Question re: pre-teen kids

Well, since that was a business operating out of a set location, they are pretty easy to find. Finding the kids running around an amusement park who are sparingly (or even constantly) using a "restricted" frequency is not so simple a task nor is it particularly worth it.

I can just see the FCC running around Cedar Point in black vans with antennae just like in Pump Up The Volume to bust the perps.

HHH forever!!!!11

Not really.

Ok, now we're just being silly. No, the FCC will not be running around Cedar Point with black vans looking for kids. We all know this is totally unrealistic and yes, odds are somewhere in the infinity range that these kids would be caught, or even adults doing the same thing.

All I can do is simply encourage you to do the right thing.

Did you know that Cedar Point uses one of the GMRS frequencies without a license? (462.575 MHz ... Hmm I think they may get caught soon...)

Ok, reality check here. The only point to any of these posts was simply to inform and educate. Like I said before, what you choose to do is your own free will. At least you know the facts.

Yes, GMRS requires a license. Do kids and families ever get caught by the FCC? Well.. not really. Do people get caught? Yes. Especially businesses.

Will this information change your ways? Probably not.. but it gives you something to think about.

I am just being realistic by not expecting you to, but encouraging you to get a license if you use GMRS.

*** Edited 8/14/2006 9:20:49 PM UTC by WPXY658***

Jeff said:
....Pump Up The Volume...

Awesome movie by the way.

What does it matter to you if they get licenses or not?

Licensing brings organization to an otherwise chaotic radio service.

GMRS licenses are for wimps. 5 watts? Pfft. We all know what the real radio license to get is. Nothing like having access to around 20 different bands throughout the spectrum for a very nominal fee license which requires a small multiple guess test.

The FCC is just grubbing money for GMRS licenses.
*** Edited 8/15/2006 2:12:09 AM UTC by bholcomb***

WQDC539 said:
Licensing brings organization to an otherwise chaotic radio service.

So basically you want to make radio space a private club that you have to pay $85 to join?

You got it Fastball.

The FCC is more concerned about closed systems leaking into the open air and taking down airplanes than they are about illegal GMRS operators.

All the license does is stop the majority, who think they actually have a chance of getting fined, from using it.

If anyone's smart they don't report anyone or anything to the FCC anyhow because they'll be by to make sure you're following the code by the book as soon as they're done with the other party. Trust me, they'll find something wrong.

Believe it or not, most of the families, individuals and kids I spoke with over the air on my recent trip to Cedar Point were actually cooperative when told that a license is required to use channels 15-22. I don't think asking to move to 1-14 is a lot to ask. GMRS was not intended for little kids to play around with. GMRS is a radio service for licensed individuals and their families to communicate with each other in a civilized way. If the kids really want to play around, they should use FRS (channels 1-14).

Wow, you don't even realize when people are making fun of you.

And you didn't hear the CP police on that band because I've heard them on my scanner on their licensed frequency. You heard someone pretending to be police.

GMRS is a joke, and that's why it barely gets the time of day from the FCC. No one needs that bandwidth anymore because we have cell phones. Even HAM is slowly becoming little more than a cute distraction for storm chasers.

And please don't bring up the thing about natural disasters and nuclear war, because in those cases, trying to radio anyone is about the last thing I'd be worrying about.

Really Jeff? I certainly remember no cell service in the Gulf Coast last year for about 2 weeks, and the lone communications were radios. HAM radio played a big role in the emergency and recovery efforts in New Orleans.

That certainly wasn't the public at large though. If I implied something out of that context, that was not my intention. The "masses" get along just fine with cell phones, and the need for some other form of radio to tell your family you're waiting at the Red Garter Saloon is nonexistent.

Well, I certainly would agree with you there. Cellphones work fine for me to talk to others, especially at something like Cedar Point.

HAM Radio isn't making itself obsolete just yet.

But it's becoming a smaller and smaller niche. In fact, when you listen, you hear them talking about talking on land lines and IM these days. Seems kind of against the culture!

I personally do not use it much to talk. It's easier to hold a conversation with someone in the car while on a radio than it is a cellphone (unless you have a hands free kit - but I have yet to hear a good hands free cellphone kit work). It's also free to hold conversations on the radio, so that comes into play as well. Mostly it's for community service, emergencies and skywarn nets. Things like the MS 150 bike-a-thon (try and coordinate something over 150 miles without using radios), or we just had an emergency drill here recently. We also used live amateur television at a week long concert festival we have here in Lansing.

It still does have its uses. I will agree with you that a lot of the Skywarn people are retards (We have enough of them in the Lansing area to fill a bus) but there are some people who still do care, do have a brain in their head, and do put together pretty good storm nets. It also doesn't help we haven't had any real storms in a number of years (the last real big event I can think of is the 1998 derecho event)

Is it a short bus?

^ You almost made me choke on my Wendy's, bastard! LOL. ;)

I know that the Cedar Point Police use their licensed frequency; however, when speaking to the young female employees at what I believe to be one of the Cedar Point Resorts on 462.575 MHz with a PL of 186.2, an older sounding male got on the air and claimed to be the Cedar Point Police. One of the resort employees must have told a security officer to speak to me. Otherwise, you may be right. They could have been pretending. However, I know I have identified a GMRS business pirate. The young females were saying things like "Room 56 wants a coffee" and did not sound like regular people walking around the amusement park.

Cell phones serve their own purpose. They provide private communications all across America. Most cell phones nowadays even have features such as games, cameras, annoying selectable ringtones, and even GPS units. However, cell phone users are required to pay monthly fees which can be quite high if you choose to download all the frills. FRS/GMRS radios are free to use, provided that you stay on channels 1-14 and operate under 2 watts. FRS radios are great at amusement parks if you need instant communication with members of your group at the push of a button. I am not asking you to stop using FRS radios. I am simply asking those who do not wish to purchase a license to stay on channels 1-14 so those who actually paid for the license don't have to deal with unlicensed activity. I am not the only one who chose to purchase a license. Tens and thousands of users nationwide have purchased a license. I am simply encouraging those who wish to use channels 15-22 and enjoy the benefits of licensing such as higher power to purchase a license. FRS, GMRS and HAM will most likely not become obsolete because there will always be a need for "walkie-talkies." These radios provide instant communication at low costs.

Though the FCC does care about illegal businesses, you are right about the FCC not caring about illegal individuals. I am not saying that unlicensed individuals will never get caught, I am just saying that busting unlicensed individual GMRS users is not at the top of the FCC's priority list. However, that does not mean that we should give up on GMRS. The only way to decrease unlicensed family activity is through education. That is why I made my website. That is also why I speak to unlicensed users on the air and that is why I am posting this. I hope to educate the public about proper GMRS usage to support the licensed GMRS community and the entire community of people who have the need for instant communication via radio. It is the LAW after all. It seems rather odd that the co-webmaster of one of the busiest Cedar Point fan sites doesn't care about the law.
*** Edited 8/15/2006 8:23:20 PM UTC by WQDC539***

I am just saying that busting unlicensed individual GMRS users is not at the top of the FCC's priority list.

But it seems to be at the top of your list of things to do for fun. Did you ride any roller coasters or see any live shows while you were at Cedar Point? Or did you sit on a park bench with your radio in a clenched fist and a big frown on your face?

You have a lot of passion, but outside of the GMRS community, no one else cares. Right or wrong, it falls way down on the list of everyday problems.

I saw someone throw a cigarette butt out of a car window this morning. That's littering and against the law. But what I didn't do was go to a car enthusiast web site and rant about how horrible it is.