What do you use your radio for?

[WSAD223]

I am curios, does anyone have there GMRS radio for social reason's? and by that i mean using it like a ham making contacts or talking to friends or making new friends. i always here people talking about having them for off-roading and backpacking but not much when it comes to the social side of things.

[OffRoaderX]

I use mine for off-roading.. any time I want to "make contacts" and find anonymous men to talk with, I use the Grindr app.

[SteveShannon]

4 minutes ago, WSAD223 said:

I am curios, does anyone have there GMRS radio for social reason's? and by that i mean using it like a ham making contacts or talking to friends or making new friends. i always here people talking about having them for off-roading and backpacking but not much when it comes to the social side of things.

No. I carry mine when I’m with my friends on a rocket range. When people go to recover their rockets they can call for help. 

[marcspaz]

Mine is primarily for offroading and keeping in touch with my family and friends while local.

[WRQC527]

16 minutes ago, WSAD223 said:

I am curios, does anyone have there GMRS radio for social reason's? and by that i mean using it like a ham making contacts or talking to friends or making new friends. i always here people talking about having them for off-roading and backpacking but not much when it comes to the social side of things.

I use GMRS primarily to contact my wife when I'm out of cell service range, which happens frequently in our local mountains here in southern California. For me and many others, I use GMRS as a communications tool, and I use amateur radio for both a communications tool and socially.

[WRNN959]

Being very new to GMRS, I can say my intended purpose is for use while traveling in groups camping. 

Having said that, I've set up a base station in my "radio shed" for the purpose of learning how to use the radio with repeater networks in my region. In the process of doing so, I've discovered numerous users that use the repeater network for social radio conversations. I don't personally know any of those that transmit regularly, but within a few weeks I recognize several dozen call signs and names that are on weekly or even several times daily. I'm beginning to feel at least in the Midwest, the GMRS network may end up working for me like CB radio did back in the 70s with developing social friendships that will likely include occasional meetups. Never expected that to be the case, but I'm kind of glad.  

[Quilbilly]

I use it for:

• Communication on our gold claims in Idaho. Huge safety and convenience here. We are able to talk to camp on the other side of a big hill, and if a family member gets hurt their signal sends their GPS location (Garmin Rino(s), and 50w mobile station).
• Staying connected while hiking, sledding, and biking (Garmin Rino).
• Social: locally we have a repeater with a 90 mile range... this is amazing!
• Traveling in groups (both HTs and 50w mobile units).
• Just now getting into radio nets, both technical and social (Wouxun KG1000+ and HTs).

If you're looking for the social aspect of GMRS you should try joining on a local repeater. This worked well for me.

[UncleYoda]

1 hour ago, WRNN959 said:

I've set up a base station in my "radio shed" for the purpose of learning how to use the radio with repeater networks in my region.

Check the Part 95E regs -- base stations not allowed to use repeaters (as others here will say, you can likely get away with it).

[WRNN959]

9 hours ago, UncleYoda said:

Check the Part 95E regs -- base stations not allowed to use repeaters (as others here will say, you can likely get away with it).

?????

My "base station" is an MXT 500 mobile mounted in my shed. I only call it a base station in this context as it's used stationary for the time being. I'm even using a mobile antenna with the setup. 

[Raybestos]

Mine is as an alternative to cellular in the event that it goes down.  I am part of an informal repeater group that meets monthly at varying restaurants for mutual help with radio stuff and for fellowship.  I have ham too but was becoming disenchanted with some of the personalities and attitudes found there.

[gortex2]

Offroad and family. The intended use. 

[marcspaz]

6 hours ago, UncleYoda said:

Check the Part 95E regs -- base stations not allowed to use repeaters (as others here will say, you can likely get away with it).

 

I must be missing something. Where is that in the rules?  

 

I ask because how we use the radio defines what the radio is. For example, by definition a base station is a station at a fixed location that communicates directly with mobile stations and other base stations. However, the exact same radio can be a control station, as defined by use of a station at a fixed location that communicates with mobile stations and other control stations through repeater stations, and may also be used to control the operation of repeater stations.

[nokones]

7 hours ago, UncleYoda said:

Check the Part 95E regs -- base stations not allowed to use repeaters (as others here will say, you can likely get away with it).

By rule, it is virtually impossible for a base station to use (transmit to) a repeater, there is no-way it can happen.

[marcspaz]

25 minutes ago, nokones said:

By rule, it is virtually impossible for a base station to use (transmit to) a repeater, there is no-way it can happen.

 

Exactly. The nature of its use defines its type.

 

A flat head screwdriver is a craftsmans tool when it turns screws, and a burglary tool when used to steal a car.

[Guest]

Basically, what everyone else said, but worth seeing more use cases that apply:

1: Family Farm/Ag/land use - several hundred acres of farm/ag/foresting land between several properties - local "ARES" group conveniently hung a GMRS repeater that is mostly central to the land and covers 90+% - Currently the repeater sees nearly ZERO use, so the farm/ag operation uses it (with permission and proper family licenses) when simplex range doesn't cut it. 

2: Off-road/remote road - While I don't 'off-road' in the sense of wheels off the ground, winches and axle articulation, several family/friends do run through some low cell coverage 'soft roading' gravel pack and forest roads on occasion, and even in cell covered areas, we find we like to reach for the instant comms of radio first anyways

3: Family activities - camping/hiking/biking/'whatevers' - insert whatever activity where cell phones are more inconvenient.. not to mention, much of the family is not ready to give the younger members cell phones, with monthly fees and subscriptions, therefore - GMRS and/or FRS

4: Convenience - I'll grab my HT(s) and use them in many 'around the property' scenarios, even if I can use cell phones. - it's a matter of ease of use. I can 'push button, talk, message sent' easier than I can grab a phone, unlock, dial, wait for other party to pick up, talk, hang up and put away (or insert 'open message app, send message, twiddle thumbs, wait for answer, hope I don't miss answer etc')

5: Not going to lie, I do also on occasion tune in to a net connected or local repeater and listen/participate in the 'rag chew'  -- (Don't deny it, Rag chew happens here too...) - but this certainly is a by-product of the equipment I have, and not a reason for having it. 

[WRKC935]

I use radio primarily as a carrier.  I am a field service tech for a Motorola Service Shop.  But that is NOT what I use GMRS for.

I am also a ham radio license holder and operator,  that's the 'secondary' hobby radio use as of late.

For GMRS it's communications with others and right now the research and application of different linking and dispatch consoles to the radios.  

But I will say that I use GMRS and ham radio as a test bed for many parts of the technology that I work with professionally. 

 

Outside of that I use GMRS for communications for tower operations and site work, communications with family and for emergency situations.

Due to hosting public safety radio at the tower site, everything at the site has that level of redundancy.  So it will work when other less redundand systems will fail.

 

[TheNevilleKid]

13 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

I use mine for off-roading.. any time I want to "make contacts" and find anonymous men to talk with, I use the Grindr app.

I made more contacts with the SCRUFF app 

[WRYZ926]

I primarily use GMRS to talk to family and friends. I find that I use 2m/70cm the same way just to talk to family and friends.

We have been testing our GMRS repeater for the last month or two. So it has been used to talk to friends in the local amateur radio club. Along with using the repeater, we have also been testing on simplex channels too. 

Our GMRS repeater will be opened up for public use soon. It will be for general public use and also as another means of communication during an actual emergency. 

[back4more70]

My GMRS and amateur radios are 99.99% used for listening to NOAA and local emergency services.  I'm not a very social person 

[garydrumm]

13 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

I use mine for off-roading.. any time I want to "make contacts" and find anonymous men to talk with, I use the Grindr app.

F'n legend! 

[garydrumm]

I use mine for off-roading and staying connected to my fellow SHTF gang. 

[tweiss3]

Family use mostly. I have had a few conversations with neighborhood watch at my old house, but everyone there was also a ham (they only used GMRS to include the whole neighborhood). 

[CentralFloridaGMRS]

When I'm at my other Home I use it to talk to other GMRS users in Tennessee. In Florida, it's everyone around my area up to 20 miles on Simplex or one of 5 or so repeaters. We also have a local community Communication channel for our Neighborhood for Emergency use or chit chat 

[WRTF629]

I use it on the farm, hunting, Motorcycling and some times on the shooting range

[CALO50]

Off roading, hiking, and back up comms when the local cell towers lose power (thank you PGE PSPS) or are overrun during wildfires, "atmospheric rivers", snowmageddon, etc.