Basic Transmit and Receive on a Repeater

[trisystem]

I just started.  So I'm a newbie.  Please help me problem solve.  What am I doing wrong?

I've loaded a repeater channel FOR-LIBERTY out of El Cajon, Ca.  I've received permission to use.

The repeater info: [462.650000/+5.000/100.0]  I cannot transmit on it.

I've  transmitted on GMRS channel 19:  [462.650000] and the repeater channel seems to receive it and broadcast.

Is the proper way to use the repeater to transmit on [462.650000] and receive on [462.650000/+5.000/100.0]?

Or should I be able to transmit and receive on [462.650000/+5.000/100.0]?

[SteveShannon]

2 minutes ago, trisystem said:

Or should I be able to transmit and receive on [462.650000/+5.000/100.0]?

 

You should, assuming the tone matches the input tone of the repeater. You’ll actually be transmitting on 467.650 MHz; that is what the offset does. 
 

[Socalgmrs]

Are you close enough to it? Do you have line of sight to it?   

[WSGL219]

On 3/1/2025 at 4:42 PM, trisystem said:

I just started.  So I'm a newbie.  Please help me problem solve.  What am I doing wrong?

I've loaded a repeater channel FOR-LIBERTY out of El Cajon, Ca.  I've received permission to use.

The repeater info: [462.650000/+5.000/100.0]  I cannot transmit on it.

I've  transmitted on GMRS channel 19:  [462.650000] and the repeater channel seems to receive it and broadcast.

Is the proper way to use the repeater to transmit on [462.650000] and receive on [462.650000/+5.000/100.0]?

Or should I be able to transmit and receive on [462.650000/+5.000/100.0]?

I also have permission to this repeater and based on my settings you are missing a few things. Send me a message and we can trouble shoot. 

[WRTQ263]

I have kind of the same problem. I’m trying to put in a local repeater I’ve got permission to use on my chirp software. Frequency is 462.725 with an input and output tone of 123.0 Hz. How do I know what to set the offset to? Looking at all the other repeaters I have programmed they have an offset of -/+5.00000 or -/+.60000. I’m really new at this and just trying to learn. 

[Socalgmrs]

Omg.  If you have a gmrs radio then it’s pre set to +5.  Gmrs is always +5.  It will never be anything else.  If it is anything else it is not a gmrs repeater.  If you study the gmrs pairs on 15-22 you will notice they are exactly +5 from eachother.  If you’re not using a gmrs radio then you will have to program the +5 in manually.   IF you had took the time to read the rules you already said you fully understand when you got your license you would already know this.  People people when you sign up for your license you’re telling the gobermint people at the fcc that you have fully read AND understand the rules.  please read the rules BEFORE you say you have.  

[SteveShannon]

15 minutes ago, Socalgmrs said:

Omg.  If you have a gmrs radio then it’s pre set to +5.  Gmrs is always +5.  It will never be anything else.  If it is anything else it is not a gmrs repeater.  If you study the gmrs pairs on 15-22 you will notice they are exactly +5 from eachother.  If you’re not using a gmrs radio then you will have to program the +5 in manually.   IF you had took the time to read the rules you already said you fully understand when you got your license you would already know this.  People people when you sign up for your license you’re telling the gobermint people at the fcc that you have fully read AND understand the rules.  please read the rules BEFORE you say you have.  

Well, no, again.  The rules do not require that the offset be +5 MHz.  They only require that the repeater receive on the 467 MHz main channels and transmit on the 462 MHz main channels. But 5.000 MHz is the usual offset.  Some places do not use that offset in order to avoid interference, typically maritime locations.

Channels 15-22 don’t have an offset at all.  They are the simplex channels.  The channels above 22 are sometimes names RP15-RP22, but they are 23-30 in a numbered list.

You keep jumping new people about the rules when you obviously don’t understand them.  Maybe you should go back and read them before you are a complete asshole to someone on their first post. That’s why you’re the most ignored person on the forum.

[SteveShannon]

11 hours ago, WRTQ263 said:

I have kind of the same problem. I’m trying to put in a local repeater I’ve got permission to use on my chirp software. Frequency is 462.725 with an input and output tone of 123.0 Hz. How do I know what to set the offset to? Looking at all the other repeaters I have programmed they have an offset of -/+5.00000 or -/+.60000. I’m really new at this and just trying to learn. 

For GMRS, the usual offset (it’s not in the rules, but it is the common practice) is to transmit to the repeater 5.000 MHz above the frequency the repeater transmits on.  The rules require that you transmit to a GMRS repeater on one of the eight 467 MHz Main Channels and that the repeater transmit on one of the 462 MHz Main Channels. To make things easy the programming for certified radios always uses a 5.000 MHz offset. So the pair you program in a radio that uses the repeater will receive on 462.675 MHz and transmit on 467.675 MHz. So the repeater must receive on the 467 frequency and must transmit on 462 MHz.

For a user radio you MUST program the correct transmit tone, in your case 123.0 Hz.  Programming a receive tone is optional.  Leaving it empty will allow you to hear everything on that frequency and might help you troubleshoot. 
For the repeater you program both if that’s what you want.  If you don’t program a receive tone on the repeater anyone will be able to activate it.

The 0.600 MHz offset is standard for VHF radios, such as 2 meter ham bands.

Welcome, @WRTQ263!  One really nice feature of the forum is the ability to add people to your ignore list.

[WRYZ926]

51 minutes ago, Socalgmrs said:

Omg.  If you have a gmrs radio then it’s pre set to +5.  Gmrs is always +5.  It will never be anything else.  If it is anything else it is not a gmrs repeater.  If you study the gmrs pairs on 15-22 you will notice they are exactly +5 from eachother.  If you’re not using a gmrs radio then you will have to program the +5 in manually.   IF you had took the time to read the rules you already said you fully understand when you got your license you would already know this.  People people when you sign up for your license you’re telling the gobermint people at the fcc that you have fully read AND understand the rules.  please read the rules BEFORE you say you have.  

Again you are wrong, especially if one is using CHIRP to program their radio. You have to manually input the offset in CHIRP even when programming a Part 95 certified GMRS radio. 

[OffRoaderX]

59 minutes ago, Socalgmrs said:

Omg.  If you have a gmrs radio then it’s pre set to +5.  Gmrs is always +5.  It will never be anything else.  If it is anything else it is not a gmrs repeater.  If you study the gmrs pairs on 15-22 you will notice they are exactly +5 from eachother.  If you’re not using a gmrs radio then you will have to program the +5 in manually.   IF you had took the time to read the rules you already said you fully understand when you got your license you would already know this.  People people when you sign up for your license you’re telling the gobermint people at the fcc that you have fully read AND understand the rules.  please read the rules BEFORE you say you have.  

Just ignore him.. Everyone knows he's reet-har-ded..

[WSGL219]

35 minutes ago, OffRoaderX said:

Just ignore him.. Everyone knows he's reet-har-ded..

I was just about to post that i watch a Notarubicon video about using the Secret and Private GMRS channels in some different my giggle hurts, but i like the "Ignore" "some people" button better. And besides following gooberment rules really isnt my thing either.

 

 

[WRTQ263]

9 hours ago, SteveShannon said:

For UHF, the usual offset (it’s not in the rules, but it is an agreed upon practice) is to transmit to the repeater 5.000 MHz above the frequency the repeater transmits on.  The rules require that you transmit to a repeater in one of the eight 467 MHz Main Channels and that the repeater transmit on one of the 462 MHz Main Channels. To make things easy the programming for certified radios always uses a 5.000 MHz offset. So the pair you program in a radio that uses the repeater is receive on 462.675 MHz and transmit on 467.675 MHz. But for the repeater you must receive on the 467 frequency and transmit on 467

For a user radio ou MUST program the correct transmit tone, in your case 123.0 Hz.  Programming a receive tone is optional.  Leaving it empty will allow you to hear everything on that frequency and might help you troubleshoot. 
For the repeater you program both if that’s what you want.  If you don’t program a receive tone on the repeater anyone will be able to activate it.

The 0.600 MHz offset is standard for VHF radios, such as 2 meter ham bands.

Welcome, @WRTQ263!  One really nice feature of the forum is the ability to add people to your ignore list.

Thanks @SteveShannon! I had a reply back typed up to him last night, but decided to be the bigger person and sleep on it. I spent a good bit yesterday googling and searching the form trying to find an answer to my question but couldn’t. The only reason I was so confused is I have a couple GMRS repeater channels I programmed directly from query source on CHIRP and it had the offset at -5 on one, and +5 on the other. 

[SteveShannon]

15 minutes ago, WRTQ263 said:

Thanks @SteveShannon! I had a reply back typed up to him last night, but decided to be the bigger person and sleep on it. I spent a good bit yesterday googling and searching the form trying to find an answer to my question but couldn’t. The only reason I was so confused is I have a couple GMRS repeater channels I programmed directly from query source on CHIRP and it had the offset at -5 on one, and +5 on the other. 

I can understand how that would be confusing.  

With amateur radio and commercial radio, UHF can have either a plus or minus offset (I’ll clarify that in my previous comment). In GMRS however the FCC has established specific channels and groups of channels.  The 467 MHz Main channels are for transmitting to repeaters.  Repeaters may only transmit on the 462 MHz Main channels. Other radio types may also use the 462 Main channels for simplex communications.