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Page Last Updated
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
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Memorandum |
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The purpose of this Memorandum is to clearly
define roles and responsibilities of the Members/users and the owner(s) of the Long Island
GMRS Alliance (LIGMRSA) General Mobile Radio System (GMRS) repeaters described below. |
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For the purposes of this particular
Memorandum, the following definitions can be used: |
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General Mobile Radio System is the personal
radio service described in the FederalCommunications Commission’s Rules (CFR 47, Part
95). GMRS is a licensed radio service, and is different from the Family Radio Service. |
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GMRS Repeaters (Repeaters) are conventional
UHF repeaters installed on GMRS Frequencies, and operated by a GMRS Licensee. |
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This Memorandum applies specifically to the following repeaters: |
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462.550 (PL 114.8) Located in Smithtown,
Melville, Selden, Wading River, Riverhead, Queens, and Manhattan, NY |
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The Repeater Owner (owner) is the GMRS
licensee who has undertaken the responsibility of maintaining the repeater equipment and
making it available for use. This person is ultimately responsible for the proper
operation of the repeater. This includes a good faith effort to insure that the repeater
is available for licensed and permitted users, and not available to unlicensed users or
others who abuse the privilege of access. The repeaters in this case are operated by WPUF920. |
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Member (Regular user) is any GMRS licensed
individual, and any family members covered by that license that has requested and obtained
verbal and/or written permission from the Repeater Owner to access the above GMRS
repeaters. Members are assigned a Unit Number. |
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Temporary User is any GMRS licensed individual
that accesses the repeater on a non-regular basis (pass through or emergency) or is a
member of a repeater that the LIGMRSA has a reciprocal use agreement with. |
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ACCESS PERMISSION |
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| 1. |
The owner hereby grants free of
charge permission for use of the repeaters listed in this document to any user meeting the
following requirements: |
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a. |
The User is a Member or Temporary User as defined above. |
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b. |
The User holds a current and valid GMRS
license. |
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c. |
The
user abides by all GMRS rules, regulations, and guidelines in effect by both the FCC and
the repeater owner. |
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d. |
The user is aware and considerate of the
shared nature of the repeaters. |
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e. |
The user has not had access privileges revoked
by the owner. |
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| 2. |
The user is expected to: |
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a. |
To enter into this agreement in good faith. |
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b. |
Maintain their GMRS license. |
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c. |
Purchase and properly maintain their own GMRS radio equipment. |
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d. |
Contact the repeater owner for Member access
permission if they become a frequent user. |
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e. |
Follow all applicable FCC and LIGMRS rules and
guidelines. |
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f. |
Be courteous, considerate and helpful to other
users. |
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g. |
Refrain from using Obscene, profane or
indecent words, language or meaning. |
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h. |
Report
suspected repeater problems and/or Interference to the owner. |
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RELIABILITY |
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The owner will make an effort to keep the
equipment operational. However, there is NO GUARANTEE that the GMRS repeater equipment will be available for
use at any given time |
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In the event of a failure of the GMRS system,
the GMRS system will be off the air until repairs are made. In addition, failure of the
repeater equipment could possibly lead to extended downtimes, depending on the
circumstances and any repair/replacement costs and availability of money to pay for them. |
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DO NOT RELY ON GMRS RADIO SYSTEMS FOR CRITICAL
COMMUNICATIONS. |
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UPGRADES
AND FUNDING |
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By FCC rule, the repeater owner cannot charge
a “for profit” fee or subscription for GMRS repeater use. It does take a
considerable amount of money and time to install and maintain the systems properly.
There is no rule that prohibits donations
towards the costs of equipment maintenance and upgrades. The repeater owner would
appreciate any and all donations of any size to defray some of the costs of installing and
maintaining the equipment. Anyone who makes a donation will be listed on the GMRS
Repeater Fund page, which can be found at our DONATION page. All donations go DIRECTLY towards keeping the
repeater systems running and, possibly adding upgrades or additional sites in the future. |
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The Repeaters were installed to encourage and
foster mutual interest in G.M.R.S radio communications and provide public service (by
providing such communication when required as a result of normal communication means being
disrupted by natural or man made causes), operates several radio repeater stations to
enhance the quality of communication available. |
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Licensed by the Federal Communications
Commission, the repeaters and the users of said repeaters MUST comply with ALL FCC
mandated rules and regulations. IN ADDITION, beyond the minimum required by law, The Long
Island GMRS Alliance has established operating procedures, to optimize the use of the
repeaters and to define a level of quality which is representative of all the users. |
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While not all inclusive, the following
procedures establish a baseline for all repeater users to follow. All communications are
to be in English ONLY |
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Station
Identification |
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| I. |
All stations are required to identify
themselves, upon initially transmitting on the repeater and every fifteen minutes. In
addition, when operating in a "roundtable" one's call should be announced more
frequently if needed to facilitate efficient communication. |
| II. |
When initially coming on the repeater, when
not previously in use, it is only necessary to announce your call sign. If you are trying
to contact a specific station, you should announce for example … "WPUF920 Unit
292 from WPVZ550 Unit 504". |
| III. |
If the repeater is already in use, please wait
for a pause between stations to announce your call. ONLY USE THE TERM "BREAK" OR
"BREAK BREAK" In times of emergency (break), or life threatening (break break). |
| IV. |
All stations using the repeater should pause
after the previous station drops to minimize inadvertent "doubling"
(simultaneous transmission) and to allow time for new stations to identify. |
| V. |
For those stations using the repeater, upon
the announcement of a new station, the next station in rotation should acknowledge the new
station AND turn it over to them and indicate who they should turn it over to keep the
rotation intact. |
| VI. |
If a station announces a single or double
"break" the repeater is to be given to them IMMEDIATELY
for their traffic. |
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Use
of Plain Language |
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Communication should be in plain ENGLISH
language. "10" codes are not required and their use should be minimized.
Similarly, phonetics should be reserved for those instances when they are required
(minimal signal/emergency traffic for example). |
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Content |
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| I |
While certain topics and vocabulary are not
"illegal" for commercial broadcasting, the operator of the repeaters DOES
prohibit those communications which are in poor taste or a waste of the repeater facility.
While the following should not be considered all inclusive, it will establish a baseline
for behavior which is NOT PERMITTED on the Repeaters:
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| II |
"Off Color" comments, sexual
innuendo and ANY double entendre. |
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Commercial communication – you can,
certainly, identify you occupation... however, if you are, for example, a car salesman,
you CANNOT try to sell your wares on the repeater or conduct business over the air. |
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Derogatory remarks directed at any group
(ethnic, racial, religious, sexual etc). |
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"Bathroom Humor" – If you
wouldn't tell the joke to your ten year old child, don't tell it on the repeater. |
| VI |
Any activity in violation of FCC rules and/or
any other Federal, state or local laws or ordinances (including, but not limited to:
jamming, "stepping on", broadcasting of music, unidentified carrier etc). Note:
intentionally transmitting simultaneously with another station ("stepping on")
is prohibited by FCC regulation…even if the intent is good natured kidding among
friends... It is still illegal. |
| VII |
Proper and legal operating etiquette is 95%
common sense. While the above limits on content are not all inclusive, they should make
clear the type of communication which is NOT appropriate. In general, if what is being
said could be construed as embarrassing or hurtful by a listener, it is probably NOT
permitted. Always err on the side of caution. When in doubt... DON'T. |
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