Why is nobody on the air?

[LeeBo]

You must be referring to the AZ GMRS Repeater Club Traffic & Weather reports conducted on 550 Alpha from the White Tanks Repeater. I am one of those Net Operators and when I do do the reports, I usually do the reports in the morning. I am also a member of the AZ GMRS Emergency Services Group and the RDF Team, and one of the Club's Ambassadors.

I wish we had one in Greenville SC. I’d listen to it daily.

Especially if they reported on the I-85 & I-385 fuster cluck.


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[WRQC527]

7 hours ago, WSEL489 said:

Use Scan a lot. You will get a feel for what is happening in your area. Don’t forget to scan the simplex channels as well. 

I scan all the GMRS frequencies here in Orange County, CA every day on my way to and from work. There appears to be a lot of radio traffic. The issue for me is that I don't know Spanish.

[WSDC279]

People have lives, they work, they have other business to take care of,ect.....if they do talk to who ever then it's  by cell phone...radio is way down on the list of things to do. that's why it's quiet......gmrs/ ham repeaters the same....it is what it is...People will start talking at some point,when things in this country start getting better..

[LeoG]

They'll start talking when SHTF and other forms of communication have disappeared.

[Skunkape]

15 hours ago, Hoppyjr said:

I think you’re being a bit too sensitive. Take step back, breathe, relax.

 

If you feel the need to calm someone's sensitivities, start with a guy who feels compelled to hurl insults at anyone who has a differing point of view. 

[WRQI583]

It has already been said in here............ It depends on the area. Go to California and I am sure there are busy repeaters. Go somewhere else and GMRS is dead. Just like the VHF/UHF bands on Ham Radio, most places are dead. No one wants to bother with local communication when they have a cell phone. My wife and I both have GMRS and Ham licenses and with the exception of when we go out shopping or a few other activities, we use cell phones to communicate, as long as they work. When they dont, the radios come out. But everyone, and I mean everyone has a cell phone with the ability to have similar apps such as Phone, Texting, Zello, Facebook, etc to name a few. It is organized and guaranteed you will be able to instantly communicate with anther person. Not everyone has GMRS or Ham and even if they do, GMRS is limited and Ham has so much, there is no telling where a person might be monitoring and what mode they are using, so cell phones are a lot easier. 

Another thing also is that if most people turn the radio on and no one is on, before that person even decides to throw their call sign out, they turn the radio off. I used to have a nice setup going at my home with three different directional antennas hooked to a GMRS radio. Because I live in a hole and there are limited repeaters and no activity near me even though there is a very active group of GMRS operators in my state, I took all the antennas and coax down and unhooked the radio and stuffed it all away in the barn in a box. It was taking up space and doing absolutely nothing. Most people I would need to contact, Hams and GMRS ops included, all have cell phones and before any of us start to communicate, we pick up our cell phones and contact each other and plan what frequency we are going to be on. Very rarely do I contact someone straight away on the radio. It is very sad that communication has come to this, and believe me, I dont like it either, but it is what it is. Until Cell phones are abolished, radio will always take a back seat.

There are quite a few factors as to why people are not on the radio and these are reasons I have observed.

[Hoppyjr]

 
If you feel the need to calm someone's sensitivities, start with a guy who feels compelled to hurl insults at anyone who has a differing point of view. 

Never mind, I see you’re still easily triggered.

[Skunkape]

29 minutes ago, WRQI583 said:

...There are quite a few factors as to why people are not on the radio and these are reasons I have observed.

It is disappointing that the service is so underutilized. I got in to GMRS in pursuit of my other hobbies. Camping, hiking, off roading, boating, etc.. In my opinion, one critical use of GMRS is emergency communication. Cell phone services have failed in various areas of the country during civil emergencies. Best practice is to be proficient with the system before an emergency arises. Using the system with some frequency, and networking with other users in my area seems like the best way to become proficient.  Cell service does inspire a "why bother" sort of mentality when it comes to radio Comms. So far, for me, GMRS radio seems to be a depreciable skill. Manual programming, and management of the various features on the radio takes regular use for me to remain proficient. If I set it down for a month or so, I need to refresh my knowledge a bit. 

[Skunkape]

1 hour ago, Hoppyjr said:

Never mind, I see you’re still easily triggered.

Once again; I had a difference of opinion with an "established member". Nothing I said was inaccurate or un true. It has become apparent that he is your Sacred Cow. So, you feel the need to White Knight for him. I get it. Just be honest in your portrayal of why and how this played out. Bottom line is you both got chapped because a new guy not only expressed a difference of opinion, but he also fired back when he was insulted for having that different point of view. I don't care how long you have been posting here. I don't care what level of expertise either of you have. You are going to get back what you give. 

[LeoG]

1 hour ago, WRQI583 said:

It has already been said in here............ It depends on the area. Go to California and I am sure there are busy repeaters. Go somewhere else and GMRS is dead. Just like the VHF/UHF bands on Ham Radio, most places are dead. No one wants to bother with local communication when they have a cell phone. My wife and I both have GMRS and Ham licenses and with the exception of when we go out shopping or a few other activities, we use cell phones to communicate, as long as they work. When they dont, the radios come out. But everyone, and I mean everyone has a cell phone with the ability to have similar apps such as Phone, Texting, Zello, Facebook, etc to name a few. It is organized and guaranteed you will be able to instantly communicate with anther person. Not everyone has GMRS or Ham and even if they do, GMRS is limited and Ham has so much, there is no telling where a person might be monitoring and what mode they are using, so cell phones are a lot easier. 

Another thing also is that if most people turn the radio on and no one is on, before that person even decides to throw their call sign out, they turn the radio off. I used to have a nice setup going at my home with three different directional antennas hooked to a GMRS radio. Because I live in a hole and there are limited repeaters and no activity near me even though there is a very active group of GMRS operators in my state, I took all the antennas and coax down and unhooked the radio and stuffed it all away in the barn in a box. It was taking up space and doing absolutely nothing. Most people I would need to contact, Hams and GMRS ops included, all have cell phones and before any of us start to communicate, we pick up our cell phones and contact each other and plan what frequency we are going to be on. Very rarely do I contact someone straight away on the radio. It is very sad that communication has come to this, and believe me, I dont like it either, but it is what it is. Until Cell phones are abolished, radio will always take a back seat.

There are quite a few factors as to why people are not on the radio and these are reasons I have observed.

So you use the $100 billion dollar system to tell people you want to use the couple thousand dollar system....

[Hoppyjr]

Once again; I had a difference of opinion with an "established member". Nothing I said was inaccurate or un true. It has become apparent that he is your Scared Cow. So, you feel the need to White Knight for him. I get it. Just be honest in your portrayal of why and how this played out. Bottom line is you both got chapped because a new guy not only expressed a difference of opinion, but he also fired back when he was insulted for having that different point of view. I don't care how long you have been posting here. I don't care what level of expertise either of you have. You are going to get back what you give. 

Not sure why you feel the need to be both sensitive and defensive at the same time, but if that’s the look you’re after you wear it well.

Also, I’m not into scared cows, I prefer my cows calm and well done.

[Skunkape]

18 hours ago, Hoppyjr said:

Not sure why you feel the need to be both sensitive and defensive at the same time, but if that’s the look you’re after you wear it well.

Also, I’m not into scared cows, I prefer my cows calm and well done.

 

18 hours ago, Hoppyjr said:

Not sure why you feel the need to be both sensitive and defensive at the same time, but if that’s the look you’re after you wear it well.

Also, I’m not into scared cows, I prefer my cows calm and well done.

What you are doing is called projection. That is a psychological defense mechanism with which a person attributes their own thoughts, feelings or actions on to someone else. You misrepresented facts, you trolled, you were called out on it, and you are embarrassed. I get it. How about offering something constructive to the thread? 

[808Beachbum]

2 hours ago, WRQI583 said:

It has already been said in here............ It depends on the area. Go to California and I am sure there are busy repeaters. Go somewhere else and GMRS is dead. Just like the VHF/UHF bands on Ham Radio, most places are dead. Yes, radio traffic depends entirely on your area of operations. Also, at present the number of GMRS licenses almost matches the number of TECHNICIAN amateur radio licenses, so FAR fewer using GMRS. If your local HAM repeaters are silent, did you join or participate in local HAM clubs? When no one in a club is willing to put forth some effort, clubs will die. Repeaters, if you are lucky, may be owned/managed by local Emergency Management, and should be operational at a high level, and open to all licensees in non-emergency times.

No one wants to bother with local communication when they have a cell phone...  Not everyone has GMRS or Ham and even if they do, GMRS is limited and Ham has so much, there is no telling where a person might be monitoring and what mode they are using, so cell phones are a lot easier. GMRS in particular is designed for small group usage over a limited area, it was never intended to be for long range or comms with random strangers.

Another thing also is that if most people turn the radio on and no one is on, before that person even decides to throw their call sign out, they turn the radio off. If they are too shy to simply speak up to let others that MIGHT be listening, know they are monitoring, too bad.

Most people I would need to contact, Hams and GMRS ops included, all have cell phones and before any of us start to communicate, we pick up our cell phones and contact each other and plan what frequency we are going to be on. Very rarely do I contact someone straight away on the radio. So which is it? Do you want to meet new hobbyists, or chitchat with your spouse or a local friend? Of course cellphones are the easiest for people you know, why would you choose radio instead unless you are on a group outing of some type? If you want to meet new people, Amateur radio is far, far, more useful unless you have very active GMRS in a specific locale. We have a population of over a million, yet there is very minimal idle chit chat. There are schools using it before and after classes, apparent small business usage, and family usage. I live right below several hiking trails, never heard anyone that seemed to be hiking.

If I want to reach out and make some new contacts, I can use my 2 meter handheld in conjunction with an OpenSpot 3. I can bring up a website to see call signs of operators using a DStar or Fusion reflector, and which reflector, then I can look them up on QRZ and decide if I want to switch to that reflector or not, and then I listen for an opportunity to drop a CQ. I'll get an answer every time using that method. They may be from Scotland, New York, Australia, a neighbor island, or anywhere in between. You will NEVER accomplish that with GMRS. I also nearly always can get a response with the HT and OpenSpot even without using the computer to target someone, just by calling CQ, giving my callsign and location, day or night. There are plenty of operators all around the world monitoring or contesting and happy to make a new contact.

It is very sad that communication has come to this, and believe me, I dont like it either, but it is what it is. Until Cell phones are abolished, radio will always take a back seat. At least until there is a serious infrastructure failure.

There are quite a few factors as to why people are not on the radio and these are reasons I have observed. "On the Radio" can take many, many forms, on many bands, and many, many frequencies. GMRS is limited as to both form (mode) and only 22 or 30 (depending on how you look at it) very specific channels.

As with many aspects of life, you will be most satisfied by acquiring the proper tools, and proper knowledge, for the task at hand. Amateur Radio is actually for real hobbyists, providing a variety of modes, bands, equipment, power, antennas, and much more. GMRS is for self organized groups. There is very little ability with GMRS to modify or experiment due to it's very, very, narrow specs.

[FlatTop]

On 9/13/2024 at 5:25 PM, Skunkape said:

Being the the G in GMRS stands for "General", I take that to have a very broad meaning. So, people can and should use it pretty much for whatever they want, including pointless small talk with strangers who have a similar interest in GMRS radio. Otherwise, the F, in FRS stands for "Family", which implies families communicating in family activities. Then again, I may just be pedantic. HAM, I don't think too much of. I've never met a HAMster, that seemed interested in brining new people into the hobby. 

You need to get out more.  I don't know you, but maybe you're just naturally unlikable? 

Join the amateur radio service if you want.  Free test study here:  https://hamstudy.org  my 12 yr old grandkids passed the test on the first try. 

 

 

[Hoppyjr]

What you are doing is called projection. That is a psychological defense mechanism with which a person attributes their own thoughts, feelings or actions on to someone else. You misrepresented facts, you trolled, you were called out on it, and your are embarrassed. I get it. How about offering something constructive to the thread? 

I love Internet doctors almost as much as Internet lawyers.

I’ll add you to my growing list”ignore” list.

Still, you seem needy.

[nokones]

10 hours ago, LeoG said:

So you use the $100 billion dollar system to tell people you want to use the couple thousand dollar system....

Apparently, that is how they do it in Maine. I don't think cell phones is a very expedient method of getting any notifications out to the people during certain situations if that time comes and definitely defeats the purpose when people store their radio equipment in boxes and place them in storage. It appears to me that community is not prepared to deal with any situation if it should arise or could care less if it does.

[AdmiralCochrane]

16 hours ago, Skunkape said:

It is disappointing that the service is so underutilized. I got in to GMRS in pursuit of my other hobbies. Camping, hiking, off roading, boating, etc.. In my opinion, one critical use of GMRS is emergency communication. Cell phone services have failed in various areas of the country during civil emergencies. Best practice is to be proficient with the system before an emergency arises. Using the system with some frequency, and networking with other users in my area seems like the best way to become proficient.  Cell service does inspire a "why bother" sort of mentality when it comes to radio Comms. So far, for me, GMRS radio seems to be a depreciable skill. Manual programming, and management of the various features on the radio takes regular use for me to remain proficient. If I set it down for a month or so, I need to refresh my knowledge a bit. 

Emergency comms is not the focus of GMRS, nor is GMRS particularly useful for E comm; that is why it is little used as such. 

GMRS is good for what it is good for.

[Skunkape]

13 hours ago, JoCoBrian said:

You need to get out more.  I don't know you, but maybe you're just naturally unlikable? 

Join the amateur radio service if you want.  Free test study here:  https://hamstudy.org  my 12 yr old grandkids passed the test on the first try. 

 

 

I see that you think that the comment about my experience with HAMsters was directed at you personally. It wasn't. It was an account of my experiences. From the behavior of some of the HAMsters in this thread, I get the impression that my experiences are not unique. 

[Skunkape]

8 hours ago, Hoppyjr said:

I love Internet doctors almost as much as Internet lawyers.

I’ll add you to my growing list”ignore” list.

Still, you seem needy.

Thank you for finally offering something constructive to this thread. I may have misjudged you. 

[LeeBo]

So you use the $100 billion dollar system to tell people you want to use the couple thousand dollar system....

And oh how easy is it for that $100 billion dollar system to fail.


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[WRTT642]

On 9/13/2024 at 1:25 PM, Skunkape said:

I've never met a HAMster, that seemed interested in brining new people into the hobby. 

I love GMRS and I am also a "HAMster". My name is Will nice to meet you, I have started a ham radio club at the jr high school I work at and I have already led one student to earn his technician license and have about 10 more in the works. I have about a total of 20 kids that I brought into the hobby. Check out the blog that Bridgecom Systems put out on the ham club that I created for these kids. 

With that being said, please do not assume that all amateur radio operators are a bunch of hermits that keep to themselves and do not share this hobby with others, because there are a lot of teachers like myself out there that are doing the same at their schools. As well as countless hams that teach their family and friends. I am sorry that you may have had a bad experience with some people. I hope we can talk more sir, I am always up for a good chat   

[Skunkape]

14 hours ago, WRTT642 said:

I love GMRS and I am also a "HAMster". My name is Will nice to meet you, I have started a ham radio club at the jr high school I work at and I have already led one student to earn his technician license and have about 10 more in the works. I have about a total of 20 kids that I brought into the hobby. Check out the blog that Bridgecom Systems put out on the ham club that I created for these kids. 

With that being said, please do not assume that all amateur radio operators are a bunch of hermits that keep to themselves and do not share this hobby with others, because there are a lot of teachers like myself out there that are doing the same at their schools. As well as countless hams that teach their family and friends. I am sorry that you may have had a bad experience with some people. I hope we can talk more sir, I am always up for a good chat   

I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Will. My name is Roger (no beep). You seem like the kind of person who enriches the hobby. I am not currently anticipating pursuing HAM as a hobby. I won't rule it out though, I can be impulsive. However, it is good to know that there are people like you that can be counted on to offer insight and advice, without judgement. 

[WRTT642]

5 hours ago, Skunkape said:

I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Will. My name is Roger (no beep). You seem like the kind of person who enriches the hobby. I am not currently anticipating pursuing HAM as a hobby. I won't rule it out though, I can be impulsive. However, it is good to know that there are people like you that can be counted on to offer insight and advice, without judgement. 

Hello Roger, nice to meet you. There are a lot of us out there and believe it or not a lot of the guys on here are great guys and have a lot of knowledge about radios and Im sure they would love to share that knowledge with you. If you ever want to get your amateur license, know that there are countless resources that help people with earning it. If there is anything I can do to help you please send me a message and I will be more than happy to point you in the right direction. 

[SteveShannon]

On 9/14/2024 at 7:06 PM, Skunkape said:

Once again; I had a difference of opinion with an "established member". Nothing I said was inaccurate or un true. It has become apparent that he is your Sacred Cow. So, you feel the need to White Knight for him.

This is untrue. Your disagreeing with my statements about GMRS’s primary purpose didn’t bother me at all. What bothered me was your need to take a swipe at all hams with derogatory nicknames. 
And what I said was barely an insult, but apparently it got under your skin. I’m just not going to waste my time attempting to appease people who lead with insults and then whine repeatedly because someone implies that their abrasive talk will result in being ignored. As you have seen there are some very welcoming hams who are interested in helping you. I was at first. I’m proud of them; I’m sorry for you. 

[CentralFloridaGMRS]

I find more seem to talk in smaller towns. Maine is active.