I am quite a few questions from the non-amateur community here on the Equipped web site as well as on other sites on which I have posted this information. So let me share my concept for an ideal community Grid Down preperation.

I welcome comments especially from those who have no or little communications experience. Would something like the community system I describe here be of value to you? If there was a community GMRS repeater available, would you spend $80 for a 3 year license that covers your entire family? Good radios are now available in the $35 to $60 for handhelds and in the $200 for 50 watt mobiles. All plug and play with no technical skills required.

GMRS is available in many communities and many are open, allowing any licensed operator to use them.One particular set of frequencies is set aside (by convention,not law) for travelers.

There are not many open access repeaters compared to the amateur world, but most metro areas have at least one and many rural areas have pretty good coverage. Perhaps there is already one in your area. I can help you find out if you ask.

So, please read this an let me know what you think. It is not very well expanded so there will likely be many questions. Have a read....

A Community Communications System.

There are 4 different communications arenas that need to be considered. They are, in brief, the following.

FRS: Family Radio Service. This service regulates those bubble pack radios that have become so common. No license, no control and very short range.

MURS: Multiple Use Radio Service. Like FRS, unlicensed. However the frequency used and the power levels provide much better range. Detachable antennas are allowed and with proper selection, this can be used to advantage. They can not be connected to any other service.

GMRS: General Mobile Radio Service. A lisenced service that allows repeaters and 50 watt radios. The license covers the whole family and community repeaters are common.

There are a number of significant aspects that make this service attractive to our needs. It shares some frequencies with FRS and GMRS licensees can use 5 watt radios with gain antennas when communicating with FRS users. I will discuss this in detail later.

Amateur Radio (Ham); A bewildering assortment of technologies and regulations. Basically we can do anything that is non-commercial, not encrypted and within very broad regulation. Most of which makes sense in terms of good engineering practice.

In the Ham world, one of my interests are relatively short range communications (meaning 400 miles radius or so). I use special techniques to bounce signals so that they fill that circle with a very solid and strong signal using relatively little power and simple technology.


So how can these services be used?

My situation can be used as an example. I winter in a remote desert area. Look at a map of Arizona. About 130 miles or so west of Tucson (follow route 86 west) you will see a north south road (route 85). I live near that intersection.

Zoom out a bit. With the exception of the small town of Ajo, 10 miles north and Sells, 60 miles east, there is pretty much nothing. The nearest metropolitan areas are Tucson (120 miles), Phoenix (130) and Yuma (130). I said it was remote.

Our small community hangs on a single fiber for communications and a pretty simple power grid. Actually there is no commercial power available even close to where I live. All of us are 100% solar powered.

If I install my GMRS repeater someplace that gives good coverage to the area, I believe others will get a license so that they can use it. There are a lot of great wild places around us and having good repeater coverage open to the community would be an asset.

So as each of the new GMRS repeater licensees become active on the repeater, I hope to convince them to also configure their radio to comply with the requirements to communicate with FRS users.

Likewise I intend to "sell" the GMRS advantages to other hams in the area. Not just the fact that any of their family members can use the repeater, but the community service aspects as well. Should be an easy sell.

So now we have a system that allows anyone access on various levels. my experience with community radio has convinced me that the interconnection of people strengthens the community bond and provides a real asset in situational awareness. See something, say something takes on new meaning when the "say something" goes to your peers in the community.

In the event of an emergency, we will be able to disseminate information quickly and with a fair amount of reliability.

Comments Appreciated.

Nomad.
aka Ron, N1AHH