GMRS new licensee questions.

[BradGMRS]

Got my new license so now I'm ready!  For what I'm not quite sure.  I'm finding I have to read a lot and that's not a problem.  My current conundrum is that I have a certain frequency, 462.6.  I feel like the info I get for this  will help in general.  Anyway, I can hear people talking, friends just chatting kind of stuff.  When I try to ask for a radio check and perhaps join in.  I have 3-4 handhelds so I did a reset on one after CHIRP backup.  I entered 462.6 and tried, nothing.  I set the offset at +5 as that is what I've gathered is most popular, nothing.  I'm just curious what it is I'm overlooking.  I can hear this frequency fine and the meter is pegged when just about everyone talks.  MyGMRS shows this frequency but shows tones as "unlisted"  so I paid the membership.  Now my name has a really cool star by it and everybody knows I once had $50.  Oh yeah, the tone?  "unlisted"  I'm a retired nurse and I think this may be a great hobby.  As my mobility declines this could extend my range of friends.

Any help appreciated and most of all I truly appreciate you reading my post!

[Raybestos]

You will need that "tone", whether PL or DPL.  Check your e-mails if you sent in your money to them on-line.  They likely sent you one with the PL or DPL they use in it.  You will need to transmit that tone to access the repeater.

Being that you are new to GMRS, I have a feeling that you will need additional help getting the tone into your radio.  If so, no shame in that.  Let us know once you have the tone, what type radio you have.  Somebody else or myself will be glad to get you where you need to be with this process.

[Socalgmrs]

Plus 5 is the only gmrs off set.   If you have a fcc certified radio it will only have a plus 5 off set.   Now what you are hearing is a repeater. You need the tones to access the repeater.  Those would be available from the repeater owner.  You would need to find it in this site, another site or talk with locals about what repeaters are out there and how to gain access if they are even available to the public.  
It’s some what possible yuur hearing people on simplex with tones set as well.  

[WRXB215]

@BradleyRN Paying for a premium membership on my GMRS.com doesn't automatically send a request to a specific repeater owner for tones to the repeater. You need to make a specific request to the repeater owner.

[BradGMRS]

2 hours ago, Raybestos said:

You will need that "tone", whether PL or DPL.  Check your e-mails if you sent in your money to them on-line.  They likely sent you one with the PL or DPL they use in it.  You will need to transmit that tone to access the repeater.

Being that you are new to GMRS, I have a feeling that you will need additional help getting the tone into your radio.  If so, no shame in that.  Let us know once you have the tone, what type radio you have.  Somebody else or myself will be glad to get you where you need to be with this process.

Thanks so much Raybestos!  Believe it or not last week was spent learning some about PL/CTSS/DPL.  I learned that if you enter a receive "tone" you will not hear anything that does not use that code.  I think I will be good when it comes to entering.  I guess the real problem is finding the tones, and if there are even any.  Way back to basics, I can hear several folks talking together no problem.   I have 3 or 2 portables.  The seemingly obligatory Baofeng UV 5R and a Tidradio TD-H3 aka "the good one" according to the all knowing U-Toob.  I also have a Anytone 778 UV (25watt) cleverly disguised as a base and that's attached to one of those thick 3-4 tall inch magnet based mobile antennas.  I'm in an apartment so I definitely have limitations. 

I wait for dead air, key up give my call sign asking for a radio check but never get a response.

Again, my thanks!

[WRXB215]

11 hours ago, BradleyRN said:

The seemingly obligatory Baofeng UV 5R

I love the way you put it. 

[RIPPER238]

11 hours ago, BradleyRN said:

I wait for dead air, key up give my call sign asking for a radio check but never get a response.

 

Same boat here. Key up give my call sign asking for a radio check but never get a response. And the repeater i am trying to access is open and i have the in/out "tone"/frequency set..

 

[Socalgmrs]

Just now, RIPPER238 said:

Same boat here. Key up give my call sign asking for a radio check but never get a response. And the repeater i am trying to access is open and i have the in/out "tone"/frequency set..

 

Have you ever heard traffic on the repeater you’re trying to access?   I have 10 repeaters I can hit from my home.  6 of them are dead and I have never heard any one in them.  
 

this is why it’s important to remember gmrs is a bring your own friends deal.  If you and a friend or family member both use a dead repeater then it’s no longer dead.  

[RIPPER238]

7 minutes ago, Socalgmrs said:

Have you ever heard traffic on the repeater you’re trying to access?   I have 10 repeaters I can hit from my home.  6 of them are dead and I have never heard any one in them.  
 

this is why it’s important to remember gmrs is a bring your own friends deal.  If you and a friend or family member both use a dead repeater then it’s no longer dead.  

 

I have at best 6 repeaters around me and i'm very close to there max range. Never heard any traffic but i only have 2 open repeater options. 

[Raybestos]

12 hours ago, BradleyRN said:

Thanks so much Raybestos!  Believe it or not last week was spent learning some about PL/CTSS/DPL.  I learned that if you enter a receive "tone" you will not hear anything that does not use that code.  I think I will be good when it comes to entering.  I guess the real problem is finding the tones, and if there are even any.  Way back to basics, I can hear several folks talking together no problem.   I have 3 or 2 portables.  The seemingly obligatory Baofeng UV 5R and a Tidradio TD-H3 aka "the good one" according to the all knowing U-Toob.  I also have a Anytone 778 UV (25watt) cleverly disguised as a base and that's attached to one of those thick 3-4 tall inch magnet based mobile antennas.  I'm in an apartment so I definitely have limitations. 

I wait for dead air, key up give my call sign asking for a radio check but never get a response.

Again, my thanks!

Hi BradleyRN!  Sounds like you figured out the tone thing and its purpose pretty well on your own.  Believe it or not, I have known hams, including one Extra Class, who did not understand the tone thing, even after being licensed for years.  Congrats!

WRXB215 brought up an interesting point and it is possible that I misunderstood part of your message.  Did you send the $50 to MyGMRS or to the repeater owner?  If MyGMRS, WRXB215 is correct.  That is to the people who graciously maintain this site.  The repeater owner will not be made aware of it.  If to the repeater owner, then check your e-mail for a message from them, advising you of the PL Code.  I apologize for any misunderstanding.

Also, when you hear an active conversation on that frequency, try activating the "tone scan" feature on one of your radios while a conversation is in-progress.  If you do not get an indication of which tone is in use after a while, try the DCS tone scan.  If you get a hit, enter that tone in your transmit "encode" and try to communicate.  Ask what you need to do to get permission to use the repeater.

 

Good luck!

[Lscott]

7 minutes ago, RIPPER238 said:

I have at best 6 repeaters around me and i'm very close to there max range. Never heard any traffic but i only have 2 open repeater options. 

Remember people put up repeaters and the cost comes out of their own pockets. A few are more civic minded and operate open repeaters. However even if the repeater is listed as "closed" many times the owner will allow you to use if once they have your info and confirmation that you will adhere to whatever rules and restrictions they place on it's operation. All you need to do is try and contact the repeater owner and ask polity for permission to use it.

[WRUU653]

Just to clarify a couple of things and recap some that have been mentioned. If you are using a GMRS radio you wont have to set the offset, it's automatically set when using repeater channels. Also be sure you are on a repeater channel (23-30, 31-38...) when programming for a repeater and not on simplex (it happens). As mentioned the Premium Membership gives you certain privileges on the MYGMRS sites but has nothing to do with access to repeaters. Sign in on the map/repeater site the same you do here, although they are both MYGMRS it requires a separate log in from the forum site. Then find the repeater you want to access and request permission if it isn't already open to use with the tones posted. I may have added some things you know already but not knowing your level of knowledge here these are some common things that people sometimes miss that people who have been here take for granted that new people will know. 

Oh yeah, and welcome @BradleyRN to mygmrs.

[WRQI663]

Can you bring the repeater up? If so, you can 'duplex' by using two radios --  one to key it up and another to listen to the output.

If you can hear your transmission that means you are hitting it (you can tell by the signal if  you are strong enough

by the level of quieting your signal has.)

[WRYZ926]

The amount of traffic our repeater has is up and down. Some days its quite and other days its busy. Using a second radio, far enough away to prevent defensing, is a good way to tell if you are getting into the repeater. I've done that myself when we were testing our GMRS repeater.