By John Buster
KN6RLM/WROX508
General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) is gaining traction in the
Mother Lode. A useful tool to help keep family members and
friends connected, it has also proved to be a valuable tool in
emergency situations. Neighborhood Radio Watch (NRW) groups
have been formed in several towns here in Tuolumne County.
Pinecrest, Twain Harte, Groveland, and Columbia have NRW nets.
Some are simplex nets, like in Pinecrest and Twain Harte, and
some use a local repeater, like Groveland and Columbia.
The Columbia College Hobby Hill repeater is a GMRS '700'
repeater. The Hobby Hill GMRS repeater uses CH21
(RX=462.700MHz) with a +5MHz offset (TX=467.700MHz) and a CTCSS tone of
(RX77.0/TX77.0) TSQL. GMRS users should know how to program their radios to work on this
repeater.
The Hobby Hill GMRS repeater has a Zello linking system. Using the Zello (free) app for PC,
Android, or iPhone, add the “Hobbyhillgmrsrepeater” channel to connect to the Hobby Hill
repeater, and one of the moderators can make you a trusted user. When you connect just give
us a shout! A valid GMRS license is required. All GMRS users are invited to the Tuesday night
net (7:30 pm PST time)!
Our Hobby Hill Repeater Zello link has been a work in progress, and I believe Jeff Tolhurst,
N6JWT/WRDP326, is working on acquiring a more robust Zello gateway, as our current setup
has a bit of lag. Even with the lag, we have had good communications with folks near and far,
and we get compliments on our net every week. Thanks guys!
Our Tuesday night net (@ 7:30 pm local (PST) time) has been a general user net, accepting
check-ins from all stations; all users are welcome. Our net has also been running up to an
hour or more, so the need to create a separate net to run the NRW for the local folks here in
Columbia has been noticed. Our Zello link has allowed our net to grow and we have found
friends nationwide, but as the net grows, the run-time also has exceeded an hour. So, we are
considering a separate NRW simplex net to reduce traffic, and to also let local FRS (Family
Radio Service) stations participate. FRS stations cannot use the Hobby Hill repeater without a
valid GMRS license.
A simplex net may begin on Fridays (from 6-9 pm PST), for the Columbia NRW. GMRS shares
the same simplex channels with FRS radios, and non-licensed users can participate with
those radios during the proposed Friday Night NRW simplex net. This net will use CH15, with
a CTCSS tone of 151.3. Sorry folks, but there will not be a Zello link for this net. It's for the
locals only. The focus being emergency communications and neighborhood communications
in an emergency is the sole purpose of this NRW net.
Thanks to Tuolumne County Amateur Radio Emergency Services (TCARES) for helping to
build our infrastructure and for being supportive as we grow our user base! A special thanks
to Greg, WA6HNA, our local repeater guru! And Jeff, N6JWT/WRDP326, thanks for putting up
with all my questions and for running our Tuesday night nets. You guys are my heroes, thanks
for your support. This is WROX508 and I'll be clear.
My name is John Buster, and I've been a member of TCARES for a couple years. My dad was a contractor and used HAM
radio to communicate with repeaters and auto patch from all kinds of remote places when I was a kid. I always thought it
was magical, and I can remember times that his Motorola trunked repeater system got us out of a few binds! Fast forward to
me getting on the air, I was a CDL interstate truck driver, and used CB radio to communicate with other drivers and
companies I worked with. I listened to a lot of garbage on the CB and after I left the trucking industry I realized there was a
much better way to communicate with people. I got my technician license and made some good friends, and after that got
my GMRS license to get my whole family on the radio. I live in a fire-prone area, and communications are vital during
emergencies. I belong to the Hobby Hill Repeater Group and we have an established Neighborhood Radio Watch Net. I hope
to help strengthen our emergency preparedness and look forward to helping improve TCARES relationship with the OES.
73's! KN6RLM