New guy, New radio, New license, Help!

[Rustyone]

Greetings everyone:

Please excuse my ignorance. I've visited this forum several times in the last month or so and now find I have questions I can't find answers to. I bought a couple of Motorola T7400's for family use at campgrounds and road trips and such. I have the utmost respect for people like yourselves who are really "into" this type of communications and want to play the game by your rules. I just came from the FCC website where I paid the $80.00 for a GMRS license. I got my registration number, file number, a copy of FCC form 605 and 159 and a wheelbarrow full of FCC codes but no call sign! Don't I need a call sign to legally use these things? Does the FCC mail it to you? I've had the radios for a couple of days now and I'm afraid to even turn them on. I'm assuming that even though I've registered and paid the fee I still can't use them until I get my call sign.

Also, are there rules of etiquette, like a do's and don'ts list? Aside from identifying myself periodically what is the proper way to use these things?

Thanks: Russ

 

[cellblock776]

Russ,
After filling out the online form and paying the $80 you should get a confirmation Email in a day or so. You will probably find your callsign on the database by that time too. Mine only took 24 hours after I paid my fee online with my visa card. As soon as you see you call you can use it to transmit legally. About a week or 2 later you should find your paper license sitting in your mailbox.
Congratulations for being honest and following the rules. Many people don't these days when it comes to GMRS.
Good Luck,
Steve
GMRS=WQBY447

 

[Al42]

Also, are there rules of etiquette, like a do's and don'ts list? Aside from identifying myself periodically what is the proper way to use these things?

Pretty much common sense - turn off any "tone channel" you have and listen for a minute before transmitting, to make sure that no one else in the area is using the channel. (Even if you're using a different tone than someone else on the channel you'll interfere with them.) Don't get into flame wars with other users - remember, the license gives you no rights to any particular frequency - just the right to share the channels with others. You don't seem to be the type who needs a warning to not use the radios for criminal purposes, so ...

 

[kb2vxa]

Hi Rusty and all,

Maybe a bit of WD40 would help? (;->) Now that you're in the action you're finding out what CB is all about, that is the CB before 11M came along. The GMRS and FRS frequencies are all that's left of a very large class A Citizens Band before it was reallocated for land mobile use of a different sort and 11M added to make up the difference. BTW, VHF was class B if I remember right and there are still class C radio control frequencies interspersed with the class D 11M channels. Even that band was superb before those movies came along and every idiot in the country got a rig and used it like the morons in the movies. Yeah, we paid a license fee and had callsigns too, mine was KMD7606.

Now what I'm getting at is paraphrasing another's comments, just use common sense and be courteous and considerate of other users and you've got it made. Now you can call yourself a "real CBer" since that's what it was intended for in the first place, not the gross abuses 11M is subject to today. You'll find GMRS very useful and good luck, I wish you all the best.

 

[Al42]

The GMRS and FRS frequencies are all that's left of a very large class A Citizens Band before it was reallocated for land mobile use of a different sort

A Vocaline moment. I remember those blue hammertone boxes well.

 

[Rustyone]

Thanks for the replies guys. I never did receive my call sign so I just went in and did a search on FCC's database and found out I've had it since yesterday. I guess I'll get something in the mail sooner or later. I can wing it from here I guess without getting into too much trouble. Funny you bring CB up. I drove a tractor trailer back in the day and it got so bad I rarely even had it on, just for directions and such. Before that I was an MP in the military and a DOD police officer after that and carried one daily. Of course we had strict protocols then.
I guess you can just call me WQCW694 from now on. Boy! I feel so important!

Thanks All. Russ

 

[MacombMonitor]

Welcome to GMRS Russ! Maybe if enough of us get into it, we can build a nationwide repeater network, and do away with our cellphones!

Seriously, I've been considering setting up a GMRS repeater. To do it right, it's more costly than the average person in it for the hobby is willing to pay. However, I'm thinking of getting some of the community interested, as a back-up for family communications during an emergency, or black out, like we had recently. It wouldn't take much of a generator to maintain a repeater station.