DON'T MAKE THESE Ham Radio, CB & GMRS Mistakes! Common Mistakes That New Radio Operators Make Most

Are you a new Ham radio operator, new to GMRS or even CB radio? Dont sound like a noob! I go over several common mistakes that new and beginner Ham radio operators, CB users and GMRS users make.
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[@gregboggs4721]

You’re not a radio expert by any means.

[@antonschmidt1698]

Pinned Trophy is on its way to you.

[@felts8031]

Sad Ham? Sad Golfer? Just Sad?

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

I take it you're some kind of radio expert expert then?

[@richardmillican7733]

Perhaps this comment is "reverse psychology" and is indeed a compliment??

[@garycook5125]

Are you a radio expert? I have some questions for you.

[@eskieguy9355]

My father told me that. wisdom is not knowing everything, it's knowing where to get the answers. Fortunately I've found that place.

[@Aimsport-video]

ushing the mic and letting go before I’m done tal

[@bradcarroll]

Forgot the BEEP at the end LOL

[@ohiobigfootoutdoors]

I just got my GMRS call sign yesterday. I went GMRS because of you. My group in Ohio is getting their GMRS. Thank you for the videos. We will be using ours to communicate in national forest and state parks, While seeking evidence of Bigfoot.

[@JustinG85]

I'm also in Ohio and just ordered my first GMRS radios yesterday because of this channel.

[@jamesbonnell4597]

Bigfoot is a Ham operator. 😢

[@BOBO-hr3qt]

I love to go SQUACHIN

[@GearSlammer]

Find any Bigfeets yet?

[@bloodbushcraft2467]

The Ohio grass man carries he's own walkie talkie, and bigfoot works for the FCC. So don't get caught with your uv5r lol

[@kaceesavage]

I love how every time I watch one of your videos I get some old person medicine ad. Lol

[@petek1pml746]

I’ve made all of these mistakes, Its usually sad hams who don’t like roger beeps. To each their own. Keep up the good work Randy!

[@andrewyoung-n8ary]

I turn mine off because I don’t want people thinking my high-end Baofeng is one of those cheap Hello Kitty radios.

[@andrewyoung-n8ary]

Roger beeps can be annoying when listening to low talkers.

[@nashonabo821]

Oh man I’m never turning it off if it bothers them that much

[@StevenRAssmann-tb7ty]

The sad hams need to learn and to follow the K.I.S.S. Principle. They don’t understand that posting a entire book of information is over kill. Please keep your reply short and sweat. People are often not impressed with your knowledge. The Sad Hams are often much like the sports fanatic who rambles off about the number of runs batted in, the speed the ball was thrown, the MVP of the year, the number of yards run, turn overs etc. and much more other useless information. Most people don’t care about that much detail.

[@buddycraigg]

I have never made any of those mistakes, because I know everything. Including, that I know you would never waste my time, because I am your favorite viewer.

[@brentchristians9888]

Lol you keep me in stitches. You are what the ham world would call an Elmer. All good advice. A good refresher for a decades old ham radio operator. Just keep up the good work. Radio operation should be a life skill all people should know about and use. You never know when the next solar storm will wipe out cell phones, the internet and most modern forms of communication..... temporarily of course

[@Blaculo]

Many hams in my area seem to suffer from ‘low t’. It’s an epidemic.

[@440pressurewashing]

I'm glad you said that the ham still need a gmrs license cuz most I talk to said their ham license supersedes the gmrs license

[@TheNotaRubicon]

I have actually had a ham radio operator tell me the same thing. Next time one tells you that, you can quote me and say: "you are an idiot"

[@Chris_KS5KY]

That's probably one of the people that just memorized all the correct answers and didn't actually learn anything. Randy is right, tell them they're an idiot and move on.

[@440pressurewashing]

@@TheNotaRubicon yeah here's the newest one that they just told me they told me it was illegal to listen to ham bands without a license laughing my ass off on that one starting to think the people with ham licenses their frequencies are f****** with their brain

[@StormsRadiosCats]

@@440pressurewashing They are holding their HT too close to their head and it's baked their last brain cell, i know where they can put that radio though...

[@rogerstruthers3799]

@@440pressurewashing Well that just proves without a doubt that these radio transmissions ARE messing up our brains. That's why I'll just stick to GMRS.

[@darrencontinoytube]

Radio expert by any means or not; still tops in my book. Thanks for the help, guidance, wisdom, patience and above all else sarcasm. Please continue to key over Karens and keep up the great channel.

[@dalebishop2632]

Applied and paid for my GMRS license on Friday (2-11) Waitng for that, I was gifted a UV-5R and ordered a new one for $19. Next step is study for HAM

[@edgardoramos6061]

Your videos are not boring at all, I enjoy them so much, they are entertaining and informative.

[@TS-my9yq]

Thankfully, since finding this channel earlier this year and subsequently, becoming "your favorite viewer" I have been able to minimize making mistakes. There was this one time at camp and I turned off my "Roger Beep" after being scolded over the air by what eventually I would learn is a "sad ham". Thank you for another great learning experience.

[@kaiel5006]

Randy my man, you perform one of these mistakes on almost every video I remember watching. That's ok though, I have really come to enjoy watching your videos over the passed couple months and you've really expanded my interest in radio as a hobby. Because of that, I feel compelled to join today and show my appreciation to you. It's least I could do as your favorite viewer. Thanks for all the laughs and solid info.

[@BucksBe]

You crack me up and with great information! Thanks for what you do! Just bought my first GMRS and your videos are an awesome resource 🙏

[@JakeBradfield54]

Best mockery / advise I was ever given..... "think....then key the mic..."

[@NonyaDamnbusiness]

OK, the intro gag had me rolling..."World's #4 Dad". The only mistakes I've ever made in my life almost turned into international incidents. Like the time I accidentally invaded Serbia looking for a better parking spot for my gun truck convoy escort team. Or the time I accidentally invaded Albania while drunk...on a jetski...with a drunken Russian hooker. Sure, we planted little American flags on the shore but it was all an accident, I swear. And that time I accidentally invaded the Czech Republic in an Air Force truck I wasn't even driving, some stupid Senior Airman was and he refused to heed my directions!

[@marek9653]

🤣

[@youtoobaccount2521]

hahaha!! Blonde James Blonde

[@cutterhead13]

" not gonna play stupid intro music " * audible elevator music * i would never imagine much i needed thoses videos... so happy i landed here

[@patbrown7813]

Excellent videos and information. I got my gmrs license and radio. Haven't even hooked it up yet. I like your explanations. Thank you

[@jeffcooke9026]

Thank you, Randy! Your advice was rock solid! Even on police and fire radio transmissions, as well as air traffic, radio operators have gotten sloppy, putting public safety in danger. There is generally no hurry... take your time, key the mike purposefully and get the critical information to the people that need it. Slow down and annunciate!

[@aaronwilson1666]

Holy crap…your #4 dad mug made me laugh so hard. I love that.

[@MrSeanselleck]

I've made a lot of mistakes like the ones you've said. And fortunately I was able to learn from my mistakes. And radio Nazis are real. Thanks to you, my family are on gmrs and it's been a fascinating world. Thanks to your help, I've learned a ton. And when I bought a four pack of radios, I also made sure to get a SWR meter similar to one that you've used in videos, and I was thankful I paid attention to you. To anyone getting a new radio, make sure you get SWR meter because sellers don't QC their own products. Half the radios I got turned out to have a low wattage output and half the antennas I got were crap. I was also thankful for return policies.

[@kj5fns]

This brought back memories. I use to constantly correct my officers on these points except the Roger beep police radio don’t have that.

[@Chris-ro8ft]

Great video Randy; guilty of some of those mistakes… TY for the great videos Sir.

[@johnwilson9303]

Thank you Randy for an informative video.

[@honeyislandoutfitters9887]

There's one in every crowd glad it's not me "THIS TIME". I find your videos very educational and humorous it helps me with the learning process. Keep up the good work.

[@JT_Adventures]

Always fun and informative-thanks

[@paulcarcamo6992]

Just to let you know your videos are very educational thank you very much

[@F1SH_L3G]

Thanks for being pointed and informative

[@ewicky]

I've never made any of these mistakes... because I watched your video first! Thanks for the content and the attitude. Love it.

[@Digital_Photog1995]

I learned many years ago (50 years) that I was holding the microphone too close to my noise hole, while using my CB (Diamond Tram 23 channel unit) Guess it took a couple of days to get use to that amplified mic. Like today many thought they OWNED the channel and tried to keep it to themselves. Some even used a linear amplifier to attempt to block usage of their (Private) channel. Some got caught some didn’t. We had actual licenses and mine was KHC6873. Not required today. Radio sits on a shelf in the basement covered with dust. Keep up the great comic relief and informative videos!!

[@randykitchleburger2780]

Those linear amps are nuts. I have seen several 48 pills. 10-15kW easy at 12V at almost 1k amps

[@latinohero2012]

That coffee mug filled me with joy. ♥

[@coalminersdaughter]

First time watcher. Ready to listen and learn. Ty.

[@Hoover9571]

thank you for the video. i just got my gmrs license/call sign

[@Chris_KS5KY]

Another very good video. One I would add is "quick keying" the mic. Seems most of these folks think what they have to say is way more important than anyone else and they want to make sure they're heard. This is especially troublesome on repeaters that have a time out function.

[@benwilson409]

Thanks for you being you. Everyone has the right to tell it as you understand it. Stay Great

[@ilyafilru]

New to GMRS, love your channel.

[@mdwernette]

Love the ending!

[@Aimsport-video]

Can’t find the Hello Kitty radio affiliate link.

[@chrissewell1608]

I'd buy that, as long as it would say "Hello Kitty!" Every time you cut it on. 🐱

[@bernarrcoletta7419]

@@chrissewell1608 The Hello Kitty Roger beep! Lol

[@raymondj8768]

@@bernarrcoletta7419 LMFAO

[@andrewyoung-n8ary]

Now that would be great. A radio with customizable roger beeps!

[@jhutch1470]

@@chrissewell1608 I've never cut on a radio. It dulls knives.

[@John336NLT]

Another great video!

[@barnetts9812]

Reminders are always good.

[@jameshairyknuckles1655]

Getting my wouxun KG935G and KG1000G tomorrow Finally!!!!😁

[@rjflippo]

You know, all you have to do is say, “you are my family” instead of “my favorite viewer” so we could use the GMRS loophole lol

[@sevenwindsflutes]

I have spent hours and hours trying to figure out which kind of radio to buy. You sort of sold me on the wouxun 905g so I bought a pair. I applied for the license which was easy peasey. Admittedly all government websites are a bit of a challenge. As of 9/29 license fee is still $70 for 10 years. I find your dry sense of humor wonderful. Thanks for the hundreds of hours you must have spend making videos and posting them. - Michael

[@carrow2250]

Watching this while using my GMRS for the first time. Bought a couple Wouxun KG-905Gs

[@M-10783]

Ham, GMRS, CB? All I know is I’ve licensed up for everything the FCC requires I do so for and I’m interested and dable in all of it! After investing thousands in gear for everything including up to HAM General HF & CW, having watched several hours of various You Tube channels on the subject(s) I’ve ultimately landed on GMRS as the most practical down to earth com outside of conventional coms eg cell phones etc............... Furthermore I’ve come to only pretty much watch this channel for radio related “current events” and a good laugh 😂 Thank you for keeping it real and not being a doosh! I’m not saying there’s not cool dudes over in the ham side. I’ll put it this way............... You remember the guys in school that got picked last for sports and carried the girls backpacks?? Lots of those guys are over on the Ham side. It does you well to be nice to them though because they’re also good to have around if need to copy homework or steel answers off of for the test. ;) GMRS guys go four wheeling and smoke pot and throw beer bottles in fires while bimbo girls dance to a radio shack version of “Pour some sugar on me”! You know? Practical

[@ZommBleed]

I saved all the money others allot for fees and licenses, to purchase more and better equipment. Sorry if that hurts the sad hams' and federal citizens' feelings. I'm gonna transmit and broadcast to my heart's delight "without the United States' " corporate federal jurisdiction. (For those unaware, "without" is the opposite of "within.")

[@CaverJamie]

Right….

[@toml.8210]

The first thing I do with ANY new piece of equipment (even a car) is to read the instruction book or papers. It helps in keep your SQ (st00pid quotient) down to about 1:1. And just because you get a new radio that's (the same) as the last one, read the instructions anyway.

[@TheHuntercamper]

thanks for the content

[@bobmasters1678]

I need PTT training. . . Your vids are very helpful

[@markbergendahl2651]

Great tips !

[@tkflanagan4449]

YOU.....are AWESOME!!!!

[@cliffgeiger8173]

I hate to say this, but you blew my mind when you said, a hello Kitty walkie-talkie...I thought you were joking when you said that, but I looked it up and found out that they do exist! BANG! MIND BLOWN!!!

[@aldocoin]

great ending. love it

[@anthonywike8042]

you win the award for my favorite person of the unforceable future. congratulations.

[@GodfrinFNP]

I always tell folks to push the PTT, take a deep breath, and then begin to speak clearly . The time it takes for the deep breath typically is enough to allow all the electronics to catch up. cheers!

[@gregorymccullough3801]

I can see where "some people" might be confused as to which of their noise holes to hold their mike.

[@denveradams4909]

As a 9-1-1 Telecommunicator for over 30 years, I have experienced all of the radio mistakes it is possible to make. The lack of allowing for the time delay when using a repeater system is a big one that I've had to deal with. I also had two police officers who had a habit of placing the mic against their mouth and almost whispering into the mic, which was difficult for dispatchers to deal with. Besides my profession, I have had many years of experience talking on CB radio, including side band. The roger beep is a big issue with ALL of the sidebanders in my area. The fastest way to create radio enemies and bring them down on you, is to use roger beep on SSB. As far as they are concerned, only truckers and AM skippers using linear amps, use roger beep. So.......it's not just one radio operator that would come down on me; it would be an entire SSB community who would basically bully me off the air waves, for using roger beep. Therefore, I do not use it.

[@ZommBleed]

Ha ha. "9-1-1 Telecommunicator." In plain old English that's a "dispatcher," usually associated with minimum wage or thereabouts. (Dispatchers are well underpaid in my opinion. I hated sitting in for them so they could get a restroom break; that's usually when the shit hit the fan and I didn't know my ass from a hole in the ground.)

[@citizenkb7817]

I'd Roger Beep them into OBLIVION, as though God put me on this earth to teach them patience and kindess.

[@petercrosby9788]

I thank you for all you have done for those on the other end of the radio. When a nice calm voice is talking giving more information and those on the other end of the radio are dealing with other drivers, a siren right over your head, several radios and keeping track of where you are, it tends to get the adrenaline flowing. Experience, practice, feedback, and a calm dispatcher make a world of difference. I may have to try the roger beep just to see the reaction. In a way I like it. But it can be a little annoying like listening to someone whistle.

[@mojavemike6522]

Thanks

[@outbackeddie]

It dawns on me that someone telling me to turn off my Roger beep is like someone telling me what pronouns I must use to describe them. My response to "demands" like that has been, and will always be - go * yourself. Thanks for another great video.

[@Radsmachine]

Love the coffee mug...

[@vickomf1]

I got my GMRS License and my first ever contact with somebody on a repeater was about how I should turn off my RogerBeep on my Baofeng on menu item 39 because they don't really use RogerBeep on repeaters while laughing about it. What a warm welcome!

[@matthewtopping2560]

You have a point with everything

[@MrBaldypete1]

Hehehe, when I'm conducting fire training for new starters in my place of work, this first thing I go through with radio use is "Hold down the button first, then talk, stop talking when you're done and then let the button go. Got that? Show me." I'm not a radio operator (although I do have a 23 year old provisional radio operator's certificate from my days as an air force cadet....) but it's bloody irritating getting a "in room 725 the lights are...." or "....7, the guest says they're stuck"

[@iamsemjaza]

I made the mistake of thinking you were supposed to throw your radio at the person you wanted to talk to after you finished speaking. This resulted in several "shakey friendships" for a bit.

[@notwrkn2mch]

30 year trucker here so i don't know the lingo out on the trails with GMRS but the term "Good Buddy" on cb is somewhat like your "Deep Throat" mike analogy :) Put nicely your friend goes out and gets two beers and comes back and gives you one

[@adambatchelder4121]

All good points . Some listners may need Further clarification as to the definition of the noise hole.

[@BlacktailShadow]

Very true! My family is constantly telling me to quit using my noise hole.

[@larryestes6041]

I am a licensed ham and even though I am of the impression that you are at least trending toward partial insanity, I thoroughly enjoy your videos and have learned quite a lot about GMRS radio. Keep up the good work, there are some people who have to bitch about everything.

[@KurtClark]

I've made the mistake of giving in to the roger beep police. From now on, I'll decide if I want to use it...not them. Ahhh the freedom!

[@ErikOfSkellige]

You are my favorite KZbinr

[@BenOHerman]

've made a couple of these over the years. Hopefully I corrected my mistakes. Not a newbie anymor

[@offroadbaddude1]

It makes me feel so good to know that I am your favorite viewer hahaha

[@Qwiv]

You also forgot to hold antenna Vertical. You loose up to 20db if you hold radio horizontal. Called polarization. You should look into that on your learning Journey.

[@8bitwarrior]

You let go of the button too soon on almost all your videos 😂 hilarious

[@whofartedPu]

2 things I do are forgetting to let go of the button when I am done talking... and shaking my head yes in or no response to somebody who is obviously not within visual range

[@TwoFeatherChannel]

I can not resist the urge to laugh during your videos

[@_Per_Aspera_Ad_Astra_]

Yes correct. What about using ‚Repeaters‘ ? The owners might ask you to refrain from using Perp-Tones .. 🎉 then what ? ❤

[@NoName-OG1]

Uncontrollable urge - great song

[@MrStanwyck]

I love the coffee cup. #4 dad…. LOL

[@bluenetmarketing]

I made a mistake on purpose once, just to see what it was like.

[@jamiehoneter2691]

Any chance you might be able to do a comparison of radios such as Midland and their newer GMRS radios and the radios such as Baofeng, Wouxson (sorry for the spelling) ?

[@bhi7165]

I automatically like every video. Breaker breaker, One Nine

[@torjones1701]

I have never made any of those mistakes, mainly because I watched videos like this on how to avoid making them before making them. I've made my share of mistakes, but not these particular ones. (forgot to plug the antenna into the MT... forgot to charge the HT batteries after a long weekend... etc.)

[@thezwerdz8560]

Way back in the 70's (the good ol days), my parents bought me a set of sweet Space 1999 ComLock walkie talkies for Christmas. I took one with me into a grocery store with my mother, fully extended the antenna, and began attempting communication with my fellow astronauts, and was immediately cussed out by a passing trucker. I was taken by surprise because there were never any guest appearances by belligerent space truckers on the show 🤣

[@MikeKoss]

I made the mistake of pressing and holding one of those "what does this button do?" buttons. And it started blasting the alarm tone across our local repeater. RTFM.

[@randykitchleburger2780]

Well, here we have people who do it on purpose so, count your blessings

[@kdubfromthefuture]

I’ve made many of these mistakes in the past but then my Dad yelled at me and it stopped.

[@randykitchleburger2780]

Some people can't get over the fact that a radio is so simple to use, yet they feel intelligent keying up

[@DFDuck55]

I got my GMRS call sign last week. Yesterday I ordered a Wouxun KG-935G. And have sent Requests to the two repeaters on mygmrs that cover my area (one is for sure coverage, the other is a maybe as I'm on the very outside edge of their listed coverage area.) So far I have not heard back from either one. Since they may not let me play with their toys I am researching what I need to set up my own repeater, and saving up money toward doing that if that is my only option. At best it won't be a "good" repeater because 1. I don't have a lot of money to work with, living on a small retirement check. 2. I live at 36 foot elevation so the best I'll be able to do is stick the antennas up in a tree about 30 foot. But despite these shortcomings I plan to 3. have fun with it :>

[@ChrisSmith-rm6xl]

How to turn the Wouxun KG-1000G into a GMRS repeater: www.buytwowayradios.com/blog/2021/01/how-to-turn-the-wouxun-kg-1000g-into-a-gmrs-repeater.html

[@DesertCharleyVideos]

Use the 'four fingers' rule. It's like the boy scout salute between your mike and... noise hole?! LOL. (My first attempt at an 'expert' comment.)

[@andrewyoung-n8ary]

Roger beeps are fine, until you are on a repeater with a courtesy tone.

[@DocLarsen44]

I had a thought concerning the "Roger Beep" that I have not come to a conclusion on and, in hopes that someone with more experience can help me with it, let me explain.(first and BTW, I have searched the comments for "Roger Beep" without finding a similar comment) In general, I completely agree with your comments on the Roger Beep; however, I thought that, in a dicey situation where covert communications is a concern, it might be best to NOT employ the "Roger Beep." Any guidance in this concern would be greatly appreciated. I thank you, Randy, so very much for this channel and consider it my primary source for correct information for all things GMRS related.

[@d.8362]

If your situation is "Dicey" enough to think that way, you probably shouldn't be using GMRS for it.

[@coriscotupi]

In my time using CB & ham (late 70s to & early 80s) there as no such thing as roger beep. I had to search to find out what it was. The term kind of hinted at the idea, but Google confirmed.

[@matthewsavageau3650]

I learned something. Always keep your "over" beep on :). When you think about it, it make communicating by radio more efficient because you don't always have people forgetting to say "over" when they are done speaking. One other thing that can help when there are multiple people in a conversation is... After someone is done speaking, wait a couple seconds to respond so you don't get everyone trying to respond at the same time. Love the videos and the no nonsense information. You helped me choose a good hand held. I do have a question, on most GMRS radios, are you able to dial down the wattage of your transmission to keep your conversation in a smaller radius if desired? or does it not work like that, where a powerful radio could still pick up weak signals from a great distance?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

Virtually all radios have a High/Low or High/Med/Low setting option and this can help limit how many fars the radio transmits.

[@CaverJamie]

I don’t use a roger beep or say over, and I think the conversation flows more naturally that way. Don’t have any problem knowing when it is my turn to talk. And yes, radios usually have 1-4 power settings available.

[@graphguy]

I bet no one has ever been prosecuted for transmitting on a UV5R with a GMRS license.

[@stevenemert837]

Elliot Ness is listening!

[@jhutch1470]

Why would they prosecute you if you have a license?

[@lucassmith2332]

Like the coffee cup.

[@paulseebach5978]

I don't like repeaters. I heard you the first time.

[@jakespeckman1]

KPoP is the new Roger beep .... cool fact ;)

[@Rockbobster]

Great tips. Can you repeat that?

[@ryaldeveau207]

I have not made these mistakes, but..... I still have not recieved my radios, there on back order. But if I learn before I get them, maybe ill do better. 😁

[@theoriginal11charlie]

🤣 noise hole!!!🤣

[@nonegiven5295]

I thank you kindly for the info and the link for the GMRS license. I do have the Baofeng UV-5R but will look into the Wuxan(?) you described for using GMRS. The "NAZI''s," unfortunately, may not be dealt with in the tried and true WWII fashion. I do believe Kahn said it best: "Let them eat static".