Let me start by saying that I am new to GMRS. My license application is currently being processed. But I have oportunities to tinker with other family members’ GMRS systems in the past (i understand that I could continue to use their license… but I would rather have my own so I know when it is expiring and such).
After reading posts on this board and several others the GMRS community seems to be a stickler for details and quick to jump on someone’s butt for not interpreting the law in the same manner as they do. So some of these questions might seem silly to most… but I would like to get the views of the longtime GMRS’ers on it.
I have read several other posts about station identifications, including reading 47CFR § 95.119. But I am a bit confused about identification when the communications are among family members sharing a single license.
Does each family member operating a GMRS device in group communication need to transmit the system call sign - and a unit number as described in 95.119(a)? Or is it only necessary for one person to do this after a series of transmissions? In either case is the family group of GMRS users considered the “system”?
Also, 95.119(d) states that the ident must be “Voice in the English language”… how the heck does the scrambler features of consumer radios (i.e. midland gxt950) make this possible? Seems like you would have to turn it off every time you a station id. was needed.
Lastly, 95.181 also states that “all messages must be in plain language (without codes or hidden meanings)”… would this include traditional military-style call signs to identify the people using the devices? (I.e., rather than my young son advertising his name to a potential harasser he would use “echo one”.) Technically this is a hidden meaning, but seems reasonable to me. Same goes for stuff like “goto channel plan B” rather than transmitting “switch to channel 27, ctcss 23, with scramble on and be ready to receive in five minutes”.
I am really beginning to see that all the bells and whistles of consumer radios are frivolous. If CTCSS and DTS only prevent you from hearing other peoples radio traffic (rather then other people from hearing yours)… how are you to know you arent stepping on someone else’s transmissions? Glue your finger to the monitor button? lol And if you have to turn off scrambling to station id… that is terribly inconvenient. The new radios I got for Christmas include a “group” feature… I haven’t had the opportunity to mess with this yet, but I am skeptical of how useful this will be when following the letter of the law. 