Taz670 Posted May 12 Report Posted May 12 I got my GMRS license a few weeks ago and received my handheld radios a few days ago & started setting them up (still learning & trying to set them up lol). Well, I reached a local repeater and made my first contact. It was exciting to me so I just thought I’d share that. Thanks everyone for helping me with my newbie questions. Ziggidy, SteveShannon, WRXB215 and 12 others 15 Quote
WRQC527 Posted May 12 Report Posted May 12 4 hours ago, Taz670 said: I reached a local repeater and made my first contact. Nice job! This very thing, making contact on a repeater, is a stumbling block for many new GMRS users. I would say it is one of the bigger causes of discouragement among new users. koni13, Taz670 and WRXB215 2 1 Quote
Taz670 Posted May 12 Author Report Posted May 12 Thanks everyone! I’ve still got a lot of the basics to figure out but making my first contact just boosted my interest, excitement & motivation to learn more. Thanks again everyone! WRZK593 1 Quote
WRXB215 Posted May 13 Report Posted May 13 @Taz670 Oh you've done it now! You've entered the rabbit hole and you will never be the same! Welcome and have fun. WRZK593, Ziggidy and Taz670 2 1 Quote
Taz670 Posted May 13 Author Report Posted May 13 10 hours ago, WRXB215 said: @Taz670 Oh you've done it now! You've entered the rabbit hole and you will never be the same! Welcome and have fun. lol that’s alright, I’m gonna enjoy exploring this rabbit hole. Thanks! Quote
koni13 Posted May 17 Report Posted May 17 Tackled CHIRP software establishing communications with local repeaters! Felt so awesome able to finally talk to others on the other end Quote
koni13 Posted May 17 Report Posted May 17 On 5/12/2024 at 2:31 PM, WRQC527 said: Nice job! This very thing, making contact on a repeater, is a stumbling block for many new GMRS users. I would say it is one of the bigger causes of discouragement among new users. I know the feeling, tackled CHIRP software programming radios and also have open communications with local repeaters WRQC527 and Taz670 2 Quote
n2877 Posted May 19 Report Posted May 19 On 5/12/2024 at 9:29 AM, Taz670 said: I got my GMRS license a few weeks ago and received my handheld radios a few days ago & started setting them up (still learning & trying to set them up lol). Well, I reached a local repeater and made my first contact. It was exciting to me so I just thought I’d share that. Thanks everyone for helping me with my newbie questions. That’s awesome. I don’t live close enough to any published repeaters to hit them with my ht radio. I can talk to my boys on there bf-888s radios when I’m close to home koni13 and Taz670 1 1 Quote
jsneezy Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 3 hours ago, n2877 said: That’s awesome. I don’t live close enough to any published repeaters to hit them with my ht radio. I can talk to my boys on there bf-888s radios when I’m close to home How far away are the closest repeaters? I've been able to hit some around 70 miles away with my UV-9G both with the rubber ducky and NA-771G. Quote
n2877 Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 13 hours ago, jsneezy said: How far away are the closest repeaters? I've been able to hit some around 70 miles away with my UV-9G both with the rubber ducky and NA-771G. there about 20 miles away. But every time I've tried I get dead air. Then next thing I know, people are talking. It got what ever antenna it came with. It's not the rubber duck. IMG_0019.HEIC Quote
n2877 Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 (edited) This is what I meant to put in message, sorry Edited May 20 by n2877 an oops Quote
n2877 Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 I forget that iPhones store pictures differently than other phones. Not sure who makes the antenna that is attached to the radio, there is a bnc-sfma adaptor between radio and antenna fyi. Quote
OffRoaderX Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 29 minutes ago, n2877 said: I forget that iPhones store pictures differently than other phones You can go into the camera settings and tell it to store your images as good, old-fashioned .JPG images, if that is your preference. n2877 and JBRPong 2 Quote
kirk5056 Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 Maybe I am a "Debbie Downer" but while I am glad you have made contact with people you don't already know is that the reason you got into GMRS? HAM or CB would be much better IF that is your goal. To me, the best day on GMRS is only hearing people that I want to hear. That is: I see GMRS as a communication tool not a social tool. Davichko5650 1 Quote
n2877 Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 1 hour ago, OffRoaderX said: You can go into the camera settings and tell it to store your images as good, old-fashioned .JPG images, if that is your preference. That just might be a good idea for me to do. Now can you wave your magic wand for your favorite viewer and get my current uv-9g to reach the repeater that is about 20 miles away with current set up please? Quote
OffRoaderX Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 45 minutes ago, n2877 said: can you wave your magic wand for your favorite viewer and get my current uv-9g to reach the repeater that is about 20 miles away with current set up please? No. n2877 1 Quote
n2877 Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 10 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said: No. Thanks for not waisting any of my “valuable time” with letting my down easy by going into a lengthy explanation as to why you can’t. Quote
SteveShannon Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 18 minutes ago, n2877 said: Thanks for not waisting any of my “valuable time” with letting my down easy by going into a lengthy explanation as to why you can’t. He doesn’t have a magic wand. Or He doesn’t know why you can’t hit the repeater (you’ve given no details). Or You’re not his favorite viewer? What kind of challenges do you have in reaching the repeater? What’s the terrain like? What about vegetation? Do you have the right tone for transmitting? Quote
n2877 Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 That response was meant as a humorous answer to his simple no. Based on his videos on YouTube kirk5056 1 Quote
koni13 Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 19 hours ago, n2877 said: That’s awesome. I don’t live close enough to any published repeaters to hit them with my ht radio. I can talk to my boys on there bf-888s radios when I’m close to home Agree encounter great comms with family members on the ranch with line of sight non-obscured via GMRS. Have driven 5-miles out and clear comms for the most part remains intact. Someone defined drawback with GMRS is in only talking to those whom own GMRS radios as the intent for usage, if wishing to reach out to others then a ham license would be required. On a final note entered several repeaters using a Nagoya antenna and hear several comms back and forth. Quote
jsneezy Posted May 20 Report Posted May 20 4 hours ago, n2877 said: That just might be a good idea for me to do. Now can you wave your magic wand for your favorite viewer and get my current uv-9g to reach the repeater that is about 20 miles away with current set up please? Double check your tones. I was on the mobile out of town a few weeks ago, and tried hitting the local repeater there. Somehow, I managed to mix up the split tones for the repeater and couldn't hit it. It wasn't until I got home and double checked the Radioddity software that I realized I had the right tones saved, but they were backwards. Also, just to rule it out, I would try putting the antenna directly on the radio rather than having the adapter(s). Quote
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