FRS/GMRS New CB?

[AF1UD]

In my neck of the woods up in CT I've heard more and more people are using FRS/GMRS to communicate on the road instead of CB. Is this a localized phenomena or is it more widespread?

I would think the reasoning is because it's easier to use and doesn't require the huge antenna on the vehicle. But I'm curious as to what others think/say.

 

[nd5y]

I live close to a freeway and hear that almost every day. Probably most of them are on hand helds.

 

[smittie]

As someone else said in another thread, GMRS/FRS use is different from CB in that the devices have CTCSS/DCS to isolate the experience. A lot of the FRS devices come with codes already set. In the CB world everyone within your general vicinity was part of the conversation. Much less the case with FRS.

Like @nd5y I live next to a major interstate. During the spring and summer, I hear conversations all the time. Occasionally, someone will ask a question looking for local information like was done on CB back in the day. Most of the time I can't help them because they have a PL or DPL code set and they can't hear my reply.

So, I think it is similar but different.

Respectfully,
Smittie

 

[mmckenna]

In my neck of the woods up in CT I've heard more and more people are using FRS/GMRS to communicate on the road instead of CB. Is this a localized phenomena or is it more widespread?

I would think the reasoning is because it's easier to use and doesn't require the huge antenna on the vehicle. But I'm curious as to what others think/say.

Thanks to Midland and their consumer grade GMRS mobile radios, it's getting more and more popular. The Jeep/Off Road crowd is really getting into it and it's becoming more popular than CB in some areas. Nice to have a UHF FM mobile and a portable radio without a ridiculously long antenna like CB.

Playing around over the years:

CB is great if you are a trucker. CB is no where near what it was in the 1970's/1980's. Those days are dead, buried and decomposed back to dust. Running long road trips for work, CB is usually really quiet unless you are on a heavily traveled interstate, near a large city, or in the right place at the right time.

Scanning FRS/GMRS on the interstates will usually result in hearing something. Range is usually short due to people using hand held radios inside the car. I've heard more FRS/GMRS traffic on interstates than CB.

MURS is pretty quiet. A good resource if you need it.

Calling GMRS the "new CB" may be accurate, but I'd put GMRS well ahead of CB with FM, CTCSS/DCS codes to keep the noise out, smaller, more efficient antennas, repeaters, etc.

CB adding FM was 30 years too late to make much of a difference. Most of the rest of the world got it, U.S. and Canada dragged their feet for way too long.

 

[geartow]

hearing traffic daily while at driving on gmrs frequencies . a lot of traffic control uses them. plus a lot of people traveling . i put the gmrs version of the baofeng uv-5r in the work truck with a battery eliminator and the duckie you will hear stuff.

 

[tj20]

There’s a guy in town that just got his gmrs license this year and is trying to use it like ham. Anyone he hears on frs/gmrs he tries to talk to them and it goes over like a lead balloon. The ymca was not too excited about somebody talking to them while they’re trying to wrangle kids. Doesn’t matter if you use pl/dpl he’ll scan for it

 

[tomk62]

GMRS = CB 2.0

 

[redbeard]

There’s a guy in town that just got his gmrs license this year and is trying to use it like ham. Anyone he hears on frs/gmrs he tries to talk to them and it goes over like a lead balloon. The ymca was not too excited about somebody talking to them while they’re trying to wrangle kids. Doesn’t matter if you use pl/dpl he’ll scan for it

Tell me more about how businesses are mad people can talk to them on free unlicensed frequencies because they are too cheap to get a proper radio and licensed business freq of their own.

I bet they have their own phone number and aren't sharing a party line with the local pizza shop...

 

[Peter_SD911]

Tell me more about how businesses are mad people can talk to them on free unlicensed frequencies because they are too cheap to get a proper radio and licensed business freq of their own.

A group in Socal got sick of listening to the morning and afternoon "Car Pool" operations of a local grade school on GMRS simplex. The school staff was transmitting the first and last names of the students who were next up for rides.

One afternoon the carpool folks heard this angry voice say...

"Now I know where my crazy ex-wife brought my kids to...in VIOLATION of the court order. I'm getting my kids back from her".

The carpool GMRS traffic was gone the next day...for good.

Sometimes you gotta think out of the box.

Scan Sexy!

 

[KK6HRW]

Tell me more about how businesses are mad people can talk to them on free unlicensed frequencies because they are too cheap to get a proper radio and licensed business freq of their own.

I bet they have their own phone number and aren't sharing a party line with the local pizza shop...

The telephone ”party line” is actually a good analogy to the etiquette for use of shared FRS/GMRS radio frequencies. A phone user should not try to place a call when the line is obviously in use, and certainly should not try to interject themselves into someone else’s conversation.

 

[W8UU]

The telephone ”party line” is actually a good analogy to the etiquette for use of shared FRS/GMRS radio frequencies. A phone user should not try to place a call when the line is obviously in use, and certainly should not try to interject themselves into someone else’s conversation.

This is the reason I spent the money for a VHF business band channel for our family business and didn't try to use GMRS. It's a crap shoot on who's going to key the mic and try to talk to you. I wasn't looking for chit-chat or roger beeps or kids playing with walkie-talkies or a string of profanity during business hours. I wanted a frequency where I would hear our people if they needed something and nothing else. CB, GMRS, and FRS does not and will never provide that. It's all about knowing what you need then making it happen.