GMRS operates in the Ultra-High Frequency Band, otherwise known as UHF. GMRS is allotted 30 channels—16 main channels and 14 interstitial channels. credit: https://midlandusa.com/why-gmrs-for-two-way-radio-communication/ (a) 462 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, repeater, base and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. The channel center frequencies are:

• 462.5500
• 462.5750
• 462.6000
• 462.6250
• 462.6500
• 462.6750
• 462.7000
• 462.7250

(b) 462 MHz interstitial channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable and base stations may transmit on these 7 channels. The channel center frequencies are: 462.5625, 462.5875, 462.6125, 462.6375, 462.6625, 462.6875, and 462.7125 MHz. (c) 467 MHz main channels. Only mobile, hand-held portable, control and fixed stations may transmit on these 8 channels. Mobile, hand-held portable and control stations may transmit on these channels only when communicating through a repeater station or making brief test transmissions in accordance with §95.319(c). Commonly called “Repeater Inputs”, The channel center frequencies are:

• 467.5500
• 467.5750
• 467.6000
• 467.6250
• 467.6500
• 467.6750
• 467.7000
• 467.7250

(d) 467 MHz interstitial channels. Only hand-held portable units may transmit on these 7 channels. The channel center frequencies are: 467.5675, 467.5875, 467.6125, 467.6375, 467.6625, 467.6875, and 467.7125 MHz.

Okay, I Have A Radio! Now What!

Here are a couple of pointers to help you get started, including some FCC and local “rules”…

• To use a repeater, your radio needs to be capable of something called semi-duplex. Repeaters requires a separate input frequency, output frequency, and usually a Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) or DCS (Digital Coded Squelch) tone to operate. For instance, a repeater in the listing might have an input of 467.600MHz, an output of 462.600MHz, and a CTCSS tone of 146.2Hz. Your radio needs to transmit on 467.600MHz, listen on 462.600MHz and transmit (encode) a CTCSS tone of 146.2Hz. We have YouTube videos on how to program common radios with free software, or follow the instructions that may have come with your radio.

• When using or “hitting” a repeater, the repeater will usually transmit a silent carrier (silent signal) for a short time immediately after you let off the button, typically a half-second up to 3 seconds. There may also be some sort of audible courtesy tone or beep. This courtesy tone is intended to let you know that the person transmitting has finished, and now it is your turn. You do not need to use your own courtesy tones, “roger beeps” or any other audio transmitting on your radio and can turn any such features off. Make sure to use your call sign when transmitting at all times.
• When using a repeater, you must identify your transmission, regardless of how short or long that transmission is. Just clicking the button on your radio to see if you can ‘hit the repeater” is bad form, frowned upon, and really doesn’t tell you much. You want to make sure that not only can you get to the repeater, but that others can actually hear you as well. Use your FCC call sign and your Group ID if you’d like. Your FCC license requires you to identify:
  • Following a single transmission, or series of transmissions
  • After 15 minutes (if your conversation lasts 15 minutes or more)
  • At least once every 15 minutes after the initial 15 minute ID (if your conversation lasts 30 minutes or more)

You do NOT need to say your callsign every time you press the transmit button during a conversation. This means that you can call someone and talk, but you need to use your call sign when you’re done talking as well as every 15 minutes during. If there are 2 people under the same call sign talking, theoretically BOTH parties must identify after the conversation is complete. We hope and require that at least one of you does. It is good practice to START your transmission with your call sign also, including any “tactical” unit numbers you were assigned or your family may have decided to use.

• Sometimes you will hear someone say “WABC123 Monitoring”. This means WABC123 is listening to the repeater and is open to short conversations.
• If you are testing your radio to see if things are working, you should say “WABC123 Testing”. You may get replies from others but you don’t need to answer. If you’re looking to test without any response, you could say “WABC123 testing, no response needed”. DO NOT JUST CLICK THE RADIO!
• Clicking the repeater to see if you can get into is is poor form and doesn’t really tell you anything. You can hear the the repeater, transmit and “open up” the repeater, but you have no idea what your audio quality is. Just because you can transmit to it does not always mean that your signal is good. If you’re curious, transmit something like “WABC123, how well am I being heard?” or something of that nature. Chances are someone will come back to you and tell you what your signal quality is.
• We have members that may have or currently use other systems like ham radio, police band, CB radio or others. In GMRS, we use plain English and no codes or slang. Keep slang from other services there. Talk in plain English like you would when you speak to someone in person.
• GMRS is in the Ultra-High frequency band, otherwise known as UHF. UHF has a small wavelength and the signal likes to bounce off of things. Due to this, UHF is considered line of sight. We try to place repeaters with antennas in very high places so they can see far across the horizon. However, as a GMRS user, you may find times you’re unable to access a repeater. This is usually due to distance to the repeater, operation of a portable radio in a car (car acts like a cage and holds the radio transmissions inside the vehicle), tree cover absorbing the signal and so on. If something doesn’t work, try to get an antenna higher in the air and try again.
• The General Mobile Radio Service, or GMRS, is just that; a service designed for mobile radio use. Over the years, it’s morphed into a lot of people using portable radios for their communications. However, many repeaters are designed and mapped for the use of higher powered mobile radios. Your ability to access a repeater with a portable will always be predicated on your location, height, and obstructions. Repeater maps are designed for mobile coverage and portable coverage will be less than indicated.
• We are a family-centric group. Repeater owners do not allow swearing, music, whistling or other prohibited communications on our affiliated systems, linked or stand alone. You should be familiar with prohibited communications, which can be found HERE.
• When communicating on a repeater, make sure to leave some space between transmissions just in case someone needs to get in or even has an emergency. We have had instances where emergencies that a member needed help with came over the air. Please be kind and help your fellow users by leaving space here and there between transmissions.
• The linked repeaters are a value add to users for wider area coverage. Repeater owners who have linked their systems want and allow their systems to be used. There is no reason to be afraid of it and want it used. In return, be respectful of their repeater and work.
• Linked repeaters behave like stand alone repeaters when their link is down for whatever reason since it is just remote control. All repeaters have a “coverage area” and that local coverage area does not change whether its linked or not. If the link is down, many cases the repeater is still on the air and working locally unless there was a failure at the site for some reason that knocked the whole system off the air. It’s electronics, it happens sometimes, albeit rarely.
• Once a month, we have something called a “net”. This net, or Network, is hosted on the linked repeaters and is more or less a radio-based meeting. Someone calls a net using a script, and reads out times for members to “check in”. This is your attendance, and is completely optional. It is an EXCELLENT way to test your radios monthly because if the net controller can hear you and acknowledges, your signal is getting through! It is also a time for various members around the system to pass information or announcements to the group and listeners as a whole. Don’t be afraid, check in and say hi!

• CTCSS – Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System
  • 141.3Hz – An example of a CTCSS tone
• CDCSS – Continuous Digital Coded Squelch System
  • D023N – An example of a “normal” CDCSS code
  • D023I – An example of an “inverted” CDCSS code
• DCS – Digital Coded Squelch (another term for CDCSS)
• PL/DPL – Motorola’s terms for CTCSS/CDCSS
• QT/DQT – Kenwood’s terms for CTCSS/CDCSS
• Privacy Tone – Midland’s terms for CTCSS/CDCSS

Setting up any of these on your radio will NOT keep other people from hearing your transmissions. They ONLY allow you to filter out transmissions that you do not want to hear.

You will these terms used a LOT in the radio world. These are all forms of Coded Squelch. Coded squelch is used to minimize interference to radio systems operating on the same frequency, otherwise called co-channel transmissions or interference. Coded squelch allows a radio receiver to be configured such that it only opens up when it receives transmissions with the correct “code”. This configuration “blocks” transmissions with no code, or the wrong code, from being received. Repeater owners usually set up their repeaters to operate this way so that it is much less likely for someone to accidentally key up the repeater. It also acts sort-of like a “password” to the repeater, since anyone wanting to use the repeater must first program the correct code into their radio. NOTE: nothing about coded squelch is secure or private. Even if the squelch code is not made “public”, most radios have the ability to scan the air for whatever squelch codes are being used in seconds.

A lot of radios have the ability to encode special “bursts” into the end of the CTCSS/DCS data to tell the receiving radio to stop listening a split-second early, before the “squelch crash”. This results in a very smooth, silent, end of transmission instead of a harsh burst of noise. These are called reverse bursts, chicken bursts, turn-off codes, etc. If your radio has the option, turn it on!

NOTE: When programming Motorola radios, ALWAYS use “non-standard” (all radio compatible) reverse burst instead of “standard” (only Motorola compatible).

Repeater Listing Example

GMRS Call Sign: WRBK701  (This is the repeater owner registered with the Group)

Repeater Frequency Pair: 462.650 & 467.650 (462.650 would be the “output ” or frequency your repeater listens to the repeater on and 467.650 is the “input” or frequency you transmit to the repeater on. Just like the frequency list above)

CTCSS/PL Tones: 127.3 (TX and RX) (this is the CTCSS tone to access this repeater. You need to have 127.3 Hz programmed into the “TONE” or CTCSS/PL section of your radio programming.)

Each repeater in our group can use one channel each in your radio, especially if you have a radio that “identifies” a repeater by name on its readout. You may hear other repeaters if they have the same pair and tone (CAS700 and NWA700 for instance). You can name them regardless separately but know you may hear one on the other as you travel to those areas.

Ok now, hang on – before you roll your eyes – maybe there are some people that really aren’t sure how to use a repeater. I can assure you that at first, I didn’t know how, and it kept me from ever really using my radios. Therefore, I provide this quick and dirty scenario-based “article” of sorts, with examples, to help ease the minds of any nervous or mic shy GMRS licensees.

before doing anything on a repeater

• LISTEN FIRST. Listen for a good 60 seconds to make sure you aren’t going to key up on top of someone else.
• VERBALLY identify yourself via callsign at the end of your transmission, and every 15 minutes (if you’re using the frequency for longer than 15 minutes).
• KEEP IT RESPECTFUL and do not say anything that you wouldn’t want half of the state to hear you say… because they can!
• RADIO LINGO or JARGON is not needed on GMRS. Other radio services might have “radio lingo” or “famous sayings”; leave them there. GMRS is plain, non-coded easy to understand for everyone. Keep CB, ham radio, or other services on their respective bands.

if You want to know if your radio can reach the repeater

• Just talk to someone! A conversation is the best test. You will hear the repeaters courtesy “beep” informing you that the repeater heard your transmission.
• DO NOT simply key up for half a second and wait for the “beep”. This is called “kerchunking” and is technically in violation of FCC regulations as transmission without identification

Ex: “WRKF394, I just finished installing a new radio in my car, can anyone hear me?”

if You want to see if anyone wants to chat

• Just say so!  Identify yourself. This announces your presence, and if someone is listening and they hear you, they might respond if they also want to chat.

Ex: “WRKF394, I’m driving home from work if anybody wants to chat”

IF YOU WANT TO “CALL” FOR SOMEONE

• Say the call sign of the person you are calling, followed by your callsign

“WRBK701, this is WRKF394. Chris, are you listening?”

if more than 1 person regularly uses your callsign

• GMRS allows one call sign to cover multiple family members. If you have multiple people that use your call sign (like my family), it can get confusing.
• I suggest you use unique identifiers, or “unit numbers”, in addition to your call sign. These numbers can be whatever you want.
• Upon applying for membership with the Arkansas GMRS Repeater Group, you will also be given unit numbers that you can use if you want.

Ex: “WRKF394, A100. A103, do you copy?”

if you have an emergency

• Alert anyone listening that you have emergency traffic
• Continue with your emergency transmission

Ex: “Emergency, emergency, emergency, this is WRKF394 with emergency traffic”

EXAMPLE GMRS REPEATER TRAFFIC

“WRBK701″

“WRKF394, unit 1. How’s it going, Chris?”

“It’s going well! I decided to go on a walk since the weather is so nice today. What are you up to?”

“Okay. Me and my brother are heading out to go camping. He’s following behind me and might have his radio on too. Unit 2, this is unit 1, do you have your radio on?”

“This is unit 2, yes I’m listening”

…………etc………….

“Alright Chris, we just pulled up to the campsite and we’re gonna hop out. Good talking with you today, hope to catch you again sometime soon. WRKF394”

“Sure thing, be safe out there! WRBK701”

This is just some information that I felt like getting out there. Remember… at the end of the day, it’s just a radio. There is no specific code of conduct for speaking that you have to perfectly abide by to keep from getting in trouble. Just be kind and courteous, follow a few simple rules, and have a good time! Be sure to reach out to someone (including us!) if you have any questions.