What does it mean when someone says, "I can hear you just fine on the reverse"?

[WRFH675]

I've heard this a few times on my local repeater. People will be talking and then one of them will say they can hear the other fine on the reverse.

[OffRoaderX]

It means they need to turn off their radio for a few minutes and go outside and get some sunshine.

[WRFH675]

But it's always raining out here in the PNW. No sunshine

[axorlov]

21 minutes ago, WRFH675 said:

I've heard this a few times on my local repeater. People will be talking and then one of them will say they can hear the other fine on the reverse.

Ham repeater? It would mean the other person hears original correspondent well on repeater input, meaning that they are very close to each other. If they are only interested in talking to each other, they can go to simplex and do not tie up the repeater. Ham gear often has a button to receive the repeater input frequency on the programmed repeater channel. GMRS gear does not have this feature.

[SteveShannon]

It’s also very useful in diagnosing tone problems. Once, after resetting my radio, I forgot to put in the repeater input tone. I could hear everyone else on the repeater but none of them could hear me. Another person got on the repeater and said that he could hear me fine on the reverse so I should check the tone. Bingo!

[WRFH675]

This is on a GMRS repeater. Let me try and wrap my head around this...

If we're using repeater channel 18 (transmit frequency of 467.6250), then another user would have to be tuned into that same frequency on another radio (with same tones as repeater) and listening to see if the repeater user traffic is coming through on that frequency as well? Which also is not one of the normal 22 GMRS frequencies.

 

 

[axorlov]

10 minutes ago, WRFH675 said:

This is on a GMRS repeater. Let me try and wrap my head around this...

If we're using repeater channel 18 (transmit frequency of 467.6250), then another user would have to be tuned into that same frequency on another radio (with same tones as repeater) and listening to see if the repeater user traffic is coming through on that frequency as well? Which also is not one of the normal 22 GMRS frequencies.

 

 

Correct. The listener (who said he hears on reverse) would need to tune his receiver to 467.625. GMRS gear does not have an option to momentarily swap repeater input and output, but ubiquitous UV-5R does, and a whole bunch of commercial and GMRS gear could be programmed to listen to 467.xxx0 MHz. Tones are not needed to hear everything. Tones are only needed to limit what you are hearing. It is also possible that the listener has a proper scanner up and running.

[WRFH675]

Got it, thanks!

I'm using the KG-S88G, which gives me the option to program 467.6250 into a channel. I can not only transmit but I can also receive on that frequency.

I then did the same thing on my KG-935G. Now, it seems I'm able to communicate between two radios on a non-standard GMRS channel.

Is this allowed?

[SteveShannon]

Some GMRS handhelds do have a talk around reverse function. Such a function doesn’t violate any regulation. 
For instance, the Retevis RT76P sold on this site’s shopping site has it listed as a feature.

https://shop.mygmrs.com/products/retevis-rt76p-repeater-capable-gmrs-radio-5w

[SteveShannon]

1 minute ago, WRFH675 said:

Got it, thanks!

I'm using the KG-S88G, which gives me the option to program 467.6250 into a channel. I can not only transmit but I can also receive on that frequency.

I then did the same thing on my KG-935G. Now, it seems I'm able to communicate between two radios on a non-standard GMRS channel.

Is this allowed?

You can always listen to the 467 frequencies. There are limitations to transmitting. Here’s what the regulations say about that:

467 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, control and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. Mobile, hand-held portable and control stations may transmit on these channels only when communicating through a repeater station or making brief test transmissions in accordance with § 95.319(c). The channel center frequencies are: 467.5500, 467.5750, 467.6000, 467.6250, 467.6500, 467.6750, 467.7000, and 467.7250 MHz.

[WRFH675]

2 minutes ago, Sshannon said:

You can always listen to the 467 frequencies. There are limitations to transmitting. Here’s what the regulations say about that:

467 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, control and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. Mobile, hand-held portable and control stations may transmit on these channels only when communicating through a repeater station or making brief test transmissions in accordance with § 95.319(c). The channel center frequencies are: 467.5500, 467.5750, 467.6000, 467.6250, 467.6500, 467.6750, 467.7000, and 467.7250 MHz.

Looks like I'm in the clear then since I only did a quick test transmission on each radio

This was all very interesting. Always good to learn even more about GMRS even after I thought I knew it all already. Thanks

[MichaelLAX]

The Radioddity DB20-G a/k/a Anytone AT-779 does have this feature: FUN-REV (A-6) on the microphone, however, this feature is locked out when in GMRS mode.

It works when the radio is "opened up."

On my TYT-88UV, which does not have this function, I just programmed each of the 8 GMRS repeater channels in reverse.

Other than being able to communicate simplex, the other use of this feature is decoding the Tones used by those on the Repeater Input.