Fw: [VermontScanner] FRS Radio Channel 1 Emergency Backup Use & Comm Range Experiments (Long Post)?
Kevin Krone
Hello List Members/Hobbyists.
I'm not sure if any of you followed the
story in Oregon, about James Kim &
family who took a wrong mountain road
& became stranded in their vehicle.
James Kim subsequently died while
trying to walk out and get help for his
family. Kim's wife & children
while in the car heard a distant helicopter
but had no way to communicate
with the helicopter. A pretty good editorial
can be found at:
http://www.oregonlive.com/editorials/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1166487929309700.xml&coll=7
As
well as other information:
http://www.nwasianweekly.com/20062451/travel20062451.htm
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_120506_news_missing_family_tues.569404ac.html
http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2006/12/james_kim_gps_and_th.html
(sub
list)
Also you can just do a www.google.com News search "James Kim, Oregon"
to
get more info.
I'm a strong advocate of everyone carrying a little
FRS radio with them when
they travel, take short hikes, etc... BUT also the
following information
should be considered:
1. One should carry &
use a cellphone FIRST if service is available in an
emergency to directly
call "9/11" -- this is the BEST method!!!
2. If you just have a cellphone
and it doesn't work for whatever reason
than you have no communications
directly with anyone!!
3. There are a variety of backup radio
communications that one could carry
(and offer potential monitoring targets
for hobbyists):
*CB Radio -- basically equipment is too bulky for
hiking/walking, etc BUT
for vehicles, MIGHT have an appeal if it could be
packaged in a relatively
small package yet technically allow a signal to get
out. CB Radio Channel 9
(27.065 mhz, AM mode) is designated as an official
emergency channel. As
many of you know CB is plagued with lots of
interference especially when sun
spot activity is high. It's unclear how
many local REACT folks monitor this
channel.
*Multiple Use Radio
Service (MURS) (VHF high band, 5 channels (NFM)), A very
good choice since
it offers 2 watts of power, and an external antenna can be
utilized. The
problem is that the radio service never gained wide consumer
acceptance, so
there's only 1 manufacturer/distributor (Dakota Alert) that
has a
consumer grade portable radio available. Most consumers see those 22
channel
FRS/GMRS hybrids and the low cost, so would elect to use these in
lieu of
MURS. No quasi emergency channel was ever designated. Some
advocated MURS CH
1 151.82 mhz should be used as the calling channel.
**General Mobile
Radio Service (UHF higher power) & Family Radio Service
(low power 1/2
watt,
but for all practical purposes, 1 & 2 watt unlicensed units are
readily
available on consumer market as FRS/GMRS hybrid portable radios).
GMRS also
has a quasi emergency/calling channel (462.675, ctcss 141.3 hz)
BUT there
really isn't a plan to monitor this. Most GMRS repeaters users are
grandfathered business operations. Equipment costs for portables that have
repeater access capabilities are much higher than FRS/GMRS portables that
operate on simplex only.
**Marine Radio (VHF low power/high power).
This can be used by the boating
public BUT recently it appears that some
outdoor hunters etc, have been
using the portable inland. 156.80 Marine
Channel 16 is the official
emergency & calling channel. It's always
possible that someone could be
using one of these portable units.
4.
It's unlikely that the average person is going to go out and buy any
radio
equipment UNLESS there's a public relations campaign to convince them
that
it is in their interest in an emergency to have a radio as a BACKUP to
cellphone.
5. The average person isn't going to study to become an
amateur radio
operator initially NOR do they want to spend signfiicant
amount of money for
other communications device. Therefore, FRS becomes the
logical choice.
6. Someone (e.g. REACT?) would need to develop a
monitoring support program
BEFORE going publically in #4 above. To a certain
extent they have started
this see: http://www.reactintl.org/nuz/nuz.homepage.htm
a..
7/7/06 REACT Supports SOS Emergency Strategy
REACT International has linked
with Midland Radio, D-CERN
Civil Air Patrol, also changed it's policy to
allow their search teams to
use FRS radios to communicate with search
victims.
7. There's many pitfalls in the implementation of the FRS
Channel 1 (no
CTCSS) monitoring scheme. Since may FRS radios default to this
channel, you
have lots of children fooling around on the channel. Also
because no CTCSS
is used, one can get fatigued monitoring this frequency
because of the
overall use/user's versus some of the other frequencies.
Expanded
monitoring would most likely be implemented only when there was an
indication that a lost/missing individual had such a radio in their
posession.
I think it would be GREAT if hobbyists on the various
lists would conduct
some
experimentation to see (hear) how far one can
actually in operational
practice monitor an FRS radio signal.
Here's
some ideas for experiments to determine some communications ranges.
Using
FRS Channel 1 and any other FRS channel of your choice using typical
1/2 watt
output -- If license for GMRS than also select appropriate 1, 2, 5
watts if
available.
No CTCCSS enabled & then enabled.
Monitoring with the
typical FRS portable/portable base
Monitoring with a radio scanner with an
appropriate mobile antenna
Monitoring with a radio scanner with an
appropriate base station antenna
Monitoring with a radio scanner with a
typical stock back of the set antenna
IF possible, try to fly in an aircraft
at approximately flight level 1 to 2K
with a portable scanner and portable
FRS (this IMHO offers the best
potential
for communicating with someone
in a wooded/mountainous area that needs help)
Mobile monitoring could be
done from various elevations in your respective
geographic area.
Of course
your home monitoring post could already be at a relatively
elevated
position.
For those of you that try the monitoring
experiments, please report back to
the list or give me private
email!!!
Thanks for your consideration & potential experimental
efforts!!!
Ken
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