The following is a “Beginners Short Course” for those who are considering FRS radios for communication,

First, the FRS radio system was not designed for emergency use. In fact, specific appeals to the FCC to designate channel 1 an emergency or call channel have been disapproved. FRS is at best, a weak alternative to almost every other communications method and should not be relied upon as an emergency device.

That said, FRS can be a useful tool for communication. The equipment is cheap, readily available and easy to use. Perhaps its greatest asset is in helping to prevent emergencies. Keeping in contact with nearby members of your group is the best way to insure safety. Also, there are millions of them out there. More and more folks on trail and in the backcountry are carrying these for personal use. Although not designed for emergency use, they can augment your other gear and help, should an emergency arise.

Some general info about FRS and the radios used in that service. FRS is a license free low powered radio service with 14 frequencies. Power is limited to ½ watt (very low power) and radios cannot be modified in any way. The range is short, about ¼ to ½ mile thru woods but can reach 2 or more miles across water or other clear signal paths. Voice quality is very good and there is no “skip” or long distance interference from distant stations.

There is a way to limit who you hear on a channel. It is called sub-audible tone, PLL, CTCSS, PrivateLine or a bunch of other names. To use this feature you select a channel and then one of usually 38 sub-audible tones. When you transmit, a low frequency tone is transmitted along with the voice. The tone is filtered out and you will not hear it. But the receiving station, if it has this feature enabled will only turn on the speaker when it hears the specific tone it is listening for. This is very useful in eliminating bothersome chatter from other users as well as electronic interference from cash registers or similar noisy devices. Still, only one conversation can take place on a channel at a time. But if the other radio is using a different sub-audible tone than you are, you will not hear it. Many vendors make it sound like you will have 14*38=532 useable channels, but this is not an accurate representation of how it will work.

Radios run the complete line of complexity from very simple to complex such as those with built in voice scramblers, GPS and locator systems. Cost is equivalent to features. Most are walkie-talkies, although a few mobile units have been on the market.

Suggestions for selecting a radio. If you are not used to using walkie-talkies, or are planning to provide radios to those who are not already trained in radio use, such as children, it is best to keep things very simple. Look for a radio with minimum features. Here is what I consider to be important.

-Simple operation. No complex menu settings or multi-button pushes. Avoid the ones with weather alert, scanners and other features unless you and all potential users are familiar with these functions. The one we use the most has only basic functions. These are:
On, off, Volume, frequency, Sub-audible tone (more about that later) and keylock.

-A large clear display with easy to understand text display. It is better to have a word, i.e.: locked rather than a cryptic symbol (picture of a key). Back lighting is nice to have, but it must turn off quickly after use.

-Replaceable batteries, type AA. Many use rechargeable batteries, but these will probably be dead when you want to use the radio. Instead, get a pack of rechargeable AA batteries and a charger (About $18 for 8 batteries and charger at Sam Club). This will allow you to save the cost of disposable batteries so that you will use the radio instead of leaving it behind because the batteries are dead. If necessary you can stop at any store and pick up some disposable batteries if your rechargeable batteries are dead. Consider getting a set of lithium AA batteries for each radio. Keep them in your pack for emergency use only. They will store for many years, are very light weight and should you need them, will provide good service.

-Stay away from gimmicky models like wrist radios or helmet radios. Likewise those with permanently connected headsets or other such odd configurations. Stay with standard walkie-talkie configurations.

-About GPS combined units. There are several radio/GPS combined units on the market. I have not used any of them. However many military have purchased these and their comments are significant. Mostly they complain about the complexity of operation. As this is directed at new radio users, I would be skeptical about recommending such units.

OK, so now you have your radios. How do you use them? First, I suggest you do not wear them on your belt. If you have a backpack or shoulder bag, fasten the radio to the shoulder strap as high as you can get it. Be careful of the antenna. Make sure it cannot move around and poke you in the eye. Wearing it higher will significantly improve reception.

Select a channel for your groups use. Lets say you listen around a bit and do not hear anything on channel 5. OK, we will use channel 5. Note, Channel 1 is becoming a calling or emergency-monitoring channel. Although not an official rule, it seems to be catching on. Therefore please do not conduct operations on channel 1. We will discuss that later.

If desired, select a sub-audible frequency. Assume you want to use tone 15. Your display wilI probably show you a large 5 and a smaller 15 or something similar. If you do this, be sure and check all radios to be absolutely sure that they are programmed correctly. We check our radios every time we turn them on.

Now, just press the button and talk. Release the button to listen. Do not yell into the radio. It does not make the signal stronger, it only distorts the audio. Talk “across” the mike, not directly at it. Holding the radio slightly sideways and talking “across” the mike will make for clearer audio and reduce the popping noises that happen when we say things like “Pepper”. Only one person can use the channel at a time. In the beginning of your radio experience, use it a lot. Try it in various situations like car-to-car, car to mall, around the house, in the woods etc. As you gain experience you will be better understand the many limitations of these radios. The range of these radios is described as “line of sight”. That means it will not go beyond the horizon. Neither will it penetrate mountains or large metal structures. However the signal does bounce well and coverage in a mall or large building is pretty good, but very spotty. It will work well in one place and not at all a few feet away.

About Channel 1. As mentioned previously, this is becoming a calling and emergency channel. We travel a lot and are seeing more signs that say local “rangers” (Park Service or whatever) monitor FRS channel 1. It is important that you program one frequency for channel 1 with NO sub-audible tone. You want to hear everything on that channel and you want to be able to find it quickly and not have to re-program your radio to remove a tone or whatever. You can help in the monitoring effort. As these radios have very short range, the more ears the better. If you are walking with another member of your group, one of you should switch to Channel 1 and just monitor. If you are alone, keep your radio on channel 1. If you get to a really high spot, like the top of a mountain or a scenic overlook, take a few moments to listen on channel 1.

Channel 1 as a Call Channel. If you are traveling alone, monitor channel 1. Someone looking for you (non-emergency) knows which channel you might be listening to. Otherwise you would have to try all 500 or more combinations of frequency and sub-audible tone. When you call someone on Channel 1, make sure you have good communications and then please move to another channel. We usually keep channel 2 programmed with no tone so that we can just say “switch to channel 2, no tone” which will be easy for the other station to do. But wait for the other station to reply before switching. The other station should reply, “OK channel 2 no tone is OK” or something similar. You want to be sure he heard you and got it right. He might think he heard some other channel. If there is no response in a few moments, go back to channel 1. Changing frequencies is a good way to loose somebody if you are not careful.

Emergency Use. Ok, so you are walking along a path with the radio on Channel 1. You hear a weak child’s voice saying “Somebody Help me” and then silence. What should you do? First, don’t move from that spot. A few feet away you might not be able to communicate. Answer the call; see if you can talk to the person. If you can, then perhaps you are in a position to use your cell phone to call for assistance. If you cannot establish contact with the person, but you can call for assistance, call 911 or the local emergency number. Do not run off trying to find the person. Locating a lost individual is tricky business. It is even harder with children. Best thing is to get as much help as you can. If you cannot communicate by any other means, switch to channel 1 and call for assistance. Perhaps someone else will hear you and be able to make a call for assistance by cell or other communications mediums. It is very important that you make others aware of the situation. Get as much help as possible.

Teaching your kids. If a child can answer a phone, he/she can use the radio. Do whatever is best to teach them how. Make a game of it, anything; as long as they use it, they will gain experience and confidence. Most important is to keep in touch so that things do not get out of control.

Hope this helps and I would encourage comments and additions.