It appears GMRS is getting worse. FCC allows frs radios to be sold with gmrs in them. Kids and Business's are buying them. Transmitting on GMRS Freqs and FCC is doing nothing about it appears. You can buy these radios almost anywhere. From $29 each and up.
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Unlicensed Users taking over GMRS
- Thread starter NorthStar
- Start date
The whole FRS/GMRS deal is screwed up.First the FCC allowed shared use of seven freqs.That means that right off you have LEGAL FRS users on seven GMRS freqs. :?: Then they allowed FRS radios to be sold with all FRS and GMRS freqs. in them.I supposed they expected people to only use half the channels until they got a GMRS liscence and could use the others.Sounds like an FRS/GMRS "export" radio. :roll:
Question
I've never been a GMRS user, but I have a couple of questions.
Has the FRS thing created a big interference deal? Isn't FRS simplex only? (not that that makes any difference if it is getting into GMRS repeaters) How about tone squelch to prevent the FRS radios from messing with the repeaters? Comments?
73
CWM
I've never been a GMRS user, but I have a couple of questions.
Has the FRS thing created a big interference deal? Isn't FRS simplex only? (not that that makes any difference if it is getting into GMRS repeaters) How about tone squelch to prevent the FRS radios from messing with the repeaters? Comments?
73
CWM
CW-I think the major issue is that with most of the inexpensive models(under 100 or so) the way they do it is a certain # of channels for FRS at a certain power and the other channels being the GMRS channels at another power(normally double)
I have a set of cobras and a set of midlands that both operate exactly as such. there is nothing that stops you from going to a diff channel with the X2 power on it other than your conscience.
Somewhere in fine print in the manual it says something about getting a GMRS lic to use said channels...but thats about it!
I have a set of cobras and a set of midlands that both operate exactly as such. there is nothing that stops you from going to a diff channel with the X2 power on it other than your conscience.
Somewhere in fine print in the manual it says something about getting a GMRS lic to use said channels...but thats about it!
Well, I have 2 FRS radios that I use to talk between 2 classic emergency vehicles that I own when both are on the road going to parades or shows. I hear absoluting NOTHING on them that indicates anyone else is using them, and when on the road, the vehicles are in two major metro areas.
We sometimes scan through all the channels and still don't hear a thing.
And, since FCC says the FRS radios may share some GMRS channels, how is that illegal? The FRS radios' output power shouldn't affect other users to that great extent. The power is in milliwatts right?
What's the Big Deal?
We sometimes scan through all the channels and still don't hear a thing.
And, since FCC says the FRS radios may share some GMRS channels, how is that illegal? The FRS radios' output power shouldn't affect other users to that great extent. The power is in milliwatts right?
What's the Big Deal?
I realize fcc and GMRS shares 7 freqs. But some of these have access to all the gmrs freqs. No they don't have access to repeaters. But they can transmit on freqs that require license. So they are as illegal as a export radio. But some people I guess don't understand the concept.
I had no idea that gmrs radios requier a licence to operate. Shoot, they sell them in the wall-mart over here and I am not absulutly sure, but I think we use gmrs radios at work also.
There is no doubt in my mind peopl dont realize they need to have a licence becouse the radios all say it in fine print in there manuals. I have to say that most of theese wallmart radios are junk anyway. My friend bought a pair of them with both GMRS and FRS and when we were on GMRS we could not even talk less than a 1/4 mile. My point is that the radios dont work great to start so there not talking far but some of them do work good. I think people could care less about it they buy them and talk thats it. Another thing I would like to mention is that the local school district uses motorola buisness radios and they transmit on the GMRS chanels but no one who uses them has a licence. I was looking at them on the motorola web site and I dont even remember it saying anything about a licence.
well...
yes a licence is "required by F.C.C.)..
yes we know few people actually get a lince for GMRS..
yes one can easily buy these radios nearly anywhere..
however their range of transmitting is greatly exagorated by the radio manafactures ..
we know in reality 95% of these frs-gmrs radios transmitt no more then a half mile..
i am noticing however that people are indeed starting to use them...
i remember hearing a few people on them...it was a business who then proclaimed they use the radios for business and would i Please go to a different channel..
i explained to them that they needed a licence to use such frequencys and in fact for business could obtain BRS licencing on specific vhf or uhf frequencys with far better radios..
anyway....
what harm is there from these silly go nowhere radios..
If you go to get the really good dedicated gmrs radios..
then i can see decent range...
but people....
so few people use these frequency's ..
so who cares...lol
Later
yes a licence is "required by F.C.C.)..
yes we know few people actually get a lince for GMRS..
yes one can easily buy these radios nearly anywhere..
however their range of transmitting is greatly exagorated by the radio manafactures ..
we know in reality 95% of these frs-gmrs radios transmitt no more then a half mile..
i am noticing however that people are indeed starting to use them...
i remember hearing a few people on them...it was a business who then proclaimed they use the radios for business and would i Please go to a different channel..
i explained to them that they needed a licence to use such frequencys and in fact for business could obtain BRS licencing on specific vhf or uhf frequencys with far better radios..
anyway....
what harm is there from these silly go nowhere radios..
If you go to get the really good dedicated gmrs radios..
then i can see decent range...
but people....
so few people use these frequency's ..
so who cares...lol
Later
I just got my GMRS license and plan to get a few commercial type HT's and eventually have a repeater. With the commercial radios the range is a lot farther than with the little Walmart fall-a-part junk. What I do not understand is the attitude of
but people....
so few people use these frequency's ..
so who cares...lol
I live in a fairly rural area and there is quite a lot of traffic on these freq's. People use the in cars to keep in contact with each other, and in the fall of the year hunters use them extensively. I guess that is the same attitude of freeband operators who encroach on 10 meters. "I don't hear anybody so I guess it OK if I talk on this channel" I believe its a lack of understanding and the FCC being a little naive thinking that everyone who buys a bubble pack at Walmart will ante up the $80 for a license. I did read somewhere that the shared FRS/GMRS freqs do not require licensing if the power was at 500 Mw. It is when you increase the power above that on the shared that you need a license, and the maximum power on the shared freq's is 5 watts ERP. On the dedicated GMRS freq's you are allowed 50 watts ERP. So if you are interested in GMRS educate yourself, get licensed, and enjoy the benefits that these freq's have to offer.
73
Ed
KC0PZE
WQCP725
but people....
so few people use these frequency's ..
so who cares...lol
I live in a fairly rural area and there is quite a lot of traffic on these freq's. People use the in cars to keep in contact with each other, and in the fall of the year hunters use them extensively. I guess that is the same attitude of freeband operators who encroach on 10 meters. "I don't hear anybody so I guess it OK if I talk on this channel" I believe its a lack of understanding and the FCC being a little naive thinking that everyone who buys a bubble pack at Walmart will ante up the $80 for a license. I did read somewhere that the shared FRS/GMRS freqs do not require licensing if the power was at 500 Mw. It is when you increase the power above that on the shared that you need a license, and the maximum power on the shared freq's is 5 watts ERP. On the dedicated GMRS freq's you are allowed 50 watts ERP. So if you are interested in GMRS educate yourself, get licensed, and enjoy the benefits that these freq's have to offer.
73
Ed
KC0PZE
WQCP725
Yep those radios are junk for shure!!! I had a pair of cobras FRS radio that worked better than my friends unidens on the GMRS radio chanels. That tells me you could spend half the money and get better distance. I remember we used to work the town with those things. I found it realy funny when some guy thought he was going to use them for buisness radios.
Hey ....I like these little back pocket radios (-: ........I use them when I go fishing at the beach or when I go out with the better half and we split up for say at a department store or something like that. The range is great on them for what I use them for but I have noticed at the beach and other places here in So Cal that the channels are very populated ??? .....and yes I did read about FCC asking you to send in a little sign up goodie that came in the packages .....IM just guessing this is much ado about nothing here guys .....I think FCC would have a better chance at busting me for a 450 Cobra XL and a 25 GTL with all the bells and whistles in my motor car then they would for two of these little radios that you can pick up at your local Walmart for 19.99 that they politely ask you to get a ticket for ........I must be missing something here ? ........well I think IM still doing fairly well for myself ........at the ripe age of 45 I still don't own a cell phone (-: but something tells me I could really get out on one of those,and as far as my cb radio goes ,I really don't do a whole lot of communacating on that either ....it's more so a shooting of the poop type situation or a noise toy world ....maybe I just ain't got enough swing in my thing ? (-:
booo hoo to all the folks out there who got screwed out of $90 for a licence to use their bubble pack radios. I hate the well I got screwed out of $90 so everyone else who uses these radios better have been screwed of $90 too.
dont like it the radio service you bought from the FCC is choked full of kids, businesses,etc, blame the FCC for allowing these little bubble pack things to be sold in the first place, and the idiotic privacy codes scheme.
everybody thinks they have their own channel thats private to everyone when its not. not only not private, but the nature of FM, the stronger signal wins, so your other party transmits with privacy code and is only interrupted mid sentence by someone else.
of course, the $90 license is really just a small technicality with these things, if I wanted to use the wal mart version of GMRS I really would not bother with such.
and then there is the outrageous claims of range, 6 mile, 12 mile, 18 mile, 22 mile, 28, even saw a 36 mile range pair for sale. 36 miles from this thing, in what, the vaccum of outer space, and maybe half range that if you climb up a 400' guyed tower in the middle of the desert.
the pocket radios have their place, I use FRS every day at work, but its no good farther than you can see the other guy, and can be a pain in the rear finding a channel that is not full of obnoxious 8 year olds or a-holes that think that this is their channel.
bottom line, its a public radio service, with units readily available at any department store, do not like having to share it with others, get a nextel.
dont like it the radio service you bought from the FCC is choked full of kids, businesses,etc, blame the FCC for allowing these little bubble pack things to be sold in the first place, and the idiotic privacy codes scheme.
everybody thinks they have their own channel thats private to everyone when its not. not only not private, but the nature of FM, the stronger signal wins, so your other party transmits with privacy code and is only interrupted mid sentence by someone else.
of course, the $90 license is really just a small technicality with these things, if I wanted to use the wal mart version of GMRS I really would not bother with such.
and then there is the outrageous claims of range, 6 mile, 12 mile, 18 mile, 22 mile, 28, even saw a 36 mile range pair for sale. 36 miles from this thing, in what, the vaccum of outer space, and maybe half range that if you climb up a 400' guyed tower in the middle of the desert.
the pocket radios have their place, I use FRS every day at work, but its no good farther than you can see the other guy, and can be a pain in the rear finding a channel that is not full of obnoxious 8 year olds or a-holes that think that this is their channel.
bottom line, its a public radio service, with units readily available at any department store, do not like having to share it with others, get a nextel.