6 replies to this topic

[Sean1989]

On Beulah Road, Chesterfield County, VA, USA : 

Road work crews have flaggers/sign holders that are using FRS channels that announce when they are releasing their traffic and announcing the last vehicle so / before the other can release their traffic.

 

Another location is on Genito Road at Otterdale Road.  Same thing happens here.  

 

Unknown PL / "code" for both locations due to the fact that I am driving and won't look down at the display

I will watch for it at a stoplight

 

 

My Bearcat BCD 396T will display the PL tone when someone keys up on that frequency/channel using PL tone.   

 

Uniden BCD-396T

Uniden BCT-15X

Uniden BC-895XLT 

Radio Shack Pro 92 and Pro 97 - seldom used.

ADI AT-600 Dual band HT 2m/440

TYT MD-380

Icom ID880-H FM/D-STAR

Icom IC4008A FRS HT (2) 

[oldtech]

Pretty common across the country I'll bet. I recently drove from Punta Gorda Florida to Dixon Illinois. Had the radio scanning with carrier squelch all the while, and heard a LOT of construction crews using FRS radios. Just my impression, but I think every construction zone I came across had people using FRS radios, at least where there were workers visible.

 

I also heard some fellow travelers using FRS to communicate while 'caravanning'. That came in pretty helpful a couple times when lanes were blocked due to construction/accidents. I was able to get into the best lane well ahead of time since they were ahead of me and I overheard their complaints. Which segues into CB...

 

I monitored CB channels 9 and 19 on a separate radio, in order to hopefully be forewarned of traffic issues... but I never heard a peep the entire trip. I thought maybe I had a problem with the radio or antenna, but when I got to Illinois I had a friend key up his CB, and it sounded fine. I guess CB is truly dead. As an aside, I monitor 9 and 19 at home as well, and very rarely hear any traffic.

 

I did also hear a lot of GMRS traffic on the trip. Mostly it was agricultural related, some of it was just chewing the fat. Interestingly, the only 'proper' GMRS traffic I heard was in Northern Georgia, where two guys discussing the weather and their plans to replace some coax gave their call signs properly. Otherwise the only call signs I heard were from a few repeaters automatically ID'ing.

 

And finally, I also monitored the MURS channels, mostly out of simple curiosity. Passing through the countryside, I heard a lot of data traffic in heavy agricultural areas, 'cotton country' and 'corn country'. In metro areas there was some light traffic from 'BigBox' stores.

[quarterwave]

I've heard that alot. Nothing to prevent it, they can use FRS, however, any legit business should get an assigned frequency and license in part 90. Most of the time, it's just a business taking the cheap way out. 

 

There was an industrial supplier near me that finally got off FRS due to people breaking the cheap radios, and the fact they were on channel 1 code 1...genius...and always had "interference". LOL

[WRCC719]

I also hear schools on FRS for their afterschool program. Are these normal use on frs?

[Hans]

I also hear schools on FRS for their afterschool program. Are these normal use on frs?

 

Yes, for my AO. I'm across the street from a charter school and there are one or two more a couple of blocks away. They use the radios throughout the day as well.

 

I hear lots of FRS/GMRS traffic throughout the week; of all kinds.

[n4gix]

Same here in Hammond, IN. There are quite a number of schools both public and private who use FRS radios.

[WRAF213]

Particularly with schools, there's not a whole lot of money to go around to buy and license business radios. A school fairly close to me started popping up on Baofeng channels; I talked with the school's administration who confirmed it was an after-school program, and administration forced them to go back to 'more expensive' FRS radios. The after-school program wasn't run by the school, so they didn't have access to the Part 90 license and radios of the school. Many of the Amazon listings for the BF-888S and rebrands of such state they work out of the box, legally, without a license; someone in the after-school program probably took the bait and bought a six-pack for less than the cost of a PL-capable FRS radio.

 

Around here, most schools have a Part 90 license, usually through the district. They aren't on itinerant channels, and each school appears to use two channels. Non-district functions don't get to use those radios, and are responsible for their own communications.

 

One construction crews took the Baofeng issue a step further and picked a frequency within the Amateur band to do their stuff (including traffic control). Most of the crew members had UV-5Rs with hand mics. It's been several months since I've heard them; I was able to find where they were, but not which construction company was on-site.

 

A different project in that same area is currently using FRS 2 in carrier-squelch (their LXT118s don't do PL/DPL), and from their location they should get out several miles. How they don't get any interference is beyond me.