When it comes to modification of radios to transmit out of their designed band, you do have to careful that some aspect of the license is not violated. For instance using modifed gear to transmit outside of its band would have to meet the license restrictions completely....so transmit power would have to be determined as legal on the modified gear. Most HAM gear transmits at higher power than FRS or GMRS radios, so you would have to make sure you did not exceed the power levels for the license. You also have to be careful that the modified gear is not transmitting outside of its frequency allocation. Transmitting outside of the band, that results in interference is a huge deal, you can be fined and lose your license. Modification of gear is sometime way easier to do than testing to make sure it performs properly once modified.

For the most part I think sticking to HAM frequencies is a much better approach. There are many groups around the country interested and ACTIVE in emergency communications on HAM frequencies. This is totally the way to go, IMO, for yourself and your community.

Many new HAM handhelds allow monitoring outside the bands so TV, AM, FM radio, weatherbands, police, fire etc can be heard. This can make for a very nice package in a community that has a dedicated RACES or ARES group.

We have a pair of Icom T90A's, my wife got her Ham license this year and we are able to communicate by simplex or repeater during the day, participate in 2 local emergency communication groups, and our local CERT teams.

I cannot emphasis enough the capabilities of HAM frequencies. So much for so little....a few hours of study and a few hundred dollars for excellent communications. Most of the hard work is already done in larger communities....get the ticket and join a group.

I highly recommend that you check your local HAM groups out. Ask about community service, ask about repeaters, ask about administration of tests etc.

Find your local groups here:

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubsearch.phtml