Something to think about

[dksac2]

I live in a valley at 6200'. There is a GMRS repeater at 7000' right above the valley made from commercial radios. I really don't know too many details about it, but it will transmit as far as 40 miles and a commercial mobile radio will get into it from almost that far.

Here is my question. With GMRS licenses costing $85.00 for 5 years and a good radio near $150.00, why are more people not just getting a Technician Ham license and VHF/UHF radios for far less money?

They charge about $15.00 for the ham test, no code anymore and there are repeaters just about everywhere and most are open. The ham test is an easy one, I studied one night and aced it.
There is so much more you can do on the ham bands than can't be done on the GMRS bands and a decent repeater can be built for close to the same price for Ham.

I do know in some areas that ham is crowded and it's hard to find freqs that are open for a new ham repeater, but there are far more areas where the ham band is pretty quiet.

I have both licenses and use both services. The GMRS works as good as the Ham radio in our area, but outside of the radius of the GMRS repeater, GMRS is almost useless unless you happen to find an open repeater, which are very few in number compared to ham.

What I am really asking is why don't more people just get their ham licenses and a VHF/UHF ham radio as well as have their GMRS equipment. There are handhelds available for $45.00 now. It costs less to be a ham than have a decent GMRS set up and license.
I use ham for the most part and have the GMRS as just a back up. There is a GMRS net in our area and people who just use the GMRS because the signal is so darn good here, but once out of the area, they might as well use smoke signals.
Why not get your ham license and then if you want to have the GMRS, go ahead and get your license and radios.
The only real reason I have the GMRS is because I'm involved in EMCOMM in my county and want to have as many ways to hear and communicate in an emergency as possible.

I think that people who just have GMRS are very much limiting themselves. If you are one of these people, may I suggest you get your Ham license and radio(s) and have the GMRS also. The amount of things you can do with a VHF/UHF license is staggering. There are so many ways to communicate that it would take a small book just to cover them all and that is not counting High Frequency Ham radio. It's so much more fun than GMRS alone.

This is just my two cents, but the world of ham radio opens up so much more than just having GMRS. You will be able to get onto ECHOLINK for free with just a computer and internet service and talk to people all over the world either direct or through repeaters where they live. With a $100.00 antenna (or less) you can talk to the space station and finally, you will find a repeater that can be used in most areas of the country, even many of the more rural areas. You can make your own antennas, either omi directional or a beam antenna for $10.00 that will talk 70 miles in a good place without a repeater.

I'm sure many here have both licenses, and this is not posted to be a put down on GMRS in any way at all, but why not look into having both. We very much need more hams, especially outside of the major cities for EMCOMM work and I know you will have one heck of a lot of fun with the Ham radio.
Just give it a good thinking about. You can get your ham license and a radio and be on the air for less than $100.00.
Those who now have both, maybe you can chime in also and convince others just how neat it is to have both ways to communicate. It's worth every dime if you love radio as I do.

It's also important that we have as many hams as possible so that we don't lose portions of the radio frequency bands, the more hams, the more power we will have with the FCC and that will carry over to the other spectrums such as GMRS. It also gives you the ability to communicate pretty much where ever you are. No cell service, there is usually Ham, pretty cool.

My Best, John

 

[xxdanielt3]

I completely agree with the OP, GMRS is expensive and the range is short unless you have local repeaters, which they are NONE in my area. I didn't even know they existed until I read about them on here.. I thought there were only amateur radio repeaters. For the price of the 5 year license you could pretty much be started in Ham.

 

[N4KVE]

Some hams have wives who just don't want to put in the effort to get a ham license, or have tried & just can't pass the exam. With the narrow band rules that hit on Jan 1, there are thousands of good wide band radios sitting in dumpsters, or available on auction sites for $50 to get on the air. To be blunt, many just stick a GMRS repeater freq in their ham radios, a friend owns a repeater & is gives permission to use it, & no license is obtained, so it's actually free for a ham to get on GMRS. While it's not legal, the FCC has bigger fish to fry here in South Florida, like all the illegal Haitian FM broadcast stations. While I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone do this, money is tight these days, & people don't want to spend $85 for a license that is rumored to not be required soon.

 

[robertmac]

And ham requires a little discipline for those that are undisciplined?

 

[SCPD]

Some hams have wives who just don't want to put in the effort to get a ham license, or have tried & just can't pass the exam. With the narrow band rules that hit on Jan 1, there are thousands of good wide band radios sitting in dumpsters, or available on auction sites for $50 to get on the air. To be blunt, many just stick a GMRS repeater freq in their ham radios, a friend owns a repeater & is gives permission to use it, & no license is obtained, so it's actually free for a ham to get on GMRS. While it's not legal, the FCC has bigger fish to fry here in South Florida, like all the illegal Haitian FM broadcast stations. While I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone do this, money is tight these days, & people don't want to spend $85 for a license that is rumored to not be required soon.

It may happen but I never believe 'rumors' it will get you in trouble,as far a the price for a GMRS license if 85.00 breaks someone( I am on a very fixed income) then buying into amateur radio will also.I have spent way more on ham (by saving for several months) than I have GMRS,the theory behind GMRS is the license is 85.00 and cover your entire family including in laws.

License say 6 people and your 15.00 ham license adds up also.I do not see the problem with the price and far as they have bigger fish to fry,look and see they are going after CB again as well as the other services,they may be slow but complaints do get answered...just my 2 cents

 

[N4KVE]

License say 6 people and your 15.00 ham license adds up

I've had my ticket almost 30 years, & have never paid a penny. Is the $15 fee something new I'll have to deal with next time I renew?

 

[quarterwave]

Real radios cost money. And, some GMRS operators have their own systems and use them, so in other words, not all GMRS users are running around looking for a repeater or someone to talk to.

 

[WB4CS]

I think a big part of it has to do with what you're needing a radio to do. GMRS serves a purpose for people who need to stay in contact, such as a family, but doesn't have any desire to chit-chat with other people. Amateur Radio on the other hand, allows people to do both.

Good example from a long time ago... Me and a girlfriend I was living with needed a way to communicate (IE: Go to the store on your way home, etc) but we lived in an area without cell coverage, circa 2001. Since I was already an active ham, she studied and got her license. More times than not, when we would be in conversation about needing to stop and pick up dinner on my way home, there would always be someone that would jump into the conversation and want to start a round-table. I didn't mind it, but she hated it. Badly. Had we been on GMRS it's not as likely that would have happened.

 

[SCPD]

I've had my ticket almost 30 years, & have never paid a penny. Is the $15 fee something new I'll have to deal with next time I renew?

Well, by 2013-10-26, you will have to pay your renewal, or your license will be expired.

 

[WB4CS]

I've had my ticket almost 30 years, & have never paid a penny. Is the $15 fee something new I'll have to deal with next time I renew?

The $15 fee is what most VE sessions charge to help pay for supplies, testing room rentals, etc. If you renew your Amateur Radio license online from the FCC ULS page or submit the form yourself in the mail, you will not have to pay anything. Unless you have a vanity call, the renewal fee for your Amateur license will be whatever the current rate is for processing a vanity call.

 

[dksac2]

To answer the one question, the $15.00 was for the guys who gave the test. It paid them for their gas and time. Once you have your ham license, it costs nothing to renew it every 10 years.

I understand why some of you want to just stick with the GMRS. If it works for you and you don't care about talking outside of your small area, then it will work fine for you.

We take a few vacations a year and drive a good distance. I can use a guide that has most all of the VHF or UHF repeaters and PL codes listed in it and program my radio with the freqs before going. As we drive along, I just dial up the closest repeater and can almost always be in contact with someone, it's great when there is no cell service and there is an emergency or to just pass the miles and be able to talk with someone for more than a few minutes before you are out of range.
You more than likely will find that the ham will get you through to someone to get you help. If it's your wife who needs help, you will be more than glad that you got your ham license.

I also see at least one of you who says why get a GMRS license. The answer is because it's the right thing to do. If you live where I do and use a GMRS radio with any power, especially through our repeater, you will be tracked down and turned into the FCC. They may or may not do anything, but legal is the way to go. Without your license, no one here will give you the time of day. It comes down to your ethics. I'm not trying to judge anyone, but when you don't bother getting a license, you risk the FCC using the frequencies for something else because they figure if you don't care enough to get a license, why should they. The FCC does take segments of the bands and use them for other things as they wish to, it happens. Will they take the GMRS freqs, I highly doubt it, just an example, do the right thing and you'll never have to be the one poor guy who gets caught and slapped with a $7,000 fine. People are caught all the time.

With a ham license, as I stated before, you can use the ECHOLINK and talk all over the world with just your computer and the internet. There are also simplex and regular repeaters that many people have up that allow you to use your VHF/UHF radio to access ECHOLINK also. Kind of neat, being able to talk anywhere in the world on repeaters or computer to computer for free.
I have a friend who moved to Arizona. I can no longer talk to him on my radio direct, but I still can talk with him using echolink. I just key up the node on my echolink simplex repeater (easy to set up) on my UHF radio and then the node on the repeater that is in his area, and I talk with him just as if he was on the other side of the valley we live in and he used to. I can do this sitting at home or driving down the road in my truck.

You can get radios that have GPS in them and follow a loved one on a trip right on a map on your computer screen, anywhere in the USA. You can bounce a signal off the moon back to earth and talk with someone. You can send typed messages that are saved or type live with someone. You can have a radio internet account. There is way more that you can do and 97% of the people on ham are very polite, well educated and follow the rules. If you are having a 1 to 1 conversation with someone and another ham wants to break in, just let him know it's a 1 to 1 and he or she will bow out.
I have had far more problems with rude people on GMRS than on ham. Especially those who vacation here where I live, many, many idiots (many responsable people also).

If you are having a technical problem, just key up and ask, someone will have the answer to fix your problem without having to go to your computer to ask on a forum. Many Hams are very well educated in radio and willingly help new hams.

As to getting the Technician license, there are programs that have the questions and just show the correct answers only, just memorize. If you have a hard time passing the test, try just remembering answers. With just a little work, most anyone can pass the Technician license. No code test, it really is not hard at all. The FCC has to post the exact questions and answers for you to study, no got ya's, everything is available just as it will be on the test.
If you fail the first test, you can take another test at the same time with different questions on it, making it far easier to pass, there are many different questions put togather from the pool of questions, each test is different. There are only 35 questions, multiple guess, you only have to get 80% of them right to pass.
I studied all the questions and answers because I wanted to learn as much as possible, but you sure do not have to if you just want to get your license as easy as possible.
The study book comes with a CD with many of the tests on it. You can take the tests right on your computer and see the areas that you need to study. After you have taken a bunch of tests at home and passed them, you can be darn sure you will pass on test day.

My point is not to say forget about GMRS, it has it's uses and works well within it's limits. Some here where I live including myself use both GMRS and ham radio. The ham radio offers so much more than GMRS ever will or can. Why limit yourself when you can get on any ham repeater within range for about $60.00 including the small fee for the test givers and a Boefeg VHF/UHF radio from E Pay for $45.00 delivered to your door. You will also find most ham repeaters are open. If you don't know the PL code, many radios and scanners will find it for you. Even those repeaters that are closed, most owners don't mind if you are just passing through if you use the repeater. Some repeater owners ask for a small donation to maintain the repeater if you use it often, which is more than fair. It costs more than you think to run a repeater, GMRS or HAM.

There are clubs all over that help you study for your Tech test. You usually have to buy a $25.00 study book, but by the time you are done, you will pass the test, the guys who teach for the test are very good.

The way I see it, you are on GMRS because you like radio. If not, you would just use your cell phone like most people. Why not greatly expand your enjoyment of radio by getting your ham license. It costs next to nothing and once you see all the extra things you can do as a ham, you will wonder why you waited so long.
You don't have to give up the GMRS, as a matter of fact, I think it's good to have in case of an emergency, so I'm not saying to get rid of GMRS or that you are wasteing your time using it. Thing is, ham opens up a great new world and is far more useful in an emergency and offers so many other ways to communicate.
It also works just about anywhere you go when traveling. The extras are so neat. I just got off of ECHOLINK where I talked with a couple of people in England for about 15 minutes each. It was great fun finding out how things are in other countrys. You have to send an attachment with a picture of your ham license to Echolink to be able to use it, GMRS won't do. This is just one small example.
Think outside the box a little and expand your fun. With a ham license, you can use your GMRS and when nothing is going on with GMRS, go to VHF/UHF. You'll find something going on. Why limit yourself ????
Radio is one heck of a lot of fun, that is why we are all here. I could see if Ham cost a lot to get onto or the test was a real bear. Fact is it costs less than GMRS and the test just takes a little study, it's pretty easy.

You might see Hams withh many huge antennas in their yard. Most are for the HF portion of Ham radio. You can expand if you wish to, but you sure don't have to, nor do you need all that fancy equipment. I will be getting my General license within a week or two, then I'll also be able to use HF. Something I've been wanting to do because I love radio, but you only have to go as far as you wish to.

My Very Best, John

 

[N4KVE]

The $15 fee is what most VE sessions charge to help pay for supplies, testing room rentals, etc. If you renew your Amateur Radio license online from the FCC ULS page or submit the form yourself in the mail, you will not have to pay anything.

OK, I understand what he was saying. 1st timers need to pay, while renewals are still free. Yeah, it's time to renew soon. Is it too early to renew now? GARY

 

[WB4CS]

OK, I understand what he was saying. 1st timers need to pay, while renewals are still free. Yeah, it's time to renew soon. Is it too early to renew now? GARY

Earliest you can renew is 90 days before expiration.

FCC: Wireless Services: Amateur Radio Service: Amateur Licensing: Common Filing Tasks: Renewing a License

 

[gewecke]

Truth be known, there are a LOT more unlicensed GMRS users out there, than licensed! Then there are some of us who may not renew, since I have a feeling some sad changes or rule changes may be in store for GMRS. Not to mention some of those may opt to use MURS instead or additionally.

73,
n9zas

 

[dksac2]

Yes, there are more unlicensed than licensed. People who get licenses tend to be much more professional on the radio and follow the rules.
Once GMRS gets to the point where hardly anyone gets a license, it will have turned into the new CB radio.

This is why I say get your Ham license. The last thing we need is another band like CB was and is. Seems anytime the Government gives something for free, money or bandwidth, it turns to crap as people don't respect what they don't have to work for.
Someone who gives the effort needed to get a license and follows the rules makes the radio experience so much better for everyone.

I'm pretty sure you will see GMRS go the way of CB in time. 10-4 Good Buddy, Rubber Duck Out.

John

 

[gewecke]

Yes, there are more unlicensed than licensed. People who get licenses tend to be much more professional on the radio and follow the rules.
Once GMRS gets to the point where hardly anyone gets a license, it will have turned into the new CB radio.

This is why I say get your Ham license. The last thing we need is another band like CB was and is. Seems anytime the Government gives something for free, money or bandwidth, it turns to crap as people don't respect what they don't have to work for.
Someone who gives the effort needed to get a license and follows the rules makes the radio experience so much better for everyone.

I'm pretty sure you will see GMRS go the way of CB in time. 10-4 Good Buddy, Rubber Duck Out.

John

GMRS will never get as out of line as cb did for two reasons,

1. DPL use will eliminate hearing most of the crap you prefer not to listen to and
2. The band characteristics will prevent from having to hear said "crap" over long distances in most cases.

73,
n9zas

 

[N4KVE]

Just speculation, but in my mind I think 2 adults using GMRS w/o a license would be on their best behavior to not attract attention to themselves. It's the idiot jammers who curse, & cause interference who will catch the attention of the FCC. Again, just speculation.

 

[dksac2]

A commercial radio with 25 to 50 watts and an antenna with 9db gain can put out one heck of a signal. Yes, there are people who will abuse GMRS just like CB.

I've already seen some of it.

John

 

[KB7MIB]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; U; en-US) Gecko/20081217 Vision-Browser/8.1 301x200 LG VN530)

Any sad changes in the GMRS will have been helped along, in part, by those who ignore the rules and use non-Part 95 certified radios, claiming the justification that there's little to no chance of getting caught.
/rant

 

[MTS2000des]

GMRS vs. Part 97

"Here is my question. With GMRS licenses costing $85.00 for 5 years and a good radio near $150.00, why are more people not just getting a Technician Ham license and VHF/UHF radios for far less money?"

If one wants to use radios for hobby purposes, ragchewing, etc- there is no doubt part 97 (HAM) radio is more appropriate service. More modes, more bands, more power, more flexibility, more people to talk to.

However, GMRS is designed as FAMILY or CLOSED GROUP centered local communications. It is ideal for families or groups of related individuals to communicate using readily available radios without paying the telecom cartels everytime you key up. Unlike part 97, where use for any type of business communications is forbidden- GMRS does allow for licensees to discuss items of a business nature (contrary to what some say). While entities cannot get licenses anymore, individuals and their families involved in said business would have to get licensed.

For example, a family run plumbing company can legally use GMRS radios in the course of their business and pleasure. They could NOT use their ham radios to discuss anything of a pecuniary nature, even if they were all duly licensed hams.

GMRS is the only service which allows one family member to hand another a radio and legally operate it- hams are required to have their own individual licenses, and only in limited circumstances can third party traffic be passed over amateur radio.

GMRS requires equipment certified by the FCC for that service. Amateur radio allows a ham to use any equipment they can put on the frequencies they are authorized to operate on under their license, as every ham is required to maintain their equipment to good technical standards.

what is right for you depends on what you want to do with radio. If you want to experiment, "DX", meet new people, use a variety of equipment, modes, etc- no doubt amateur radio is a great hobby.

if you just want to keep in touch with your immediate family in a limited area (whatever simplex range or repeater range you have) than GMRS is a great service for that. One license covers your entire family, and subscriber radios can be had for cheap if you shop around.

Repeaters, OTOH, whether GMRS or part 97, are a different story. They require technical expertise, specialized equipment, and most importantly, a good site location to function well and provide a good service area. This isn't cheap regardless of the radio service.