How to use GMRS license with family?

[Maghunter]

New here and first post. Have lots of questions, as any noob does.

First: What's the proper way to communicate with another family member that is included on the same license? Do both parties have to start with the same call sign? And how does that work when using a repeater?

Thanks. Looking forward to learning lots here.

[WSFL951]

1 minute ago, Maghunter said:

 

First: What's the proper way to communicate with another family member that is included on the same license? Do both parties have to start with the same call sign?

Yeah, that could be a good idea!

[GMRSJohn]

I’m new myself but I have heard that it’s good to have a system like, if your call sign is ADCD123, you can give the call sign and your wife can respond with ABCD123Alpha. Or Bravo, etc. 

But I’m learning too. So I’m monitoring this thread.

[SteveShannon]

14 minutes ago, Maghunter said:

New here and first post. Have lots of questions, as any noob does.

First: What's the proper way to communicate with another family member that is included on the same license? Do both parties have to start with the same call sign? And how does that work when using a repeater?

Thanks. Looking forward to learning lots here.

Welcome @Maghunter 

Neither of you have to start with your call sign. You can just push the PTT and use each other’s names. “Hi Dennis, this is grandpa.”

Every 15 minutes and when ending a transmission or series of transmissions you are also required to ID. You can include some other identifier, which could be a letter, number, name, or pretty much anything you want: “Wrom258 - grampa”, but you’re not required to.

Exactly the same on a repeater. 

[GMRSJohn]

1 minute ago, SteveShannon said:

Neither of you have to start with your call sign. You can just push the PTT and use each other’s names. “Hi Dennis, this is grandpa.”

Every 15 minutes and when ending a transmission or series of transmissions you are also required to ID. You can include some other identifier, which could be a letter, number, name, or pretty much anything you want: “Wrom258 - grampa”

Exactly the same on a repeater. 

Interesting! And good to know.. I was always under the impression that you had to begin and end with your call sign. As well as ID every 15 minutes. 

[WSFL951]

8 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

Welcome @Maghunter 

Neither of you have to start with your call sign. You can just push the PTT and use each other’s names. “Hi Dennis, this is grandpa.”

Every 15 minutes and when ending a transmission or series of transmissions you are also required to ID. You can include some other identifier, which could be a letter, number, name, or pretty much anything you want: “Wrom258 - grampa”, but you’re not required to.

Exactly the same on a repeater. 

You don't have to say it, if you know how to enter Morris code.

[SteveShannon]

5 minutes ago, GMRSJohn said:

Interesting! And good to know.. I was always under the impression that you had to begin and end with your call sign. As well as ID every 15 minutes. 

I thought that also at first, and etiquette would lean that way maybe, but here are the actual rules:

95.1751 GMRS station identification.

Each GMRS station must be identified by transmission of its FCC-assigned call sign at the end of transmissions and at periodic intervals during transmissions except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section. A unit number may be included after the call sign in the identification.

(a) The GMRS station call sign must be transmitted:

(1) Following a single transmission or a series of transmissions; and,

(2) After 15 minutes and at least once every 15 minutes thereafter during a series of transmissions lasting more than 15 minutes.

(b) The call sign must be transmitted using voice in the English language or international Morse code telegraphy using an audible tone.

(c) Any GMRS repeater station is not required to transmit station identification if:

(1) It retransmits only communications from GMRS stations operating under authority of the individual license under which it operates; and,

(2) The GMRS stations whose communications are retransmitted are properly identified in accordance with this section.

 

[WRHS218]

8 minutes ago, GMRSJohn said:

I was always under the impression that you had to begin and end with your call sign. As well as ID every 15 minutes. 

Not on GMRS, As Mr. Shannon replied, once every 15 minutes and at the end of your transmission. I don't think I have ever talked for 15 minutes on GMRS. After hitting "Enter" I saw that Mr. Shannon had already posted again.

 

[SteveShannon]

In amateur radio it’s very similar, a shorter interval between IDs (10 minutes) and more choices for how to ID. 
97.117. Each amateur station, except a space station or telecommand station, must transmit its assigned call sign on its transmitting channel at the end of each communication, and at least every 10 minutes during a communication, for the purpose of clearly making the source of the transmissions from the station known to those receiving the transmissions. No station may transmit unidentified communications or signals, or transmit as the station call sign, any call sign not authorized to the station.

[TrikeRadio]

3 hours ago, SteveShannon said:

Welcome @Maghunter 

Neither of you have to start with your call sign. You can just push the PTT and use each other’s names. “Hi Dennis, this is grandpa.”

Every 15 minutes and when ending a transmission or series of transmissions you are also required to ID. You can include some other identifier, which could be a letter, number, name, or pretty much anything you want: “Wrom258 - grampa”, but you’re not required to.

Exactly the same on a repeater. 

Some repeaters and repeater clubs might like users to Id at the start of a transmission too just for convenience but it is not something mandated by the FCC

[RayDiddio]

15 minutes ago, TrikeRadio said:

Some repeaters and repeater clubs might like users to Id at the start of a transmission too just for convenience but it is not something mandated by the FCC

Yes. Some of them desire it.

[WRQI663]

I guess there's no chirp in Morris Code -- just Meows?

[SteveShannon]

14 hours ago, TrikeRadio said:

Some repeaters and repeater clubs might like users to Id at the start of a transmission too just for convenience but it is not something mandated by the FCC

Exactly, it’s good etiquette and done often in the ham world as if introducing oneself (which we often are) but not required. 

[WRTC928]

I understand the rule to mean that you are allowed to identify the individual by a unit number or letter, by their name, or not at all according to what works for you. If there are only two of you, there's really no need. None of my family was ever interested enough for it to matter. In the military and law enforcement, it was the rule to identify yourself at the beginning of a transmission and I've just (mostly) carried that habit over into civilian radio. I always open with my call sign on a repeater because essentially, I'm a guest there and it just seems polite to tell the owner who is visiting.

[MarkInTampa]

The way I hear family ID's on GMRS goes something like this:

First transmission: "(callsign) unit 1 to unit 2"

Second transmission (responding radio) "unit 2 go ahead"

Conversation between the to units but no ID since they know each other

Last transmission "(callsign) clear"

I don't think I've ever heard a family ID ever go on beyond 15 minutes. 

 

[Maghunter]

Thanks everyone for your input. This helps me know moving forward. There are quite a few repeaters AND active GMRS users in my area, so I'm excited to "get into" this new Hobbie.

So an addon question. There is a repeater here that covers the entire area for miles, and is fairly active. It's an open repeater as well. Let's say I want to test it with my family every so often. Is it OK to use for practice when one is driving around (doing errands or whatever) and the other at home? Being fully aware that others are always likely listening. 

[SteveShannon]

14 minutes ago, Maghunter said:

Thanks everyone for your input. This helps me know moving forward. There are quite a few repeaters AND active GMRS users in my area, so I'm excited to "get into" this new Hobbie.

So an addon question. There is a repeater here that covers the entire area for miles, and is fairly active. It's an open repeater as well. Let's say I want to test it with my family every so often. Is it OK to use for practice when one is driving around (doing errands or whatever) and the other at home? Being fully aware that others are always likely listening. 

Yes, unless the actual owner says otherwise.  

[WSGC746]

A couple of questions about this topic:

1) If all participants are under the same license because they're family is it sufficient that only one of them IDs at the end of the transmissions, or every 15 minutes, or do the all have to ID (with the same license number)?

2) Since GMRS/FRS share many of the same frequencies is IDing required if licensees are on the FRS frequencies with the power levels appropriate to those frequencies?

[SteveShannon]

18 minutes ago, WSGC746 said:

A couple of questions about this topic:

1) If all participants are under the same license because they're family is it sufficient that only one of them IDs at the end of the transmissions, or every 15 minutes, or do the all have to ID (with the same license number)?

2) Since GMRS/FRS share many of the same frequencies is IDing required if licensees are on the FRS frequencies with the power levels appropriate to those frequencies?

1. Technically, each person using a GMRS station is required to ID.

2. FRS and GMRS share all of the frequencies. There are no FRS frequencies. Again, technically, each person using a GMRS station is required to ID. 

[WSGC746]

Thanks for that. So, essentially, someone who is okay with using the lower power and lack of repeater function of FRS somewhat causes themselves extra work by getting a GMRS license, is that right?

[SteveShannon]

1 minute ago, WSGC746 said:

Thanks for that. So, essentially, someone who is okay with using the lower power and lack of repeater function of FRS somewhat causes themselves extra work by getting a GMRS license, is that right?

No, not because they have a license but because they’re using a GMRS radio.
A person using an FRS radio doesn’t have to ID, whether they have a license or not.

[WSGC746]

I think I'm a bit confused. Midland T70s and T77s, for example, are "FRS/GMRS" radios, according to the advertising. Neither can be programmed to transmit on a GMRS repeater (as far as I can tell), but can be programmed with tones to receive GMRS repeater traffic. All of their transmissions are simplex. If a person doesn't have a GMRS license they can transmit on these radios because they're FRS. If, the next day, a person acquires a GMRS license, and transmits on the same channels they transmitted on the day before, they have to, now, identify with their call sign? I'm really trying to figure this out.
 

[SteveShannon]

13 minutes ago, WSGC746 said:

I think I'm a bit confused. Midland T70s and T77s, for example, are "FRS/GMRS" radios, according to the advertising. Neither can be programmed to transmit on a GMRS repeater (as far as I can tell), but can be programmed with tones to receive GMRS repeater traffic. All of their transmissions are simplex. If a person doesn't have a GMRS license they can transmit on these radios because they're FRS. If, the next day, a person acquires a GMRS license, and transmits on the same channels they transmitted on the day before, they have to, now, identify with their call sign? I'm really trying to figure this out.
 

I understand your confusion. The FCC messed up. Once upon a time companies were allowed to make dual service radios (FRS and GMRS) but now the regulations do not allow authorization of the combination. At that time there were FRS channels and GMRS channels. 

95.1761(d)

(d) Effective December 27, 2017, the Commission will no longer issue a grant of equipment authorization for hand-held portable unit transmitter types under both this subpart (GMRS) and subpart B of this part (FRS).

 

[WSGC746]

I'm not trying to be nitpicky, but are you saying that this isn't a legal radio?
https://www.grainger.com/product/MIDLAND-Handheld-Two-Way-Radio-X-Talker-49VZ80?opr=HPRVP

[WRXB215]

@WSGC746 It's an advertising blunder. Not uncommon for the advertising people to have no clue what they are talking about.