A couple of months ago a friend of mine asked me about a certain radio he wanted to buy for his kids. He asked me to recommend a set of radios that could be used for everyday communications and in case of an emergency. He was talking about the Family Radio Service and he wanted to know if they were really as good as Amateur Radio in case of an emergency. So I explain to him the basic differences between radio services and the advantages and disadvantages of both. His questions also got me thinking in case of an emergency what is the first thing to go? Yes communications! Telephone and Cellular communications get overloaded pretty easy during emergencies and some can go down for days.
I have decided to write about all the options you have to keep yourselves inform in time of an emergency. Let’s begin with the Family Radio Service.
FAMILY RADIO SERVICE
Since its introduction in 1996 this service has been able to help families and business stay in touch without the need of licenses and expensive equipment. First proposed by Radio Shack in 1994 and tough as a replacement for the CB Radio Service has proved more reliable and efficient that the CB Band. It operates on 14 channels using only 500 milliwatts.
Channel Frequency (MHz) Notes
1 462.5625 Shared with GMRS.
2 462.5875 Shared with GMRS.
3 462.6125 Shared with GMRS.
4 462.6375 Shared with GMRS.
5 462.6625 Shared with GMRS.
6 462.6875 Shared with GMRS.
7 462.7125 Shared with GMRS.
8 467.5625 FRS use only
9 467.5875 FRS use only
10 467.6125 FRS use only
11 467.6375 FRS use only
12 467.6625 FRS use only
13 467.6875 FRS use only
14 467.7125 FRS use only
Manufacturers exaggerate the range in these radios and some claim ranges of more than 20 miles but in fact a range of 1/2 mile is usually achieved. They offer what is known as CTCSS tones to help cut interference on busy channels. Best of all they are cheap, easy to use and practical for everyday use.
Next post GMRS radios…….
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.