Ham Question: SAR guys what are you using?

[Irish11]

So here is the deal. I don't have my license yet, but I am looking at taking a class with my local club next month. I am looking through options on radios and equipment. Ideally I would like to volunteer for my County's 4x4 Search and Rescue club. I have taken all my FEMA courses, have my CPR/First Aid certs, and the Technicians license is the last thing on my list before I want to apply.

I have been doing some research. I am looking for a mobile rig to put in my FJ62. I know the FT-2900 is a great starter radio, but with what I am looking at doing with it I am thinking the FT-7900 or FT-8800 might be more useful. Thoughts?

I am thinking of using a Comet SBB-5NMO on a Diamond K400 or Comet CP-5 mount. This setup seems like it will work for the cruiser and will not lead to me having to drill any holes.

I am looking for opinions. Go easy on me I am just starting to learn all this stuff. I have my AARL License Manual and have been studying up, but I think the class will help me more.

Thanks,
-Irish

 

[jonheld]

I think the first thing you should do is speak to the local 4x4 SAR club that you're thinking of joining. They're going to let you know what frequencies are commonly used, and that will ultimately be the deciding factor on what radio you choose.

I would assume that most SAR operations use standard 2m frequencies and repeaters, but I could be wrong.

2m repeaters are everywhere and they outnumber 70cm repeaters. We only use 2m for trail comms, but that's different then what you'll be doing.

During the outages that followed Sandy, 2m was very active and the local 70cm repeaters were quiet.

 

[1911]

Irish,

I answered your post over on ExPo.

I would assume that most SAR operations use standard 2m frequencies and repeaters, but I could be wrong.

Like I said on the other thread, my county does, but it varies from place to place.

 

[Irish11]

Thanks guys. This is something I have been wondering about for a while. I assumed they had communications with existing emergency service groups. But I will reach out to them and see what their teams use. They have a section for HAM proficiency on the application so I assumed some of those skills were wanted/needed.

1911 - Thanks for the answers over on ExPo as well.