Subject: The Game's Afoot!
From: Radio Amateur KC2HMZ
Date: 6/22/2004 8:30 AM Central Standard Time
Message-id:
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.
CAP has had a lot of in-fighting about FRS. Since FRS is "civilian" and
we are under NTIA, there's been a lot of arguing about the legalities of it.
Part of the argument has been cooled off by CAP's acceptance of the use of
FRS for non-USAF missions and "public service" activites.
The other half has been cooled off by NTIA's authorization of our access
to ISR. Altho still pricy by FRS standards (About $80/piece) CAP units can buy
the ICOM ISR radio and use it without any restrictions for CAP purposes.
Some Wings are allowing individuals to buy thier own and even have a
buy-back program for those who decide to leave the program. It's illegal for
private use.
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).
I'm not sure if the CO event was with a CAP-owned device or if it was one
borrowed for the purpose. Communications with persons in distress is the only
time a CAP unit can communicate via FRS while on-mission.
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.
Yep.
73
Steve, K4YZ