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!
Tag: GMRS
About Those Race Camping Trips!
It’s been a while since I posted, and I’ll apologize for that right now. My next big camping trip was to the two races in late summer or fall, in Atlanta and Talladega. I totally mis-scheduled Atlanta due to some work conflicts, so I was unable to make that trip, but there was still Talladega. If you remember from last year, I was unable to complete the trip due to a transmission issue with my 2016 GMC Canyon. After fixing that, I figured I’d trade and get a new truck to avoid any future issues. I love the 2024 Nissan Frontier I bought. But then, while driving around town one day, I got a check engine light, as the transmission jumped out of gear. The Lynch Service Department ran a computer check and it called for the transmission to be replaced. Lynch was great, it took several weeks for the transmission to arrive, Nissan was pretty quick to say yes, and all was good. Unfortunately, it all arrived after the Dega race. I may not schedule that again, because I am wondering if I’m snake bit on that one. By the way, the truck is running great. I believe it’s an updated version, because I don’t notice the nine speed transmission shifting, as I did in the original. The transmission was changed out after 12 months and just under 5,000 miles for the record.
I have a new interest now; one I’ve had for just over 60 years. When I was a kid, I had a cousin that was into Ham Radio. From pictures I saw he had a really cool setup. But, for me, it never happened. Now, I am studying for the Amateur Radio Technician license and dabble in GMRS (General Radio Mobile Service). That deserves its own post and will expand what I discuss here.
Camper Jerry and His Friends 