My Road to my Ham License is through GMRS

Several weeks ago, I decided to get into GMRS radios. It’s a cheaper entry to radio and eventually Amateur (Ham) Radio. No, you don’t have to go that route, but with a budget in mind, I thought I’d take some time to listen and learn about these radio communications. My long-term goal is to get on HF and talk to the world with my Ham license.  I found a group dedicated to GMRS, the North Georgia GMRS.  It’s a network of repeaters around Atlanta (see graphic) that connects to the Chattanooga area and even has a repeater in Ocala, Florida.  I’ve spent a lot of time listening to the past few weeks. After getting my GMRS license, my first transmission was a call when I heard traffic on channel 20 and checked in as a new user.  I got an immediate response from someone in Chattanooga who said I must have set my radio up correctly because I came in loud and clear.  Funny, I unpacked it, turned it on, and got lucky.  Since then, not so much.  I’m 21 miles from my house to the Columbus repeater. It’s in Phoenix City.  I’ve experimented with my Baofeng UV-5G Plus and my Radioddity DB20-G.  I can get to the repeater after purchasing several antennas for the truck, but it’s not great yet.   After some research, I realized I needed more power, so I’ll replace the truck mobile unit with a 50-watt GMRS transceiver. It’s recommended that I wire the power directly to the battery since the cigarette lighter port probably won’t power the unit; I’ll have a friend who does those types of installs help with the project.  Stay tuned; I’ll update you in a few days!