52 Weeks of Preparedness – Two‐way Radio Week 42

By Don Gardner Clearwater County Office of Emergency Management Can you imagine how you will communicate with your family during an emergency when no cell phones are working? Could this even happen? Yes, it can, and it has, even here in Clearwater County. When disasters occur, the public often loses several means of communicating all at once. If you remember during the fires of 2015 the cell phone system was overloaded and many landlines didn’t work. First responders rely on two‐way radios daily and when disasters strike, and so can we.

The are many times you can use two‐way radios with your family and friend like during a disaster, or, more commonly, when camping, hunting, during ATV and snowmobile adventures, and between cars when traveling. It may seem like an old fashion technology, but it is so reliable.

There are many types of radios you can use and each provides different capacities and expense. Today we will cover four varieties that could work for you.

Family Radio Service (FRS) and the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) radios are low‐power, inexpensive handheld ‘walkie talkies,’ which can be used for short‐distance communications. Most of these radios are sold as a combo sets with both the FRS and GMRS channels in one radio. You will find them in the sporting goods section of stores. The packages often exaggerates and say they will work for 20‐50 miles or more. Generally, the actual range of FRS/GMRS radios will be significantly less than advertised. A reliable range is considered to be line‐of‐sight communications. Things such as building, hills, trees, etc., will severely limit your range. Typically you will see 0.5 ‐ 4 miles in our area.

These radios are not usually rugged or waterproof but they are one of the lowest cost radios available.

The FRS radios channels require low power radios. 0.5 watts up to 2 watts on some channels. You get 22 channels, and they are easy to use. No license is required to use an FRS radio.

GMRS radios share channels with FRS but allow for more power. 0.5 watts up to 50 watts on some of the channels, which includes an additional eight repeater channels, for a total of 30 channels. You are required to get a license from the FCC to use GMRS radios. However, this is quite easy. All you need to do is google “GMRS license” and follow the FCC instructions. There is no test, just a payment of $70 to the FCC, and that’s good for 10 years. This license will cover your whole family including kids, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, you get the point.

With GMRS you can use a handheld radio and the more powerful mobile radios. In the Orofino and Lewiston area there are some GMRS repeaters set up that will greatly increase your range up to 20‐40 miles.

Citizen Band (CB) radios are still around and used in our area. You get 40 channels and depending on the radio and your set up, you can expect 1 to 10 miles, or even more, when using single side band (SSB). The range is determined largely by your location and the type of radio and antenna CB radios are still commonly used by truckers and travelers, and operation does not require a license. Multiple‐Use Radio Service (MURS) can experience a range of 2‐4 miles depending on the terrain and obstructions. MURS Base Stations can reach up to 10 miles, and you can Increase that range with an external antenna. Transmitting on the five MURS channels does not require a license and can be used by the entire family. On MURS you can transmit voice or data.

Now, I did save the best for last. Amateur Radio, also known as Ham Radio.

Ham radio is different. Amateur radio operators communicate with each other in nearby places, across the country, around the world or even with astronauts on the space station. They can send email, text, and photos via radio, and even transmit TV signals. They can also use a cell phone like a ham radio!

Around the country Hams have put up hundreds of repeaters. Because of this, they can talk for 100s of miles with a simple handheld radio. In our area, you could talk to Lewiston, Kamiah, Grangeville, Spokane and beyond, and Hams using high frequency (HF) radios can talk around the world.

It's easier than you might think to get started in amateur radio. All it takes is a little study, and you can be on the air in no time. Just take a 35 question exam, and answer at least 26 correctly, and you pass. (Morse Code is no longer a requirement.) Our local ham club offers free classes. The next beginners class will be November 16th and 23rd, 2019. Call my office for more information. (208‐476‐4064)

Speaking of the ham club, they meet the first Thursday of every month, 6:30 p.m., at 2200 Michigan Ave in Orofino. Everyone is welcomed. There you can meet local amateur radio operators at all levels and find answers for all the radios talked about in this article.

Ham radio is fun as well as an invaluable resource for when all else fails. Whether it’s severe weather, natural disasters, power outages, or cellphone are out, ham radio has always worked.

Ham Radio is a great hobby. It will serve you well in times of need. Plus, it’s cheaper than you might think. Once licensed you could buy your first radio for around $30.

There are over 760,000 licensed hams in the U.S., and it keeps growing. During times of crisis, when modern communications fail, Amateur radio is there to fill in the gap.

Communications is so important, and even more so during times of disasters. It’s not hard to get started in two‐way radio. You just need to do it.

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