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GMRS REPEATERS

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Dennispower

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Okay i'm a newbie and just got my GMRS license to start and im using chirp to program baofeng 888 radio. I'm trying to input GMRS standard repeaters 15-22 and not sure i understand. I thought i had to transmit on one channel and then physically switch channels to RX frequency to listen. Seems like the radio can do that for you? i'm just trying to use CHIRP to set up my radio with a few repeaters but i seem to be missing a key component in the programming tones, offset etc. Someone familiar with CHIRP give to quick hand?

GMRS 17 RX 462.600
GMRS 17 TX 476.600
Supposedly the place tone 141,3

Can i listen and transmit on the same channel without switching ? thank you in advance
 

Hans13

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Okay i'm a newbie and just got my GMRS license to start and im using chirp to program baofeng 888 radio. I'm trying to input GMRS standard repeaters 15-22 and not sure i understand. I thought i had to transmit on one channel and then physically switch channels to RX frequency to listen. Seems like the radio can do that for you? i'm just trying to use CHIRP to set up my radio with a few repeaters but i seem to be missing a key component in the programming tones, offset etc. Someone familiar with CHIRP give to quick hand?

GMRS 17 RX 462.600
GMRS 17 TX 476.600
Supposedly the place tone 141,3

Can i listen and transmit on the same channel without switching ? thank you in advance
The TX (repeater input) is +5 MHz from the RX (repeater output) frequency on GMRS. So, the proper TX frequency should be 467.600 MHz and not the 476.600 MHz you posted. It looks like you simply flipped the tens and ones place in the number.
 

K4EET

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Dennispower, and to answer your question, yes, the radio does the "switching" for you. Simply program in the transmit frequency, the transmit PL (private line) tone and the receive frequency into one "channel" position on your radio. That channel will then be set up on the GMRS repeater. When you press the PTT (push to talk) button, the radio will automatically switch from the receive frequency to the transmit frequency so you can talk. When you release the PTT button the radio switches back to the receive frequency so you can hear.
 

Hans13

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I thought i had to transmit on one channel and then physically switch channels to RX frequency to listen. Seems like the radio can do that for you?

Thanks, K4EET. I missed that part of the question.

Dennispower, yes, as K4EET stated, the radio does the switching. However, you must have the correct RX frequency and correct TX frequency programmed into the radio first. For GMRS, the TX frequency is the RX frequency plus 5 MHz. So, you need to make sure you program the radio for 462.600 RX and 467.600 TX first.
 

K4EET

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Thanks, K4EET. I missed that part of the question. <snip>
Glad I could be of assistance. The only other thing that we might want to mention is the fact that GMRS repeaters can be either "open" or "closed" repeaters. Dennispower is in Nashville, TN but I did not check to see if the GMRS repeaters were open or closed. Of course, if it is a closed repeater, Dennispower will need permission to use that repeater. That fact is probably worth mentioning.
 

Dennispower

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Dennispower, and to answer your question, yes, the radio does the "switching" for you. Simply program in the transmit frequency, the transmit PL (private line) tone and the receive frequency into one "channel" position on your radio. That channel will then be set up on the GMRS repeater. When you press the PTT (push to talk) button, the radio will automatically switch from the receive frequency to the transmit frequency so you can talk. When you release the PTT button the radio switches back to the receive frequency so you can hear.
Thank you Sir, i am also a retired police officer, thank you for service !
 

Dennispower

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Glad I could be of assistance. The only other thing that we might want to mention is the fact that GMRS repeaters can be either "open" or "closed" repeaters. Dennispower is in Nashville, TN but I did not check to see if the GMRS repeaters were open or closed. Of course, if it is a closed repeater, Dennispower will need permission to use that repeater. That fact is probably worth mentioning.
Okay so i still need help, you may need to dumb it down for me, im looking at my chirp screen. and got the offset in but i dont see where to sey PL tone of any of the settings, can you explain from a CHIRP stand point what settings i need to put in, sorry /thanks
 

K4EET

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Okay so i still need help, you may need to dumb it down for me, im looking at my chirp screen. and got the offset in but i dont see where to sey PL tone of any of the settings, can you explain from a CHIRP stand point what settings i need to put in, sorry /thanks
I think you are asking where the PL tone (in Hertz, e.g. 107.2 Hz) goes in the CHIRP settings. Since I have not used CHIRP to program radios for several years now, I don't remember what the parameter is called within the CHIRP settings. I do seem to recall that the parameter was not specifically labeled PL Tone (or I may be thinking of the AnyTone programming software - - I just cannot remember). Sorry.

NOTE: One thing that I would like to mention just in case you may be using CHIRP to program a Baofeng radio for GMRS frequencies, the Baofeng HT (handi-talkie) is not legal to use for GMRS in the United States since it has a removable antenna. CFR 47 Part 95 Subpart E, specifically §95.1787 (a)(4) which states "The antenna must be a non-removable integral part of the GMRS unit." makes all of the Baofeng radios that I know about illegal to use on GMRS. Penalties can be steep; upwards of $10,000 and/or 10 years in jail for violating the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Rules and Regulations.
 

chief21

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"The antenna must be a non-removable integral part of the GMRS unit." makes all of the Baofeng radios that I know about illegal to use on GMRS. Penalties can be steep; upwards of $10,000 and/or 10 years in jail for violating the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Rules and Regulations.
That would be the case for the current FRS (and former GMRS) frequencies that are currently "licensed by rule" as FRS channels, but radios operated by a GMRS license holder can have removable antennas and higher power on certain of those channels. You are correct, however, that most (all?) Baofeng radios are not approved for Part 95 use and are, therefore, illegal for GMRS.
 

N4GIX

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Only FRS or FRS/GMRS radios must have a fixed antenna. GMRS only HTs can have removable antennas.

In Chirp, the "Tone" column is where the PL Tone is selected from the dropdown list:
G1d73.png
 

K4EET

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That would be the case for the current FRS (and former GMRS) frequencies that are currently "licensed by rule" as FRS channels, but radios operated by a GMRS license holder can have removable antennas and higher power on certain of those channels. You are correct, however, that most (all?) Baofeng radios are not approved for Part 95 use and are, therefore, illegal for GMRS.
Thanks for backing me up on that detail. I keep forgetting about that. It's those darn marbles that keep falling out of my head through my ears...
 

K4EET

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<snip> GMRS only HTs can have removable antennas. <snip>
That statement seems to contradict CFR 47 Part 95 Subpart E, specifically §95.1787 (a)(4) which states "The antenna must be a non-removable integral part of the GMRS unit." I must be taking something out of context. I'll have to go back an re-read Subpart E and see what I missed.
 

tweiss3

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Okay i'm a newbie and just got my GMRS license to start and im using chirp to program baofeng 888 radio. I'm trying to input GMRS standard repeaters 15-22 and not sure i understand. I thought i had to transmit on one channel and then physically switch channels to RX frequency to listen. Seems like the radio can do that for you? i'm just trying to use CHIRP to set up my radio with a few repeaters but i seem to be missing a key component in the programming tones, offset etc. Someone familiar with CHIRP give to quick hand?

GMRS 17 RX 462.600
GMRS 17 TX 476.600
Supposedly the place tone 141,3

Can i listen and transmit on the same channel without switching ? thank you in advance

As stated before, the 888 is not part 95 certified for GMRS compliance, bit it has been rebadged as Btech GMRSv1 does have Part 95 certification.
That statement seems to contradict CFR 47 Part 95 Subpart E, specifically §95.1787 (a)(4) which states "The antenna must be a non-removable integral part of the GMRS unit." I must be taking something out of context. I'll have to go back an re-read Subpart E and see what I missed.
While the language is confusing, the sticker on the Btech GMRSv1 states Part 95 certification.
 

chief21

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That statement seems to contradict CFR 47 Part 95 Subpart E, specifically §95.1787 (a)(4) which states "The antenna must be a non-removable integral part of the GMRS unit." I must be taking something out of context. I'll have to go back an re-read Subpart E and see what I missed.
Perhaps that particular language might apply to those 22 channel "bubble-pack" radios that were formerly marketed as FRS/GMRS radios. I believe that they can still be used under the new FRS rules, but only with non-removable antennas. Let us know what you find.
 

chief21

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That statement seems to contradict CFR 47 Part 95 Subpart E, specifically §95.1787 (a)(4) which states "The antenna must be a non-removable integral part of the GMRS unit." I must be taking something out of context. I'll have to go back an re-read Subpart E and see what I missed.
Ahhh... I see what happened. That particular section relates only to data-capable GMRS equipment. The rules were changed in order to accommodate certain Garmin radios that transmit their GPS coordinates as data.
 

Dennispower

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RFI-EMI-GUY

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That statement seems to contradict CFR 47 Part 95 Subpart E, specifically §95.1787 (a)(4) which states "The antenna must be a non-removable integral part of the GMRS unit." I must be taking something out of context. I'll have to go back an re-read Subpart E and see what I missed.

That applies only to radios like the Garmin that transmit Geolocation data:

§95.1787 (a) Digital data transmissions. GMRS hand-held portable units that have the capability to transmit digital data must be designed to meet the following requirements.
 
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