GMRS

[Jackalope]

    So, one of the MAGS that I associate with has decided to go the GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) route, in addition to the amateur radio route.  For those that aren't familiar with GMRS, it's a FCC radio service that has a $35.00 license, which covers all those people in your immediate family.  The license is good for 10 years.  Radios can have transmitters up to 50 watts and radio repeaters are permitted.  It's essentially a  service similar to amateur radio, but radio knowledge isn't a requirement, and the service is limited to 30 frequencies, which include 8 repeater frequencies.  And repeater frequencies are not coordinated, which means two repeaters can be located in the same area, on the same frequency.

    Anyways, I'm considering going the GMRS route for my local neighborhood, as it could potentially provide efficient communications locally, if I install a small solar powered repeater. Folks with GMRS licenses would be allowed to use the repeater.  In reality, there's not much you can do to stop unlicensed folks from using the repeater.

    I'm curious if anyone else has gone the GMRS route, and how it's working for their group.

[pkveazey]

Some of the Hams in my area played around with GMRS but I hear a lot of them saying that they regretted it. They didn't say why they regretted it. Since GMRS uses the FRS frequencies, the GMRS guys can talk simplex to the FRS people. Even the FRS thing is a bit confusing. As I understand it, the Channels 8 through 14 can only use 1/2 watt but the rest of the FRS frequencies can use 2 watts but are not allowed to use the GMRS repeaters nor the higher power limits. OK, OK, I have all the FRS frequencies programmed in my Bao Feng Handi-talkies but those 450 Mhz frequencies are pretty lame as far as distance goes. I used to hear a few GMRS guys chatting and you could tell if they were GMRS because they had Call Signs and the FRS people didn't. I thought about getting a GMRS license but since the traffic is so rare, I just decided to use FRS if I need it. I decided to go with MURS for my MAG because they allow 2 watts and whatever antennas you want and can go as high as 60 feet. Also being in the 150 Mhz range allows much farther distance. I was surprised to learn that MURS is covered by FCC Part 95 rules which is the same rules as Citizens Band. Can you imagine how much distance a MURS station running a "13 B2" Yagi Beam at 60 feet could get.

[Jackalope]

    I think you can use digital modes on MURS too, though I haven't verified it.  I hear the local Walmart staff using a couple of MURS fequencies.  And some of the MURS frequencies are narrowband FM.


   Older radios usually do have FRS/GMRS capabilities, but since 2019, most portables that do both services are limited to the half watt limitation.  While true GMRS portables don't have that limitation, for example, Radioddity sells a 5 watt GMRS portable, and 25 watt mobile radios.  The lack of coordination for repeaters is concerning, as I'm aware of at least 8 GMRS repeaters in my immediate area.

    The fellow in the MAG is trying to make a buck by selling used radios at exorbitant prices, and he's setting it up so each radio has an ANI identifier, and he can remotely kill radios and he only wants radios that he's sold on the system.  Supposedly, it's the MAG's system, but in reality, the one fellow owns the system, and it's his rules or the highway.  I've suggested that the group continue with amateur radio, and run parallel systems, though according to GMRS rules, you can't pass traffic from other radio services on GMRS.

    Locally, the GMRS service might work, as the radios are so common, and as PK mentioned, any Baofeng will work, though they aren't Part 95 type accepted, but if it's an emergency, the rules go out the window.  Like several others here on the forum, I have several radios that are frequency agile and they're ready to be handed out in any emergency.

[Felix]

"Rules out the window" conditions are my bottom line acid test.
Stationary HAM sets seem so _vulnerable_ to every threat my (ignorant) fevered imagination can come up with.
Flexibility, portability - aces.
Stationary though powerful - deuces
In a "grid down", NOBODY generally (except Big Brother) is going to  be monitoring wide spectrum of wavelengths on a steady basis..
Only organised cells will be able to span distance with radio.   Dependent on agreed times.   Agreed/shifting frequencies, some coding likely.  And even then, could become targeted by technologies owned and already in use by our would-be-masters.
If I'm all wet on this, toss me a towel and while I scrub down, clue me in.    Thank you.

[pkveazey]

I love it when we start posting RADIO stuff. There are so many opinions. Some are valid, some invalid, and some somewhere in the middle. I don't hide the fact that once I go beyond HAM RADIO, I very much fall into the 2 watt MURS(Multi Use Radio Service) crowd. There was mention of using DIGITAL on MURS and while I don't know much about that, I certainly do hear signals that sound digital. Most of the signals break my squelch and sound like static but also sound like somebody is sending CW, SSS pause SSS pause SSS. Some of the signals are fairly strong. They happen on all 5 MURS frequencies but tend to happen more on the first 3 channels that are Narrow Band FM. I'm a wide band FM fan myself so I tend to use Channel 4(Blue Dot) and Channel 5(Green Dot). There are 2 more frequencies for channels 6 and 7 but they are still licensed for business use but I'm waiting for the FCC to let those licenses run out and hopefully give them to us also. I probably wouldn't hate FRS so much if the FCC dropped the fixed antenna rule. If I could disconnect that rubber duck garbage and connect to a base station antenna, then it would be far more useful. Before my brother in law passed away, he did a lot of hunting and they used FRS and even though he was a well trained electronics repairman for Honeywell, he constantly pissed and moaned about the lack of range of his hunting groups coms. I told him to tell those Hunting Buddies to throw those FRS radios in the river and buy MURS radios so they could actually have decent coms in the woods.

[JohnyMac]

Don't want to derail this discussion BUT, I really want to become proficient with CW. Just another great mode what frequency/band you use.

[FeedingFreedom]

GMRS (and Boofwangs) are gateway drugs to ham radio. Some people just stick with GMRS, it depends on your situation and needs. I have a GMRS license, and so does my friend that lives on the farm. They are extremely resistant so far to ham, so it's a way to communicate for now until I wear them down.  Compatibility with FRS is a plus, most people have FRS "blister pack" radios laying around, they probably just need batteries. Good enough to cover my neighborhood if needed.

I can reach some GMRS repeaters that are ~75 miles away in a direction that I have good coverage, I occasionally talk to some of the "regulars", if anything were to go down large-scale, they're pretty well located to give good advance warning of a mob from the large cities headed this way.

It's all just different tools in the box, I'll take whatever I can that can make communication possible, because that's the real goal.

[pkveazey]

JohnyMac, CW is fun and I used to be able to copy about 18 words per minute. I've been away from it so long that I probably can copy about 8 to 10 words per minute. The thing that lead me away from it was the damned stuff puts me to sleep. Something about it just makes me nod off while I'm copying it. The one thing that have completely forgotten is punctuation. Things like commas, question marks, periods, etc. have just gotten away from me. Numbers are still pretty easy. If you are really serious about learning it, you will have to learn to listen to the swing of the characters. Its like listening to the rhythm of music. If you are using a Straight Key, dragging your "DAHS" just a little makes it easier to copy but the CW freaks will call you out for dragging your "DAHS" to much. Most of the high speed CW freaks seem to like 20 meters but I always preferred 80 and 40 meters. In todays world the new 30 meter band is dedicated to CW and you'll find a ton of operators there.