Linking GMRS Repeaters

[marcspaz]

21 minutes ago, Socalgmrs said:

I make my living working this type of scenario (huge ranches) and I’ve never come across a ranch big enough that a single repeater won’t cut it.  I mean 50w does over 200miles.  Most ranches I’ve been to from central California to Texas and Alabama run 20-40w used motorola repeaters.   They are mooooore then enough for a few 1000 acres most cover well into town and adjacent ranches.  The main 20w repeater I use every day all day covers the whole valley 100miles long and 60miles wide.  I don’t really think linking would add anything in these situations.  

 

I'm sure you folks are getting great coverage where you are, but there are a lot a variables that make it so that works in those situations. It becomes problematic for a vast majority of the US.

On the ocean or in perfectly flat land areas, if you have an antenna that is on a 100' mast, you are only covering 14 mile radius.  Even if you bump to a 300' mast (which cost over $1m for a good commercial grade 300' tower) you are only looking at a radius of about 25 miles.  To cover 100 miles (200 total miles end to end) your antenna needs to be almost 1 mile above the average terrain.  That simply isn't possible in a vast majority of the US.  If you are able to put an antenna on a mountain that overlooks a valley, you are golden, though.

We have one of our antennas 1,000 feet above average terrain and we are barely pushing it a 45 miles, with dead spots inside that coverage area due to terrain.  That particular repeater is known throughout the mid-Atlantic for being one of the top 3 repeaters, even when we include amateur radio coverage, and the top coverage repeater for GMRS in the area.  Due to the terrain limits here, people/companies running farms need networked radios for reliable coverage and most of them are using commercial radio for it.

[UncleYoda]

2 hours ago, marcspaz said:

I don't like the idea of linking any repeaters for the sake of rag-chewing... but there is some practical applications that many seem to overlook.

Anybody can come up with scenarios where any use could be helpful.  The issue is, is GMRS as specified in the regs, the right service for your usage scenario.  If not, and you want FCC to make a change, then propose that.  Just going rogue because it suits your purpose makes you a radio outlaw.

 

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Also, people keep saying linking repeaters is illegal and it is not.  It is 100% legal.  There is, however, a rule against using networks to link repeaters.  You can do RF linking over GMRS frequencies (which uses more bandwidth, not a very friendly idea) or you can link repeaters over another radio service that you are licensed for.

Part of the the issue is just the precise meaning of what "illegal" means in this context.  We should refer to violation rather than illegal since it is about regulations.  But I think it is generally understood that illegal in the radio context means violating FCC regs.

Linking over RF is not explicitly prohibited in the wording of the regs.  But it is at least discouraged in the rule clarification where it explains any linking is bad.  As far as I have ever heard or read, starting with ham, mixing radio services is prohibited by regulation.  There are no other frequencies that I know of that can legally (haha) carry GMRS conversations.  If you know of some, can you list the frequency and/or the service?

 

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If you don't like how the radio service is used near you, then don't use it.

Sounds a lot like "our country, love it or leave it".  Leaving if you don't like how it is used would be fine IF EVERYONE WAS FOLLOWING THE RULES.  Leaving because some people want to break the rules is just running away rather than fighting.