wrci350 Posted May 20, 2022 Report Posted May 20, 2022 Not sure why you have taken offense to the question you were asked on RR, since "Upstate NY" means very different things depending on where in NY one lives. If someone had asked "Does anyone use GMRS in California (or Iowa, or Virginia)?" the response would have been the same: Where in California? The answer to your question is going to vary depending on where you are. Sounds like there isn't much activity in the Capital District. Curious though: How are you listening? Are you using a GMRS radio and scanning all the channels? Do you have tones turned off, so you'll hear *any* traffic on that channel? Or maybe you're doing the same with a scanner? In Western NY there are a couple GMRS repeaters with very large footprints (reachable from several counties). Most of the traffic on those is still radio checks, although I think they run a net once a week. In Monroe County there are several other repeaters with varying footprints. None of them get much traffic. The purpose of GMRS (as defined by the FCC at least) is not "pick up the microphone and chat with random people". It's designed to be used for communications within families and other groups. That doesn't mean it can't be used for rag-chewing, and I believe there are repeaters (and even networks of linked repeaters) that get used that way, as if they were a 2m or 70cm ham repeater. That hasn't been my experience in <this> part of Upstate NY. Most of the traffic I hear on "GMRS" channels is actually FRS, since FRS radios can (and are!) used by businesses. Since GMRS is UHF, and given the terrain in most of NY State, you will be lucky to hit a repeater that's 30 or 40 miles away from you unless you and it are both on mountains. So unless you plan to travel, you may have answered your own question if there is no (or little) GMRS activity in your area. The fact that there is a repeater in Wyoming County that can be hit from Ontario County isn't going to do you one bit of good. Quote
wrci350 Posted May 20, 2022 Report Posted May 20, 2022 I don't think anyone on RR is being mean or snarky to you. Usually when someone asks a question like yours they are interested in *their* area, and as I said, "Upstate NY" means different things in different parts of NY. The meta-answer to your question is, "YMMV". Different areas of the country have different levels of GMRS use, and that's true with different areas of Upstate NY as well. Quote
wrci350 Posted May 20, 2022 Report Posted May 20, 2022 Radio Reference. www.radioreference.com marcspaz 1 Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.