National SOS Radio Network

National SOS Radio Network ^ | 2005/10/06 | Eric Knight

[TechJunkYard]

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it's become clear that a major contributing factor to the tragic loss of life was the near total breakdown of communication systems. Once electricity, telephone, and cell phone services failed, people were unable to let rescuers know of their dire situation...and died as a result.

A simple, instant, and virtually zero-cost solution: A "National SOS" public emergency network that connects millions of Family Radio Service (FRS) radios already in use by the public with 650,000 amateur "ham" radio operators -- people renown and prepared for emergency communications. The output frequencies of FRS radios are easily received by the radio gear hams use daily. That's the magic link in this emergency communication strategy. The National SOS Radio Network wouldn't require new laws or any new legislation.  It could go into effect, immediately. Once the ham radio community is made aware to listen for the public's emergency broadcasts on an FRS frequency, the national network will be up and running.  FRS radios don't require a license, can be used by anyone of any age, and are available for as little as $10 - $15 at many retailers such as WalMart www.walmart.com. FRS radios can transmit 2 - 8 miles (terrain dependent). And there are hams in nearly every community in America.  (To see how many ham radio operators are in any town, visit www.qrz.com/i/names.html and type in a zip code.)

[TechJunkYard]

Most of us hams could easily monitor FRS Channel 1 (462.5625 MHz) on a wideband 440 receiver.

The problem is, we can't legally talk back to them on our ham gear, so that means having another (FRS) radio handy.

Wot think?

[dljordan]

I think that it would be a mass off confusion. Everybody and his brother would be on the air.

[DC Bound]

Clearly what we need is a government bureaucracy to manage the confusion, and a new tax to support the bureaucracy.

[ronnied]

I think that it would be a mass off confusion. Everybody and his brother would be on the air.



thats what happened to cb radio...

[TechJunkYard]

Right... and CB had a designated "emergency channel" too... which everybody played with.

[Not now, Not ever!]

I had been under the assumption that during an emergency a licensed ham radio operator could do anything to further the safety/preservation of life or property.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Radios wouldn't have helped NO, and they weren't needed in TX.

Rather they should issue those toy radios to the government officials, who were the ones with the real inter-agency comm problems.

[Cobra64]

This sounds like a bunch of malarky. The dopey mayor and governor did diddly-squat for days. Many of the locals spent more time looting than "getting out of Dodge."

[Ben Mugged]

I thought that's what channel 9 of Citizens Band radio was. Handheld CB radios can be had for just over $20 at Radio Shack.

[CenTex]

There are several problems with this plan...

The main one is that the FRS radios I have played with have a realistic range of about a mile with fresh batteries. The FRS service does not allow for other than the built in antenna or using a more powerful add on. Repeaters are not allowed.(GMRS, a similar service does allow more power, external antennas and repeaters but the initial license will cost $75.00 for five years.)

The next problem, the radios will probably either need a charge or have dead batteries when the power goes down.

At the time of panic, the radio will be in the car under the seat where it fell two years ago after playing with it in a shopping mall. Oh and the car was traded off six months ago...

The instructions were thrown out with the plastic prison it was purchased in and thus it works only on one channel, the same one used by the rest of the world.

I am an instructor/mentor in the American Radio Relay League's Emergency Communications Courses and I describe the radios as best used for parking lot control and thats about it. If hams and CERT team members use them, they are usually charged and where they can be easily located.Do not expect the same of the New Orleans cesspool residents.

[dljordan]

"thats what happened to cb radio..."

I remember that. I think my father and I were the only ones in town to bother to get a CB liscense. I fondly remember my next door neighbor and his 1000 watt CB talking all over the TV and my shortwave receiver.

[kingu]

2-8 miles? Someone's been playing around with GMRS radios that require licenses to use. FRS radios rarely break the mile barrier. Anyone who has used them at an amusement park knows of the limitations.

Dropping the license requirement for GMRS (probably the number one law, after speed limits, ignored by families) would be a good first step. The biggest problem that is faced with putting together this network is uniformity in channel designations - a lot of FRS/GMRS radios mix the two segments together. Channels 1-4 might be FRS, 5-14 GMRS, 15-18 FRS, etc. Even radios of the same brand do not always match up on channel designations.

Aside from those problems you have the further issue of educating the public. During Katrina, rumors ran over the official channels until command put their foot down. An open conduit of information could make the rumors that ran rampant at the SuperDome to be just the tip of an iceberg. A broadcast only setup wouldn't be any more useful than the EBS system, or the power of AM radio stations that did remain on the air during the storm.