This is a reminder that there is a weekly net on the BEL 550 GMRS repeater (462.550). Please come out and join us — the net takes place every Saturday evening at 8:30 PM.
For those new to the term, a net is like a moderated conference call over radio. It's the most efficient way to talk when there are several people on the air. The purpose of the Saturday net is to help us all grow in the knowledge and practice of using GMRS radios, with a lot of the discussion aimed at being prepared to use radio in a disaster or grid-down situation.
Each week we have a chance for everyone to check in and make sure your radio is working, share any announcements of interest to the community, and then move to a topic of the week to discuss — best practices, how-tos, and similar. We keep it brief, and anyone who wants to stay on and talk further afterward is welcome to.
Please join us if you're interested. See you on the air!
Jim, welcome to the forum.
First, are you familiar with how to program your radio to use repeaters? If not, your receive frequency should be programmed to 462.550 MHz and your transmit frequency should be set to 467.550 MHz. Your CTCSS transmit tone should be turned on and set to 151.4 Hz.
If that's all set correctly, can you tell us what radio and antenna you're using? It will probably help you to either get to higher ground (if portable or mobile) and/or turn your power setting to maximum. You may need to look into getting a different antenna.
I believe the repeater is located on the east side of Sehome Hill, and that would put Lummi Island in its dead zone. What part of the island are you on?