Unauthorized GMRS use has suddenly become popular among public service
employees in my area. A few days ago I was listening to two deputy sheriffs
keeping track of each other and two forest lookouts (husband/wife team)
helping a hiker with heat exhaustion. Today I'm listening to what seems like
two entire firefighter strike teams cleaning up after a major wildland fire.

Strike teams may travel great distances to help fight a fire so these teams
might be from another area where they frequently use GMRS. The fire covered
an area from about five to seven miles from my home and some of these guys
(and a gal) are booming in fairly loud. No station identifications, output
greater than 1/2 Watt

The forest lookout tower is about ten miles away.

No station identifications, power exceeds FRS limits, and the type of usage
is unauthorized for both GMRS and FRS.

I actually think it's great; the radios are filling a valid need. I suspect
that this is the sort of usage that the FCC expected (how could they not?).
It's unfortunate for the old-time GMRS users though. The FCC should have
permitted one or two watts on FRS (instead of 0.5W) and not shared
frequencies with GMRS. As the facts are, I suspect that the FCC intends to
eventually eliminate the license requirement for GMRS and combine GMRS and
FRS into a single service. A replacement for CB. I wouldn't go out and buy
any expensive GMRS equipment unless you want to become a part of this.

Frank

"Frank" wrote in
news:01c354a3$12edc280$0125250a@vqurinyqcuazetxa:

I actually think it's great; the radios are filling a valid need. I
suspect that this is the sort of usage that the FCC expected (how
could they not?). It's unfortunate for the old-time GMRS users though.
The FCC should have permitted one or two watts on FRS (instead of
0.5W) and not shared frequencies with GMRS. As the facts are, I
suspect that the FCC intends to eventually eliminate the license
requirement for GMRS and combine GMRS and FRS into a single service. A
replacement for CB. I wouldn't go out and buy any expensive GMRS
equipment unless you want to become a part of this.

Frank


We actually had the county-endorsed radio company program 'tactical'
freqs in our radios that fall in the gmrs range. I found it interesting.

john

Here in Aust we have a UHF CB band - 5 watts output (FM), and whatever type
of antenna you want (i.e. no limits on the ERP assuming max 5 watts output -
and yeah like many people have only 5 watts output). Even better, there is
a class licence applied to it, so no need to pay for one.
This system is used very frequently by our rural fire fighters (amongst many
other users) - most farmers have a UHF CB in their car/tractor/trucks, so it
provides a comms system that is reliable in short range coverage. During
our fires last summer here in Aust, I noticed that there were heaps of fire
fighting ops on the UHF CB - despite a pretty good system already being
provided for the use of the firies.




Matt

"Frank" wrote in message
news:01c354a3$12edc280$0125250a@vqurinyqcuazetxa.. .
Unauthorized GMRS use has suddenly become popular among public service
employees in my area. A few days ago I was listening to two deputy
sheriffs
keeping track of each other and two forest lookouts (husband/wife team)
helping a hiker with heat exhaustion. Today I'm listening to what seems
like
two entire firefighter strike teams cleaning up after a major wildland
fire.

Strike teams may travel great distances to help fight a fire so these
teams
might be from another area where they frequently use GMRS. The fire
covered
an area from about five to seven miles from my home and some of these guys
(and a gal) are booming in fairly loud. No station identifications, output
greater than 1/2 Watt

The forest lookout tower is about ten miles away.

No station identifications, power exceeds FRS limits, and the type of
usage
is unauthorized for both GMRS and FRS.

I actually think it's great; the radios are filling a valid need. I
suspect
that this is the sort of usage that the FCC expected (how could they
not?).
It's unfortunate for the old-time GMRS users though. The FCC should have
permitted one or two watts on FRS (instead of 0.5W) and not shared
frequencies with GMRS. As the facts are, I suspect that the FCC intends to
eventually eliminate the license requirement for GMRS and combine GMRS and
FRS into a single service. A replacement for CB. I wouldn't go out and buy
any expensive GMRS equipment unless you want to become a part of this.

Frank

Matt ...

^ Here in Aust we have a UHF CB band ...

I think that's GMRS. The popular (or what was once popular) Citizen's Band
(27MHz) is probably better referred to as HF Citizen's Band.


^ Even better, there is a class licence applied to
^ it, so no need to pay for one.

That's probably through a club membership. The club has the license and all
club members are merely operators on that license.


^ This system is used very frequently by our rural fire
^ fighters (amongst many other users) ...

The purpose of this band is to give families a set of frequencies that they
can use amongst themselves. Government agencies, rural firefighters included,
already have a large chunk of the spectrum allocated for their usage. They
should not be infringing on the public's allocation. This might be a gray
area though, because some things are acceptable during emergencies. However,
the fire in my area has been out for a couple of days and the firefighters
are using GMRS just to mop up afterwards. That isn't emergency usage.

But I do like the idea of a personal, low cost radio on every firefighter out
in the field. There are other frequencies allocated for just this purpose but
the radio manufacturers want to charge the public services an arm and a leg
for them. I think emergency services should be permitted use of the public
bands but only until the actual emergency is over.

Frank

On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 14:04:57 -0000, "Frank"
wrote:

Matt ...

^ Here in Aust we have a UHF CB band ...

I think that's GMRS. The popular (or what was once popular) Citizen's Band
(27MHz) is probably better referred to as HF Citizen's Band.


I'm just guessing this is actually a CB UHF system. Not an Aussie
GMRS.

"Frank" wrote in message
news:01c3555d$40259470$0125250a@lpmmxalxunzrbzbt.. .
caleb thomas ...
^ On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 14:04:57 -0000, "Frank"
^
^ Matt ...
^
^ ^ Here in Aust we have a UHF CB band ...

^ I'm just guessing this is actually a CB UHF system. Not
^ an Aussie GMRS.

Oh. I assumed "Aust" was an abbreviation for something like "Austin" and
didn't give it any further thought. My apologies to the Aussie for a
"typical
yank" assumption.

Frank

Yep - Caleb guessed correctly, In Aust(ralia) we have a 40 channel UHF CB
band - 8 repeater pair channels, and a pretty large repeater network around
the country which are all free access. In the bush, it is a very heavily
used resource - in the city, it has become a cheapo method of business comms
with a mix of little and the not so little kids who need their mouths washed
out with soap. Still it is a good system, and I do use it a fair bit. No
offence taken with the assumptions - at least you know where Australia is.
G




Matt

Almost 3000 miles between those two cities, and an awful lot of almost empty
space between them - all you need to do now is visit Adelaide and Darwin and
you will have pretty much bracketed the country. Welcome anytime (just
don't bring your FRS gear as it will probably cause interference to our
police comms which are notionally on the same frequencies nation wide) - or
as that shocking add says, "chuck another shrimp on the barby". All the
best, and I will go back to sandbagging on the side.

Cheers



Matt

"Frank" wrote in message
news:01c355cb$cafdf970$0125250a@bbzciouxniurbvmd.. .
Matt ...

^ ... at least you know where Australia is.

I've been to both Perth and Brisbane so I know where both sides are!

Frank