Creating a New Local Net?

[WRWI348]

Hello. Sort-of Newby here. Ive participated in a few check in nets but in order to get a good connection with one ofthose specific repeaters I have have go out of my way to travel outside of city limits, the other net I've participated in, it was told that my signal was loud and clear, but most other participants were awfully far away and the signals I was receiving were awful. Not too terribly far from my house is a great repeater that covers a nice area of my city. I have permission to operate on said repeater, but there's been almost no traffic for months, other than two instances I was able to hear transmissions. My question is, how does one go about creating a local net? Is it as simple as hopping on the frequency every Monday afternoon and simply declaring "Welcome to this repeaters new net, we are now taking check ins from yadda yadda..." or rather is this something I should contact the repeater owner about, find people in the local area to create a communications group before bringing the net on air for the first time? What have your experiences been?

[gortex2]

I would check with the repeater owner to verify he is ok with a net on his repeater. I have a few repeaters that are used but if someone starts a net I'll shut them down. Just my opinion. My repeater were not put up for ham lite purposes. 

[SteveShannon]

5 hours ago, WRWI348 said:

Hello. Sort-of Newby here. Ive participated in a few check in nets but in order to get a good connection with one ofthose specific repeaters I have have go out of my way to travel outside of city limits, the other net I've participated in, it was told that my signal was loud and clear, but most other participants were awfully far away and the signals I was receiving were awful. Not too terribly far from my house is a great repeater that covers a nice area of my city. I have permission to operate on said repeater, but there's been almost no traffic for months, other than two instances I was able to hear transmissions. My question is, how does one go about creating a local net? Is it as simple as hopping on the frequency every Monday afternoon and simply declaring "Welcome to this repeaters new net, we are now taking check ins from yadda yadda..." or rather is this something I should contact the repeater owner about, find people in the local area to create a communications group before bringing the net on air for the first time? What have your experiences been?

I agree with Gortex that asking the repeater owner before creating a net.  Be sure the net has a purpose that will keep it going, because otherwise it will eventually die on the vine.  If you are just doing it to have someone to talk to, you might want to consider becoming an amateur radio operator.  There’s more of that in ham radio.

[WRUU653]

I agree with both @gortex2 and @Sshannon, this is absolutely at the discretion of the repeater owner and you may want to take a look at ham as nets seem plenty and common place. At least they are around me. 

[SteveShannon]

Just another thought:  see if there’s a local ham radio club (I bet there is) and attend one of their meetings.  Many of the members of my club are also GMRS members.  They exist to help others become hams.

[nokones]

If the Hams are willing to help others to become Hams, then why don't they help in doing away with the Test that is required to get a license? I can see the purpose in the test for the advance license levels but, for the entry level license, I can see that will keep people in the future from being a HAM and the hobby will eventually be nearly non-existent, maybe not tomorrow, but I feel the future will be on the horizon very soon.

That is probably why GMRS is becoming so popular with the younger generations. I know the older Hams won't agree in doing away with the entry level license test because they had to take the test but they better think about the future of the hobby before their frequencies become less crowded with Ham hobbyists as time marches on.

It will be interesting to know the stats on the number of people becoming Hams today as opposed yesteryear.

[SteveShannon]

50 minutes ago, nokones said:

If the Hams are willing to help others to become Hams, then why don't they help in doing away with the Test that is required to get a license? I can see the purpose in the test for the advance license levels but, for the entry level license, I can see that will keep people in the future from being a HAM and the hobby will eventually be nearly non-existent, maybe not tomorrow, but I feel the future will be on the horizon very soon.

That is probably why GMRS is becoming so popular with the younger generations. I know the older Hams won't agree in doing away with the entry level license test because they had to take the test but they better think about the future of the hobby before their frequencies become less crowded with Ham hobbyists as time marches on.

It will be interesting to know the stats on the number of people becoming Hams today as opposed yesteryear.

You’re wrong and I already responded in the thread you started.

[Adamdaj]

On 5/8/2023 at 1:28 AM, WRWI348 said:

Hello. Sort-of Newby here. Ive participated in a few check in nets but in order to get a good connection with one ofthose specific repeaters I have have go out of my way to travel outside of city limits, the other net I've participated in, it was told that my signal was loud and clear, but most other participants were awfully far away and the signals I was receiving were awful. Not too terribly far from my house is a great repeater that covers a nice area of my city. I have permission to operate on said repeater, but there's been almost no traffic for months, other than two instances I was able to hear transmissions. My question is, how does one go about creating a local net? Is it as simple as hopping on the frequency every Monday afternoon and simply declaring "Welcome to this repeaters new net, we are now taking check ins from yadda yadda..." or rather is this something I should contact the repeater owner about, find people in the local area to create a communications group before bringing the net on air for the first time? What have your experiences been?

Welcome to wonderful world of Radio Communication! Obviously, you obtained your GMRS license for reason other than emergencies. Don't be afraid to ask questions, because that how you gain knowledge.

 

[KAF6045]

On 5/9/2023 at 9:09 AM, nokones said:

If the Hams are willing to help others to become Hams, then why don't they help in doing away with the Test that is required to get a license? I can see the purpose in the test for the advance license levels but, for the entry level license, I can see that will keep people in the future from being a HAM and the hobby will eventually be nearly non-existent, maybe not tomorrow, but I feel the future will be on the horizon very soon.

The entry level test is focused on knowing the FCC regulations for Amateur radio: modes, permissible frequency bands and what can be used in those bands, interacting with international traffic, etc., and individual licensing.

None of which are applicable to what was a short range service with only one mode (FM) and fixed channel allocations, allowing family members to operate under the single license (originally, it was against regulations for two base stations to talk to each other -- base stations were meant for mobile<>base communication only: think large farm with base in the house, and mobiles/HTs on family working the fields). It does not exist in other countries (the Canadian "GMRS" regulations are basically a match for the US FRS regulations -- simplex, <2W, NO 467MHz channels [our 8-14]) so no concerns about international traffic (though there is still the Line-A matter, even though the simplex frequencies are now part of the Canadian "GMRS" and not some obscure government agency).

[WRKC935]

Ham testing will NOT go away until the rest of the world agrees to it.  The ITU (International Telecommunications Union) set the rules for all countries to follow with regards to radio communications. 

One of the biggest things that allow's GMRS to exist with no real verification of knowledge is the fact it's UHF and low power.

Other than Canada and Mexico, no other countries are going to be in the communications range of any US station (other than MAYBE Russia and users in Alaska, but even that's a big IF. 

Lower frequencies especially HF stuff will carry for extremely long distances when the conditions are right and that happens much more often than band openings in the UHF region. 

So it's really not as easy as the FCC just handing out ham licenses.  The ITU was the reason that the Morse Code requirement hung in so long.  And it was the maritime industry and regulations for ship to shore communications that was the driving force.  A bit of history.  Just prior to the ITU lifting the International code requirement, ships over a certain size were required to have a licensed radio operator on board that knew Morse Code for emergency communications.  That requirement was lifted a year or two before the ITU met and recended the Morse Code requirement for ham licenses.  The whole idea was that a ham operator would be able to receive and handle emergency traffic from a ship at sea that was having problems.  With the full implementation of the EPURB satellite system and a new requirement that all ships were required to have on board emergency radios that would automatically give location information via GPS to the monitoring stations for the system, there was no longer a need or requirement for Morse Code. 

So ham radio requirements were lifted for the first level of ham license (No Code Technician) and the flood gates opened.  The higher class licenses still at that time had a code requirement, mostly due to the older hams raising hell claiming that it would be the end of ham radio,,,, of course that didn't happen and the requirements for code were lifted for all ham license classes. 

I actually started as a No Code Tech, and held that license for over 10 years.  I did finally upgrade to general, but I am yet to get my Extra class license.  I may do it at some point, but I really don't know that I care enough to bother.  Regardless, I will maintain my current call sign as I have had it now for almost 30 years (originally licensed in 1994). 

Point is there is a reason that hams have to test.  And those are the reasons.  With GMRS on UHF we don't really have much ability to interfere with other services in other countries.  With Ham radio on HF or even 50 Mhz (6 meters) there is that possibility and operators need to know where they can operate and where they can't. 

And remember, GMRS radios are NOT suppose to have VFO's, or be programmable one any frequency outside the bounds of the 30 frequencies we are allocated.  Ham radios are not that way.  Granted, they do have transmit blocks in the newer radios.  But the old tube gear was smile and dial so to speak.