Letters to GMRS Users About Local Repeater

[COBrien]

I've operated a local (working on making it more "regional") repeater for about 8 months now. We've got the same 2-3 people using the repeater on a daily basis, and that's okay. But there are at least a dozen licensed GMRS users in my town who could use my repeater. I've started a Facebook group (not much activity), got the repeater listed here, on Repeater Book, and Radio Reference, and I just want to spread the word.

I'm considering sending out a letter to the licensed GMRS users in my town, just letting them know who I am, that there is a repeater in town that they can use, providing the frequency pair and DCS codes, and offering to help them get their radios set up.

Part of me says this would be a good idea. Another part of me says it might be viewed as "creepy," even though we all had to provide an address to get our license, knowing full well it was available to anyone who knew where to look.

What do you all think?

[SteveShannon]

1 minute ago, COBrien said:

I've operated a local (working on making it more "regional") repeater for about 8 months now. We've got the same 2-3 people using the repeater on a daily basis, and that's okay. But there are at least a dozen licensed GMRS users in my town who could use my repeater. I've started a Facebook group (not much activity), got the repeater listed here, on Repeater Book, and Radio Reference, and I just want to spread the word.

I'm considering sending out a letter to the licensed GMRS users in my town, just letting them know who I am, that there is a repeater in town that they can use, providing the frequency pair and DCS codes, and offering to help them get their radios set up.

Part of me says this would be a good idea. Another part of me says it might be viewed as "creepy," even though we all had to provide an address to get our license, knowing full well it was available to anyone who knew where to look.

What do you all think?

I checked yes, but that’s too simplistic.  A lot depends on the licensed people in your town.  A postcard announcing the presence of a repeater with assurances that no further contact will be forthcoming unless the recipient wishes might be appreciated.  A lot of people get into GMRS with no interest in repeaters.

Let us know how it goes.

[COBrien]

5 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

I checked yes, but that’s too simplistic.  A lot depends on the licensed people in your town.  A postcard announcing the presence of a repeater with assurances that no further contact will be forthcoming unless the recipient wishes might be appreciated.  A lot of people get into GMRS with no interest in repeaters.

Let us know how it goes.

That's a fair point, and I agree. I want to make it clear that I'm not going to be pestering them about it. Just "here it is, use it if you'd like."

[Guest]

I’d say no.  I would not want a letter sent out to me. Feels like stalking.   The repeater option in gmrs is not really what gmrs is all about.  It’s really about family and friends communicating while doing an activity.  The repeater is just icing.    On the other hand if you started a local emergency preparedness group and advertised it that way it would come across better and might actually gain more people into gmrs.  Does your town have a CERT group?   Any emergency rescue group?   I’d be trying to reach the whole town not just the already licensed users.  I’d  also do simplex nets once a week or month for FRS users.  

[WSEH456]

15 minutes ago, Socalgmrs said:

I’d say no.  I would not want a letter sent out to me. Feels like stalking.   The repeater option in gmrs is not really what gmrs is all about.  It’s really about family and friends communicating while doing an activity.  The repeater is just icing.    On the other hand if you started a local emergency preparedness group and advertised it that way it would come across better and might actually gain more people into gmrs.  Does your town have a CERT group?   Any emergency rescue group?   I’d be trying to reach the whole town not just the already licensed users.  I’d  also do simplex nets once a week or month for FRS users.  

This is a great idea!!!  Just my $0.02.

[WRXB215]

On our ham net last night it was announced that there is a new GMRS repeater in the area. That's another way to let people know in a "non-intrusive" way.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, WRXB215 said:

On our ham net last night it was announced that there is a new GMRS repeater in the area. That's another way to let people know in a "non-intrusive" way.

Didn’t think of that.  That would be a great way to get hams and there family into gmrs and on to the radio. 

[Crabby]

I am starting to think that people need to toughen up if getting a letter/postcard in the mail feels like "stalking".  Getting notification of a repeater to use in the area should be a great thing.  If the recipient gets bent out of shape that would be a sign that they would not be the type of person that I would want to associate with much less go to in the case of an emergency.  

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Crabby said:

I am starting to think that people need to toughen up if getting a letter/postcard in the mail feels like "stalking".  Getting notification of a repeater to use in the area should be a great thing.  If the recipient gets bent out of shape that would be a sign that they would not be the type of person that I would want to associate with much less go to in the case of an emergency.  

So I assume you’re a marine and a patriot by your picture. I assume we are both patriots and would die for our freedoms including my privacy.    So I’ve got to say as an American patriot I do not think that the gobermint should be putting my info out in the open for any one to see.  There is no reason to do that.  But that is what I signed up for.   Now that said I do not want the average person that hears my self, my wife, my children or my grandchildren to look up my address and take note of where I live.  I know it’s available but to know some one took the time to look me up and send me something that I did t ask for would not be welcome.  As a gmrs user that read and understood what I signed up for I’m more than capable of looking up a repeater if I feel the need to use one.   However like I already said maybe 99% of the town has no clue what gmrs is and that a repeater can be useful.   That is where the new repeater users will come from. Not the 12 other people in town that are already gmrs users.  

[SteveShannon]

13 minutes ago, Socalgmrs said:

So I assume you’re a marine and a patriot by your picture. I assume we are both patriots and would die for our freedoms including my privacy.    So I’ve got to say as an American patriot I do not think that the gobermint should be putting my info out in the open for any one to see.  There is no reason to do that.  But that is what I signed up for.   Now that said I do not want the average person that hears my self, my wife, my children or my grandchildren to look up my address and take note of where I live.  I know it’s available but to know some one took the time to look me up and send me something that I did t ask for would not be welcome.  As a gmrs user that read and understood what I signed up for I’m more than capable of looking up a repeater if I feel the need to use one.   However like I already said maybe 99% of the town has no clue what gmrs is and that a repeater can be useful.   That is where the new repeater users will come from. Not the 12 other people in town that are already gmrs users.  

It’s silly to knowingly place your name and address on a publicly available list and then get upset that someone uses it.  Randy has a video about how to use a mail forwarding service to obtain a modicum of abstraction from your real address. 

[Crabby]

39 minutes ago, Socalgmrs said:

So I assume you’re a marine and a patriot by your picture. I assume we are both patriots and would die for our freedoms including my privacy.    So I’ve got to say as an American patriot I do not think that the gobermint should be putting my info out in the open for any one to see.  There is no reason to do that.  But that is what I signed up for.   Now that said I do not want the average person that hears my self, my wife, my children or my grandchildren to look up my address and take note of where I live.  I know it’s available but to know some one took the time to look me up and send me something that I did t ask for would not be welcome.  As a gmrs user that read and understood what I signed up for I’m more than capable of looking up a repeater if I feel the need to use one.   However like I already said maybe 99% of the town has no clue what gmrs is and that a repeater can be useful.   That is where the new repeater users will come from. Not the 12 other people in town that are already gmrs users.  

Marine and patriot for sure.  I am not arguing what information (too much) the government stores or collects (too much), just the fact that receiving something in the mail is considered stalking.  Fear is a great weapon, as we can see in the world today.  However, giving into fear is just self-defeating.  I could also see that if some company/person X was combing the FCC ULS and sending you a copy of American Communist, that you would be rightfully upset, and it would cause me to climb a wall.  However, if I received a notification in the mail about a public repeater that I/my family could take advantage of, it would not raise any alarm bells in me, quite the opposite.  To me it's the same thing as the coupons I get in the mail from the car dealership I bought my truck from. 

[WRQD922]

8 hours ago, COBrien said:

I've operated a local (working on making it more "regional") repeater for about 8 months now. We've got the same 2-3 people using the repeater on a daily basis, and that's okay. But there are at least a dozen licensed GMRS users in my town who could use my repeater. I've started a Facebook group (not much activity), got the repeater listed here, on Repeater Book, and Radio Reference, and I just want to spread the word.

I'm considering sending out a letter to the licensed GMRS users in my town, just letting them know who I am, that there is a repeater in town that they can use, providing the frequency pair and DCS codes, and offering to help them get their radios set up.

Part of me says this would be a good idea. Another part of me says it might be viewed as "creepy," even though we all had to provide an address to get our license, knowing full well it was available to anyone who knew where to look.

What do you all think?

I think it’s a great idea.

[WRQD922]

40 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

It’s silly to knowingly place your name and address on a publicly available list and then get upset that someone uses it.  Randy has a video about how to use a mail forwarding service to obtain a modicum of abstraction from your real address. 

100% correct. This pretty much sums it up.