New GMRS user!

[WRWI380]

Hey guys I’m completely green to the radio world and just got my license a few weeks ago! Purchased a midland 575 and trying to get things figured out. I live in NM (Socorro county). Looking for someone in my proximity to maybe give me some pointers and help me get going. I don’t know how to use repeaters and I was trying to check in with a local club on Sunday but I don’t think anyone heard me because they didn’t acknowledge me. Any help or tips to get going would be much appreciated. Thank you!

[OffRoaderX]

Have you tried searching for videos on Youtube for the specific things you dont understand?

[JoCoBrian]

1 minute ago, OffRoaderX said:

Have you tried searching for videos on Youtube for the specific things you dont understand?

What an excellent idea.  

[WRWI380]

42 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

Have you tried searching for videos on Youtube for the specific things you dont understand?

Yes I actually watch all your videos 

[WRWI380]

49 minutes ago, JoCoBrian said:

What an excellent idea.  

I’m just here looking for help. I can watch videos on how to play guitar til I’m blue in the face. It doesn’t help me get through problems. I can’t ask the YouTube video why it doesn’t work for me or sound the same even though I’m following the instructions. I’d just like someone to be able to actually answer my questions and give a little guidance 

[davidotoole]

Quote

I’m just here looking for help.

HI @WRWI380, although I do not know how to use repeaters, I do have one general suggestion. It might be helpful if you made a new question in the "Technical Discussion" forum at the top level, with a link to the video or videos you are having trouble following, and a description of what goes wrong when you try to follow the video. As for the repeater problem, it could be that the people you were listening in on, were using a CTCSS/DCSS code that you weren't transmitting, thus they wouldn't be able to hear you. I hope you can find someone knowledgeable on the board who can help answer your questions about repeaters. Although I'm not terribly knowledgable myself, I would be happy to answer other GMRS questions that don't involve repeaters.

[WRWI380]

Thanks @davidotoole. Would there be a way to figure out what CTCSS/DCSS code they were using? They were calling for new check ins to introduce yourself. If they’re letting new users check in and join would they not be using CTCSS/DCSS codes? Or maybe my units signal wasn’t strong enough to reach them?

[davidotoole]

Hi @WRWI380Some radios have a code scanner that will help you figure out which code is being used. But I would think that the group publishes the code somewhere? Can you check the webpage you found the group on?  Or it could be that your transmissions were indeed not strong enough...

[WRWE744]

16 hours ago, WRWI380 said:

Hey guys I’m completely green to the radio world and just got my license a few weeks ago! Purchased a midland 575 and trying to get things figured out. I live in NM (Socorro county). Looking for someone in my proximity to maybe give me some pointers and help me get going. I don’t know how to use repeaters and I was trying to check in with a local club on Sunday but I don’t think anyone heard me because they didn’t acknowledge me. Any help or tips to get going would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Is the repeater that you are trying to use listed on myGMRS.com?

[WRWI380]

@davidotoole I’ll have to listen in again they said they do roll call every Sunday at 5pm mtn time. I didn’t find them online I was in my buggy and only heard the last maybe 30-40 mins. But now that I know when they start on Sunday I’ll be listening and maybe I’ll get some more info on how to contact them. I’ll write down the moderators call sign and maybe I can contact him directly 

[WRWI380]

@WRWE744 the nearest I’ve found is 45 miles to the north of me. I’m not sure if it’s even close enough for my unit to reach?

[WRUU653]

 

There is a good chance you were hearing Capilla Peak 600.  It’s higher ground than you so you may very well reach it. It appears to be open.

Go to the map page https://mygmrs.com/map , you will need to join and sign in as this is a separate site from the forums. Then select your area. Once signed in you can access information.

Click on a repeater on the map and you will find info about that repeater and if you need permission to obtain the tones to access the repeater or not. The gear in the upper left corner of the map will allow you to select to see stale and off line repeaters as well.

If you decide to save some repeaters on the site be sure to save to favorites, NOT “myrepeaters” as that would be saying you own them. Do some research here about adding tones to your radio and read up on it in your radio’s manual to get a bit of understanding and then ask some questions here and you’ll get answers but basically think of tones as keys. The TX tone on your radio will open the receive on the repeater. The RX keeps out anything but the transmission from the repeater (this is optional and if you leave RX off you will hear everything on that channel). 

If I over explained anything I mean no disrespect. Not knowing your level of understanding. Good luck. 

[WRWI380]

@WRUU653 Thanks for your help! Im still trying to grasp everything as I have zero knowledge/experience with this but that was a lot of help. Starting to understand and figure out my equipment I will keep you posted. Thanks again!

[WRWE744]

1 hour ago, WRWI380 said:

@WRWE744 the nearest I’ve found is 45 miles to the north of me. I’m not sure if it’s even close enough for my unit to reach?

45 miles may be a stretch, but with a 50 watt unit you might be able to reach it. Some of that depends on obstructions between you and the repeater. You can always give it a try! I'm guessing that if the repeater your talking about has privacy tones, it will be CTCSS. Try finding the right repeater channel on your radio and going into the menu to the TX CTCSS option and adding the tone listed (if there is one listed).

[WRWI380]

@WRUU653  @WRWE744 @davidotoole

I’ve made progress! I got the tones setup and can key up the capilla peak repeater. I asked for a test and got a response, I was told I was way down in the weeds lol. I transmitted again and the response was as it sounded better. I asked for a twenty and stated where I was but no response. My antenna is on top of my side by side that has a plastic roof. I’m going to attach a piece of sheet metal on the roof and hopefully that will help my transmitting. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks for all the help!

[davidotoole]

Hey @WRWI380 that is good to hear. I don't know much about antennas, I bet someone here will though!

[WRUU653]

Hey @WRWI380 it is great to hear you have made some quick progress. A ground plane would certainly help. I am not sure what you would need to do to achieve that in your particular vehicle but I’m sure the info is out there. Perhaps a wire going from the mount to chassis or if you could mount directly to the roll cage. They do have antennas that don’t require a ground plane but from what I can gather you are better off if you can get a ground plane.  I’m just throwing stuff out there without knowing what the situation actually is for the side by side. You must be doing something right to reach it from where you are so you are on the right track. Anyway very cool and thanks for letting us know about the success.

[WRWI380]

@WRUU653 so the roof is plastic but I have a roof rack that attaches to the roll cage through the roof. my antenna is on a magnetic NMO mount. the roof rack is made out of tubing so there is no flat metal surface. I have the magnet mount on a section to the rack where the tubing has a "T". I was under the impression that a "ground plane" was more like a metallic flat surface beneath the antenna that helps direct the transmitting frequencies up/outward so that it gets more "fars" lol

[WRUU653]

28 minutes ago, WRWI380 said:

so the roof is plastic but I have a roof rack that attaches to the roll cage through the roof

Okay I see what you were saying now. I misunderstood that you were mounted to a plastic roof, though I don't know how you would be reaching that far that way. Sorry for my confusion.  I honestly don’t know if you would get better than what you got going already. I’ll leave that to those with more experience with antennas, ground planes and side by sides in this situation to add their two cents but it seems you are doing pretty good with it right now.  

[Wannabe]

Depending on elevation, 45 miles is very achievable. I talk on a repeater that’s 30-40 miles away with a hand held, the repeater is about 7k feet higher than I am (it’s way up in the mountains with a good line of site). 

[WRWE744]

Thats great!