It’s important not to take certain formalities too seriously; one should focus on using the radio in a matter that works well for them. With that said; there are a few general rules to keep in mind for starters:
- GMRS users must identify their transmissions with their FCC issued call-sign every 15 minutes, or at the end of a series of transmissions.
- Foul language is not allowed by the FCC
- Keep a brief pause between transmissions so other stations can have a chance to break in if they need to.
- When using a repeater, wait until after the courtesy tone to transmit – this is a brief beep or tone you may hear shortly after someone keys up the system. The intent is to give a pause for other stations to break in. Some repeaters will time-out after a few minutes if this is not followed and cease to transmit for a brief duration. Not all repeaters will have this.
For making contact with other stations on either simplex frequencies or repeaters, the following phrase conventions are most common, but can certainly be adjusted as you see fit. You’ll certainly learn your own convention as you use your radios, so these are just for getting started. Substitute WABC123 with your own callsign:
