Avoiding FRS channels

[SteveShannon]

2 hours ago, Adamdaj said:

GOOD POINT! Yep, I put my foot in my mouth again. I apologize

No apology needed for that. It was an honest mistake. 

[SteveShannon]

2 hours ago, Lscott said:

 By transmitting on the repeater output frequencies. If they’re near by your location they can jam the frequency.

They could, but that’s their right. Not to intentionally interfere of course, but as @wrci350 said:

4 hours ago, wrci350 said:

Well, like it or not, FRS users have just as much right to those 22 channels as GMRS users.  Unless the FCC can go back in time and not ever allow those FRS/GMRS bubblepack radios, we're stuck with sharing.

As far as repeaters go, if you run with both transmit and receive tones on a repeater you'll never hear someone using an FRS radio unless they happen to pick the same tone as what you are using on the output, correct?

You are right about the "everyone can hear you" part, and it's not just kids who don't understand that.

 

[wayoverthere]

1 hour ago, WRXE944 said:

It seems to me that your hypothetical is not FRS. 

No FRS radio that I have ever purchased would bleed into the repeater inputs. 

If they're working correctly, no, FRS radios shouldn't.

But since the subject has kind of bounced back and forth between the radios and the users, our hypothetical Joe Schmoe fall into the latter categoy (even if he isn't in compliance), no?

[WQAI363]

22 hours ago, Lscott said:

 By transmitting on the repeater output frequencies. If they’re near by your location they can jam the frequency.

That's what I was trying to say!

Thank You !

[SteveShannon]

22 hours ago, Lscott said:

 By transmitting on the repeater output frequencies. If they’re near by your location they can jam the frequency.

That’s also true of any GMRS user using those channels for simplex. 
But that’s not “jamming“ the frequency. That’s just sharing the frequency as regulations require. 

[WQAI363]

On 4/8/2023 at 8:45 PM, WRWP775 said:

To me, one of the advantages of GMRS is avoiding FRS congestion at campgrounds, parks, etc.  If I have learned/read this correctly, the first 22 channels are shared between FRS/GMRS with the only difference being GMRS may use higher power on those channels.

I have nothing against FRS users, but I'd like to limit interference without having to mess around with CTCSS, DTCS codes, polarity, etc. when programming my radios for the family.

So, I believe (and would like to confirm with the brain trust here) that with my GMRS license I may use repeater channels 23 through 30 as simplex only channels, without having to go through a repeater.  That's my understanding from reading GMRS rules online.

Thanks.

John / WRWP775 / K6JJG

01 through 07 FRS / GMRS    2 watts ERP Handhelds or Mobiles

08 through 14 FRS ONLY       1/2watt ERP Handhelds Only
15 through 22 FRS / GMRS     5 watts       Handhelds or Mobiles        

23 through 30 GMRS ONLY   HT 5watts, Mobiles 25 to 50 watts, Repeaters 25 to 50 watts        

[Lscott]

3 hours ago, Sshannon said:

That’s also true of any GMRS user using those channels for simplex. 
But that’s not “jamming“ the frequency. That’s just sharing the frequency as regulations require. 

Unfortunately people treat FRS radios as a toy. When you can buy a bubble pack of two for $29.95 at the local discount store nobody gives a crap and reads beyond how to turn them on and where the batteries go. They give them to their kids and off they go. A 5 yo has no idea what frequency sharing means.

I’ve had some local kids playing on the local repeater’s output channel for an hour or two at times. And unfortunately they happened to be close by so the higher power repeater signal had trouble swapping out the FRS signal. 

[OffRoaderX]

1 minute ago, Lscott said:

I’ve had some local kids playing on the local repeater’s output channel for an hour or two at times. And unfortunately they happened to be close by so the higher power repeater signal had trouble swapping out the FRS signal

I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I hope you're ok.

[SteveShannon]

6 minutes ago, Lscott said:

Unfortunately people treat FRS radios as a toy. When you can buy a bubble pack of two for $29.95 at the local discount store nobody gives a crap and reads beyond how to turn them and where the batteries go. They give them to their kids and off they go. A 5 yo has no idea what frequency sharing means.

I’ve had some local kids playing on the local repeater’s output channel for an hour or two at times. And unfortunately they happened to be close by so the higher power repeater signal had trouble swapping out the FRS signal. 

That’s just the way it is. FRS radios are toys and regulations allow unlicensed children to use them. Pitting us against each other will not help; it just exacerbates the frustration and resentment. 

[WRWR489]

I agree with both of you, sorry for the butt hurt, but is is what it is, Shannon is right, anything to divide is considered gold now a days.

[WRWR489]

Big electrical storm tonight. all coax disconnected and on the back porch. Let;s see if we can vaporize a fiberglass antenna again without any damage.

[Lscott]

2 minutes ago, WRWR489 said:

Big electrical storm tonight. all coax disconnected and on the back porch. Let;s see if we can vaporize a fiberglass antenna again without any damage.

If it was me a vaporized antenna would be considered damage. 

[WRWR489]

I am a Florida boy Right next to Lake Okeechobee, i know what lightning can do. My coax gets disconnected and thrown out the window in a baggie when this happens. 

[WRWR489]

Not bragging, nut in 2005 had a bolt of lightning hit a 30 foot tall queen palm that it hit, found the ground to the lamp post in the driveway and blew shingles of the roof of the house. No fire thank god, but it looked like a backhoe dug a trench from the tree to the light. Blew the ground apart and opened it up. When I say ground I don't mean a wire, the lightning blew the ground apart.

[Lscott]

10 minutes ago, WRWR489 said:

I am a Florida boy Right next to Lake Okeechobee, i know what lightning can do. My coax gets disconnected and thrown out the window in a baggie when this happens. 

[Lscott]

3 minutes ago, WRWR489 said:

Not bragging, nut in 2005 had a bolt of lightning hit a 30 foot tall queen palm that it hit, found the ground to the lamp post in the driveway and blew shingles of the roof of the house. No fire thank god, but it looked like a backhoe dug a trench from the tree to the light. Blew the ground apart and opened it up. When I say ground I don't mean a wire, the lightning blew the ground apart.

I’ve read stories about serious injuries being near a tree when struck by lightning.  The heat generated by the current flow through the sap flashed it to steam. That resulted in the tree trunk exploding like a bomb. People ended up looking a voodoo doll from all of the wood shards sticking out of them.

[WRUU653]

5 minutes ago, WRWR489 said:

Not bragging, nut in 2005 had a bolt of lightning hit a 30 foot tall queen palm that it hit, found the ground to the lamp post in the driveway and blew shingles of the roof of the house. No fire thank god, but it looked like a backhoe dug a trench from the tree to the light. Blew the ground apart and opened it up. When I say ground I don't mean a wire, the lightning blew the ground apart.

Yeah it really is something to see. As an electrician I was called to a home once where the lightning hit a tree on top of the mountain next to the home, it split the tree in half, just exploded it and blew all the sprinkler pipes out of the ground. Quite a sight. 

[WRWR489]

Before the area really developed into the metropolis it is now, we had major brush fires with the pine trees that were full of turpinetine. They would burn and explode starting another fire a mile away

[WRWR489]

I think we are getting way off topic here, but great info from every one. grounding is great and helps with reception, but toss those cables outside if you can.

 

[WRUU653]

34 minutes ago, WRWR489 said:

I think we are getting way off topic here, but great info from every one. grounding is great and helps with reception, but toss those cables outside if you can.

Anything that has to do with anything other than FRS channels is on topic because the topic is “avoiding FRS channels”. That’s just how I interpreted it anyway

[marcspaz]

18 hours ago, WRUU653 said:

Anything that has to do with anything other than FRS channels is on topic because the topic is “avoiding FRS channels”. That’s just how I interpreted it anyway

 

QFT!!!

 

[Blaise]

16 hours ago, marcspaz said:

QFT!!!

Am I the only one who enjoys imagining what those hammy initialisms stand for?  I read "QFT" as "Quite Fucking True".  I have no idea what it really means, but I like mine!

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, Blaise said:

Am I the only one who enjoys imagining what those hammy initialisms stand for?  I read "QFT" as "Quite Fracking True".  I have no idea what it really means, but I like mine!

Probably...

QFT

1. (Internet slang) Initialism of quoted for truth (used after repeating the text of a previous post one agrees with)

[marcspaz]

I feel attacked!!!   LOL

[WRUU653]

8 hours ago, Sshannon said:

(Internet slang) Initialism of quoted for truth (used after repeating the text of a previous post one agrees with)

Whew… I’m glad to see that, I was afraid it was “quit f*#@ing typing”