I am a avid user of amatuer and GMRS radios when out camping and thought I'd share this.
For some of the remote areas which you camp, there might be an existance of a GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) repeater on a remote hilltop for everyone to use. This is helpful when family splits up to explore different areas and cellphones may not work well or family budget limits the number available.
One place I want you to look to better understand what I am talking about is at this website
www.northgeorgiagmrs.com/
This nice gentleman started a project throughout Georgia, where he has placed GMRS repeaters throughout most of the state, he allows those passing through to use them for free and will assign you and your family on the system. For 85bucks, one can easily get a GMRS license for five years, which the entire family can use. There is no test required for this and you can apply at
www.fcc.gov
for the license and recieve a callsign within 2-3 business days.
The Georgia GMRS repeaters work well as they are several thousand feet above sea level. For the campers up that way, you may find this a inexpensive mode for keeping in touch with family and friends throughout the day..
Anyone wishing to know more, visit the north gerogia GMRS website, there are several GMRS organizations throughout the US on a google search. This one is about the most organized and informative..
Gary
