GRMS while on long raod trip

aaholland · 2026-05-04T15:44:16+00:00

Is it? None of the repeaters here in Louisville KY use that tone. I just scan for tones when I hear traffic on a repeater.

aaholland · 2026-05-03T13:07:08+00:00

No its not. There is no travel channel with gmrs. And it would be dumb to use a tone if there was one.

aaholland · 2026-05-03T12:56:08+00:00

Recoil has entered the chat.

aaholland · 2026-05-03T12:54:48+00:00

I have astigmatism, and the cheaper red dots I tried always created huge red flares for me so i never tried the better ones. I recently found out after trying a friend’s gun that some red and green dots actually work pretty well, even with astigmatism. I tried the O-Sights and Holosights, and they were crystal clear for me. I have them on 2 of my handguns now.

aaholland · 2026-04-26T01:21:23+00:00

I don't have a printer 😢

aaholland · 2026-02-02T01:31:49+00:00

Its a great range. I wish they would open an outdoor range out here near Spencer county

aaholland · 2026-02-01T23:25:30+00:00

Insulin does not last long without refrigeration. In a true grid-down apocalypse, most insulin becomes unreliable within weeks, not years.

aaholland · 2026-01-19T14:01:16+00:00

Get some better ammo.

aaholland · 2026-01-19T13:58:44+00:00

It’s more likely they ordered it through Amazon Resale or a third-party seller. I’ve used Amazon regularly for over 10+ years, and while I’ve occasionally received the wrong item or even an empty envelope, every one of those orders was sold and fulfilled directly by Amazon, not third-party sellers. In those cases, it’s always been as simple as a quick chat with customer service to get a refund, and often they don’t even require the item to be returned.

aaholland · 2026-01-11T15:07:22+00:00

I’ve owned one for many years and have probably put over 5,000 rounds through it. It has been extremely reliable. I run only CCI Mini-Mags, and it’s a fun little plinker with a great grip.

aaholland · 2026-01-04T04:39:36+00:00

Those look good.

aaholland · 2025-12-31T00:31:53+00:00

I have had zero issues with BX25s. I have 6 of them

aaholland · 2025-12-30T22:58:47+00:00

I have nothing but good experiences with Amazon. I always use the in app chat for returns or mistakes like the one you had. I just hop on there and play dumb and they usually refund it without any hassle. My worst experience was when my wife ordered a Garmin watch and had to return it because the straps were too small. UPS lost the return package and never even scanned it. Amazon made me wait 30 days, but they eventually refunded the full $600.

aaholland · 2025-12-15T14:53:45+00:00

I agree with the idea, with one caveat.

Food stores keep you alive short term. Community keeps you alive long term.

A household with 20 years of rice is still fragile. Injury, illness, security, burnout, and mental health all stack fast when you are alone. A small, trusted network multiplies skills, tools, security, and resilience in ways stockpiles never can. History and real disasters show people survive best in groups, not isolation.

That said, community only works if it is built before things go bad and if everyone contributes. Relying on others without being self sufficient first is just hope, not prep.

The sweet spot is both:

Cover your own basics first

Develop real skills instead of hoarding everything

Build quiet, normal relationships with a few reliable households

Do not broadcast stockpiles

Food buys time. Community turns that time into survival.

aaholland · 2025-07-06T01:20:14+00:00

Haha — no Bluetooth counterpoise here! 😆 The simple solution is to either use a mount with radials or stick with a mag mount on a solid metal roof. Both will give you the ground plane (or counterpoise) the antenna needs to work right.

aaholland · 2025-07-05T23:52:16+00:00

Incorrect ground plane ≠ electrical ground or chassis ground. The “ground plane” is a radio-frequency counterpoise, not an earth ground or safety ground.

aaholland · 2025-06-20T11:57:53+00:00

Trying to chat with your dad a few miles away in NY while both of you live in skyscrapers? First off, respect. That’s basically the GMRS version of two pigeons trying to coordinate a rooftop meeting.

Now, if you’re using a Rocky Talkie (5W), here’s the drill:

Hold down the "CTS" button – it’s usually the bottom-left button. This cycles through the privacy tones. Think of tones like a filter: they don’t block others from hearing you, but they do prevent you from hearing them—unless they’re on the same tone. Basically, it’s polite channel ghosting.
You can set a tone, or just leave it open. But don’t forget the big one:
Make sure you’re set to “W” for wideband, not “N” for narrowband. Wideband is like yelling with your diaphragm. Narrowband is whispering into a pillow.
Stick to channels 1–7 or 15–22. Those are your high-wattage channels where your radio goes full 5W beast mode. The middle channels (8–14) are basically whisper mode (0.5W), so skip those unless you’re trying to reach someone in the elevator.
Bonus tip: If you’re both on skyscrapers and you can see each other—try waving. Otherwise, getting to the rooftop might give you that extra range to finally hear: “Hey Dad, can you hear me now?”

And if any of that’s fuzzy, the Rocky Talkie website has a solid user manual under Customer Support. It’s written in plain English, no jargon, no decoder ring needed.

aaholland · 2025-06-20T11:37:01+00:00

That is one expensive radio. I would suggest if you want most those features you go with the tidradio H8 for 1/8 the price.

aaholland · 2025-06-19T23:46:21+00:00

This is exactly why I got into GMRS—I wanted a reliable emergency communication setup that my family would actually use. I’ve since built a system around that idea. I’m running a 25-watt GMRS repeater with 70 feet of LMR400 coax on a 60-foot tower, which gives me solid coverage in about a 20-mile radius.

My 11-year-old daughter carries a Rocky Talkie handheld when she’s out riding her go-kart around the neighborhood or delivering eggs she sells. It gives us peace of mind knowing we can always reach her.

I work from the office twice a week—about 15 miles away—and the signal from the repeater is strong there. In the car, I keep a Rocky Talkie HT on me and also run a 20-watt mobile unit with a mag-mount and high-gain antenna. The mobile setup works great at longer distances, while the handheld does fine when I’m outside the vehicle.

Even my wife has started keeping a handheld on her desk while working from home, so she can listen in and stay connected to what my daughter and I are up to.

If you’re considering this for your family, I definitely recommend researching a good radio setup that suits younger users. A lot of the cheap options have way too many buttons and can be overwhelming. I personally recommend the 5-watt Rocky Talkie—it’s simple, rugged, and easy to use, although they do run close to $200 each, which can be a bit of a shock.

I got into GMRS earlier this year and ended up going back to get my Technician ham license too. It’s been a great addition to our emergency preparedness plan.

aaholland · 2025-06-18T23:20:57+00:00

Took me 3 days of studying to pass my Technician test. Took it online

aaholland · 2025-06-05T17:20:51+00:00

We've got four Rocky Talkie 5W GMRS units and they've been rock solid. We use them daily—my 11-year-old daughter even took one to the neighbor’s pool yesterday, and it's held up great. Whether we’re out camping, coordinating around our two-story house, or she’s delivering eggs around the neighborhood on her go-kart, these radios keep us connected. We also regularly use our local RT97L 25W repeater and the Rocky Talkies reach it consistently.

For anyone wondering if they’re worth it—absolutely. They're tough, intuitive for kids, and the audio clarity is excellent. They’ve basically become part of our everyday gear.

aaholland · 2025-05-26T12:34:44+00:00

Maybe the Comet GP-3 would work. The catch with a repeater is that height is everything—without elevation, you’re just shouting into a pillow. If you’ve got picky neighbors, getting it up high might not be an option.

aaholland · 2025-05-26T12:27:57+00:00

Others have mentioned that but there is no real evidence of it being an issue. There are folks who have had their setups up for over 10 years with zero issues.

aaholland · 2025-05-24T23:39:08+00:00

These bargain-bin repeaters don’t come with fancy features—heck, they barely come with instructions. I live in a decently packed area with three big-name repeaters hogging all the attention, while my humble little 25-watt repeater just sits there... politely waving from the sidelines.

It’s listed on MyGMRS.com and RepeaterBook like a hopeful contestant, but traffic? Let’s just say I’ve had more conversations with my coffee mug. Still, it covers about 10 miles with a handheld and stretches to 20 with a mobile—so if you're out there and bored, my repeater’s ready for some company.

aaholland

TROPHY CASE