How GMRS might better help travelers.

[JimInHelotes]

Recent long range traveler, and I got ideas from my experience.

• as a traveler, i wish that there was a light-weight, reliable resource to find linked networks in metro areas like San Antonio has.
• I wish there was a geo-oriented directory of GMRS info, organized as I-10, I-25, or I-95, for instance.
• I wish there was a national 'road' channel, such as 19 or 22, or ANYthing.

Just my thoughts. 73s if we were hams, but cheers if we are not.

JimInHelotes

 

 

[OffRoaderX]

There is an unofficial, official national road channel - its Ch19.. Although "some people" will argue to the death that there isnt one, or that Ch19 is not to their liking (don't believe me? just watch this thread)

[nokones]

"73's" was also a CB thing back in the day.

As for a "Road Channel", I would like to see a designated channel for the highway.  In my opinion, Ch. 19 is just as good as any of the other seven channels.   The CB Channel 19 got picked out of the blue by someone for the Truckers back in the CB days so the same thing can happen for GMRS

Back in the early days of GMRS, the 462.675 MHz channel pair was a designated channel for only emergencies and that seem to go by the wayside over the years.  

[Lscott]

11 hours ago, JimInHelotes said:

I wish there was a national 'road' channel, such as 19 or 22, or ANYthing.

The problem is so many people come here trying to drum up support for their favorite channel/frequency. All that does is confuse the crap out of people new to GMRS.There are endless threads on this topic. Just some samples below.

https://forums.mygmrs.com/topic/3516-officialunofficial-gmrs-roadtravel-channel/

https://www.notarubicon.com/gmrs-road-travel-channel/

https://www.fordtremor.com/threads/gmrs-travel-channel.13437/

There is just one major complication with some of the proposals. The below appears on your license. The listed frequency pairs are for channels 19 and 21. For some people, like me living in the Detroit Mi area, Line A reaches well past some major metro areas making any proposal to use channel 19 useless. 

FRS-GMRS combined channel chart.pdf

[SteveShannon]

Seattle, WA

Everett, WA

Sandpoint, ID

Kalispell, MT

Minot, ND

Duluth, MN

Detroit, MI

Lansing, MI

Cleveland, OH

Buffalo, NY

Rochester, NY

Syracuse, NY

Montpelier, VT

are all North of Line A.  Detroit and Seattle are the largest of course, but significant metro areas representing millions of people are above Line A as well as vast swaths of outdoor recreational areas, such as Glacier National Park.

I understand the desire to nominate 19 for nostalgic reasons, but people are smart enough to learn another number. Most young people have no recognition of “Channel 19.”

Here’s the FCC’s guide to Line A with a zoomable map.  It affects far more than just GMRS.

https://www.fcc.gov/engineering-technology/electromagnetic-compatibility-division/frequency-coordination-canada-below

[gortex2]

Add Syracuse NY to that list. 

I said in the past I don't know what the desire is to have a "road channel" I use GMRS for GMRS not as a chat channel like ham or CB. If I'm on a channel and someone calls and its not my group I don't listen nor reply. GMRS and FRS was for in group use case. Over the years its turned into the ham lite of sorts. I travel about 1000 miles a week. I scan all 8 GMRS channels (none of the FRS crap, just main channels) and rarely hear a conversation. When I do it sounds like a ham repeater of 2 old guys babbling about nothing. Never do I hear "hey honey I'm running late" or what not. When in our MH I would scan on my midland. 99% of the traffic was channel 1 or 2 and was car to car, move lanes etc stuff. 

I've been doing alot more with JJUSA and the events I've attended all have designated channels per trail. Rarely does someone move from that channel even at night when going to grab food or what not. 

Last point is this thread was started in the GMRS NET heading. Not sure it should be here but its better than ham nets. 

 

[SteveShannon]

This might help illustrate the problem in the Michigan-Ohio area:

 

 

[KAF6045]

17 hours ago, nokones said:

"73's" was also a CB thing back in the day.

As for a "Road Channel", I would like to see a designated channel for the highway.  In my opinion, Ch. 19 is just as good as any of the other seven channels.   The CB Channel 19 got picked out of the blue by someone for the Truckers back in the CB days so the same thing can happen for GMRS

Channel 11 started as the trucker frequency but they moved it as (given the equipment of the time) it could bleed over and interfere with the FCC designated emergency channel (9). Just /why/ they shifted to 19 rather than something else I can't say. Possible for mnemonic 9 vs 19. Once the 40 channel allocation was made, 19 makes more sense -- being nearly dead center in the frequency band allowed an antenna tuned for that point to still be usable at both channel 1 and 40. If they'd chosen channel 1, for example, tuning for best SWR on #1 would likely have left #40 unusable.

17 hours ago, nokones said:

Back in the early days of GMRS, the 462.675 MHz channel pair was a designated channel for only emergencies and that seem to go by the wayside over the years.  

That was also back in the days when a GMRS license would specify up to TWO frequency pairs chosen by the licensee requesting the license. Those two "main" frequencies (and the seven 5W interstitials) were the ONLY frequencies the licensee could use -- with the exception of 462.675/467.675 for an emergency. Since radios tended to be commercial business band stuff, the radios often only had "A" and "B" channels and required shop programming to match the license. The only way to gain access to 462.675 was to have that pair listed as one of the two frequency pairs on one's license (and if it was listed on the license, it was NOT restricted to emergency-only usage).

The Maxon GMRS 210+3 HT supported a total of 10 "channels". 1-7 were hardwired to the interstitials (usable by any GMRS license without listing them on the license); channel 8 was hardwired to 462.675 pair (usable by any GMRS licensee for emergencies, whether or not listed on license); channel 9&10 were to be shop programmed with the two licensed main frequencies).

 

[Lscott]

19 minutes ago, KAF6045 said:

Channel 11 started as the trucker frequency but they moved it as (given the equipment of the time) it could bleed over and interfere with the FCC designated emergency channel (9). Just /why/ they shifted to 19 rather than something else I can't say. Possible for mnemonic 9 vs 19. Once the 40 channel allocation was made, 19 makes more sense -- being nearly dead center in the frequency band allowed an antenna tuned for that point to still be usable at both channel 1 and 40. If they'd chosen channel 1, for example, tuning for best SWR on #1 would likely have left #40 unusable.

That was also back in the days when a GMRS license would specify up to TWO frequency pairs chosen by the licensee requesting the license. Those two "main" frequencies (and the seven 5W interstitials) were the ONLY frequencies the licensee could use -- with the exception of 462.675/467.675 for an emergency. Since radios tended to be commercial business band stuff, the radios often only had "A" and "B" channels and required shop programming to match the license. The only way to gain access to 462.675 was to have that pair listed as one of the two frequency pairs on one's license (and if it was listed on the license, it was NOT restricted to emergency-only usage).

The Maxon GMRS 210+3 HT supported a total of 10 "channels". 1-7 were hardwired to the interstitials (usable by any GMRS license without listing them on the license); channel 8 was hardwired to 462.675 pair (usable by any GMRS licensee for emergencies, whether or not listed on license); channel 9&10 were to be shop programmed with the two licensed main frequencies).

 

Nice history/background info.

[WQAI363]

22 hours ago, JimInHelotes said:

Recent long range traveler, and I got ideas from my experience.

• as a traveler, i wish that there was a light-weight, reliable resource to find linked networks in metro areas like San Antonio has.
• I wish there was a geo-oriented directory of GMRS info, organized as I-10, I-25, or I-95, for instance.
• I wish there was a national 'road' channel, such as 19 or 22, or ANYthing.

Just my thoughts. 73s if we were hams, but cheers if we are not.

JimInHelotes

 

 

You know if you ever travel through Philadelphia PA / Camden NJ area, on 462.575 I don't know how many tones, but the one individual think he's high and mighty. Be careful, stay clear from that repeater. 

[nokones]

Back in the very first back in the day of CB Radios, Channel 11 was the designated CB channel for commercial businesses to use. At least, it was in Southern California in the 60s.  Remember the 102" or was it a 108" (can't remember now) steel whip, with the ball and spring mount? Try and find one of those today.

[gortex2]

8 hours ago, nokones said:

Back in the very first back in the day of CB Radios, Channel 11 was the designated CB channel for commercial businesses to use. At least, it was in Southern California in the 60s.  Remember the 102" or was it a 108" (can't remember now) steel whip, with the ball and spring mount? Try and find one of those today.

102" and your right. I used to grab them at RS for $20 now they want $75-100 on ebay for them. I kick myself as when I left one of my old shops we put piles of them in the dumpster along with the 54" ones for lowband. You think the whip is hard to find try to find a Motorola Ball and Spring. They are gold when found. 

[nokones]

I believe the 54 inchers were for 42 Meg freqs.

[WRWE456]

Right Channel Radios .com has the 102" whips available for $59.95 for the whip only, (mount extra). Not cheap but what is these days? Good place for CB gear. Bought quite a bit of stuff from them recently.

[WRUU653]

You guys are taking me back. I had one of these whips on my CJ back in the day. It doesn’t even fit in frame here. Jeez I’m old.(40 years ago)

[byoungmn]

I had mine on a 1979 Buick Lesabre four-door red hardtop.

Ground straps on all the doors and hood trunk lid SWR stayed around 1.6 on 20.  Still have the radio... good old Midland.

From St Paul Mn to darn near Hudson Wi

 

WRXD808

[byoungmn]

Nice old jeep by the way...

[WRXX537]

Sorry for the stupid question but being a total Newb to all this, when you say “channel 19” are you referring to the (am I correct when I say simplex) channel 19 or channel 19 with the repeater programed?

Again, sorry if this sounds like a stupid question to you.

[WRXB215]

Most people on here refer to channel 19 as a simplex channel because that is what it is. Some radio manufacturers list channels above 22 as things like 19RPT etc. which, in my opinion, isn't a good way to do it. It just causes confusion.

[WRUE951]

On 5/2/2023 at 5:44 PM, JimInHelotes said:

Recent long range traveler, and I got ideas from my experience.

• as a traveler, i wish that there was a light-weight, reliable resource to find linked networks in metro areas like San Antonio has.
• I wish there was a geo-oriented directory of GMRS info, organized as I-10, I-25, or I-95, for instance.
• I wish there was a national 'road' channel, such as 19 or 22, or ANYthing.

Just my thoughts. 73s if we were hams, but cheers if we are not.

JimInHelotes

your first two bullets are very easily possible but the owner here does not want to introduce it...    I have it, but unfortunately i can't share it,..  Yet