GMRS Truckers/Highway Channel

That's a good post explaining the difference between FRS and GMRS, thanks. To me I think it would have been better to just keep both services under one roof and name. It would be a lot less complicated that way, especially with all the rules involved.

 

Ya’ ... but the government doesn't do things that way. LOL
I remember when I was in the USAF, I had the hardest time passing my 5-level exam in aircraft communications, even though when drilled by my trainer I aced it! I failed it "twice"! They just word is so difficult ... the last (3rd) time I took it I said, "screw it, if I pass I pass, and if I fail I fail."

I passed it.

The government has a way of taking something clearly plain and simple, and complicating it to the point where many have difficult in understanding it, or what it means ...


FRS used to be must a "family radio service".
GMRS was for commercial use only.
The FCC decided to make GMRS available to non-business users, but with a license.

Why they joined the two together in walkie talkies, I will never know. BUT, on a cruise I tried to use those walkie talkies to talk acrss the ship to my family. They wouldn't quite reach. Only "after the cruise" did I realize that if I had been using channels 15-22, we would have been able to talk over the whole ship!!! I was trying to do it with only .5 watts when I had 2 watts available at my disposal. Now, with my Baofeng Ham radio walkie talkies, I have "them" programmed to also do GMRS ... with 5 watts they work great, even when camping! But just to make sure, I used 2 of these to make my own repeater. With really good antennas, and a very tall pole/tower, now I can talk "anywhere" in the campground and reach beautifully. (you hit my interest area and now I've got on-and-on ... sorry.)

 

please explain what this all means to those who don't know about it.

 

Digital Radio is when a two-way ham radio talk to a nearby repeater, or a small "hotspot" repeater, that is connected to The Internet. With software and the digital radio, your handheld radio can talk anywhere in the world.

There are DMR, Fusion Radio, D-Star, and others ... all of which use a small repeater, connected to the Internet (usually through your cell, or your home wifi), to connect to servers that spread it abroad and connect you to all over the world.

My first "radio check" after I got mine working was from the Netherlands!!!
I have an AnyTone AT-D878UVII plus. It is a regular handheld radio, and a digital radio, capable of holding the entire user directory of ham radio operators in the digital directories. It supports APRS, GPS, VHF, UHF, and digital DMR connections, and even supports bluetooth connections. It came with a remote button that velcros to my steering wheel, so when I am driving, I can key up my radio with that button, and never have to take my hands off the steering wheel. The bluetooth connects the received audio, and interrupts my music when someone calls. When I transmit, it uses the mics in the car for handsfree communication, and I can respond to my radio call. This all happens automatically when I get into my Jeep Trailhawk. I start up the Jeep, and it sees my radio and auto-magically connects to my radio.

APRS - (automatic packet reporting system) a locator/finding service created by Ham radio folks, used to pass along simple messages via a packet method, but mostly used for tracking. With my handheld, I have it set to "ping" it's location about every 15 minutes. You can go out to aprs.fi – live APRS map and see where the ham radio folks are in your area. Of course, you have to have a registered ham radio callsign in order to use this service, but that's because you can see where ham radio guys are located, where repeater stations are located, and you can click on the callsign, and call us their name and contact info. It's a great feature to have in the event of a disaster or emergency.

GPS - "global position system" reports your position at any given time. With GPS service on your radio, your radio can then report your exact position, and it is utilized by APRS to do just that. At any time one of my ham radio buddies can look and see where I'm located, because I keep this turned on.

VHF - "very high frequency" and UHF - "ultra high frequency" are two bands of frequencies in the radio spectrum used by two-way radio. HF - "high frequency" is one used by shortwave, or "HF" radios, which talk around the world just by broadcasting their signal in a frequency range that lends itself well to Earth-wide travel. VHF is used by marine craft, and by aircraft, and of course ham radios. UHF, is my favorite because it reaches a great distance, and is clean and reliable. If you have a UHF radio, you don't reach someone some days and not on other days, like HF or VHF, which are often affected by the atmosphere and weather conditions. HF is great affected by these, VHF less affect but still affected often. UHF, however, is "solid". If you talked today, you'll talk tomorrow. The only thing that changes this is when you are mobile, and then buildings, structures, line-of-sight views are important. With a good UHF (or VHF) radio, you can reach what is called a "repeater", which takes your signal that it picked up on a very high tower antenna, and it rebroadcasts that signal with much more power than it received it with, and uses it's antennas, taking advantage of it's location, high atop a high radio tower, or a water tower or large building. That advantage can take your walkie talkie that otherwise might reach anywhere from 1-10 miles alone, and can boost it's range, making it now capable of talking as much as 20 miles or more, using the repeater. In Ham radio, often repeaters are connected. So, here in San Angelo, we have a repeater "system" called "PermNET". With a handheld UHF radio, I can use the PermNET repeater and talk all the way to Midland/Odessa, or Brady Texas, or other cities well out of my natural talking range, by the use of these linked repeaters.

DIGITAL RADIO - (DMR, D-Star, Fusion, etc.) takes this principle one step further. That little "hot spot", that small repeater you have in your vehicle, or in your home, acts as a "repeater" for your handheld, and routes your calls, using software, through the Internet, to THE WORLD! I am able to talk to the Netherlands, Russia, England, etc. and more, just by using this system.

So, when I get back on the road this time, I am taking my cellular "hotspot", which provides Internet connectivity to all my devices while I travel, and I am taking my little repeater for my DMR radio. I will be able to continue to be "in-touch" with all my ham radio friends, wherever I travel, with this system.

AND ... I can set my radio to "scan" so that it will not only monitor these digital calls, but will also scan and check on regular ham radio frequencies I want to monitor, AND specific GMRS channels that I have programmed in to the scan feature.

Ham radio has come a long way!

-rich-
Richard A. Allcorn - K7RLY
eMail: rich@allcorn.us
website: myWORLD (Rich Allcorn)
San Angelo, TX

 

Sounds like a really expensive cell phone ?

 

I’ve used the frs and gmrs for 20 years and I ain’t gonna buy a license

unless and until the FCC takes out that idiot in the desert I ain’t paying or getting any license for a radio

 

The lower frequencies are the FRS frequencies, and I would stay away from those. Handheld units only put out .2 watts. Mobile unit is only allowed to put out 5W.

The upper frequencies handheld units can put out to 2Watts, or up to 50W on a mobile unit, or 15W on a stationary transmitter.

On a cruise one time I used some of these, and I used channel 7. We could almost talk halfway the length of the ship. I didn't find out until after the cruise that had a use the upper frequencies like 20, 21, etc. I would've been able to talk all over the #### without restraint.

 

... that is your choice, but if the FCC ever catches you doing it, they will not only take all of your equipment, but they will fine you, and possibly you will do jail time.

 

Lol

for using GMRS ?

has the fcc ever harassed anyone for gmrs ?

the fcc won’t go after that buttwipe in the desert . I used frs and gmrs for 15 years at a place I worked with zero issues

inalso
Changed lanes six times without signaling today too .

 

Not harassed but cited, confiscated, and fined a lot of people for unlicensed or improper equipment on GMRS. I think the last one where they went to court was a $11,000 fine which the court issued an order for it to be paid or jail time would happen, while the FCC issued a revocation order of all the guy's licenses and banned him from being issued any license for life.

You do know that the FCC published all of that info on their website?

They are not hiding their efforts to regulate people who abuse the bands.