Posted: 5/26/2014 6:09:42 PM EDT
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I am thinking about getting my license for GMRS. My main goals for these radios will be short range 1-5 mile communication while hiking and hunting. I would also like the ability to keep in touch with family members in my area 10-30 miles at the max. Main reason I went with GMRS is since my family can use them while I hold the license. I know that last part is a stretch for GMRS, but there are a few repeaters in my area, most are closed with 2 being open. I plan on requesting access to the closed ones but we will see how that works out. Our fleet just switched over radios so I was able to take home a few Motorola CM200, and a few more Motorola hand helds. I have found a place on ebay that will program the radios for me. which leads me to the question about the repeaters. Do the radios have to be programed to talk to the repeaters, or will just programing all the GMRS frequencies work? Will these radios even work with a GMRS repeater? Ideally I would like these radios to work with several of the repeaters in my area, but I don't know really how to go about this. When looking at the GMRS frequencies there are several listed repeaters input and repeaters output. I am assuming that these would be what the repeater stations in my area are using? Sorry for the newb questions, while I am studying for my ham license I still don't quite understand repeaters. |
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Quoted: I hear you, but really the money not a big deal its more just getting every one else on board. I do plan on getting the tech myself. Quoted: I hear you, but really the money not a big deal its more just getting every one else on board. I do plan on getting the tech myself. Quoted: Tech license is easy to get. Even a 6 and 7 y/o can get one with some parental effort. Far better bang for your buck. Living in the Phoenix area we have one or two friggin GMRS repeater in the whole county and not much anywhere else. Not to mention both are house base repeaters, as in not a repeater mounted on a mountain, tall building, or tall tower. Crap coverage. It's pretty much like that or worse everywhere else. By the time you invest your time and equipment just for a few miles, on a few channels on one band, and then get into ham and realize you will have far more repeater area coverage exponentially, more equipment options, VHF and UHF plus more, just to know 35 out of 390 or so multiple guess questions plus $15, that bang for your buck. A bit more effort with far better rewards. You are not going to come close to commonly used VHF/UHF with GMRS/FRS/CB combined. Now if you are OK using 20 something channels, chances only using simplex, you will spend more trying to set up a mobile or base to do more than a few miles. Although you may pick up some "inexpensive" Moto gear, Moto is generally anything but inexpensive, flexible, or simple to program. Better off getting cheaper options. But once you get a Moto radio set up, I can't find anything that matches them. BTW, I'm not trying to sell ham radio as the "ham radio guy" and all must go HAM or nothing. This is a logical statement based on experience and training. There is a "down" side associated with anything widely used. Mostly ppl hogging repeaters or 146.52, your occasional ham nazi, but there is plenty of bandwidth. I can certainly see where GMRS use is "handy" for the masses. But it is far limited until more GMRS repeaters can be erected. Personally, I wouldn't worry about getting a jay-new-wine FCC issued GMRS license if you stay 5W and below on simplex using tactical call signs and don't go nuts with 50 users on the same channel or a 200 foot tower. But that's just the rebel/pirate in me. Aaaaaargh. |
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I have my GMRS license, and by far since we have area repeaters its the best thing to have for family to stay in touch.
If you get radios that have to be computer programmed, they will require a frequncy and a tone to be installed to access a repeater. You can do it if you find a programming cable and the software on the Internet. Or you can pay someone to do it. The next statement is not legal to do , But certain ham radios (Baofengs) can be programmed to access GMRS repeaters by the owner of the radio. |
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While I agree a ham license is more usable I'll try to address the gmrs questions.
You said you got surplus cm200 radios from work these appear to be 4 channel wideband mobile radios that come in either vhf or uhf for gmrs you will need uhf. With only 4 channels you won't be able to put all the gmrs frequencies into the radio but could get in 1 or 2 repeaters and 2 or 3 simplex (direct) channels. Good luck |
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Quoted:
Tech license is easy to get. Even a 6 and 7 y/o can get one with some parental effort. Far better bang for your buck. Yes, but the challenge of training and licensing all of his friends/family is most likely an insurmountable issue. It certainly is for my family. They are happy to learn to shoot, but there's absolutely no way in a million years I could convince any of them to get a ham license. So BadFish is likely stuck with GMRS. Which, BadFish, will only get you 1 or 2 miles at most in heavily wooded terrain even with line-of-sight, and without line-of-sight will get you nothing. And there probably aren't any repeaters where you are hunting/hiking. If you can give us some lat/lon's we can probably check that for you. As for family commo over 10-30 miles you will definitely have to have access to a repeater in the area you want to cover. And I would not count on those repeaters in a SHTF situation. Many GMRS repeater installations are not hardened with any significant backup power. Finally, as someone has already pointed out, your radios might not be the best choice even if they were free, although if you only need them for access to a single simplex channel for hiking/hunting and a single repeater channel for a local repeater then they should be adequate (assuming they are indeed UHF models). |
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The CM200 doesn't appear to be GMRS legal. Not that it stops many people - a lot of people without licenses, and even those with a license often use radios that don't have Part 95 approval. As long as the radio meets the technical requirements and you don't so anything stupid, it's unlikely that anyone will ever notice, let alone make a fuss over it. GMRS is kinda dead around here, but I guess in some areas it's kinda like CB in the 70's. |
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Quoted: Yes, but the challenge of training and licensing all of his friends/family is most likely an insurmountable issue. It certainly is for my family. They are happy to learn to shoot, but there's absolutely no way in a million years I could convince any of them to get a ham license. So BadFish is likely stuck with GMRS. Which, BadFish, will only get you 1 or 2 miles at most in heavily wooded terrain even with line-of-sight, and without line-of-sight will get you nothing. And there probably aren't any repeaters where you are hunting/hiking. If you can give us some lat/lon's we can probably check that for you. As for family commo over 10-30 miles you will definitely have to have access to a repeater in the area you want to cover. And I would not count on those repeaters in a SHTF situation. Many GMRS repeater installations are not hardened with any significant backup power. Finally, as someone has already pointed out, your radios might not be the best choice even if they were free, although if you only need them for access to a single simplex channel for hiking/hunting and a single repeater channel for a local repeater then they should be adequate (assuming they are indeed UHF models). Quoted: Quoted: Tech license is easy to get. Even a 6 and 7 y/o can get one with some parental effort. Far better bang for your buck. Yes, but the challenge of training and licensing all of his friends/family is most likely an insurmountable issue. It certainly is for my family. They are happy to learn to shoot, but there's absolutely no way in a million years I could convince any of them to get a ham license. So BadFish is likely stuck with GMRS. Which, BadFish, will only get you 1 or 2 miles at most in heavily wooded terrain even with line-of-sight, and without line-of-sight will get you nothing. And there probably aren't any repeaters where you are hunting/hiking. If you can give us some lat/lon's we can probably check that for you. As for family commo over 10-30 miles you will definitely have to have access to a repeater in the area you want to cover. And I would not count on those repeaters in a SHTF situation. Many GMRS repeater installations are not hardened with any significant backup power. Finally, as someone has already pointed out, your radios might not be the best choice even if they were free, although if you only need them for access to a single simplex channel for hiking/hunting and a single repeater channel for a local repeater then they should be adequate (assuming they are indeed UHF models). Understandably it is a challenge to have everyone licensed. After all, I can't say everyone in my family is licensed and GMRS has always appealed to me to fill in that void. But let's call it what it is, GMRS, to be called anything remotely a network is an utter failure. Only 750 repeaters listed covering 47 states. I've yet found one that says it covers more than 30 mile radius and all I've seen are in urban zones, the highest I've heard was on a 6 story building. Shoot, I even tried to look about putting up one on White Tank mountain and have the most bad assed GMRS repeater in the history of GMRS. I got absolutely no where unless I'm ready to start with $10K out of pocket, and that's before investing in the equipment. And that was after I've spoken to hams and tower site owners (actually their air head receptionists). Hams can get it done as a non-profit and usually piggy backing local public safety sites. I've been thinking of TRYING to do a remote repeater or just go "pirate" temporarily. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for "Do you com bro"/"Got comms?" for friends and family. It's my POV because YEARS ago, I was thinking EXACTLY what the OP is thinking, and that was around the time GMRS was opened up to individuals. We were expecting more from GMRS use since then and hasn't quite materialized. As far as Tech licensing, it is actually easier to get kids to do it than older kids and adults, but then makes them willing to do it as they see a 9 y/o become a General. The task is no where near as hard as you'd think. That's why code requirement was dropped which all the "old timers" love to bring up. I've resorted to bribes to get my 9 y/o to Extra. She doesn't even need it b/c as General she has comms pretty much covered. My 6 y/o is in the works and all it takes is him knowing he will get a call sign, praise and recognition to motivate him. My oldest (a Marine) got his Tech at 16. I swear my daughter at 8 was far easier for me to have her prep than my then 16 y/o. My wife is so-so about getting one but watch, she will. But back to GMRS, as far as friends go, the license technically wouldn't cover them, but call them cousins for all we care. Still, it will be as much effort and if not more hassle and expense to get the fam and friends with comms using GMRS. I even challenge anyone here to bring up their TRUE stories to get comms for the whole family and what it really costs. Who was it that had a portable base radio, a couple of mobiles, and 4 or so Icom commercial UHF radios? There is more maintenance required to maintain that gear than you'd think, particularly keeping batteries charged up and not let them go dead. The deal is is your friends and family will be comms up Monday through Thursday? At least with ham, someone is usually available most of the time other than friends and family, But if the first step to get the fam comms is GMRS, then by all means do so. Just be cognizant to the real limitations and if it provokes interest for the next level, then do so. As someone who looked hard and somewhat tried it, it doesn't quite fill that void. W/o a repeater, specifically a wide coverage repeater, which accounts for zero GMRS repeaters, GMRS is vastly limited. Sorry, I wish that was not the case. And anyone in my area who wants to join me in my second attempt to put the most bad assed GMRS repeater on White Tanks, South Mountain, or ??????, feel free to get with me. |