GMRS resurgence in the making ???

[CDX8412]

I am seeing a lot of new GMRS radios hitting the market. I guess the manufacturers are anticipating a resurgence of interest in GMRS with the about-to-be adopted $35 fee ?

Wouxun has introduced several new HTs and a mobile, and I even got an ad from Radioddity announcing the Baofeng UV-5X GMRS-legal HT ! What else would be pushing the market for these “legal” GMRS radios ? I get that there may also be a “prepper” movement that may have created a demand, although my personal belief is that you should never ever trust government, and you should always be prepared...but that is another thread.

I just bought an Anytone AT-779UV GMRS “legal” radio to replace the Midland Micromobile in my wife’s car.
http://anytone.net/pro_info100.html
Interesting little radio, and although you will need the free software to change CTCSS/DCS tones and bandwidth, it is generally $50 less than the Midlands, and has better TX audio.

Do you think the $35 fee will actually cause more people to get licensed on GMRS?
Has the censorship occurring on the interwebs caused people to rethink their comms capabilities?
Do you believe GMRS serves a valuable function in an age of 5g cellular connectivity?

I am curious why the manufacturers are pumping out the GMRS radios. Any thoughts?

 

[Bow]

I think the "GRMS Legal" is a scam... and the price difference for the "GRMS" radios is rude..

You could run any of the Chinese UHF/VHF radio, and the person on the other end would have no clue, and you can run them on MURS, FRS/GMRS, and Amateur Bands.

That being said, I think people are starting to pay a little more attention. any Cell service is ripe to get shut down...

However, shutting down the RF spectrum takes a little more effort.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I think that people today are mindful of the cancel culture we have today. With one political party in particular that wants to label conservative thinking as domestic terrorism, and government agencies being misdirected to target political opposition, the off grid communications are more and more attractive. Especially since the fcc made the suggestion by stating that it is illegal to do something illegal, and use a radio at the same time............


GMRS antennas are a lot shorter than cb making them way more convenient. I would bet that most people don't even get the license because they think they are FRS.

 

[nfsus]

Ain’t gonna lie, I became more interested when the price dropped.

 

[DaveEbelII]

I got my license 3 weeks ago or so .
Notta single person Ive heard uses a call here in Montana, they just willy nilly where ever however..
Honestly I feel like it was waste of money .. but I'll give it a few months and see what comes of it ..

 

[CDX8412]

I started this thread over 2 1/2 years ago, before the fee dropped. Over that time, I have not noticed too much difference in GMRS operations in my immediate area, with one exception. A small group of local CB operators have migrated to GMRS so they can use a local repeater and talk with handheld radios while sitting in their Laz-E-Boy, rather than having to sit in their shack. But it is just like listening to a ham repeater…a bunch of idle talk about food, medications, or their daily rituals.

Keep in mind that the FCC screwed the pooch with GMRS/FRS by having the two different radio services on the same channels. I can talk on channels 1-22 with or without a license. It only matters with regards to the amount of power you transmit.

The majority of transmissions I hear on the GMRS/FRS channels are probably FRS users, not licensed GMRS users, and of course, there is no callsign for FRS. And most of them are kids, or people using their FRS walkie talkies at some event. Same as before the $35 fee.

But I know there was an influx of licenses purchased, because many thought there was actually something happening on GMRS. If there is something happening on GMRS, it is likely on a repeater rather than on simplex. It really depends on where you live, if there are any local repeaters that you can use. Otherwise, you may be left holding your HT in your hand.

 

[Rick330man]

In my area, South Florida, GMRS is where CBers and hams looking for a more amicable radio environment are finding common ground and coming together.

The South Dade GMRS club in Miami and the Conch Auxiliary Radio Emergency Services (CARES) here in the Keys have joined forces to link a Miami GMRS repeater network with a Florida Keys repeater network. About 1/3 of the total number of planned repeaters are up and running and you can already talk on this system from Ft. Lauderdale to just outside of Key West.

At least down here, GMRS is where dedicated good people who love the hobby are working together to make positive things happen.

 

[ForestRunner98]

In my area, South Florida, GMRS is where CBers and hams looking for a more amicable radio environment are finding common ground and coming together.

The South Dade GMRS club in Miami and the Conch Auxiliary Radio Emergency Services (CARES) here in the Keys have joined forces to link a Miami GMRS repeater network with a Florida Keys repeater network. About 1/3 of the total number of planned repeaters are up and running and you can already talk on this system from Ft. Lauderdale to just outside of Key West.

At least down here, GMRS is where dedicated good people who love the hobby are working together to make positive things happen.

That’s awesome!!! In SoCal it’s kinda dead now but a few years ago it was a sh*t show. The most vile conversations. Unbelievable. I was totally disappointed.

 

[WECSOG]

The real difference that sets GMRS apart from FRS is repeaters. Cheap bubble pack 22 channel radios don't have the capability of working repeaters. "Real" GMRS radios do, and so do UV5Rs and the like. But even if an unlicensed user has a capable radio, repeater owners can (and in fact are legally required to) deny them access to the repeater.
Also, the ability to have your own repeater, remote base etc. is worth the price of admission.

 

[w9cll]

Tom what I can tell GMRS is mostly dead here in Chicago. There are a couple of repeaters but I hardly hear anyone using it. I have a ham friend that had a GRMS repeated up but he brought it down a couple of years ago.

I think the appeal of GMRS is a lot more that just repeater use, its the higher legal power options, FRS is very low power and very limited range. When RV'ing my family and I would use FRS in the camp ground but everyone are using those, we now use MURS because outside of Wal-Mart stores nobody is there and the higher power and external antenna provides better comms.

 

[sidsawyer]

You can go online to the FCC website
and search for new GMRS licenses
in a 30 Day period , for instance.

I was amazed at the number of new licenses
In my state each month. Quite a few.
But the GMRS frequencies are relatively quiet here.

Maybe it's just folks licensing up to
Use portables when camping, hunting, etc.

Like I said, I just don't hear that much...
I know the pairs are clogged in some other areas.