This is strictly about the rules around repeaters on GMRS. I understand that GMRS repeaters don't have to identify. If indeed that is true, then it seems possible that one can put a GMRS repeater on the air even if one is not licensed, as long as one doesn't actually use said repeater. I have no intention of putting a repeater on, and I am licensed, so this was just something I was wondering about. I remember some years ago, a certain company would move into an area, put up repeaters on all the GMRS repeater frequencies, and charge folks to use them, like the "community" repeaters.
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A question about repeaters.
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nd5y
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§95.1705 Individual licenses required; eligibility; who may operate; cooperative use.
A valid individual license is required to operate a GMRS station.
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(2) The licensee must maintain access to and control over all stations authorized under its license.
(3) A station may be shared only:
(i) Without charge;
(ii) On a non-profit basis, with contributions to capital and operating expenses including the cost of mobile stations and paging receivers prorated equitably among all participants; or
(iii) On a reciprocal basis, i.e., use of one licensee's stations for the use of another licensee's stations without charge for either capital or operating expenses.
(4) All sharing arrangements must be conducted in accordance with a written agreement to be kept as part of the station records.
Repeaters are "stations" as are all other GMRS radios.
A valid individual license is required to operate a GMRS station.
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(2) The licensee must maintain access to and control over all stations authorized under its license.
(3) A station may be shared only:
(i) Without charge;
(ii) On a non-profit basis, with contributions to capital and operating expenses including the cost of mobile stations and paging receivers prorated equitably among all participants; or
(iii) On a reciprocal basis, i.e., use of one licensee's stations for the use of another licensee's stations without charge for either capital or operating expenses.
(4) All sharing arrangements must be conducted in accordance with a written agreement to be kept as part of the station records.
Repeaters are "stations" as are all other GMRS radios.
RFI-EMI-GUY
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I dont see how any person or entity could legally install a GMRS repeater without a license. Especially if charging for services.
That is a big and untrue misconception. There are definitely instances where repeaters don't have to identify, but they are limited.
(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.
For a quick and easy translation...if you put up a GMRS repeater, when you and those operating under the authority of your license use it (i.e. family members), the repeater does not need to identify, because the repeater call sign and your call sign are identical. So by you identifying, you are covering the ID for the repeater.
All other times, the repeater needs to identify.
What that company was doing is illegal.
Perhaps we can keep this on-topic?
The only time a GMRS repeater does not have to identify is if the only users of that repeater are under the same call sign and they identify individually. Or, if the repeater NEVER transmits.
You can put anything "on the air" when it does not transmit. The moment a GMRS repeater transmits, the repeater and individual users must identify at 15 minute intervals (and the individual at the end of communications) unless it is operated under the exceptation I posted above. If a repeater is not transmitting, then that repeater is not a repeater at all but just a receiver. For most frequencies, but not all, you can have something listen to your heart's content.
Thanks for the concise reply. That is what I was looking for. So, it seems to me that a person can buy a repeater, install it, and be legal so long as he doesn't actually use it and gets a licensee to assume responsibility for it. The reference I made to "a certain company" was from back in the days when GMRS was mostly business users, and they operated just like what used to be called "community" repeaters, where every user had to be licensed, and the actual repeater owner made money off it. Later, there were such things a "Private Carrier" repeaters where only the repeater owner/operator was licensed, and the users had to be part 90 "eligibles", but didn't actually have to be licensed. An acquaintance operated one such repeater, and gave me my own PL tone to use it with. The one time I actually used it, a woman came on wanting to know who was using "her" frequency. Seems they kept their mikes off hook, monitoring at all times. When I mentioned it to the owner, he just replied" Don't pay any attention to her. I've told her several times they shared that frequency". I think he had maybe 3 users at most. SOme years ago, a coworker told me he wanted to put a Kenwood desktop repeater on GMRS at a supposedly good location. Thing is, he wanted to use my callsign, even though he was licensed himself. I thought it odd, but agreed. Something was wrong with either the antenna, or feedline, because the thing never worked well, and was removed without ever being used.
Yeah, the owner of the repeater doesn't matter as long as there is a properly licensed GMRS user to take responsibility for it. If the owner isn't licensed, they can't use it. Of course, there can't be a profit situation going on. Also, if more than one license call sign is going to use the repeater, the repeater itself must identify.
Yeah, just as I thought. Those "for profit" GMRS repeaters of yesterday are most likely gone. It has been a while since I scanned the GMRS frequencies around here, but the last time I did, there wasn't a whole lot going on. Though I have had a GMRS license for quite some time, I think I have used it twice, at most. It is one of those things that is good to have, in case I might need it one day.
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