| March 26, 1999
The Ultimate Repeater Column
GMRS Repeater
Basics
GUMMERS-101
by Paul Shinn, KAF8333
You can ask Paul technical
questions about
building repeaters by emailing him at gummers@gmrsweb.com
What sets GMRS apart from FRS the most
is the ability to install and use a repeater station to increase the range of
communications. Without a repeater, two full power mobiles might be good for
5-10 miles, then you pick up the cell phone. With a repeater, two mobiles can
be, say, 50 miles apart or more and still communicate with nary a 'what??'.
This month, I'm going to talk a little
about the etiquette of repeater use on GMRS. In the months to come, I'll dive
in to the technical side of repeaters and some things every business band
repeater owner already knows, and GMRS repeater owners are assumed to know, but
usually find out the hard way. Also in coming articles, we'll discuss antennas
and different applications of commercial practices to your GMRS gear.
If you have done a lot of listening to
GMRS repeaters in your area, you will probably already have a good idea of what
the normal activity is for each frequency. Keep in mind, some GMRS repeaters
are still owned and operated by businesses like towing companies or plumbers
and construction companies that were 'grandfathered' on the GMRS band before it
was made into the personal band it is today. You are better off staying away
from systems used commercially. Nobody from 'Joe's Security Company' wants to
hear someone asking for local information on their system.
Those repeaters that are owned and
operated by individuals for personal communications are sometimes willing to
let others use them. Remember: it is a violation of FCC rules to charge someone
to use a GMRS repeater. Since there is cost involved to build and maintain a
repeater, not everyone is willing to give you a free ride. Most repeater owners
will allow others to use their equipment at no charge. The truth is, if a
repeater never gets used, chances are good that someone wanting to put their
own repeater on the air will choose that frequency since it is so quiet all the
time!! GMRS systems are not subject to the commercial practice of coordination.
Anybody can put a repeater up anywhere with very few exceptions.
If you want to use a repeater,
contacting the repeater owner OFF the air is desirable. You can locate the
phone numbers, addresses, and repeater locations of repeater owners easily
online through the FCC database, or preferably by using the repeater guide that
the PRSG publishes.
Since GMRS is not ham radio, and it is
not business radio, repeaters tend to have a code of conduct that varies from
one to the next. For example, some repeater owners prefer that users identify
by a unit number. You might hear 'Unit one to unit four'. Some prefer the code
name method, like 'Gummer one to Gummer two'. On my repeater, I prefer that
people just use names and no codes at all. I would call Doug Smith by saying
'Paul to Doug', or maybe 'Hey, Doug'. It is entirely up to the owner of the
repeater or the club that runs it in some cases. Also, some repeaters need to
be ID'ed verbally on the air by the users.
One thing that makes me cringe is when
I hear people use CB or ham lingo on the air. You hear 'So, what's your QTH?'.
I really hate the old 'How bout it, you got your rig on?'. This next point may
sound stupid, but it really does bug me when someone refers to my repeater as a
'machine' (ham lingo for a repeater). I can assure you that my repeater has no
moving parts, it is not a 'machine'. Ham or CB lingo should be left on those
respective bands. Plain simple English is the preferred method of communication
on almost every GMRS system. In my opinion, the GMRS radio service is a step
way above ham radio, and just barely a notch below full blown commercial UHF
service.
You will upset a repeater
owner really quick if you discuss the PL or DPL tones required to access it on
the air! You should never give out any technical information about or the
location of the repeater! In fact, discussing radios or radio accessories on
the air is undesirable anyway. Ham and CB users typically use those services
because they want to use a radio period. They don't care so much about who's on
the other end, just that they are using a radio. GMRS stands alone, in that it
is a professional service for individuals that need to communicate reliably.
When you are actually on the air, make it a conversation, not just a hobbyist's
excuse to press a transmit button, and the repeater owner will appreciate it.
Don't forget that anyone with another
GMRS radio or even a simple scanner can hear you all over the place!! A
repeater can cover a lot of real estate! Just imagine how many possible ways
there are to hear you in the repeater's coverage area! Don't give phone numbers
or addresses over the air for your own protection. Things like birthdays and
license plate numbers are touchy too. Remember when all that fuss about a
recorded cell phone call involving Newt Gingrich hit the news?? It's a lot
easier to hear GMRS than cellular, even with the best of gear, and you could
very well be on tape.
Using a repeater to communicate on GMRS
is fun too. I like the ability to talk myself in to hilltop locations that
somebody is already in. You can say 'O.K., I'm at the painted rock, which way
do I turn now?'. You can get a reply like 'I see your headlights, start slowing
down, the turn is the next one on your left'. You can't beat the coverage boost
the repeater gives your hand held radio either! Without the repeater, portable
radios would be almost 'toys'. With the repeater, your portable becomes a
reliable communications tool that goes with you wherever.
Next month, get ready to dive in to
building a repeater station! We'll talk about setting up the equipment and
selecting the perfect location. Later on, get ready for everything you ever
wanted to know about your antenna. Repeater antennas are the critical link in
your system for many reasons. We'll look at a few different types, and what
works best for repeaters.
Paul
Shinn.....Clear.
Click Paul's name to send him
mail at Gummers@dougweb.com
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