Something that confuses new users sometimes is "unit numbers". Since a single GMRS license applies to an entire family, some groups assign "unit numbers" to each individual so you can call a specific person. You can also just call for someone by name. You are only required to use your callsign to identify yourself, but you can call for other people using whatever method your group has set up. Lastly, it's unlikely that you would need to use prowords (procedural words) like "over" or the phonetic alphabet in an informal conversation on a repeater, but they come in handy when a repeater is very busy or when you're on simplex and having a hard time hearing someone.
@@wiredtight no I was on the net at the end. Talked about the Going Home book. I'm in North Georgia and check into that net regularly. Good folks there and like you say in your video, they have helped me get comfortable talking on the radio.
The guys on my local repeaters say their call sign at the speed of light so it’s difficult to reply to a specific person. Otherwise, everyone is super cool. I’ve been carrying around my Baofeng AR-5RM which will output ~10w on GMRS frequencies, and I was able to hit a repeater about 30-35miles away from my house, while sitting in my work van in front of my house. Just used an ABBREE 18” GMRS antenna. They said it couldn’t be done!
I knew a grunt that was comms guy in WWII, he said that when they would ever say OVER it was at the end of the transmission. He laughed at all the hollywierd movies that would say it after every transmission.
I studied a total of a couple hours a day for 1week, just passed the test for technician and general today, it’s super super easy with the free resources out today, now to join the local club and actually learn some shit.
Yes it is! Just by stating your call sign you are my giving away your address, so it is also a good idea to open up a PO Box and connect your call sign to your PO Box if you don't want people knowing where your residence is.
I'm pretty Cool so after Call Sign I say things like "Whatup Peeps" or "Who's on the Radio",... When I'm done I say cool stuff like "Im back on the Sidelines" or "I'm out like a Fat Kid in Dodge Ball" 🤣
Hams are generally just as forgiving. TBH half the guys I hear on the local GMRS repeater are I know are HAMS the other half I suspect are haha. We like a busier more casual repeater as much as the next guy. Edit: Just trying to make clear that aside from a test and different callsign format this is pretty much exactly how communication on UHF HAM bands goes so if yer interested don't be nervous the test is easy. Plus we can do cool digital stuff and there so many more shiny HAM toys to blow money on HAHA.
Any advice generally for traveling with a basic entry level gmrs like the btech v2.. whether i go out of town or out of state.. solo.. How often would i scan for repeaters.. ?
@@45s262 funny you should ask that I'm actually about to post a video of me on a road trip scanning for traffic. But what I will say is that you're not gonna find a lot I would say if you're going on a trip look up the repeaters in that area first and program them in. As far as how often, that's up to you man. I had my UV5R scanning the entire trip this weekend and managed to speak with some wind techs up on a windmill.
Hey, so when you get a gmrs license, it applies to your whole family but you only get one call sign. Is there a way to generate callsigns for your family members?
A lot of people just add a letter on the end of the callsign. For example wrwr123 is the owner, wrwr123a is the spouse, wrwr123b is the oldest child, wrwr123c is the youngest child, wrwr123d is grandpa etc. Or the first letter of their name would be the letter used, so long as there aren’t doubles. Get creative because anything goes so long as you know who the adder relates to.
I trained a a Field Communications Expert in he USMC , we worked with everything from hand held to 25 watt packable to vehicle mounted 500 watt AM gear that could bounce signals off the atmosphere for communications over thousands of miles . I missed radio for many years after , but now I have my GMRS license and am building a base station repeater and a mobile unit in my work vans . Having lots of fun doing it. I am struggling with trying to stop using military etiquette and transmit as a " civilian " / regular person . Please be patient
NEW USER here. Good video. Quick question. For family or group use. Can you use a repeater under one call sign in same family or how might that look like. Thanks for the input. WSGK855
Nah, every repeater community talks however they want. When i joined New Yorks Bronx GMRS repeater, they say 10-4, and NATO phonetic and s-words sometimes, etc. Because these are New Yorkers, baby!! 😀
You don't have to say "over" at the end of your transmission, but it's very important that you turn on the "roger beep" so the other party knows you've stopped talking. 😉
First, you said to not be nervous. Then you stated that one should use clear, plain English. You also then said PTT does not mean Push To Think. All good points. However, you then proceed to sprinkle the uhs and ums into every sentence. It looks to me like you need to start practicing what you preach.
Thanks
That was an awesome conversation.. lol 😂😂 extremely helpful..
@@45s262 thanks for tuning in!
Something that confuses new users sometimes is "unit numbers". Since a single GMRS license applies to an entire family, some groups assign "unit numbers" to each individual so you can call a specific person. You can also just call for someone by name. You are only required to use your callsign to identify yourself, but you can call for other people using whatever method your group has set up. Lastly, it's unlikely that you would need to use prowords (procedural words) like "over" or the phonetic alphabet in an informal conversation on a repeater, but they come in handy when a repeater is very busy or when you're on simplex and having a hard time hearing someone.
Great to see you on the net tonight! -Atl 374
@@TheOldManPrepper were you on that live stream??
@@wiredtight no I was on the net at the end. Talked about the Going Home book. I'm in North Georgia and check into that net regularly. Good folks there and like you say in your video, they have helped me get comfortable talking on the radio.
I’m a member of NGGMRS! I haven’t done more than RUclips check in. I don’t talk much irl.
Great information, brother, stay safe ..
Thanks bro! I have done radio checks but haven’t had a full convo yet lol. I’m scared dawg
@@zeroUnitygain don't be scared man, GMRS ain't like HAM
@@wiredtightright lol. I’ll eventually jump on and talk more than just a radio check. Have you talked about myGMRS site?
@@zeroUnitygain I have not but I will
The guys on my local repeaters say their call sign at the speed of light so it’s difficult to reply to a specific person. Otherwise, everyone is super cool.
I’ve been carrying around my Baofeng AR-5RM which will output ~10w on GMRS frequencies, and I was able to hit a repeater about 30-35miles away from my house, while sitting in my work van in front of my house. Just used an ABBREE 18” GMRS antenna. They said it couldn’t be done!
Excellent
Thanks for tuning in!
I knew a grunt that was comms guy in WWII, he said that when they would ever say OVER it was at the end of the transmission. He laughed at all the hollywierd movies that would say it after every transmission.
Excellent information brother!
I studied a total of a couple hours a day for 1week, just passed the test for technician and general today, it’s super super easy with the free resources out today, now to join the local club and actually learn some shit.
Great video thanks ! Is it suitable to ask location? And share location? When figuring out your range. Thanks
Yes it is! Just by stating your call sign you are my giving away your address, so it is also a good idea to open up a PO Box and connect your call sign to your PO Box if you don't want people knowing where your residence is.
@wiredtight that's good looking out thanks again.
I'm pretty Cool so after Call Sign I say things like "Whatup Peeps" or "Who's on the Radio",... When I'm done I say cool stuff like "Im back on the Sidelines" or "I'm out like a Fat Kid in Dodge Ball" 🤣
Have been thinking about getting into ham radios
You should most definitely!
Come on in. We have cookies. 😂
I got into GMRS instead of HAM to avoid Etiquette 😂
Hams are generally just as forgiving. TBH half the guys I hear on the local GMRS repeater are I know are HAMS the other half I suspect are haha. We like a busier more casual repeater as much as the next guy.
Edit: Just trying to make clear that aside from a test and different callsign format this is pretty much exactly how communication on UHF HAM bands goes so if yer interested don't be nervous the test is easy. Plus we can do cool digital stuff and there so many more shiny HAM toys to blow money on HAHA.
Any advice generally for traveling with a basic entry level gmrs like the btech v2.. whether i go out of town or out of state.. solo..
How often would i scan for repeaters.. ?
@@45s262 funny you should ask that I'm actually about to post a video of me on a road trip scanning for traffic. But what I will say is that you're not gonna find a lot I would say if you're going on a trip look up the repeaters in that area first and program them in. As far as how often, that's up to you man. I had my UV5R scanning the entire trip this weekend and managed to speak with some wind techs up on a windmill.
Wired Tight 🤘 🔥
Hey, so when you get a gmrs license, it applies to your whole family but you only get one call sign. Is there a way to generate callsigns for your family members?
I don't think so, they'd all need a license to have individual call signs.
how do you call a family member on GMRS?
@@raymondlezina I'm not sure, I'll have to look into that and make a short or something
We have a club here, and have club numbers, members have an integer number, spouses are "and a half" or "point five."
A lot of people just add a letter on the end of the callsign. For example wrwr123 is the owner, wrwr123a is the spouse, wrwr123b is the oldest child, wrwr123c is the youngest child, wrwr123d is grandpa etc. Or the first letter of their name would be the letter used, so long as there aren’t doubles. Get creative because anything goes so long as you know who the adder relates to.
I trained a a Field Communications Expert in he USMC , we worked with everything from hand held to 25 watt packable to vehicle mounted 500 watt AM gear that could bounce signals off the atmosphere for communications over thousands of miles . I missed radio for many years after , but now I have my GMRS license and am building a base station repeater and a mobile unit in my work vans . Having lots of fun doing it. I am struggling with trying to stop using military etiquette and transmit as a " civilian " / regular person . Please be patient
👍🏽🙏🏽🙂
NEW USER here. Good video. Quick question. For family or group use. Can you use a repeater under one call sign in same family or how might that look like. Thanks for the input. WSGK855
@@HoosierTrucker Yes, your gmrs call sign covers everyone in your household and anyone living there can use it on a repeater! Thanks for watching!
Not fair! Your mustache acts as a ¼ wave ground plane and you get more range.
@@TimHarperW5TAH hahaha
Same way you talk to a person on the telephone. No codes or nonsense. Just talk normally. Forget all the CB jargon and jive talking.
Over from Magic.. I'm studying
@@northerngirlhobbies welcome!
@@wiredtight thank you! I have to get this course accomplished ASAP.
Nah, every repeater community talks however they want. When i joined New Yorks Bronx GMRS repeater, they say 10-4, and NATO phonetic and s-words sometimes, etc. Because these are New Yorkers, baby!! 😀
@@CreativPret haha that's awesome!
Thanks for the great tips, just received my GMRS call sign this morning. ...OVER 🤣
Awesome! Welcome to the club and thanks for tuning in!
A good video Thank you." 422." God Bless 🔥 🙏 🗡⚔️🛡✝️🇬🇪🇨🇭🏴⛪️
You don't have to say "over" at the end of your transmission, but it's very important that you turn on the "roger beep" so the other party knows you've stopped talking. 😉
First, you said to not be nervous. Then you stated that one should use clear, plain English. You also then said PTT does not mean Push To Think. All good points.
However, you then proceed to sprinkle the uhs and ums into every sentence.
It looks to me like you need to start practicing what you preach.
Thanks sir I'll get right on that
Great! Shared!