[MarinTeams] GMRS/FRS

[Richard Dillman]

I'm not sure ham radio is any more powerful than GMRS.  They both use the
same technology and systems in both services can be engineered to have as
wide or narrow coverage as desired.  In our case (the West Marin Disaster
Council) we have seven repeaters ranging from those that serve only small
villages to those that have wide area coverage.  All are integrated into
the overall communications plan.

The idea of each individual operator owning and taking responsibility for
his or her own gear sounds good.  But that leads to a wide variety of
different radios, each with its own quirks and features.  That makes
unified training and the publication of system wide operation manuals very
difficult.  Plus, when a volunteer leaves the program he or she takes the
equipment with them.

We designed our GMRS system to be as close as possible to what first
responders use.  After all, they're the ones who use radios in emergencies
every day and they know what works.  Our operators are not particularly
interested in radio.  They look at the radio as a tool, not a recreational
device - again, as the first responders do.

All the radios in our system are the same make and model and all are owned
by the Disaster Council, just as first responder radios are all the same
and are all owned by the agencies involved.  That makes unified training
easy and allows system wide operations manuals to be issued.  When the
volunteer leaves, the radio returns to inventory, to be issued to the next
volunteer.  All radios are carried in a central database so the status of
each one is known

Well managed GMRS systems are far from chaotic in my experience.  In our
case the repeaters are completely quiet except for tests, drills and actual
emergencies.  When the repeaters are used, the communications on them are
crisp, professional, brief and to the point.  That's because these
repeaters are not recreational in nature and communications discipline has
been made the absolute priority.  In contrast, amateur repeaters are often
occupied with recreational chit-chat - which is of course great fun and an
important attraction of the hobby.  But this tends to carry over to
emergency communications and can be a real problem.

It's been pointed out that amateur emergency nets have a net control.
That's true but the success of this arrangement depends on the ability of
the net control and the willingness of net members to be controlled.  In a
recent bicycle race in which amateurs provided communications in a
controlled net, a net member occupied 15 - 20 minutes of repeater time
arguing about certain stickers he didn't like.  The best efforts of the net
control could not get him to stop.  Net members interjected with comments
like "Oh my GOD!".  But only after he ran out of steam would the net
resume.  15 - 20 minutes occupied in this way in an actual emergency could
be disastrous.

It's true, a big advantage if GMRS is the absence of the need to take a
test to get the license.  It's easy to get a ham license, as has been
pointed out.  But people who have no interest in radio as a hobby find this
onerous.  A disadvantage is the cost the FCC charges for a single license
under Part 95.  The Disaster Council pays this for our operators but it is
hoped that the current NPRM for Part 95 will result in licensing rules more
like those for Part 90 under which a single license can be obtained to
cover all operators in a system.

There's a place for both amateur radio and GMRS in emergency
communications.  In our case GMRS serves the tactical, on the scene need
immediately upon the advent of the emergency, without the need for a formal
activation or the need to wait for an operator with a special license to
show up before communications can begin - again, patterned after the
systems first responders use.  If and when the amateur systems are
activated and staffed, they function more as strategic links to handle
formal message traffic.  At least, that's how it's supposed to work in our
area.  Ideally, both systems will work together to create a smoothly
working emergency communications system when needed.

Regards,

RD

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Richard Dillman, Transmitter Wrangler
KWMR Community Radio for West Marin
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