Standardized comms (2 Viewers)

[SeanLX]

@NCFJ don't worry your not alone but GRMS can as simple as CB channels. Some of us just like the technical details and we're looking for a plan to keep it simple but effective.

@SFROMAN we'll get it figured out. (I'm happy to help) and yea, I'm hoping we get it down to a cheat sheet and "hey jump on channel X" for everybody that doesn't care about the details.

@emorth Those propagation maps are sweet. Would it be tough to get that for Uwharrie? I could see us setting up a repeater at group camp or near the outpost.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Not going to convince someone to sit at a table with a laptop to reconfigure everyone's radios for hours, right up until it's time to leave (because people forgot).

I have chirp for my radios, and can manually punch in frequencies for people, but I'm not taking time from my vacation to program a dozen other radios.

 

[JohnVee]

Not going to convince someone to sit at a table with a laptop to reconfigure everyone's radios for hours, right up until it's time to leave (because people forgot).

I have chirp for my radios, and can manually punch in frequencies for people, but I'm not taking time from my vacation to program a dozen other radios.

This is a conversation for elsewhere. My fault for starting it here.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

My solution the past few years is to just carry a few spare radios.

If I'm leading a trail and the tail gunner's radio isn't working, or they don't have one, then I'll just hand one out. Helps keep the group safe and together.


I really like mirroring the clcc band plan for onsc. As the years go on there is more joint participation between our clubs, so that makes the most sense, and is of course easiest for those of us that attend both club's events.

 

[emorth]

@emorth Those propagation maps are sweet. Would it be tough to get that for Uwharrie? I could see us setting up a repeater at group camp or near the outpost.

Send me a map of the possible locations where you might put the repeater and the general area you want to cover. I will do plots to see which site has the best coverage.

 

[emorth]

My solution the past few years is to just carry a few spare radios.

If I'm leading a trail and the tail gunner's radio isn't working, or they don't have one, then I'll just hand one out. Helps keep the group safe and together.


I really like mirroring the clcc band plan for onsc. As the years go on there is more joint participation between our clubs, so that makes the most sense, and is of course easiest for those of us that attend both club's events.

CLCC has 12 ”loaner” radios for events.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Send me a map of the possible locations where you might put the repeater and the general area you want to cover. I will do plots to see which site has the best coverage.

Not sure how zoomed in you want, but this is the area:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[emorth]

Here is a coverage map from the Shadowlands Campground. This is based on a GMRS freq with a 20 Watt transmitter and an antenna 10 feet in the air. Ideally, you want a base station radio at the operations center in the campground and a repeater on top of a mountain somewhere. If you send me the Lat/Long of a site or two on top of a mountain that is within range of the base station and at a place where you can hide the repeater in the woods, I will create coverage maps for the repeater.

Just to make sure this is the right place, here is a close up of where the transmitter is in the camp site.

Here is the propagation/coverage area from the camp site.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

That propogation map makes it seem like a single repeater at the campground is plenty!

 

[Comet]

Get on it boys. April is coming! Haha.

 

[Hokie LX]

Ordered my 40W midland today

 

[emorth]

Here is my suggestion to the CLCC guys regarding the GMRS channel plan. No feedback yet.

ONSC standardized comms - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/onsc-standardized-comms.1276700/ Post #15

Thoughts???

 

[Comet]

Thanks for taking this on. Using Chirp on my baeufongs has been super simple. I had six units, down to four after repeated use and abuse. Guessing the Motorola route is the way to go for handheld but the midland will be my next fixed option after my fixed baeufong craps out.

 

[JohnVee]

I feel I should put this here for those of us who either missed it, never knew it, or lost track even before the end of the first post! There’s no shame in that, and it’s part of the reason that this conversation is getting so involved - HAM is more complex than the average user has a desire for, and it’s as good a reason as any for those people to have and utilize an option that keeps them out of the hair of HAM users. Enter GMRS.


ONSC, please keep in mind that when @emorth says “MOTOROLA” he’s referencing the specific model Motorola handhelds that CLCC owns and uses. These are very different than the “blister pack” GMRS radios that can be bought today, even the Motorola models. CLCC’s Motorola units can be programmed to alter them in ways that blister pack radios cannot. Baofeng radios can work out of the box with blister pack radios by simply typing in the desired frequency (as per a chart, NOT just a channel number because they don’t have channel numbers unless they’ve been programmed to display them) and they can also be programmed by the user, either manually or by a computer program called CHIRP, to operate with the CLCC Motorolas that Ed and John S. have set up specifically for their club. Anyone with a programmable radio beyond the blister pack level can also program it to communicate with the CLCC frequencies.

I hope I broke that down correctly and easy enough to understand. Please correct me if I’m wrong about any of it.

 

[emorth]

@JohnVee thanks for the clarification. You are correct. The CLCC Motorola radios were previously in commercial/government/public safety applications. You will never find this type of Motorola radio in a blister pack at Walmart. New, they are programmed at the Motorola factory to meet the FCC license and operational requirements of the customer. We were lucky to get them and the resources to program and repair them. From a technical and physical perspective, the public safety grade Motorola radios will out perform the consumer “blister pack“ radios (including the Motorola blister pack radios). They are built to be carried into a burning building. Oh, and the Motorola radio that federal agents carry costs about $7,000, built in GPS tracking, encryption, trunking, remote programming, emergency alert, remote disabling, etc.

OBTW, I have no financial interest in Motorola, I have just been building comms infrastructures with them since the late 70s.

 

[Hokie LX]

Mine arrived today! Should be good between this and the Baofeng

 

[roflbox]

I feel I should put this here for those of us who either missed it, never knew it, or lost track even before the end of the first post! There’s no shame in that, and it’s part of the reason that this conversation is getting so involved - HAM is more complex than the average user has a desire for, and it’s as good a reason as any for those people to have and utilize an option that keeps them out of the hair of HAM users. Enter GMRS.


ONSC, please keep in mind that when @emorth says “MOTOROLA” he’s referencing the specific model Motorola handhelds that CLCC owns and uses. These are very different than the “blister pack” GMRS radios that can be bought today, even the Motorola models. CLCC’s Motorola units can be programmed to alter them in ways that blister pack radios cannot. Baofeng radios can work out of the box with blister pack radios by simply typing in the desired frequency (as per a chart, NOT just a channel number because they don’t have channel numbers unless they’ve been programmed to display them) and they can also be programmed by the user, either manually or by a computer program called CHIRP, to operate with the CLCC Motorolas that Ed and John S. have set up specifically for their club. Anyone with a programmable radio beyond the blister pack level can also program it to communicate with the CLCC frequencies.

I hope I broke that down correctly and easy enough to understand. Please correct me if I’m wrong about any of it.

has there been a decision on the specific frequencies that we would use?
Or is that still up in the air?

 

[JohnVee]

has there been a decision on the specific frequencies that we would use?
Or is that still up in the air?

I'll assume that our BOD will decide and publish that soon enough. It's small potatoes compared to the rest of the planning for CRR!

 

[SFROMAN]

has there been a decision on the specific frequencies that we would use?
Or is that still up in the air?

Although nothing set in concrete yet.

I am ordering a midland GMRS 40 watt radio tonight.

 

[NCFJ]

I feel I should put this here for those of us who either missed it, never knew it, or lost track even before the end of the first post! There’s no shame in that, and it’s part of the reason that this conversation is getting so involved - HAM is more complex than the average user has a desire for, and it’s as good a reason as any for those people to have and utilize an option that keeps them out of the hair of HAM users. Enter GMRS.


ONSC, please keep in mind that when @emorth says “MOTOROLA” he’s referencing the specific model Motorola handhelds that CLCC owns and uses. These are very different than the “blister pack” GMRS radios that can be bought today, even the Motorola models. CLCC’s Motorola units can be programmed to alter them in ways that blister pack radios cannot. Baofeng radios can work out of the box with blister pack radios by simply typing in the desired frequency (as per a chart, NOT just a channel number because they don’t have channel numbers unless they’ve been programmed to display them) and they can also be programmed by the user, either manually or by a computer program called CHIRP, to operate with the CLCC Motorolas that Ed and John S. have set up specifically for their club. Anyone with a programmable radio beyond the blister pack level can also program it to communicate with the CLCC frequencies.

I hope I broke that down correctly and easy enough to understand. Please correct me if I’m wrong about any of it.

Thank you John, even I understand it as you explained it.