Appears some clubs are stating to use GMRS as their primary means of communication. Many of us use HAM in our trucks already.
If you are interested in getting a license.
www.rightchannelradios.com
The link above has a quick reference guide to getting the license.
All it takes is the FCC assigned FRN# and your password and $70 to cover a license for 10 years for your family.
Those of us with a ham license already have a frn # but not necessarily the password linked to it. I submitted a password reset request and it was processed within hours.
Next step was getting the gmrs license.
Follow this link https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/licManager/login.jsp
and use your FRN# and password that you previously reset.
Apply for license ZA - General Mobile Radio (GMRS)
you should not need a STA (Special Temporary Authorization)
you should not be exempt from FCC application fees.
pay your $70. Wait.
The FCC was supposed to reduce the fee to $35 but that has not happened.
I won't go into the legalities of using a HAM on GMRS frequencies even at legal broadcast power. Some of our radios can do both, is it legal? We can discuss that around a campfire.
CB is an antique now. I will NOT be putting a CB in a truck again.
I bring this up because an event i am going to this calendar year will be utilizing GMRS as their primary means of communication. Did i want to learn something new? No, not really. Was it difficult? No, not really. Will a cheap Midland handheld GMRS work, I sure hope so.
I also ordered a midland MXT275 to hard-mount in the truck for the event. Should hide well.
I am in now way stating that the club should change from HAM to GMRS. That would be a step backwards.
I am only stating that some others might not have a HAM license and that some clubs are using a different format that has become popular.
This site also has pictures of how to apply and FAQ such as legalities of using using other radios such as a Baofeng UV-5r to transmit on GMRS.
All that being said.. I still support HAM as a solid way to communicate but options are good and one can hand out a GMRS portable just as easy as a portable Ham.
If you are interested in getting a license.
GMRS Licensing Information
GMRS Licensing Information As a way to regulate frequencies that are used by two-way radios, the FCC requires you to have a license to operate a GMRS radio. In 2017, any radio using the shared FRS/GMRS frequencies that transmits 2+ Watts of power was reclassified as GMRS and requires a license...
www.rightchannelradios.com
All it takes is the FCC assigned FRN# and your password and $70 to cover a license for 10 years for your family.
Those of us with a ham license already have a frn # but not necessarily the password linked to it. I submitted a password reset request and it was processed within hours.
Next step was getting the gmrs license.
Follow this link https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/licManager/login.jsp
and use your FRN# and password that you previously reset.
Apply for license ZA - General Mobile Radio (GMRS)
you should not need a STA (Special Temporary Authorization)
you should not be exempt from FCC application fees.
pay your $70. Wait.
The FCC was supposed to reduce the fee to $35 but that has not happened.
I won't go into the legalities of using a HAM on GMRS frequencies even at legal broadcast power. Some of our radios can do both, is it legal? We can discuss that around a campfire.
CB is an antique now. I will NOT be putting a CB in a truck again.
I bring this up because an event i am going to this calendar year will be utilizing GMRS as their primary means of communication. Did i want to learn something new? No, not really. Was it difficult? No, not really. Will a cheap Midland handheld GMRS work, I sure hope so.
I also ordered a midland MXT275 to hard-mount in the truck for the event. Should hide well.
I am in now way stating that the club should change from HAM to GMRS. That would be a step backwards.
I am only stating that some others might not have a HAM license and that some clubs are using a different format that has become popular.
This site also has pictures of how to apply and FAQ such as legalities of using using other radios such as a Baofeng UV-5r to transmit on GMRS.
All that being said.. I still support HAM as a solid way to communicate but options are good and one can hand out a GMRS portable just as easy as a portable Ham.
