck, it would infact feel very much like overkill hardware wise, and a simplex node seems like a much simpler solution, although due to the lack of Pi's I am looking into trying to build something without a Pi involved, it would still be a simplex node though, so am I wasting my time trying to use my GMRS while I travel??

Overkill, perhaps, but that would be kind of a cool setup to set up one of those retevis portable repeaters as a node, connected to the network via cellular hotspot, and just use a handheld to talk into it and have the network wherever you go, including within short range of the truck.

[WRPR796]

5 minutes ago, wayoverthere said:

Overkill, perhaps, but that would be kind of a cool setup to set up one of those retevis portable repeaters as a node, connected to the network via cellular hotspot, and just use a handheld to talk into it and have the network wherever you go, including within short range of the truck.

Yes, that was my original first thought. The one time I was actually in the right place at the right time, and was able to get on the Texas Tech net via the national network the linked repeater in the truck came up in the conversation, and started the gears turning in my mind, but I'm to new yet to know the best, or even the worst way to implement the idea.

 

[wrci350]

3 hours ago, WRPR796 said:

With any luck, YOU, why do you ask??

Sorry, wasn't trying to be a jerk, I was just genuinely curious.  One thing I have found out about GMRS (mostly from this site and other on-line forums, but also from checking out the local situation as far as repeaters and usage) is that it's very much a "YMMV" (Your Mileage May Vary) situation.  As one can see by the number of folks that post and say, "I got my license but there are no repeater near me" or "I got my license and programmed the local repeaters but I don't hear anyone" there are many areas of the country where there is little to no GMRS activity.

In other areas, there are multiple repeaters on each channel and LOTS of folks talking.

The "normal" usage also seems to vary.  In some places it seems restricted to family members checking in with each other; in others there are lots of conversations between different license holders, many of whom don't know each other, more like a ham repeater.  There are even repeaters where they run a weekly 'net', again, more like a ham repeater.  A quick look told me that there are nets on the myGMRS network too, but I'm talking about local nets.

I am not personally familiar with the myGMRS linked network since none of the repeaters in western or central NY are linked into it.  So you're not going to be talking to me unless you happen to be in my area and hit one of the local repeaters.

So please educate me.  Is the myGMRS network a good place to make random contacts?

[SteveShannon]

14 minutes ago, wayoverthere said:

Overkill, perhaps, but that would be kind of a cool setup to set up one of those retevis portable repeaters as a node, connected to the network via cellular hotspot, and just use a handheld to talk into it and have the network wherever you go, including within short range of the truck.

GMRS is prohibited from being networked via the telephone network, which cell phones use. They can be networked via IP though. 

[WRPR796]

15 minutes ago, wrci350 said:

Sorry, wasn't trying to be a jerk, I was just genuinely curious.  One thing I have found out about GMRS (mostly from this site and other on-line forums, but also from checking out the local situation as far as repeaters and usage) is that it's very much a "YMMV" (Your Mileage May Vary) situation.  As one can see by the number of folks that post and say, "I got my license but there are no repeater near me" or "I got my license and programmed the local repeaters but I don't hear anyone" there are many areas of the country where there is little to no GMRS activity.

In other areas, there are multiple repeaters on each channel and LOTS of folks talking.

The "normal" usage also seems to vary.  In some places it seems restricted to family members checking in with each other; in others there are lots of conversations between different license holders, many of whom don't know each other, more like a ham repeater.  There are even repeaters where they run a weekly 'net', again, more like a ham repeater.  A quick look told me that there are nets on the myGMRS network too, but I'm talking about local nets.

I am not personally familiar with the myGMRS linked network since none of the repeaters in western or central NY are linked into it.  So you're not going to be talking to me unless you happen to be in my area and hit one of the local repeaters.

So please educate me.  Is the myGMRS network a good place to make random contacts?

Yes it's been where most / all of my contacts have come from, but my situation is as squirrelly as it is unique in that I'm never in a single geographic area for very long. I literally just scan channels and if someone is talking enough to hear them, then look up the area on mygmrs or repeater book, and identify the tones, or if it's not listed anywhere, and I can still hear them, it's a matter of time scanning to figure out what they're running. And going from there. I have requested and received repeater access / permission, but it's always days after I've left that area. I've so far programmed about twenty different repeaters across the country and I was able to make it onto the Texas tech net via a repeater in eastern Indiana. So it's possible if you can find the repeater's

And yes I have traveled Ny just not often or lately

73

[wayoverthere]

52 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

GMRS is prohibited from being networked via the telephone network, which cell phones use. They can be networked via IP though. 

With everything cellular being digital data anyway, and no direct way to make a telephone call on that device, could it be argued that that it IS ip networking, given a dedicated cellular hotspot?

I know an actual cell phone as a hotspot is more risky, but it could be argued that cellular data is even further from the PSTN than DSL.

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, wayoverthere said:

With everything cellular being digital data anyway, and no direct way to make a telephone call on that device, could it be argued that that it IS ip networking, given a dedicated cellular hotspot?

I know an actual cell phone as a hotspot is more risky, but it could be argued that cellular data is even further from the PSTN than DSL.

I probably shouldn’t have said IP is okay, since that’s just the protocol. 
I think the FCC (or their lawyers) would argue that if it’s on a cellular system it violates the spirit of the regulations that prohibit placing digital GMRS signals (which aren’t supposed to be a digital mode anyway) onto PSTN. It certainly occupies a certain amount of bandwidth which someone might otherwise wish to use to place a cell phone call. 
In any case I wouldn’t try it. But I am risk averse. 

[wayoverthere]

57 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

I probably shouldn’t have said IP is okay, since that’s just the protocol. 
I think the FCC (or their lawyers) would argue that if it’s on a cellular system it violates the spirit of the regulations that prohibit placing digital GMRS signals (which aren’t supposed to be a digital mode anyway) onto PSTN. It certainly occupies a certain amount of bandwidth which someone might otherwise wish to use to place a cell phone call. 
In any case I wouldn’t try it. But I am risk averse. 

It's not a bad term to differentiate between a data connection and an analog connection. I won't disagree with it being a bit of a grey area though, in the same ballpark as dsl.

I wouldn't chance a phone as a hotspot, for sure.

[DeoVindice]

2 hours ago, Sshannon said:

I probably shouldn’t have said IP is okay, since that’s just the protocol. 
I think the FCC (or their lawyers) would argue that if it’s on a cellular system it violates the spirit of the regulations that prohibit placing digital GMRS signals (which aren’t supposed to be a digital mode anyway) onto PSTN. It certainly occupies a certain amount of bandwidth which someone might otherwise wish to use to place a cell phone call. 
In any case I wouldn’t try it. But I am risk averse. 

The PSTN as legally defined doesn't really exist anymore.

[WSAE471]

Brand new to gmrs WASE471.  I have an analog tidradio and wanted to connect to a group of linked repeaters in my area. Is it as simple as programming the frequency and tones and of course being within range. Or will I need other hardware because from what I understand these linked repeaters run on a node system ? 

[SteveShannon]

34 minutes ago, WSAE471 said:

Brand new to gmrs WASE471.  I have an analog tidradio and wanted to connect to a group of linked repeaters in my area. Is it as simple as programming the frequency and tones and of course being within range. Or will I need other hardware because from what I understand these linked repeaters run on a node system ? 

Nothing extra needed. They use analog audio.