Since you are in east Tennessee check out www.northgeorgiagmrs.com and also check out www.mygmrs.com for repeater locations in all 50 states,no list is complete but here is a good start.
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Part 95 NPRM
- Thread starter kv5e
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Since you are in east Tennessee check out www.northgeorgiagmrs.com and also check out www.mygmrs.com for repeater locations in all 50 states,no list is complete but here is a good start.
TenneeRox
Member
Thanks for the links. I was aware of the mygmrs one but it had been a long while since I looked at it. That site has sure grown and matured since then; excellent job! I am also a HAM operator, that's where I do most of my stuff. Unfortunately I just can't seem to get anyone else in my family to study and take the test. They just aren't interested in the technical stuff. So for these people GMRS is a great solution. I am an advocate for this service too as I have known some fine people who are associated with react groups as well as some church groups who very effectively communicate via this mode. I guess if I had control over the world the one thing I'd change though would have been to never allow the sale of bubble pack radios except for the 14 FRS channels. That would have done a lot to preserve the 8 main channel pairs for what this service was originally set up for. Oh well! Thanks again for the input. And thanks to RR !! What a great venue to share ideas , answer questions and express our opinions!
Best thing to do, get you Ham Radio license. It's easy to pass, one time $14.00 charge and so many more things that can be done with it.
One thing, those who look at GMRS as a toy, don't bother, Ham Radio is for people who are responsible and mature, not someone who just wants to play games. If that's you, don't apply. The rest of the responsible GMRS users, sell your equipment while you can still get a decent price and get that Technician license. No code test and even kids pass the test, it's easy to get the Technician license, they get harder as you get the higher licenses.
The FCC is going to do what it wants, that I know. If they decide to make big changes, which I think they will, you might as well be ahead of the eight ball. No use in operating illegally. Yes, chances of getting caught are slim, but if you do, expect at least a $5000.00 fine. That's the reality.
The last post, I have seen 100 times. If there were no GMRS, then family members will have no choice but to get their Technician license. It really is easy, I studied part of one day and aced it. The "It's Hard" excuse is just that, an excuse. Be the Father, the head of the house and protector of your family, tell them it's something they are going to do for their own safety. Make a fun thing out of it, something the whole family does at once. You are going to have to take the horse by the reins and get it done. A Father and Mother are not to be their kids best friends, they are there to Love and guide their family, seems this has been forgotten in todays times. Kids don't get to do anything they want to or decline their parents wishes, they are to be guided as to what is right for them with Love. I'll get off my soap box now.
Best of luck in whatever you choose.
My Best, John
One thing, those who look at GMRS as a toy, don't bother, Ham Radio is for people who are responsible and mature, not someone who just wants to play games. If that's you, don't apply. The rest of the responsible GMRS users, sell your equipment while you can still get a decent price and get that Technician license. No code test and even kids pass the test, it's easy to get the Technician license, they get harder as you get the higher licenses.
The FCC is going to do what it wants, that I know. If they decide to make big changes, which I think they will, you might as well be ahead of the eight ball. No use in operating illegally. Yes, chances of getting caught are slim, but if you do, expect at least a $5000.00 fine. That's the reality.
The last post, I have seen 100 times. If there were no GMRS, then family members will have no choice but to get their Technician license. It really is easy, I studied part of one day and aced it. The "It's Hard" excuse is just that, an excuse. Be the Father, the head of the house and protector of your family, tell them it's something they are going to do for their own safety. Make a fun thing out of it, something the whole family does at once. You are going to have to take the horse by the reins and get it done. A Father and Mother are not to be their kids best friends, they are there to Love and guide their family, seems this has been forgotten in todays times. Kids don't get to do anything they want to or decline their parents wishes, they are to be guided as to what is right for them with Love. I'll get off my soap box now.
Best of luck in whatever you choose.
My Best, John
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Did you ever stop and think that the FCC never intended FRS/GMRS to be a long distance service with repeaters and many of the other things in use today?
One of the FCC's problems is the way they wrote the rules, they are anything but clear and concise (no surprise there).
It's my feeling that the FCC does not want FRS/GMRS to be used for anything but a distance of maybe a mile or so. Why they allow a 50 watt output with all the other stuff is beyond me, but we all know just how well our government works.
I'm pretty sure they want to pull back on the power and antennas to make it a short distance use radio. I'm betting that is what they intended in the first place. Too many people wanted a way to have short range communication without having to take a test and thousands of radios were sold, every one bringing in some tax money for Uncle.
My feeling is if you want to be able to talk long distances, you should study a little (that's all it takes) and get an Amateur Technician license. Then you can talk much longer distances, have far more available equipment and do so may other things that cannot be done with GMRS/FRS.
I'm sure my view is not very popular, but I'm betting that what I wrote was what the FCC had in mind when they allowed FRS/GMRS. Like just about everything else the government does, they messed up when they wrote the rules. If your honest with yourself, GMRS is perfect for short distance comms, and Amateur radio is perfect for longer distance comms.
FRS/GMRS should be used for what it was designed for and Amateur radio for what it was designed for. As usual, many people who work in radio find a way to make things work differently that were intended. I think that is exactly what has happened. Radio people can be a smart bunch, but many have had to break rules to do so. They stand almost no chance of getting caught, but to me, the more people break rules, the more the government uses it as an excuse to take things away from all of us. We have all seen this time and time again.
Being able to have longer range comms is very easy, you just have to study a little and take a test. It does require a little effort on your part. It will cost you $14.00 for your first 10 year Amateur license, then never another cent vs. $85.00 for a GMRS license every 5 years. It runs about the same price for a family of 5 if the entire family takes their Technician test.
This is just my opinion, but I think I'm right on in my assessment. As I've always told my kids, "The first rule of life is that life is not fair". This looks to be an example of that saying.
73's John
One of the FCC's problems is the way they wrote the rules, they are anything but clear and concise (no surprise there).
It's my feeling that the FCC does not want FRS/GMRS to be used for anything but a distance of maybe a mile or so. Why they allow a 50 watt output with all the other stuff is beyond me, but we all know just how well our government works.
I'm pretty sure they want to pull back on the power and antennas to make it a short distance use radio. I'm betting that is what they intended in the first place. Too many people wanted a way to have short range communication without having to take a test and thousands of radios were sold, every one bringing in some tax money for Uncle.
My feeling is if you want to be able to talk long distances, you should study a little (that's all it takes) and get an Amateur Technician license. Then you can talk much longer distances, have far more available equipment and do so may other things that cannot be done with GMRS/FRS.
I'm sure my view is not very popular, but I'm betting that what I wrote was what the FCC had in mind when they allowed FRS/GMRS. Like just about everything else the government does, they messed up when they wrote the rules. If your honest with yourself, GMRS is perfect for short distance comms, and Amateur radio is perfect for longer distance comms.
FRS/GMRS should be used for what it was designed for and Amateur radio for what it was designed for. As usual, many people who work in radio find a way to make things work differently that were intended. I think that is exactly what has happened. Radio people can be a smart bunch, but many have had to break rules to do so. They stand almost no chance of getting caught, but to me, the more people break rules, the more the government uses it as an excuse to take things away from all of us. We have all seen this time and time again.
Being able to have longer range comms is very easy, you just have to study a little and take a test. It does require a little effort on your part. It will cost you $14.00 for your first 10 year Amateur license, then never another cent vs. $85.00 for a GMRS license every 5 years. It runs about the same price for a family of 5 if the entire family takes their Technician test.
This is just my opinion, but I think I'm right on in my assessment. As I've always told my kids, "The first rule of life is that life is not fair". This looks to be an example of that saying.
73's John
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Not everyone wants to become a ham.People have families who do not want to talk to the world,if GMRS works for them so be it.I like GMRS myself and it serves the purpose but this is a GMRS forum and I hope it doesn't turn into a ham recruitment forum.I already got in trouble with my last post but I will make this statement.It may not be what GMRS was intended to be but the rules allowed it and it has not changed.
GMRS has been around a lot longer than bubble pack radios I'm afraid. Spd640 shoot me a email please. Been trying to contact you from NW Ga. Thanks ...... Bcj377@gmail.com
People do not know the full potential of GMRS due to the fact it is underutilized and not may know of the benefits,you have your nay-sayers who cut down GMRS or call it a simple toy and others who appreciate it to it's full potential.I do not use the bubble packs except like in a flea market setting or such for the simple fact the weight of them and even then from one area to the other they have dead spots.
I use the 50 watts available to us as a licensed user and have a repeater with a 40-60 mile range according to the terrain. As long as GMRS is a licensed service I will continue to use it and I am also a licensed ham and use it at the appropriate times also,each radio service has it's place and reason.I like the flexibility of being licensed in both services wher as my wife has no interest in ham but my son does and has his license also.
It is a matter of what works in each situation,whether it be hobby wise or as a family communications system.I will stay with GMRS as a primary use for my family until they decide to pull the plug if they ever do and will encourage it's use until that time also.I take GMRS as a serious radio service and do not play games on my repeater and I feel that GMRS was a extension meant to be kept same as the Class A citizens radio service unlike the limited FRS with the 1/2 power limit like the toys we did play on as kids but it was 49mhz radios or CB back then.
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FRS is one thing.. GMRS was here long before FRS. Two separate items that companies made into one.
KB7MIB
Member
Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (BREW; Opera Mini/6.0.3/27.2338; U; en) Presto/2.8.119 320X240 LG VN530)
Have you looked into the history of the GMRS, and it's predecessor, Class A of the Citizens Radio Service? The bubble packs didn't exist before the FRS was authorized. People used real UHF portables, mobile radios and even base stations. Repeaters have been popular since the mid-70's. The GMRS is intended for across town communications, not just a few blocks. The rules have gone through several revisions since the Class A of the CRS was formed in the 40's, and since it was renamed the GMRS in the early 70's. Maybe these revisions haven't always been clear and concise, or maybe some users want the rules to say what they want them to. Maybe it helps to have an older copy, as I do, of the rules, to compare between then and now, to make it a little clearer.
The GMRS should not be neutered into a toy service. It is also not Ham radio, and was never intended to be. It has always been intended to be a utilitarian radio service for families to conduct their personal communications needs. And that's what it should remain.
If anything, bubble pack radios should not be manufactured with more than the 14 FRS channels in them.
And manufacturers of Part 90 commercial radios should be seeking co-Part 95 certification at a minimum, to provide the user community with more of a selection of legal, certified models to choose from, if not producing (and marketing!) GMRS-specific commercial grade radios, from portables to repeaters, for the GMRS user community. (I personally would love to see Uniden remake an Australian UHF CB radio, the UH015SX, for the US GMRS market, myself. But, that's just me.)
If the manufacturers don't help the user community, the GMRS will, at some point, be eliminated, and the spectrum turned over to public safety and/or business/industrial users, or auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Have you looked into the history of the GMRS, and it's predecessor, Class A of the Citizens Radio Service? The bubble packs didn't exist before the FRS was authorized. People used real UHF portables, mobile radios and even base stations. Repeaters have been popular since the mid-70's. The GMRS is intended for across town communications, not just a few blocks. The rules have gone through several revisions since the Class A of the CRS was formed in the 40's, and since it was renamed the GMRS in the early 70's. Maybe these revisions haven't always been clear and concise, or maybe some users want the rules to say what they want them to. Maybe it helps to have an older copy, as I do, of the rules, to compare between then and now, to make it a little clearer.
The GMRS should not be neutered into a toy service. It is also not Ham radio, and was never intended to be. It has always been intended to be a utilitarian radio service for families to conduct their personal communications needs. And that's what it should remain.
If anything, bubble pack radios should not be manufactured with more than the 14 FRS channels in them.
And manufacturers of Part 90 commercial radios should be seeking co-Part 95 certification at a minimum, to provide the user community with more of a selection of legal, certified models to choose from, if not producing (and marketing!) GMRS-specific commercial grade radios, from portables to repeaters, for the GMRS user community. (I personally would love to see Uniden remake an Australian UHF CB radio, the UH015SX, for the US GMRS market, myself. But, that's just me.)
If the manufacturers don't help the user community, the GMRS will, at some point, be eliminated, and the spectrum turned over to public safety and/or business/industrial users, or auctioned off to the highest bidder.
You are the type of person who uses GMRS correctly. I wish all would (It appears your a Ham, so I have no doubt as to why you do a good job with the GMRS).
As to good quality part 95 radio's, I think the manufacturers are waiting to see what the FCC decides before putting a lot of money into them.
FRS and putting FRS and GMRS into one radio was the biggest mistake ever made, but there was a lot of money to be made, so it was done. Once cheap radio's became available, the masses jumped in and once that happened, it started going down hill. Now the FCC is not happy with what is going on, so they are looking to cut GMRS off at the knee's. GMRS was a good service until those with no regard for rules jumped in.
I'm not looking for all to go to Amateur service, it just that there are many who are asking for more and more to be legally done with GMRS and it's just not going to happen. If those people want remote, digital as well as other things, then they need an Amateur ticket, GMRS is not going to get more, if anything, it could be less.
We have a good GMRS repeater in our area at over 9000'. With one of the commercial Kenwood or Motorola radios and a decent antenna it works every bit as good as an Amateur UHF radio. We are also lucky, being rural, it is not abused too badly. Problem is, if it were, I doubt the FCC would do much of anything about it, they seem to have washed their hands of GMRS. Were it an Amateur repeater, they would jump on a problem pretty fast. In the end, used correctly, rules followed, GMRS can be a very good service. I just don't see it getting better for the most part, I wish it would.
If there were more people like the post I copied, I don't think the FCC would even be looking at changing the rules.
73,s John
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