Guest Todd Posted December 11, 2023 Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 Just getting into the whole GMRS world. I obtain my GMRS license and a buddy gets his license. We are 100 miles apart and there is a repeater that is half way between us claiming to have a 100 mile broadcast range. If we get permission from that repeaters owner, we would then be able to communicate with each other? Is my thinking correct? Would we be able to use the lowly Baofengs? Thank you in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRHS218 Posted December 11, 2023 Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 7 minutes ago, Guest Todd said: Just getting into the whole GMRS world. I obtain my GMRS license and a buddy gets his license. We are 100 miles apart and there is a repeater that is half way between us claiming to have a 100 mile broadcast range. If we get permission from that repeaters owner, we would then be able to communicate with each other? Is my thinking correct? Would we be able to use the lowly Baofengs? Thank you in advance. Theoretically yes. UHF (GMRS frequencies) is line-of-sight for the most part. If you both can reach and open the repeater than you will be able to communicate. If there are trees, buildings, hills between you and the repeater you may not be able to hit the repeater. 50 miles is doable with a handheld under the right conditions and with an unobscured line of sight to the repeater. WRUU653 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRQC527 Posted December 11, 2023 Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 Can you communicate? Maybe. You're both at the very fringe of the repeater's claimed range. With Baofeng HTs? Doubtful unless you both have absolutely clear line of sight between you and the repeater. And this is not just an issue with "lowly" Baofengs. It's an issue with any (roughly) 5-watt handheld. You would have better luck with a mobile radio that puts out more wattage. As with everything radio-related, your results may vary. WRHS218 and WRUU653 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRUU653 Posted December 11, 2023 Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 Keep in mind repeaters are frequently on hills and mountains with higher output than an HT or some mobile radios. Their hight and power is an advantage to reach further so it may reach you but you may or may not reach it. This line of sight tool may give you an idea of your paths to the repeater. Good luck. WRXB215 and WRHS218 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StogieVol Posted December 11, 2023 Report Share Posted December 11, 2023 3 hours ago, Guest Todd said: Just getting into the whole GMRS world. I obtain my GMRS license and a buddy gets his license. We are 100 miles apart and there is a repeater that is half way between us claiming to have a 100 mile broadcast range. If we get permission from that repeaters owner, we would then be able to communicate with each other? Is my thinking correct? Would we be able to use the lowly Baofengs? Thank you in advance. If you both have a good radios that get out and both are able to hit repeater, then yes. Sshannon and TheNevilleKid 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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