RadioBanter - View Single Post

June 22nd 04, 03:30 PM

On 22 Jun 2004 08:27:36 GMT, (Steve Robeson K4CAP) wrote:

Yep - Puerto Rico CAP is their correct State Wing callsign. Like
Florida CAP where you are, or WHITE PEAK where I am.

I'm not in Florida.

Hmmm...okay, I stand corrected. I don't know why, but for some reason,
I thought you lived in Florida. shrug

Nope....Other than working situations, have always been in Tennessee
(since joining the forum)

OK, modified statement to reflect your correct QTH would then read,
"Like Tennessee CAP where you are, or WHITE PEAK where I am."

I'm also personally aware of instances where FRS radios are used by
ARES/RACES personnel or by government or emergency services personnel.

The only instance I know of FRS/GMRS bveing used by them is as a liasion
with non-Amateur services...quite practical, actually.

With the ARES/RACES groups, that's the reason for having them, yes.
With government/emrgency services personnel there are of course other
reasons. Niagara County (NY) emergency management has GMRS portables
with the intent of using them for comms between the director and
assistant directors at the scene of an incident where they might be
called into action, or to hand to someone they themselves want to be
able to communicate with, as in the case of the one they handed to me
once last year (about five minutes after telling me not to come up on
their frequency with my own radio, hehe).

At the Thunder Over Niagara airshow a few years ago, members of one of
the local CAP groups (I believe it was a cadet wing) were using FRS
radios in the performance of their duties at the show (directing
traffic in parking lots, serving as gophers for the adults from the
composite wing at the info booth, and they also had a hamburger and
hotdog stand going). I asked one of them about it, and he told me they
used those little FRS radios a lot, even trained with them for SAR.

They were Motorola FRS radios fully loaded with all the bells and
whistles that were common on FRS radios circa 1999. At the time these
were going for about $150 each. There were about two dozen CAP members
around who had these clipped to the top shirt pockets on their BDUs.

Colorado Wing, Civil Air Patrol logged a rescue of several stranded hikers
last summer who were in a deep, tree covered ravine. One of the hikers made it
to a road, but couldn't retrace his course. The FRS radios were used to
contact them and locate them...Worked like a champ.

So the guys I met at NF aren't the only CAP personnel equipped with
and using FRS. Motorola (or someone) must appreciate the business,
because for SAR work they're probably NOT going out and buying the
cheapest radios they can find (or at least I hope they aren't).

The other EmComm group I'm with (other than Erie County ARES/RACES),
which is the public service and emcomm team sponsored by the ham radio
club I am a member of, is also starting to equip with the combined
FRS/GMRS portables that have been hitting the market recently. Our
thinking is quite simply, if it is capable of maintaining comms (with
hams and non-hams) it might come in handy, and at the inexpensive
prices these can be had for, it's worth the investment since you never
know when something like that will come in handy.

73 DE John D. Kasupski
Tonawanda, New York, USA
Amateur Radio (KC2HMZ), HF/VHF/UHF Monitoring (KNY2VS)
Member ARATS, ARES, RACES, WUN