Ok btech gmrs-v1
I have no idea how to hit a repeater
I’m following the book and I can’t get anything
I’d like advise on how to program this repeater
I know I’m missing something
Is this freq my tx or rx ?
And do I need to program the step up
Ugh
Any help is appreciated
Hello, first thing to look at is that this repeater is not an open repeater and so even if you did program your radio for that repeater, it wouldn’t work.
Look for a repeater that is open and in your area or an ask permission that way you can at least use the repeater.
you can start there and maybe someone with that radio can help you with the radio programming.
As a Brit, can I ask how these repeaters in public airspace work. I assume the tone input is not published so unless somebody goes through one by one, they cannot access? So in this example, it might be 100.3 or whatever. If you did find it by trial and error, best case is the owner and family/friend/employees ignore you, and worst case is you get abuse?
Does this actually work in practice? The public nature of the band means the existence is published but people can keep access reduced in this way? As they fund the repeater I guess this is perfectly sensible, but here in the UK where we have nothing like this, it would be seriously abused in big towns and cities and unworkable. In the US it seems it works? My business repeater is still on, but the last user moved to network radio last year. I wondered if I accidentally made the frequency known the locals would pirate it, but it would be interesting? Our PMR446 enthusiasts mainly use Baofengs so if they knew my repeater existed, I bet they’d use it.
Most of the GMRS repeaters located in the US are listed in an online database such as the one on https://mygmrs.com/. The listing includes the PL tone or DPL code as well as its frequency, physical location, owner(s), whether it is public or private and other information. The listing will usually provide the contact information so you can request permission to use it if required. There are clubs and organizations in the US that operate public GMRS repeaters in much the same way as the ham clubs do. many of them operate GMRS nets on a regular basis.
There is a group on a repeater in my local area that has a weekly net on Thursday nights and they invite anyone with a GMRS license to check in and participate. Overall, it’s a system that works rather well here and has for quite awhile.
Thanks Rick - we’ve no system remotely like this here, so sorry for the dumb questions.
I have been all over my gmrs.com
I ask for permission , and I have no response …
Seems like all the repeaters in my area are not “open “
And require permission
I’ll post the available open ones and please assist
If you guys can … sorry to be a pain
Rick explained this to me as I knew little about repeaters on your system, but if you ask for access and it’s denied, surely that is just how it is? Did you make a good case? Tell the. How nice you are, how you would be an asset and what you can do for the existing users of the group? Like joining a club. Hi, I want to join your club please? I doubt that would be enough. Saying you’ve noticed the cheese making club have a number of members who struggle to make Stilton, maybe you can help because you’ve been making Stilton since 1960. That might make them interested? Radio groups worldwide are very cliquey in small areas.
Bro what the ■■■■ are you talking about
Well, if I had a repeater, and a stranger asked for access, then surely i’d want to know a bit about you, and what you’d bring to the party? It is rather their party you want to join? Maybe they don’t actually want strangers? I don’t know how these things work, but the hams often have very closed groups and strangers are not really encouraged. Are these privately funded repeaters the same? As in these lists, not all show their access details, I assume they don’t provide them for a reason?
The vast majority of the HAM repeaters are open (at least 2m and 70cm) and a lot of those are operated by Amateur Radio clubs. You can find the info on sites like repeaterbook.com. That is not to say you would feel welcome when using a lot of the repeaters. Several of my friends and I all were law enforcement for years and years and as such we tended to use our particular version of radio jargon. No code talk or anything, but would reply with “copy” or “negative”. I got called out many times by club members who camped on that repeater. And, oh man, when I occasionally reverted to the law enforcement brand of alphabet I would sometimes be told to take my cop talk to another repeater. We never had long conversations on the air simplex or repeater. I have always used the radio to relay messages as quickly as possible. I’ve had my HAM license for years but find myself avoiding the hobby because of that type of behavior. I’m not saying that all HAMs are like that but it is annoying. Part of it is my personality, I am sure.
I have asked for permission of several local GMRS repeaters. Some folks have invited me to use their repeater when I was in the area but told me to keep it clean and follow the FCC rules. I mainly wanted to see if I could reach those repeaters from my location. I can’t hit any of them because of local terrain.
So, I understand why the need for permission on some GMRS repeaters. Their money, their rules. And since I use GMRS/HAM radio as a tool more than a social hobby, I’m OK with both systems.
Enjoy it how ever you can,
Sean
WRHS218/KG6GIY
That’s very much the same here Sean. Ham radio is very cliquey here too. Where I live we have lots of marine activity. The coastguard comms are rigid and ultra official. They never, ever say sixteen, it’s always one six. The local port control are more chatty and say sixteen or fourteen. They cope with large ships with radio officers and fishing boats who clearly come from a CB background. My son’s a police officer and often slips into his work jargon without noticing. Some people just have no tolerance I guess, but if they ‘own’ a repeater then I guess it’s their rules?
Gmrs repeaters use a 5mhz offset, your transmit frequency is 5 MHz higher than your receive frequency.
There is an offset setting in the menu that must be set to 5mhz and there is also a direction setting that must be set to + (plus)
As previously stated you need a license as well as permission from the owner to access it.
As long as you have a license, I see no problem with accessing it for the purpose of getting hold of the system operator for permission if you can’t find contact information on my gmrs.site.
Try google with the call letters and you should find the name and contact information to reach by mail.
In most cases you may be expected to pay dues for membership to hep offset the cost of keeping it on the air
Honestly thinking there is no one on gmrs by me at all
I can’t hit repeaters or anything . I’m thinking of throwing in the towel
Just out of curiosity, what is your primary use for GMRS? It is used it for different purposes, and many who use it have different expectations. Although it is increasing in popularity as a hobby radio service, that’s not what it is actually designed to be. It’s primary purpose is what the acronym General Mobile Radio Service stands for, general purpose use. This is why the license covers entire families rather than individuals alone, and why repeaters are allowed. Sure, some repeaters are operated by GMRS clubs and various recreational groups, but others are used for family farms, businesses, and other purposes that can be very specific for what the licensee needs.
This is also why, unlike ham repeaters, GMRS repeaters are allowed to operate without emitting an auto ID every 15 minutes in certain cases. If the licensee owns the repeater and only the other users operating under that same license are using it, just the simple act of providing their same callsign at the required interval during repeater use is the equivalent of transmitting the repeater ID.
I understand your frustration about not finding an open repeater system in your area. There are other areas that have quite a few of them. It just depends on where you are and what those repeaters are used for.
