Resurgence in 2-way Radio Interest?

[cpfinlay]

I've noticed on social media (Facebook, for example) that there are a lot of new/returning radio enthusiasts that are buying radios only to be surprised by the lack of radio traffic in their area. I am wondering what is driving this renewed interest and wanting to hear other people's ideas.

This seems especially true for CB Radio. As with many, my 2-way experience started with CBs in the 70s. Once I got my ham ticket in the early 80s, I left that spectrum behind. It seems people assume CB is as it was back in that time and are surprised to find out that it's not.

I also see a lot of posts for GMRS. This seems mainly driven by "preppers", but also some people who want to talk to others and at distances not suitable to the designs of the spectrum allocation. I am also amazed how many feel strongly that they should not have to get a license.

I even see this on and off regarding ham radio, which means so many different things to different people. CW to some, phone to others, etc. I've been mostly digital since the mid 80s and that continues to evolve. But when I see someone comment that ham radio is dead/dying, I wonder what they mean since it is far from dead according to my waterfall.

I ask because I recently retired and apparently have too much time on my hands. I got a GMRS license and a couple of radios. I even bought a NOS CB. I occasionally hear kids on FRS, a couple of businesses on MURS and there is a local (private) GMRS repeater with a lot of range but is mostly quiet. My CB is mostly static with some skip but I need a much better antenna (on order).

Anyway, do you also think there is a resurgence of interest in 2-way radio communications in the last year or two and if so, what do you think is driving it? My guess is news/TV/movie exposure for emergency communications and people fearing an apocalyptic event. As a scanner enthusiast, I always like to listen but want the capability to respond.

 

[mmckenna]

Anyway, do you also think there is a resurgence of interest in 2-way radio communications in the last year or two and if so, what do you think is driving it? My guess is news/TV/movie exposure for emergency communications and people fearing an apocalyptic event. As a scanner enthusiast, I always like to listen but want the capability to respond.

Cheap Chinese Radios flooding the market. Used to be a good radio was expensive. Good radios are, but the Chinese trash has flooded the market and people that know nothing about radio, but have a YouTube channel, will talk about how wonderful they are.

 

[cpfinlay]

Cheap Chinese Radios flooding the market. Used to be a good radio was expensive. Good radios are, but the Chinese trash has flooded the market and people that know nothing about radio, but have a YouTube channel, will talk about how wonderful they are.

That makes a lot of sense. I have seen a LOT of ads for them.

 

[mmckenna]

That makes a lot of sense. I have seen a LOT of ads for them.

Yeah, problem is that these are tools with a lot of capabilities being put in the hands of people that have neither the knowledge or (often) the integrity to use them correctly. Thanks to YouTube and the rest of the internet, there's now a lot of new "radio technicians" that have no idea what they are doing.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

To me it is a tool and an alternative communications mode (does that make me a prepper?) You are not likely to hear me on the radio talking to random folks because frankly I do that here but ham radio has too much protocol and noise, callsigns , people wanting to make a short qso "for the log", talk about nothing and too much extraneous lingo. I will listen in because situational awareness is what I am interested in. I did have an interest in AMSAT satellite comms back when you could easily talk to Russia, Japan, France etc (AO-10, AO-13 and anticipation of AO-40 - RIP. Now satellite has devolved into local, brief "contacts" , pileups digital or otherwise. As far as GMRS I really don't like that it has evolved to a hobby situation. Use CB for that. I did operate CB back in the 70's in a big way. But now I just listen.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Yeah, problem is that these are tools with a lot of capabilities being put in the hands of people that have neither the knowledge or (often) the integrity to use them correctly. Thanks to YouTube and the rest of the internet, there's now a lot of new "radio technicians" that have no idea what they are doing.

I listened to some guy on the Florida SARNET yesterday who had the tinniest, weakest audio I had ever heard. Definitely not a well tuned Motorola. (Motorola users, tune up that Mod Comp if you sound like Mr Hankey):.

 

[SmileySixguns]

Initially, I wanted to be able to communicate while on a long distance family vacation in a convoy. It was the first time we’d ever used multiple vehicles and seemed like a good idea. That started us off with the GMRS radios. Then, I was making a long road trip solo, and while looking for a specific book in the attic, I encountered a CB radio my Grandfather had given me. Hmm, I wonder if this will still work? And it did! And then we had a situation where a very strong storm knocked out the cell tower for a few days and we were completely without phone or internet. The next idea was within our neighborhood. We started up a community watch program, and most of the folks already had GMRS and FRS radios, so that seemed to be a good start with those. And then the biggest, ever present threat is from hurricanes. I’m in somewhat middle Georgia, and we’re prone to getting hit by hurricanes whether they go up through the Gulf or on the Atlantic side. Hurricane Helene dumped approximately 8 inches of water on us in one day. It was pretty crazy. I’m using it as a prepping tool for potential loss of the cell network more than anything. For me, the GMRS is more business like, and the CB is more for fun, but I’ve been expanding our CB capabilities so it’ll have more potential for us in the future.

 

[k8md]

Yeah, problem is that these are tools with a lot of capabilities being put in the hands of people that have neither the knowledge or (often) the integrity to use them correctly. Thanks to YouTube and the rest of the internet, there's now a lot of new "radio technicians" that have no idea what they are doing.

And if you try to help these people by pointing out what they are doing is both illegal and dangerous you get called a “sad ham.”

 

[mmckenna]

And if you try to help these people by pointing out what they are doing is both illegal and dangerous you get called a “sad ham.”

Yep. Unfortunately knowledge is not judged by education, knowledge and/or experience, but by how many "likes" or followers one has on the internet.

 

[KevinC]

But in an emergency I want to be able to talk to my local PD/FD/EMS and no one can stop me!

 

[78k10]

I’m going to guess that hurricane helene opened a lot of people’s eyes to how easily cell phones can go down, and how much it affects their lives. Personally, we were on the fringe and although our power never went out, our cell service was down for several days. Fortunately my work phone is on first net and still worked so I could check on my family, but my personal phone absolutely did not work. But I think a lot of people realized that they needed to have a backup plan in place in for when the next natural disaster comes around. So, if they have an old cb in the attic they dug it out. And, if they’re a bit more technically inclined, they started researching other options such as MURS, GMRS, and ham.

 

[cpfinlay]

I’m going to guess that hurricane helene opened a lot of people’s eyes to how easily cell phones can go down, and how much it affects their lives. Personally, we were on the fringe and although our power never went out, our cell service was down for several days. Fortunately my work phone is on first net and still worked so I could check on my family, but my personal phone absolutely did not work. But I think a lot of people realized that they needed to have a backup plan in place in for when the next natural disaster comes around. So, if they have an old cb in the attic they dug it out. And, if they’re a bit more technically inclined, they started researching other options such as MURS, GMRS, and ham.

We've grown so accustomed to instant communications and this makes sense as a contributing factor!

When Alicia struck Houston in 1983, we were out of power for a week. I was listening on my Heathkit 2m until the power went out. I have been paranoid about power reserves since that time. lol

 

[EAFrizzle]

When Alicia struck Houston in 1983, we were out of power for a week. I was listening on my Heathkit 2m until the power went out. I have been paranoid about power reserves since that time. lol

Alicia, Alison, Ike, the Rita debacle, various non-tropical flood events, etc, should have just about any Houstonian convinced about the need for alternate power and communications.

 

[cpfinlay]

Alicia, Alison, Ike, the Rita debacle, various non-tropical flood events, etc, should have just about any Houstonian convinced about the need for alternate power and communications.

Alicia was my first as an adult. I worked downtown during Allison. I lived in Katy during the Rita debacle. I have a picture I took of the gridlock on the Grand Parkway "evacuating" (they were outside their cars talking to each other.

But yeah, 100% spot on.

 

[helmick43270]

I've noticed on social media (Facebook, for example) that there are a lot of new/returning radio enthusiasts that are buying radios only to be surprised by the lack of radio traffic in their area. I am wondering what is driving this renewed interest and wanting to hear other people's ideas.
…
I even see this on and off regarding ham radio, which means so many different things to different people. CW to some, phone to others, etc. I've been mostly digital since the mid 80s and that continues to evolve. But when I see someone comment that ham radio is dead/dying, I wonder what they mean since it is far from dead according to my waterfall.

After having been active on amateur radio, GMRS, and CB, I’ve recently been learning how to utilize scan functionality. Here around the DFW metroplex, it’s amazing how much traffic you can catch if you set up a dual band HT to scan all the listed repeaters on 2m, 70cm, and GMRS. If I were to start the hobby all over again, I would have set up a scan first. But then maybe all the previous lessons learned make me appreciate a scan now, hard to say.

 

[cpfinlay]

After having been active on amateur radio, GMRS, and CB, I’ve recently been learning how to utilize scan functionality. Here around the DFW metroplex, it’s amazing how much traffic you can catch if you set up a dual band HT to scan all the listed repeaters on 2m, 70cm, and GMRS. If I were to start the hobby all over again, I would have set up a scan first. But then maybe all the previous lessons learned make me appreciate a scan now, hard to say.

Agreed! My GMRS mobile has a handy feature that constantly monitors 4 "channels" (Mem or VFO) at a time. I use my trusty old R1500 to scan all allocated MURS/GMRS frequencies. One of my handheld GMRS radios scans all of the GMRS frequencies at the touch of a button.