You sometimes need a tone code - CTCSS - to speak to repeaters.

[Sonicgott]

Seems a lot of people make this mistake as a newbie GMRS user. I'm seeing several topics on it. People not hearing you? Here's my explanation.

CTCSS - Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System

DCS - Digital Coded Squelch

Both of these serve the same purpose: To isolate conversation.

Be warned, however, some radios advertise these as "privacy tones." They have nothing to do with privacy. They do not "hide" your conversation in any way.

For example: If you connect to a repeater using 462.725MHz (Channel 22. Repeater channel 22 is 467.725MHz), and the requested CTCSS is 141.3Hz, then anyone listening with that tone code will be able to hear you. Without it, they won't hear you at all.

However, if you're listening, and you're not using a tone code, you will hear EVERYTHING (hence why tones have nothing to do with privacy). The CTCSS code ensures that only traffic using that transmit tone code will be heard on your radio. Anything else not using that code or using a different code your radio will ignore.

While it's not necessary to have a receive code since you will hear everything, it's because that you'll hear everything that you may not know who's actually talking from that repeater, or who just happens to be using that frequency. That may end up causing confusion with conversations.

TL;DR: If people aren't responding to you, it's probably because they can't hear you because of a missing CTCSS code for your radio. Double check with the repeater owner to see if a transmit CTCSS or DCS code is required.

Do note that not all GMRS radios support repeaters or CTCSS/DCS codes.

WSCL244/KF0QNM

[Socalgmrs]

Yes this comes up a few times a week at least.   Like clock work.  Having this post here will be great for those that read and it’s full of good info but unfortunately most people don’t read.  They just run to the net and start asking other people to solve a problem for them.   If people did read they wouldn’t need a post like this.   
 

I do have to say I’ve never seen a gmrs radio that didn’t support tones and repeaters.  FRS radios don’t support repeaters and still have tones.  
 

[SteveShannon]

27 minutes ago, Socalgmrs said:

Yes this comes up a few times a week at least.   Like clock work.  Having this post here will be great for those that read and it’s full of good info but unfortunately most people don’t read.  They just run to the net and start asking other people to solve a problem for them.   If people did read they wouldn’t need a post like this.   
 

I do have to say I’ve never seen a gmrs radio that didn’t support tones and repeaters.  FRS radios don’t support repeaters and still have tones.  
 

I’m seriously curious.  Obviously you’re not here to ask for help, you inject negativity into the threads started by people who actually do help, and you make zero effort to get along with people socially.  So, why are you here, Devin? Do you actually like the negative attention you receive? Is it somehow better than no attention at all?

[WRYZ926]

3 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

I’m seriously curious.  Obviously you’re not here to ask for help, you inject negativity into the threads started by people who actually do help, and you make zero effort to get along with people socially.  So, why are you here, Devin? Do you actually like the negative attention you receive? Is it somehow better than no attention at all?

He is like the toddler that acts badly to get attention from the parents that otherwise ignore the child. He has definitely earned the Negative Nancy nickname.

[WRTC928]

27 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

He is like the toddler that acts badly to get attention from the parents that otherwise ignore the child. He has definitely earned the Negative Nancy nickname.

Yes, but people who behave politely get plenty of attention here, too. All you have to do is impart some useful information and you'll get kudos. Unlike the toddler, there are other ways to get that attention in this group.

[WRUU653]

32 minutes ago, SteveShannon said:

I’m seriously curious.  Obviously you’re not here to ask for help, you inject negativity into the threads started by people who actually do help, and you make zero effort to get along with people socially.  So, why are you here, Devin? Do you actually like the negative attention you receive? Is it somehow better than no attention at all?

He’s a one trick pony and he doesn’t seem to answer direct questions like this. 

27 minutes ago, WRYZ926 said:

He is like the toddler that acts badly to get attention from the parents that otherwise ignore the child. He has definitely earned the Negative Nancy nickname.

I have started looking at his comments as if they were from a bot that only has one type of response… it’s just incapable of doing anything else. 

[WRYZ926]

12 minutes ago, WRTC928 said:

Yes, but people who behave politely get plenty of attention here, too. All you have to do is impart some useful information and you'll get kudos. Unlike the toddler, there are other ways to get that attention in this group.

This is very true. But "some people" just can't behave or be polite.

[TDM827]

I agree that most GMRS radios are repeater capable and support codes. But, while pretty rare, some GMRS handhelds are not repeater capable. So those new the GMRS world should at least confirm your possible purchases are repeater capable. 

As an example, my Midland GXT1000s handhelds are technically GMRS radios, but they are not repeater capable. I never viewed this as a negative as my use case includes FRS as well as GMRS. And I was in the market for some more FRS radios. In other words I knew what I was getting into and understood their limitations when I purchased them. 

But if I was new to GMRS and was leaning exclusively toward GMRS, I would have been disappointed if I was expecting to hit repeaters with those units. 

[Sonicgott]

Thanks to those of you who are leaving positive feedback.

[WSHH887]

Like I've said before I'm new, and I recently (re)discovered I had a pair of GXT100's I had bought for emergencies and never even turned on.  I was wondering, is the reason things like the GXT1000 aren't repeater capable is because of their low wattage doesn't support duplex?  If I'm correct you need duplex capability to use repeaters.  Educae me if I'm on the wrong path.

[SteveShannon]

4 minutes ago, WSHH887 said:

Like I've said before I'm new, and I recently (re)discovered I had a pair of GXT100's I had bought for emergencies and never even turned on.  I was wondering, is the reason things like the GXT1000 aren't repeater capable is because of their low wattage doesn't support duplex?  If I'm correct you need duplex capability to use repeaters.  Educae me if I'm on the wrong path.

Power has nothing to do with the ability to transmit and receive on different frequencies.  That’s strictly programming.  I don’t know why the GXT100s are incapable of transmitting and receiving on different frequencies.

[WSHH887]

Ahh, the mystery deepens, even as the veil of ignorance is lifted.  I've been involved in most of my hobbies for decades.  I had forgotten that the path to knowledge takes a lot of effort and brain cells.