The Ham Rep of Being "Nags" & How GMRS Capable VHF/UHF radios are the solution.

So this is a a bit of a follow up to my article on using GMRS with Ham radios.

I recently saw a reddit conversation surrounding what handheld to get for small group comms...., and of course the usual contingent of hard nosed rule followers showed up to perpetually remind the poster that GMRS with a Ham radio is not legal or if you listen to any emergency traffic you had better make sure you don't TX or YOU'LL BE SORRY... to which the fellow chuckled and called the folks all nags... and I think they were onto something.

By and large... ham radio folks really seem to love their rules, and I underline the word "love" intentionally. These folks don't just like rules because it makes their life simpler/better/whatever, they LOVE them. To these folks, rules mean the world to them, blindlyand they need to make sure everyone else respects the rules... even if the ultimate outcome of it is a disservice to their well being.

Boy... if that isn't love... I don't know what is!

So laws have reasons, and at face value the GMRS restriction is a good one. Folks can't take these devices and go get themselves into trouble or disrupt others well being. Makes sense...

Except... Johnny T Dumbbut can legally buy 10x more powerful radios legally to listen and just as easily (if not more so) misconfigure those in the process... but is absolutely operating legally right up until they misconfigure it or accidentally push PTT...

So the law to protect idiots from themselves argument immediately falls on it's face pretty fast.

I think this is what Enthusiasts Need to Consider:

What does discouraging folks from operating a VHF/UHF radio on GMRS frequencies do for onself and the hobby that clearly interests us? What does it do for a persons well being to take that stance?

I can argue clearly it's doing you a disservice.

Why Ham Should Be Embracing GMRS on UHF/VHF HTs

Been to a radio club meeting lately? I've never seen so many oxygen tanks outside of a scuba class. 3/4 of the meeting has a foot in the grave.

Been on repeaters lately? They're DEAD most of the day. I've covered a thousand miles North and South on I5 and it's a lot of talking to myself seeing if anyone is on many of these community repeaters. It's no secret and clubs acknowledge it: repeaters are empty.

Soon, Ham as a hobby is going to need to backfill, and unless folks really want to take their empty repeaters to the graves with them (or: generally leave them behind for their kids to take down) ... the hobby that doesn't have the function or appeal it once had needs to figure out how to keep folks interested.

GMRS capable VHF/UHF radios are the best pipeline into the hobby that has existed in decades.

One single device that costs less than a cheeseburger and can be very easily programmed can take somebody from entry and practical application (small group comms), to listening to VHF/UHF get their curiosity peaked, to their first legal transmission on VHF/UHF when they get licensed... and will always have practical application as they progress onwards.

Man what an amazing boon to the hobby!

So why are folks trying to put their thumb over the water hose... when they're about to die of dehydration?