[MarinTeams] GMRS/FRS

[George Shea via MarinTeams]

The idea of being able to communicate in a wider (Bill Smith most of Marin) is so neighborhood teams know what is going on beyond their smaller area.  The fire in Weed took out over 150 buildings including two churches and a lumber mill.  Most people had to evacuate their home in 3 minutes.  If there is a substantial fire say in Fairfax, people in San Anselmo and San Rafael will likely be in danger.  By firing up the County wide Ham net, one can communicate within their neighborhood and also outside of their area.<br/><br/>A ham net is "controlled" and weekly practice and training maintains the necessary discipline to make it work.<br/><br/>If you have ever been on a ski hill with family and friends trying to stay in touch using GMRS/FRS radios, you have probably encountered the chaos that ensues when everyone is talking at once, often yelling into the microphone, and blabbing like one might with a cell phone.<br/><br/>It is a great idea to use these
 walkie talkies if each user is organized and trained.  However, you will not be able to know what Emergency Services is up to.<br/><br/>Getting a ham license (technician class) is very easy if you can spend one morning reading over practice questions and answers and then taking the 36 question test in the afternoon with only needing a 70% pass rate.  I did that about 8 years ago, passed on the first attempt with little or no prep before showing for the "cram for ham" program that Bill Smith sets up every few months.<br/><br/>I encourage anyone interested in emergency neighborhood communications to just attend Bill's four week class he give every Thursday night at Trinity Church in Dominican.  There you will learn how things will work.  Then taking the ham test is easy.  More people with their FCC license who participate in a controlled net could also have a walkie talkie to broadcast events to the rest of the neighborhood.<br/><br/>Without some rather
 strict controls, the walkie talkie idea will result in chaos.  If people using these radios go to all the trouble of learning the disciplines necessary for effective emergence/disaster neighborhood communications, they may as well become licensed hams.<br/><br/>Bill's efforts have been tremendous.  With more stations we can develop a very robust emergency/disaster communication program.<br/><br/>My two cents for what it is worth.  Thanks for listening.<br/><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com?.src=iOS"><br/><br/>Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad</a>